Fantasy

The Maleficent Seven

The Maleficent Seven

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-24 00:16:10
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Cameron Johnston
  • ISBN：0857669087
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Summary

When you are all out of heroes， all that's left are the villains。

Black Herran was a dread demonologist， and the most ruthless general in all Essoran。 She assembled the six most fearsome warriors to captain her armies: a necromancer， a vampire lord， a demigod， an orcish warleader， a pirate queen， and a twisted alchemist。 Together they brought the whole continent to its knees。。。 Until the day she abandoned her army， on the eve of total victory。

40 years later， she must bring her former captains back together for one final stand， in the small town of Tarnbrooke - the last bastion against a fanatical new enemy tearing through the land， intent on finishing the job Black Herran started years before。

Seven bloodthirsty monsters。 One town。 Their last hope。

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Reviews

Karissa ，

This is kind of like a evil character based Dungeons and Dragons campaign。 There are loose reasons for these characters to hang together， but a lot of backstabbing happens too。 It actually feels a lot like fanfic。 The plot is very predictable and there wasn't much actually story driving anything forward。The pace is fast; we spend the first third or so of the book collecting the evil characters together。 Then the majority of the book is spent on a huge， long， epic battle。 There is some character This is kind of like a evil character based Dungeons and Dragons campaign。 There are loose reasons for these characters to hang together， but a lot of backstabbing happens too。 It actually feels a lot like fanfic。 The plot is very predictable and there wasn't much actually story driving anything forward。The pace is fast; we spend the first third or so of the book collecting the evil characters together。 Then the majority of the book is spent on a huge， long， epic battle。 There is some character development early on and there is some effort to kind of humanize these evil characters。 However， it quickly degenerates into a long， gruesome series of battles that feels a bit shallow。The book is decently written but there are so many action and battle scenes that don't have a lot of impact on the overall story that I found myself skimming portions （oh， look someone else was eviscerated。。。oh， wow more eyeballs were removed and eaten）。 I also did notice some editing errors and typos throughout （bowls was used in place of bowels， etc）。 So， the editing here could have been better。This had promise and if you are looking for an evil-based battle-driven fantasy book， this isn't a bad one。 It just lacks character development and the intense battle scenes are so numerous they start to feel repetitive。 At the end I didn't have any attachment to anyone and was mostly just ready to move onto a different book。 While I didn't hate this and even enjoyed a lot of the setup， I don't think I will be coming back for more。 。。。more

Bakertyl ，

If you read The Goblin Corp， this book is a better written thought less fun version。Every character has their own motivations， everyone has a brutal death （almost everyone）， and Jerek Hyden is a Nazi fuck。I enjoyed this book， though would have liked more of each character。 The POV moves from person to person， giving the reader a full view of a complex situation。 I appreciate that， but would have liked more of Red Penny and Estevan。I liked the characters more than the plot。 The plot was similar t If you read The Goblin Corp， this book is a better written thought less fun version。Every character has their own motivations， everyone has a brutal death （almost everyone）， and Jerek Hyden is a Nazi fuck。I enjoyed this book， though would have liked more of each character。 The POV moves from person to person， giving the reader a full view of a complex situation。 I appreciate that， but would have liked more of Red Penny and Estevan。I liked the characters more than the plot。 The plot was similar to Lord of the Rings in that we see the military preparation for one side of the upcoming battle and see the other side at the fight itself。 I recommend this book for the characters alone。 Everything else is ok， but the characters make this book。**I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Dominic ，

** Review copy supplied by Netgalley， with my thanks to them and to the publisher， Angry Robot **** Full video review here: https://youtu。be/RR0LpZv7HeE **The Maleficent Seven， by Cameron Johnston， is a fantasy retelling of the classic “gathering of heroes” tale as seen in The Seven Samurai， or The Magnificent Seven if you prefer。The Dread Demonologist Black Herran disappears on the eve of the final battle that will see her army win and leave her ruling the world。 Forty years later， she turns up ** Review copy supplied by Netgalley， with my thanks to them and to the publisher， Angry Robot **** Full video review here: https://youtu。be/RR0LpZv7HeE **The Maleficent Seven， by Cameron Johnston， is a fantasy retelling of the classic “gathering of heroes” tale as seen in The Seven Samurai， or The Magnificent Seven if you prefer。The Dread Demonologist Black Herran disappears on the eve of the final battle that will see her army win and leave her ruling the world。 Forty years later， she turns up and recruits six of her former captains to make a last stand against a new threat from the north。The army of the Lucent Empire is the fighting force of the Goddess of Light， the Bright One， and is led by the fanatical Falcon Prince。 Where you would usually expect to see the army of the light fighting for good against the demon-summoning almost-world-conqueror， here the tables are turned and it’s the Demonologist who is seen as being on the side of good。Fighting with Black Herran are a necromancer， a vampire lord， an Orc warlord， a pirate queen， a former God of War and a rather deranged alchemist。 With all these different skills and abilities competing against each other for page time， there’s just a little too much going on， and it feels like the story is trying too hard。There were some good creative choices made with the vampire lord and former God of War for example， but there were also some negatives for me。 The pacing was a little off， with a slow and repetitive build up as the six captains are tracked down and recruited， before the battle at the mountain-pass town of Tarnbrook。The geography also didn’t quite work for me， with all the focus on Tarnbrook being the gateway to the south for the Lucent army， but then the possibility raised of them bypassing Tarnbrook and bringing the army to the south by boat。 It just didn’t quite work for me。All in all， it’s a decent book but not one I found to be as good as the concept sounded。 。。。more

Angela ，

I received an ARC copy of #TheMaleficentSeven from #NetGalley。A great read。 For being a bunch of bad guys， you definitely couldn't help but like this。 Everyone in this story was playing their own angle and it was interesting to see whonwas actually going to come out on top。 I'm interested to see is there will be a sequel。 I received an ARC copy of #TheMaleficentSeven from #NetGalley。A great read。 For being a bunch of bad guys， you definitely couldn't help but like this。 Everyone in this story was playing their own angle and it was interesting to see whonwas actually going to come out on top。 I'm interested to see is there will be a sequel。 。。。more

