Heart of the Wyrdwood (Forsaken #3), by R.J. Barker
15 Jul 2025The Book
Synopsis:
"That thing in Tiltspire, it keeps Cahan like a trophy. It says to us, here is your strongest and I have killed him."
Cahan Du Nahare is lost, taken by a dark god whose tendrils reach throughout the world, intent on its destruction. Those who followed Cahan are spread across the land, desperate and lost now fate has turned against them. The Reborn warriors are toys for the enemy, the warrior Dassit, forestal Ania and monk Ont are drawn to the dangerous north but do not know why. Udinny is forced into the company of a woman who desires nothing more than her death and the Rai, Sorha, leads a dwindling band on a mission even she believes is doomed to failure. Only the trion Venn remains hopeful, slowly growing in power and trusting in the path of their god.
But maybe all is not lost. The great Wyrdwoods of Crua may be ancient and slow to act, but something in them is waking.
Wyrdwood is coming.
My Review
Heart of the Wyrdwood is the third and final book in the dark fantasy series Forsaken, written by R.J. Barker, and published by Orbit Books. An excellent final novel that puts the cherry on the top of a fantastic series; also the weirdest instalment, as Barker slowly embraces the nature of the Wyrdwood, while also gifting us some of the best characters' arcs, battling with the essence of the land itself, decomposing and rebuilding their identities while trying to recover Crua.
As much as the things scaled in Warlords of Wyrdwood, Heart takes the series to a next level: Zorir, the dark god, keeps Cahan as a trophy, with the Rai having to fight the same battle in his mind over and over; we continue following multiple characters alongside the Wyrdwood, travelling and discovering more secrets (and I can say that Barker still had some surprises under the sleeve), dealing with what the land throws to them. Some moments will be the equivalent to an acid-trip, but embracing the weirdness of this land, and how vast are the layers underneath is part of the experience.
I want to take a moment to talk about who became my favourite character of the series: Sorha; totally I hated her in the first book, and I wasn't really sure how to feel about her in the second (even if she redeemed a bit), but the change she experiences in this instalment is masterful. From fervent destructor to a force that can make good. In retrospective, it is really well-fleshed, with all the stones put in the path to finally drive her towards her destiny.
Most of the arcs are equally impressive, even if some have less narrative weight; Barker has real talent to make all of them meaningful, including those on the darker side (Saradis is on my top 3 characters of the trilogy).
In the second book, we got hints of what was under Crua and the land, but it is so satisfactory to finally put together all the pieces, understanding even the name of the series; Barker takes the opportunity to play with the prose, twisting concepts such as individuality, genre and existence, proving his skill as author.
The pacing is relatively slow, as in the rest of the series, but the journey through the Wyrdwood makes it worth.
Heart of the Wyrdwood is the cherry on the top of an excellent dark fantasy series, one that is not afraid to break molds, gifting us with unique approaches to many themes; a proof of how brilliant R.J. Barker is as a novelist. Can't wait for his next series!
The Author/s
R.J. Barker
RJ Barker is a critically acclaimed and award-winning author of fantasy fiction. He won the 2020 British Fantasy Society (BFS) Robert Holdstock award for Best Novel for his fourth novel, The Bone Ships.
RJ lives in Leeds with his wife, son and a collection of questionable taxidermy, odd art, scary music and more books than they have room for. He grew up reading whatever he could get his hands on, and has always been 'that one with the book in his pocket'. Having played in rock bands before deciding he was a rubbish musician, RJ returned to his first love, fiction.