The Band-of-Brothers in Helen Lowe's "The Gathering Of The Lost"

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So here we are, November 1 (eek!), with Halloween just behind us, Guy Fawkes immediately ahead, and Thanksgiving and Christmas hoving-to in the near-distance.

If you feel breathless reading that, I can assure you that I felt exactly the same as my fingers flew over the keyboard! Still, when the year is fleeting by and all the festivals and end-of-year commitments snowballing, what better time to relax with a little bookish and Fantasy 'verse blogging?!

The Wall Of Night series

In my case the 'verse is The Wall of Night world (for which the series is named), which I'm revisiting in the context of my 2023 post theme, which is -- of course -- the "band of brothers" in Fantasy fiction.

Last month I shone the spotlight on The Heir Of Night (The Wall Of Night #1) and today it's time for Book Two, which is -- ta-da! --

The Band-of-Brothers In The Gathering Of The Lost

When it comes to our theme, The Gathering of the Lost is band-of-brothers central. 

Book One, The Heir Of Night, ended with the two main characters, Malian and Kalan, vanishing into the wilds of the world of Haarth.

The world of Haarth

In The Gathering of the Lost, the ongoing story takes readers to the realm of Emer, famed as the home of the heavily armed Emerian knights. Starting with the castle of Normarch, a center for squires training to be knights. 

In last month's post, I spoke of how it "takes time, as well as adverse circumstances, to bridge division and create bonds of brotherhood." The squires of Normarch have been training together, and toward knighthood, for several years. So when adverse events strike, they have the skills and discipline, as well as the cohesion and motivation, to answer the challenge.

For those that survive the fighting and melees in Normarch -- which also include magical trials and combats, of course -- the bonds of brotherhood emerge stronger. Bonds that are then tested again when the newly made knights ride to the capital, Caer Argent, to compete for fame and glory in the midsummer tournament. Only to encounter plots, treachery, and dark magic, as well as contests of arms.

Events that end testing their loyalty to each other and the bonds forged in the Normarch years, as well as to the realm of Emer. 

As you can no doubt guess, too, The Gathering of the Lost is also bromance central in terms of the depth of the young knights' friendships and the trials they must overcome. But not only bromance. There may just be romance, too, with both springtime and starcrossed loves featuring in the mix. 

And yes, Malian and Kalan are definitely part of the action -- although being exiles with many enemies, they are very often disguised or traveling incognito. ;-)

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Previous Posts:

February: Honing in on 2021—Celebrating the "Band of Brothers"
March: Celebrating the "Band of Brothers" in Fantasy #2
April: Celebrating the "Scooby Gang" #3
May: Celebrating the "Band of Sisters"
June: From Band of Brothers To Bromance!
July: Sister Acts: from the "Band of Sisters" to True Sisterhood
August: When Brotherhoods -- and Bros -- Go Bad!
September: "The Band of Brothers" -- A Few More Fantasy Favorites
October: The Band-of-Brothers in The Heir Of Night

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About the Author

Helen Lowe is an award-winning novelist, poet, and lover of story. With four books published to date, she is currently completing the final instalment in The Wall Of Night series.

Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we.