Heather ，

Review to come！

Bek （Stories With Bee） ，

Genre: adult fiction， epic fantasy， high fantasy， dark fantasy， war， demons， magic， vampire， orc， pirateAge range: 17+Overall: 4。5/5Characters: 5/5 Plot: 5/5Writing and Setting: 5/5Content warning: *swearing， extreme gore， violence， use of weapons， alcohol use， binge drinking， death， injury， mental illness: PTSD， Anxiety， Depression， war， sexual themes The gist of my review: If you like the writing of Stephen Aryan， diverse， hilarious characters， and a begrudgingly group alliance like in Suicide Genre: adult fiction， epic fantasy， high fantasy， dark fantasy， war， demons， magic， vampire， orc， pirateAge range: 17+Overall: 4。5/5Characters: 5/5 Plot: 5/5Writing and Setting: 5/5Content warning: *swearing， extreme gore， violence， use of weapons， alcohol use， binge drinking， death， injury， mental illness: PTSD， Anxiety， Depression， war， sexual themes The gist of my review: If you like the writing of Stephen Aryan， diverse， hilarious characters， and a begrudgingly group alliance like in Suicide Squad， then ‘The Maleficent Seven’ by Cameron Johnston is the read you’ve been pining for。 When all the heroes have failed to defeat the tyrannical religious zealot conquering the continent， the fate of the world relies on the anti- heroes of the past。In ‘The Maleficent Seven’ we see characters from all walks of life， including a god of war， a vampire， a mad alchemist， an demonologist， a necromancer， an orc chieftain， and a pirate queen。 They begrudgingly take up arms with one another to save the last standing colony of Tarnbrooke。 I hadn’t expected to like this book as much as I did。 Throughout the book we get to experience such great character growth and development， magic， skills， and individual evil plots and ulterior motives behind each character。 The reason as to why I didn’t give it a 5/5 is because there was a few choice curse words from a character that I didn’t necessarily think needed to use them。 This character is a naturally crass individual， but I think there is still other words that could have been used in its place。 Other than that， I found this book to be virtually perfect。 Characters: 5/5There is seven very diverse main characters in this book。 This review would be incredibly long if I went in-depth about all of them， so to speak generally， the characters in this book were simply phenomenal。 Each character had their own motives， drives， powers and skills。 In the beginning of the book， we realise that all of the MC’s hold a grudge or a drive to kill the others， yet due to a power， strength， magical protection， they all are unable to hurt one another without putting their own safety at risk。 I think this creates a very interesting dynamic between each member of the group and only serves to highlight that the group are only working together because they have a mutual interest。 I have nothing but praise for Johnston and how he represented women throughout this book， particularly with Amogg， Verena and Red Penny。 Normally in novels centred around medieval times， women aren’t depicted as members of war or shown as fierce combatants， so it was a proud moment when these characters displayed strength and willingness to fight to protect those they love。 Plot: 5/5The plot was incredibly interesting。 The twists and turns kept me on my toes and all the schemes and underlying plots developed into this mass crescendo at the end。 There were only a few lulls in the plot but it was expertly written to give the reader a sense of ‘the quiet before the storm’。 Writing and Setting: 5/ 5We see multiple perspectives throughout the book from each main character。 The writing is in third person which allows the reader to experience not just the character’s thoughts but also the surrounding environment and how the character interacts with this space。Also， was that a lord of the rings reference…？ Without a doubt， the world building must be praised。 We see a vast array of kingdoms， races， creatures， towns and locations that were fascinating to read about and is unique to this story and incredibly creative。 This book will definitely be a knockout once it’s released。 。。。more

Holly （The GrimDragon） ，

Review to come！

Justin Sarginson ，

From start to finish this book bludgeons you by it's brutal brilliance， there's simply nothing to dislike & everything to enjoy。For me， every great book is built on the foundations of the characters & The Maleficent Seven is absolutely full of fully rendered & incredibly endearing characters， who carry not only this book forwards but the reader too。A novel take on a very old concept， it is told in a unique way， full of dark humour， impeccably told violence， depravity & loss， that it is impossibl From start to finish this book bludgeons you by it's brutal brilliance， there's simply nothing to dislike & everything to enjoy。For me， every great book is built on the foundations of the characters & The Maleficent Seven is absolutely full of fully rendered & incredibly endearing characters， who carry not only this book forwards but the reader too。A novel take on a very old concept， it is told in a unique way， full of dark humour， impeccably told violence， depravity & loss， that it is impossible not to appreciate it。Although the publisher & Netgalley were kind enough to allow me to read this book early， I've also pre-ordered this book as I want to revisit it again and enjoy it all over again。 Forgive me for the horrendous pun， but that speak volumes。。。。 。。。more

Nina ，

The Fussy Reader I was fortunate enough to get an early copy of the book， so please note that the faults I mention in my review may still change before publication。 Thank you to Angry Robot and Netgalley for the review copy。I was really excited to read this one after reading the blurb。 It's a fast-paced， entertaining read with a lot going for it。 That being said， I don't think the writing style was for me， but this is by no means a bad book， it's actually really great， I just didn't connect the The Fussy Reader I was fortunate enough to get an early copy of the book， so please note that the faults I mention in my review may still change before publication。 Thank you to Angry Robot and Netgalley for the review copy。I was really excited to read this one after reading the blurb。 It's a fast-paced， entertaining read with a lot going for it。 That being said， I don't think the writing style was for me， but this is by no means a bad book， it's actually really great， I just didn't connect the way I hoped。 This review ended up longer than I expected， but I have a lot of thoughts。CharactersI’m a big fan of any anti-hero narrative and love seeing more and more being published these days。 I really like that I couldn't trust any of them and they were betraying each other， even though they were working together。 It added an extra layer of tension。I can't remember if it's ever actually stated how old the characters are。 Either I missed it， or it's just not there。 I assumed they were in their 50s/60s， but some confirmation would've been cool。Dalia - Awesome character。 Love seeing a female character in such a prominent position of power and feared badassery。 Although I kind of didn't like that she had to give up her position in the very begenining because she was pregnant。 Like， women can have babies and also careers。 Just think too often in stories women are made to give up their lives in order to have children， and I can't help but eyeroll a little at the trope。 But each to their own。Maeven - We probably see Maeven more than anyone else in this book as we follow her during the character collection process。 She's an interesting， self-serving character who I think deep down has a soft side。 I didn’t necessarily like her， but she was still a great character despite that。Lorimer - I liked him， but didn't really connect with him in any way， and I found his dialogue a little stilted and theatrical。 Probably done purposely because he’s a really old vampire lord， but it made him feel like an over-dramatic vampire caricature。Tiarnach - Among all these serious， brooding characters， he was some much needed comic relief。 He immediately became my favourite and I felt he had the most natural sounding dialogue for them all。 His humour and quick one-liners were exactly what the story needed up until his arrival。 However， as the story went on， I feel like his quick wit degenerated into unintelligent vulgarity for the sake of it。 I like a bit of vulgar humour if it’s funny but Tiarnach’s was a little overkill in the end。 Perhaps too many references to fucking people with his big， hard cock， just saying。Verena - A quietly intelligent woman who， among such big and brash personalities， got a little lost amongst the noise。 Though I think out of them all， she probably had the most honour and humanity。 Amogg - I really liked the pairing of Amogg and Tiarnach whenever they were together。 They had some great banter。 I love when a story is a little more tongue in cheek and I definitely got those vibes from any Amogg/Tiarnach scenes。 They almost reminded me of Legolas and Gimli。 An unlikely friendship between enemies。Jerak - For nearly half the book we're told how monstrous and disgusting the alchemist is， and for a longer time all we're shown is a chipper， enthusiastic little man。 While I enjoy this interesting juxtaposition of an overly happy murderer， in the end it felt like the characters were telling me how to feel about Jerak when I was seeing nothing to back up their opinions。 Which got a little annoying。 Granted， we do see Jerak is glorious action eventually， but I think the hate and horror piled on him in the beginning was a little overkill。 If he'd been left as more of a mystery I might not have felt so irrationally angry with the other characters。 It wasn't until over half through that I started to see the Jerak they spoke of and I started dislike him as much as them。 Couldn't give a shit about the stuff he does to humans， but I didn't like what he did to the pigs。So after spending an entire book with these characters， and on reflection， I didn’t actually like any of them and was quite relived to see the back of them。 Maybe this was done on purpose。 They’re all villains， after all， and had very few redeeming qualities about them。PlotThis is going to appeal to so many people。 On the face of it， the plot is a blood-drenched action adventure novel with a colourful cast of characters。 Think Magnificent Seven meets Kings of the Wyld meets Suicide Squad meets R。E。D。 And if that doesn't sound insanely cool， I don't know what does。Basically， extremely dangerous retired villains getting back together after 40 years to defend a one-horse town against a fanatical army。 It was this idea that instantly had my attention。 The plot， on the whole， delivers exactly what it promises and you can't say fairer than that。I did have a few plot hole questions in the beginning， however。The pacing was a little extreme。 The first 50% was slow and the final 50% was fast。 In general， I just think the book could’ve been condensed。 Given what actaully happens in the books， 400 pages might be too many。 In that first 50% of the book， we just have Maeven going around collecting the characters ready for war， which is fine， I do like this kind of story arc （I enjoyed it in Kings of the Wyld）， but the problem here， I think it just went on for too long。 When we all already know the characters will agree to come together to fight the war， getting those characters together doesn't need to be 50% of the book。 It probably all could've been wrapped up in a couple of chapters， giving us more time to focus on the main point of the plot。SettingOn the face of it， the world feels vast， I just don't know how vast。 A little underdeveloped and not explored in enough depth for me to picture it， or for it to feel real。 Place names are given but I literally know nothing about these places or what they look like， or how far they are in context to other places。 Like， how long did it take Maeven to travel from place to place？ Not that I want to see all this tedious travel in the book， but a line or two explaining how long it took to get around wouldn't been helpful。 I think they only had a few weeks before the army arrives and five different locations to get to before then。I'd like to say more about the setting but I really don't know enough about it to go into any detail。But what I did know about the world I thought was well written。 I did find it very interesting that in this world， orcs are gender neutral until they choose a gender。 I also thought it was cool that there weren't just humans in this world， but also sorts of races， including orcs， vampires， and ant people known as hivers。 Really gives a sense of how vast the world is。 Writing StyleThe writing is totally fine， though not to my taste。 It seems to favour telling over showing a little too much for me。 It made it almost difficult to picture things in my head。 I wanted to see things for myself， rather than being told how people felt or what things looked like。There's random， out of place， moments of head-hopping。 The story will be entirely in third-limited， and then suddenly it turns omniscient in a "little did they know" sense， which was quite jarring for me。 Surely you can't just jump from third-limited to omniscient in a single sentence。 That's got to be breaking some kind of writing rule， right？The narrative lacked clarity at times。 There were a few moments where I stumbled on who was being spoken about because just he or she was used rather than a character name。 Something like this is an easy fix and removes all confusion， especially when you have so many characters being mentioned。Also， another proofreading wouldn't hurt it any。 I noticed a few instances where words were missing or extra words added， spelling mistakes， echoes， head hopping， and such。 It's fine， we're all human， but there were a few more here than the average novel。 But again this is an arc copy and not a finished copy of the book。Final ImpressionIt really was a lot of fun。 I think my issue lies in my own personal tastes。 I prefer character driven over plot driven stories， and even though this book is packed full of colourful characters， I still felt like the plot was the strongest point， and the overall driving force of the story。 InstagramTwitter 。。。more

Sasan ，

Haven't read an ARC in June as I wanted to be closer to release dates for some， and the Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston is a great reminder of why I enjoy them a lot。 I have received this book in exchange of an honest review， thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity。 I have my own blog now， so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :）──────────────────I said it before， and I will say it again， I'm very lucky to have been able to read so many str Haven't read an ARC in June as I wanted to be closer to release dates for some， and the Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston is a great reminder of why I enjoy them a lot。 I have received this book in exchange of an honest review， thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity。 I have my own blog now， so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :）──────────────────I said it before， and I will say it again， I'm very lucky to have been able to read so many strong ARCs this year and continued to do so with the Maleficent Seven。Main reason for that in my honest opinion， before I even begin to discuss the happenings in the book， is that the book delivered exactly what I was promised to get。My absolute favourite trope in fantasy is gathering a cast of protagonists where they are usually heroes in the literal sense， so seeing it in a different way in this book was an easy hook for me。 What makes it work so well for me is that this journey is broken into 3 different parts， where each part has a very clear designation and reason to exist in the book while the author wastes zero time establishing the objective of each one of them and that's something I will always appreciate。 The first part is the gathering of my unlikely heroes， which gave me the needed chance to meet and get to know them before I even get started with Black Harran's own agenda。 One of the things I really enjoyed about them， other than the differing abilities and types （if I can say that？）， is that they are each following their own not-so hidden objectives while the second part is about the defense of the town and the third is the final needed bits to wrap it all up。 In a book with such a grimdark outlook and the main characters are supposedly horrible people， I really hoped that they will really deliver on that aspect like another book did a month ago。 Which The Maleficent Seven did in abundance。 There is no loyalty here， especially not after the betrayal and this book doesn't shy away from it whatsoever。 Obviously， I really don't think that all of them can be considered morally-grey， some are better than others while there are some who are just darker than black， but overall， the mix of conflicting ideals （especially how he dealt with Honour in a battle） while trying to push their own objectives forward was a very interesting struggle before I even begin to look at the plot。 What really helps them make it even more intriguing for me， was how their abilities were utilized and it's another thing I appreciated in the book as having this in the description: "a necromancer， a vampire lord， a demigod， an orcish warleader， a pirate queen， and a twisted alchemist。 And not giving me enough chances to see them in action would have been a sorely missed opportunity， which I can happily say isn't wasted here at all。 This brings me back to the broken up parts of the book and how well Cameron Johnston utilized them。 Setting the pace in a series is difficult， I'll argue that it might be one of the hardest thing for an author to do while making sure that it's not too much for the reader， especially in a high fantasy series like this one where a world-building of sorts needs to be established。 The author doesn't go the generic route for anything here because other than the different than usual protagonists he has here， he also spends the time explaining how the world works in the relevant areas， the different factions I have to pay attention to， Gods and their worshipers and how that plays into it， the abilities of the characters and other creatures also get a chance to be portrayed if there is a need for it。 It's also not done in a way that gives the impression it's "withheld until critical" which I once again appreciated since withholding information is tricky business and if you have different Point of Views then using it for this purpose is a very good idea to do so， in my humble opinion。I wouldn't necessarily call any of the events in the book slow， as it felt like the author was challenging himself to see how crazier he can make it in every new happening which I also think that he nailed because the battles in this book never stop。 Having a cast of mostly overpowered crazies gives the chance to do so which shows that the author has the talent to write very cool action scenes that are just so incredibly bloody and gory that it fits the overall theme he's going for here。 I enjoyed almost every single aspect of this book， the pacing being my favoruite， save for one of the characters who despite reminding me heavily of Lord Dingwall from Brave was a little too vulgar for my taste， which I understand works well for the overall mood of the book and their personality， but I've always had a problem enjoying characters like that anywhere。 So I'll credit it up to differing personal tastes？ Yes， let's go with that :）Overall， it's an enjoyable book， it's high stakes while still being fast paced and incredibly fun to read。 I'm also curious about the author's next work because at first glance， I need to keep them on my radar for more （hopefully） fun books！ 。。。more

Rese H ，

Cameron is a great writer。 Cameron is also a great story teller。 These are two separate skills， and not every writer has both in good measure。 Cameron has both in GREAT measure， and I couldn’t put THE MALEFICENT SEVEN down because of it！This book has everything: Orcs， vampires， pirates， demons， the undead， various magic systems with consistent and sensible rules， necromancy， mad alchemy， old gods， new gods， epic battles on land， an epic battle at sea， and a damn kraken！ The POV bounces around a Cameron is a great writer。 Cameron is also a great story teller。 These are two separate skills， and not every writer has both in good measure。 Cameron has both in GREAT measure， and I couldn’t put THE MALEFICENT SEVEN down because of it！This book has everything: Orcs， vampires， pirates， demons， the undead， various magic systems with consistent and sensible rules， necromancy， mad alchemy， old gods， new gods， epic battles on land， an epic battle at sea， and a damn kraken！ The POV bounces around a lot—I think there were like 9 viewpoints—which sounds excessive， but it’s so well executed that it doesn’t pop the reader out of the story。 Yes， this book is vulgar and gorey at times， the last third of the book is pretty much all battle scenes。 But the pacing and writing are so good that I barely batted an eye when arms were ripped off and the mangled dead were reanimated。 This book is also funny， with Tiarnach offering up amazing one-liners and comic relief。THE MALEFICENT SEVEN is one of the best books I have read in 2021 so far！This ARC was provided by NetGalley and publisher Angry Robot in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

FantasyBookNerd ，

RTC

Krys ，

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review。***The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston is a stand alone dark fantasy that was horribly enjoyable。Black Herran， 40 years ago on the cusp of victory peaced out and left her six generals behind。 In the chaos of her disappearance the generals turned on one another and their victory turned to ashes。 Now Herran has called on her Necromancer general to gather her old allies to take on a new enemy， t Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review。***The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston is a stand alone dark fantasy that was horribly enjoyable。Black Herran， 40 years ago on the cusp of victory peaced out and left her six generals behind。 In the chaos of her disappearance the generals turned on one another and their victory turned to ashes。 Now Herran has called on her Necromancer general to gather her old allies to take on a new enemy， the Lucent empire， followers of the Bright One who have been slowly taking over their world。 All of them have their own reasons for joining Herran again but it doesn’t mean any of them are happy about it， or trusting of their one time allies。A dark and bloody tale of what happens when the bad guys are not necessarily the good guys but still maybe better than the people claiming to be good guys… maybe。***I have such mixed feelings over this book。 It doesn’t hold back on the description of death， and seriously， none of them are good guys。 Some of them have slightly good qualities but they are in no way shape or form good guys。 My favorite characters by far were the vampire lord， demigod， and orc warleader。 The book moves through all their points of view， some more than others but you get an inside look of all of them。This was an interesting book and kind of fun but I also found myself also having to take breaks because the death and description of death was just constant and again the good guys are pretty monstrous and the bad guys are even worse。 It’s not really a book I think I can ever see myself re-reading。 I know a lot of people I’d recommend this book to already， but it’s definitely not going to be for everyone。 。。。more

Adam Windsor ，

NB: free copy received for honest reviewForty years ago， on the verge of ultimate victory， the demonologist Black Herran simply vanished。Now a new danger threatens the continent， and an apparently ordinary peasant woman throws off the disguise she has worn these past two score years and summons her former captains for one last titanic battle。 They're the only ones powerful enough to have a chance; if they can keep from killing each other first。Obviously drawing heavily on 'Seven Samurai'， this f NB: free copy received for honest reviewForty years ago， on the verge of ultimate victory， the demonologist Black Herran simply vanished。Now a new danger threatens the continent， and an apparently ordinary peasant woman throws off the disguise she has worn these past two score years and summons her former captains for one last titanic battle。 They're the only ones powerful enough to have a chance; if they can keep from killing each other first。Obviously drawing heavily on 'Seven Samurai'， this fun fantasy romp takes as its starting point the simple question 'what if our only hope was the bad guys？'。 It's got a fun cast and heaps of over the top action to keep the pages flicking by quite smoothly。 Recommended if you find the premise at all appealing。 。。。more

Connie ，

Seven anti heroes。。。 A Vampire， a Demi-God， a Pirate Queen， an Orc Chieftain， a Mad Alchemist， a Necromancer and The Demonologist Black Herran。Black Herran has returned after she disappeared 40 years ago， on the eve of a glorious battle。 Her old team captains have scattered and she needs to bring them back together to save a small town from a religious zealot hellbent on annihilating non believers。This is dark but with a side helping of humour （Lots of blood and gore， so not for the faint hearte Seven anti heroes。。。 A Vampire， a Demi-God， a Pirate Queen， an Orc Chieftain， a Mad Alchemist， a Necromancer and The Demonologist Black Herran。Black Herran has returned after she disappeared 40 years ago， on the eve of a glorious battle。 Her old team captains have scattered and she needs to bring them back together to save a small town from a religious zealot hellbent on annihilating non believers。This is dark but with a side helping of humour （Lots of blood and gore， so not for the faint hearted）。The seven protagonists are a real motley crew， my favourites were， Lorimer the Vampire， Tiernach the Demi-god and Amogg a very big female Orc。 。。。more

Matthew ，

Johnston's fantastical and depraved version of The Magnificent Seven delivers on every level。 If you like the idea of seven of the most treacherous scum bags that inhabit this world， coming together again after 40 years to protect a small town， well， this is the book for you。 It's a tale as old as time， molded in the realm of dark fantasy。 You've got a demonologist， a necromancer， a pirate queen， a vampire， drunk God of War， a blood thirsty orc， and a mad little alchemist。 All back together agai Johnston's fantastical and depraved version of The Magnificent Seven delivers on every level。 If you like the idea of seven of the most treacherous scum bags that inhabit this world， coming together again after 40 years to protect a small town， well， this is the book for you。 It's a tale as old as time， molded in the realm of dark fantasy。 You've got a demonologist， a necromancer， a pirate queen， a vampire， drunk God of War， a blood thirsty orc， and a mad little alchemist。 All back together again， no love lost 。 Johnston's best quality is the diverse voices ge gives to each player in the story。 None of them sound even remotely the same。 You're acquainted with them in no time， some after just a few pages。 The author has a way with crafting a voice。 4。5/5 The ending led me to believe there could be more， but I'd rather it stay as a kick ass standalone （having said that I *would* read more）。 。。。more

Hannah ，

I kindly received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review。I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 The idea that the world can only be saved by 7 villains is great。 The characters were so rich and in some cases were in that grey zone of 'are they truly evil？！' I loved the vampire and god of war。 The magic system and world were really easy to understand and imagine。 The descriptions of the battles were really good too。 I liked how realistic the book was - no shying away from at I kindly received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review。I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 The idea that the world can only be saved by 7 villains is great。 The characters were so rich and in some cases were in that grey zone of 'are they truly evil？！' I loved the vampire and god of war。 The magic system and world were really easy to understand and imagine。 The descriptions of the battles were really good too。 I liked how realistic the book was - no shying away from atrocities even including women and children。 It made it so much crueler and believable。 There was great twists in the book that will hopefully set it up for a sequel。 Great read！！ 。。。more

John Derek ，

When you are all out of heroes， all that's left are the villains。Black Herran was a dread demonologist and the most ruthless general in all Essoran。 She assembled the six most fearsome warriors to captain her armies: a necromancer， a vampire lord， a demigod， an orcish war leader， a pirate queen， and a twisted alchemist。 Together they brought the whole continent to its knees。。。 Until the day she abandoned her army， on the eve of total victory。40 years later， she must bring her former captains bac When you are all out of heroes， all that's left are the villains。Black Herran was a dread demonologist and the most ruthless general in all Essoran。 She assembled the six most fearsome warriors to captain her armies: a necromancer， a vampire lord， a demigod， an orcish war leader， a pirate queen， and a twisted alchemist。 Together they brought the whole continent to its knees。。。 Until the day she abandoned her army， on the eve of total victory。40 years later， she must bring her former captains back together for one final stand， in the small town of Tarnbrooke - the last bastion against a fanatical new enemy tearing through the land， intent on finishing the job Black Herran started years before。Seven bloodthirsty monsters。 One town。 Their last hope。Contemptible: disgraceful: disreputable: loathsome: reprehensible: shameful: vile: wretched: detestable: ignominious: infamous: low-life: mean: no-good。No， that's not the antagonists or villains。 They're the adjectives I'm using to describe the seven main protagonists， who just happen to be a town's last hope。Would you really want this lot in your neighbourhood？The Maleficent Seven is a nice twist on the Magnificent Seven and the Seven Samurai。 There is a massive difference between the latter two sevens and the former。 The Samurai and Cowboys worked as a team， the Maleficent ones， guess！Imagine if Quentin Tarantino got his hands on this book。 Good grief， he would have a field day。Enough colourful language to last you a lifetime。 Plenty of blood and gore to fill several abattoirs， and there is just about every disgusting， foul creature you can think of。Oh yes， and there is a storyline to go with it that is not altogether that bad。Brilliantly over-the-top， a tongue-in-cheek rehash of the former named movies。Well paced and well-described locations。 Well described main protagonists that will have you cringing， cheering and probably throwing up all at the same time。This is a fun read， but definitely not for kids， despite the cover。 。。。more

Bob/Sally ，

It was an early review calling it a Kings of the Wyld / Suicide Squad mashup that got me excited for The Maleficent Seven， and I fear that comparison was a misdirection that led to disappointment。 While it was a fitting description of the first third of the book， in which black humor and sarcastic repartee pair perfectly with violence and vulgarity， the rest of the book takes a sharp turn to grimdark， leaving most of the humor behind 。 。 。 and that's where the disappointment came in。To his credi It was an early review calling it a Kings of the Wyld / Suicide Squad mashup that got me excited for The Maleficent Seven， and I fear that comparison was a misdirection that led to disappointment。 While it was a fitting description of the first third of the book， in which black humor and sarcastic repartee pair perfectly with violence and vulgarity， the rest of the book takes a sharp turn to grimdark， leaving most of the humor behind 。 。 。 and that's where the disappointment came in。To his credit， Cameron Johnston does a super job of establishing a cast of characters， each and every one of them monstrous or mad。 Amogg， the kickass orc leader， Maeven， the deceitful necromancer， and Lorimer， the old-school vampire lord， were the outstanding characters for me。 I enjoyed the very formal sort of interplay between Lorimer and his aide， and I loved everything about Amogg and her gender-progressive clan of orcs。 Tiarnach， the fallen， drunken God of War， was initially intriguing， and I liked where his arc seemed to be headed， but he lost my interest by the end。 As for Jerak， the mad alchemist， maybe it was a matter of just too much build up， but he never quite lived up to the horrors of his legacy， although I did chuckle at some of his monstrous inventions。As for the plot， I loved the idea of angry， bitter， backstabbing villains getting back together after a massive betrayal to defend a small town against a holy army， and that part of the book was fantastic， but the twist betrayal that drives the last third was less interesting。 I thought the spiritual component of good versus evil， light versus dark， Goddess versus Demon， had some real potential， and was looking forward to seeing how that played out， but it faltered in the end， with to many of those conflicts failing to find a satisfactory resolution。The pacing is frantic， which is fine so long as you're reading， but as soon as you stop to think about it， the lack of depth or substance begins to eat away at the story。 It's entertaining but， ultimately， I didn't find that I really cared about much of it。 I was never invested in the characters or the outcome， and didn't really have any attachment to either side， which I think is the biggest problem I had with the read。 Villains and anti-heroes can be a ton fun， but when they're taken too far， placed into a conflict in which there is no 'good' side for which to cheer， it's hard to care who wins。 The lesser or two evils is not the heroic triumph I look for in my fantasy。The Maleficent Seven was a fun first third， and would have been an amazing book if it had continued in that vein， but the sharp turn to grimdark， without any emotional involvement， had me skimming pages rather than devouring them。 Not a bad book， not by any means， but I'm afraid false expectations at the start led me astray into a book that just wasn't for me。http://beauty-in-ruins。blogspot。com/2。。。 。。。more

Lila ，

3，5 *This。 Was。 Fun。Bare Bones: Black Herran， the infamous general with a power to summon demons from depths of hell， had a change of mind about the whole ruling-the-world thing in the eve of the final battle and left her army without a word。 Forty years later， she calls in her ex-First Lieutenant， necromancer Maeve， with a task to assemble her former captains: a vampire lord， a pirate queen， an ex-god of war， an orc chieftain and a mad alchemist in order to make a stand in the small village aga 3，5 *This。 Was。 Fun。Bare Bones: Black Herran， the infamous general with a power to summon demons from depths of hell， had a change of mind about the whole ruling-the-world thing in the eve of the final battle and left her army without a word。 Forty years later， she calls in her ex-First Lieutenant， necromancer Maeve， with a task to assemble her former captains: a vampire lord， a pirate queen， an ex-god of war， an orc chieftain and a mad alchemist in order to make a stand in the small village against the spreading Empire of religious fanatics。The Maleficent Seven， just like The Magnificent Seven， just like the original Seven Samurai is a very linear story: first act is assembling the former team one by one， the second act is them strategising how will they defend the village， finally leading to a third act and an epic culmination。 The twist here is， of course， that they are monsters。But what is it really that makes this story so appealing？ Why is it recreated so often in many different ways？ I kept thinking about this as I was reading because Cameron Johnston did something interesting: you are absolutely never in the doubt that these Seven are monsters。 All of them are genre-recognizable creatures of dark and in most cases we got to see them in the role of antagonists。 Johnston is leaning heavily on all those familiar traits that makes them scary and he is showing them in all their glory。 And yet， you are on their side。 The guys they are fighting against are holy knights， with swords of godly flame， sticklers for propriety and honour， but you pump your fist in the air when a giant orc smashes their heads。 This is because the true appeal of this premise is not really the camaraderie nor the heroism- it's that we simply love rooting for the underdog。 You， as a reader is on the side of monsters because odds are not in their favour。 That premise makes for a good story， but in fantasy setting where rules of physics don't apply and there is magic？ It's epic。 It's over the top。 It's on steroids and just plain fun。Because of who they are， Black Herran and her captains are interesting characters to read about， both in their pov sections and in their interactions。 They are monsters so their reasons for risking their lives in this fight are entirely selfish and self serving and all of them have some side-plan。 When it comes to their powers， I'd say they are for most part archetypical depictions of their monster so you can expect them doing bloody， brutal and cruel things。 Adding a bit to already known concepts and giving each of the captains distinct personalities managed to make this book work， because it clicked for me only when they started interacting。 I really liked Lorimer （a terrifying single-vampire solution to almost every problem）， Verena （queen to the bone）， Amogg Haddak （orc culture in general was fun） and Tiernach （foul-mouthed god， vampire antagonizer and shit stirrer）。 If I would take issue with anything it's that I finished the book knowing the least about Black Herran。 Secrecy is definitely part of her appeal， but I don't think her and Maeve， or the villain were as well rounded characters as others。This is pretty straightforward， fast paced and easy read。 Pitched as Magnificent Seven meets Suicide Squad， I'd say it gives just as much fun， camp and blood。 :）Thank you to NetGalley， Angry Robot and Cameron Johnston for providing me with an arc copy of this book！ 。。。more

Wes Spence ，

After reading the author's "Age of Tyranny" duo-logy I was really excited to hear he had another book coming up。 Given the opportunity to read the ARC， it was an exciting to see a whole new world， along similar lines to Nicholas Eame's "the Band series"， with even a dash of "The Heroes" from Joe Abercrombie。 The Maleficent 7， the dread Demonologist Black Herran and her 6 Captains， reunited after 40 years to help stop a terrifying Crusade。 It was a fun angle to have the "bad guys" as the ones sto After reading the author's "Age of Tyranny" duo-logy I was really excited to hear he had another book coming up。 Given the opportunity to read the ARC， it was an exciting to see a whole new world， along similar lines to Nicholas Eame's "the Band series"， with even a dash of "The Heroes" from Joe Abercrombie。 The Maleficent 7， the dread Demonologist Black Herran and her 6 Captains， reunited after 40 years to help stop a terrifying Crusade。 It was a fun angle to have the "bad guys" as the ones stopping the "do-gooders"。 The brief glimpses of the "Good guys" provided a fresh take on the fantasy trope， that those with God may not be entirely right。。。。and which God？I do think the author could have dived into Black Herran's story more （my reduction from 5 stars to 4）， but all the Captain's characters all felt really fleshed out， with some very awesome back stories。 The Twisted Alchemist felt a lot like Joe Abercrombie's Morveer from Best Served Cold， while the "Demigod" was by and far my favorite POV。Buy this book！ It was a journey I couldn't put down。 。。。more

Ryan Bartok ，

I already had a copy of this on pre-order when I was able to get my hands on the digital ARC。 This book lived up to all the expectations I had for it。 A fun team assembly ala ‘Kings of the Wyld’， along with an equally loveable much of characters。 My favourite， as much as one can have a favourite out of this crop of horrible people， would have to be the Vampire Lord of Felle’s Reach or the one time Demi God of War。 It was a joy to see how these characters interact with one another 30 years after I already had a copy of this on pre-order when I was able to get my hands on the digital ARC。 This book lived up to all the expectations I had for it。 A fun team assembly ala ‘Kings of the Wyld’， along with an equally loveable much of characters。 My favourite， as much as one can have a favourite out of this crop of horrible people， would have to be the Vampire Lord of Felle’s Reach or the one time Demi God of War。 It was a joy to see how these characters interact with one another 30 years after a failed campaign。 Their hatred for each other is matched only by their hatred for the enemy， the Falcon Prince， whose own acts of evil make the Maleficent Sevens look small。 I loved this Akira Kurosawa inspired fantasy and hope to see Cameron return to this world especially after such a fantastic conclusion to the book！ 。。。more

Lukasz ，

The Maleficent Seven promises madness， and that’s what it delivers。 Lots of it。 If you like watching bad guys doing bad things in the service of good， here’s your next fix。 Black Herran， a powerful demonologist and fearsome general， sold her soul for power。 Instead of sealing the deal， she abandoned her armies at the cusp of victory and disappeared。 Forty years later， she needs to reassemble her generals to stop a new threat， the Lucent Empire and its holy knights， from invading her hometown。 Th The Maleficent Seven promises madness， and that’s what it delivers。 Lots of it。 If you like watching bad guys doing bad things in the service of good， here’s your next fix。 Black Herran， a powerful demonologist and fearsome general， sold her soul for power。 Instead of sealing the deal， she abandoned her armies at the cusp of victory and disappeared。 Forty years later， she needs to reassemble her generals to stop a new threat， the Lucent Empire and its holy knights， from invading her hometown。 The problem？ Her old comrades hate each other and Black Herran most of all。 The first part of the book follows the reassembly of the team and is wildly entertaining。 The team includes Maeven （a devious necromancer）， Lorrimer Felle （a well-mannered vampire with a penchant for mayhem and violence）， Tiarnach （god of war turned drunkard）， the pirate Queen Verena Awildan， Amogg （unstoppable orc）， and Jerak Hyden （mad alchemist who terrifies everyone）。 They agree to join forces against a common foe， but it’s clear they’ll play their own games， too。The second part of the book gets even more over-the-top， as the team assembles in Tarnbrook and deals with armies of the Lucent Empire。 There're no heroes in The Maleficent Seven; only monsters doing monstrous things to stop other monsters。 If you don’t like inappropriate humour mixed with gore， you probably won’t appreciate the story。 If， however， madness appeals to you， Johnston will entertain you in a loud and violent way。The story develops at a breakneck pace and rarely pauses。 Cameron Johnston excels at two things; characters and action scenes。 While I wouldn’t call any of the characters real （they’re too over-the-top in every way）， I found them memorable and distinct。 The action scenes provide everything action-hungry readers can imagine （magic， demons， sword and ax fights， explosions， mayhem） and more！ Because the story is told from an omniscient point of view， we learn a bit about everyone but without getting to know anyone intimately。 A brave choice but it （mostly） works。Readers tired of slow-moving， over-written， exposition-fraught epics will find lots to enjoy here。 It’s not life-changing， but it’s wildly entertaining and addictive to read。 。。。more

Beth Rosser ，

I think I'm going to go against the grain on this one， unfortunately。 I just don't think it was for me， but I do think a lot of people are going to really enjoy it。 From the title， you can see that there are seven main characters。 They are all bad guys， sort of fighting for a good cause， but mostly for their own selfish reasons。 I like grimdark books， but I felt that the characters were extremes of everything。 The worst of the stereotypes with little in the way of redeeming qualities to make you I think I'm going to go against the grain on this one， unfortunately。 I just don't think it was for me， but I do think a lot of people are going to really enjoy it。 From the title， you can see that there are seven main characters。 They are all bad guys， sort of fighting for a good cause， but mostly for their own selfish reasons。 I like grimdark books， but I felt that the characters were extremes of everything。 The worst of the stereotypes with little in the way of redeeming qualities to make you connect to them。 The only slight exceptions to this was maybe Lorimer or Tiarnach who seemed to have a bit more personality， but there was littler overall character development。 They remained shallow throughout so that you didn't really get to know them。The first part of the book follows the necromancer， Maeven， as she gathers the others together。 It seems kind of pointless and we just see how much they hate each other。 We know they have to get together or there would be no point to the book， so it just seems like filler to me。 There is a lot of fighting and action throughout， violently described， overdone in a lot of places with people constantly eating body parts。 Again， I'm not squeamish， but this seems to be done more for shock value than any real attempt to advance the plot。 Overall， not my thing and I would think it would be better suited to television or film than a book （not often you would find me saying something like that）， but for me， it just didn't work as a book。 。。。more

Amy Burt ，

This book is crass， violent， unpredictable and one crazy adventure and I loved every page。 The basic premise is 7 b*stards begrudgingly come together to fight a bigger b*stard; a demonologist， a necromancer， a vampire， a pirate queen， an orc， a god and an alchemist， all with their own vengeance for each other and it’s as wild as it sounds。 No character is inherently good， in fact what they do on the page is pretty dark at times， and yet the banter between them， particularly between the blunt Amo This book is crass， violent， unpredictable and one crazy adventure and I loved every page。 The basic premise is 7 b*stards begrudgingly come together to fight a bigger b*stard; a demonologist， a necromancer， a vampire， a pirate queen， an orc， a god and an alchemist， all with their own vengeance for each other and it’s as wild as it sounds。 No character is inherently good， in fact what they do on the page is pretty dark at times， and yet the banter between them， particularly between the blunt Amogg the orc and the drunk Tiarnach the washed up god， or the hatred between Maeven the necromancer and vampire Lorimer， it’s so entertaining！ This is an unforgiving book， a lot happens， there are a lot of characters and it darts about so don’t read it for a relaxing time！！ This book won’t be for everyone， for some perhaps the tone won’t connect， but if you enjoyed the unashamed bluntness of Kristoff’s Nevernight and his casual reference to bodily fluids straight from the start， you’re going to enjoy Johnston’s writing。 The language is blue， the characters are morally grey and that’s when they’re behaving， the pace is pretty constant and while usually I’ve struggled with a book where I haven’t liked or agreed with a protagonist， somehow you love， or at the very least like， these terrible people， you really find yourself rooting for this lot （apart from Jerak， Jerak is a ****）。Thank you NetGalley for the early copy to review， I needed the laughs and uninhibited escape。 。。。more

Heidi ，

This grew on me as I read it。 It was considerably more bloody than I usually care for and the best of the seven were vile beings but the story is so well written they grow on you， I’m not familiar with the Seven Samurais or Magnificent Seven stories beyond knowing they exist so I can’t say how good of a retelling this book is。 I can say 5he characters and their motivations were well fleshed out and the pace of the story was relentlessly so as you wade through the gore you will never be bored！

Melpomene ，

ARC provided by the publisher， Angry Robot in exchange for an honest review。 Let me start by saying that if you enjoy superhero/action movies or anime then you will enjoy this book too。 So this book did a lot of things that I didn’t like。 But it’s not an objectively bad book。 It just wasn’t for me and I think others might enjoy it。 As it is obvious from the title， the story revolves around seven characters。 Black Harren is the chief and she is trying to gather her old crew for a big battle。 The ARC provided by the publisher， Angry Robot in exchange for an honest review。 Let me start by saying that if you enjoy superhero/action movies or anime then you will enjoy this book too。 So this book did a lot of things that I didn’t like。 But it’s not an objectively bad book。 It just wasn’t for me and I think others might enjoy it。 As it is obvious from the title， the story revolves around seven characters。 Black Harren is the chief and she is trying to gather her old crew for a big battle。 The characters are either supernatural （vampire， demi-God， Orc， Necromancer） or criminals and pirates。 In summary， your protagonists are bad guys but they’re fighting for a good cause。 It’s kind of similar to the Fast & Furious movies， which brings me to my biggest problem with the book。Pacing: This book is unbelievably fast-paced。 It felt like a movie， not a book。 And yeah it felt exactly like Fast & Furious or a Marvel movie！ why？ Because it took only two or three pages for these people to travel from point A to point B in this universe！ As someone who loves WoT and Asoiaf， I would rather see the journey， I would like to see 300 pages of just walking around in the universe。 And don’t get me wrong， I love those fast-paced movies， it works in visual media but not in books。 On the other hand， I know that most people actually enjoy a fast-paced story and find the pacing in WoT and Asoiaf too slow。 So if you’re one of them then I recommend this book。Tone: This book is a fun adventure， not an epic story of politics and wars。 Yes， the world is dark， brutal， and full of bloodshed but there is also humor there and in my opinion， the humor was more prevalent。 Of course， the whole point of the story is one major battle but it felt like a battle between Avengers and Thanos， not the kind of battle that I expect to see in fantasy worlds。 And again， I know that lots of you will probably love this kind of story but it wasn’t for me。 The first section of the book is just the Necromancer collecting the crew from different parts of the world and all of them start by saying “No I don’t wanna come back and work for Black Herran” but come on！ we all know that they’re eventually gonna accept the offer， otherwise， there wouldn’t be a story！ So the whole thing was a little pointless for me。 And again， this could work in movies， because every member is just gonna protest for two minutes and you can watch two pointless minutes but I get bored reading 12 pointless chapters！ These chapters were mostly characters telling jokes or being badass or insulting each other by being witty。 Their dialogues are actually fun and I’m sure a lot of you will enjoy it。world-building: I can’t say there is anything objectively wrong with this universe because there isn’t but for me， this universe is too crowded！ There are Orcs， there are Vampires， Necromancers， some huge insects or something， demons，。。。 None of them are explored enough for my taste， I like to know every single detail about every single race in books！ But then again， I know most people enjoy this kind of story。Wow， this whole review is just me saying this book isn’t for me， but it might be for you:D 。。。more

Vigasia ，

This book was pure entertainment and I think it is a good position for anyone who likes not ever grey morality in characters but simply them being bad。 The story was fine， I enjoyed it， and though， nothing special， the novel was something good for lazy evenings。 What I miss what the protagonist， who， despite him or her being a bad person， I would actually like and really root for。 They were all interesting creatures， but not one of them really caught my heart。There are some gore scenes so the bo This book was pure entertainment and I think it is a good position for anyone who likes not ever grey morality in characters but simply them being bad。 The story was fine， I enjoyed it， and though， nothing special， the novel was something good for lazy evenings。 What I miss what the protagonist， who， despite him or her being a bad person， I would actually like and really root for。 They were all interesting creatures， but not one of them really caught my heart。There are some gore scenes so the book is not for a soft-hearted， but if you don't mind blood and death， and you like fantasy with villains as main characters， you should read this book， I liked it。 。。。more

Patrick L ，

I really loved this book。 Cameron Johnston makes you despise all of the characters and still like them all at the same time。 This book has everything you want in a fantasy action book: Battles， intrigue， infighting， demons， necromancers， you name it。 Absolutely worth a read and you won't be able to put it down。 Pure mayhem and delight。 I really loved this book。 Cameron Johnston makes you despise all of the characters and still like them all at the same time。 This book has everything you want in a fantasy action book: Battles， intrigue， infighting， demons， necromancers， you name it。 Absolutely worth a read and you won't be able to put it down。 Pure mayhem and delight。 。。。more

Mike ，

This is， unsurprisingly， a retelling of *The Magnificent Seven，* which is itself a retelling of *The Seven Samurai*。 There's a good reason the story has been told so many times: "group of heavily outnumbered but highly skilled warriors defends village from invading force" will always be a great premise for a story。The twist here is that the titular seven are all dyed-in-the-wool villains。 They consist of a demon raiser， a necromancer， a vampire， a pirate queen， a war god， an alchemist， and an or This is， unsurprisingly， a retelling of *The Magnificent Seven，* which is itself a retelling of *The Seven Samurai*。 There's a good reason the story has been told so many times: "group of heavily outnumbered but highly skilled warriors defends village from invading force" will always be a great premise for a story。The twist here is that the titular seven are all dyed-in-the-wool villains。 They consist of a demon raiser， a necromancer， a vampire， a pirate queen， a war god， an alchemist， and an orc chieftain。 They're all bad people （though some are worse than the others - the other six all uncomfortable to be working alongside the alchemist）， and they're all their for their own selfish reasons， but they all intend to do their best to save the inoffensive village with the bad luck to sit in the path of a fanatical theocratic empire。The story that unfolds is pure popcorn fun。 Not only do you get the fun of seeing what clever tricks/horrifying crimes they do to stop the invaders， at the same time all seven are plotting against the other and looking for the right moment to both defeat the invaders and come out on top of their allies。This isn't a book that'll change your life， but it's very much a book worth the read if what you are looking for is entertainment。 And even though none of the seven are good guys， you still have reasons to root for most of them。Props to the author for a good gender balance。 The demon raiser， necromancer， pirate queen， and orc chieftain are all women。 The orc in particular， upon arriving at the village， asks first thing why the stupid humans are only training half of the people as fighters and immediately sets to training the women。 The captain of the militia women （Penny， later dubbed "Red Penny"） is one of the few side characters and by far my favorite。Warning for graphic violence （these are very bad people） and violence against animals （again， bad people）。 No rape， though， which was a relief。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Maleficent Seven

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Maleficent Seven&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Maleficent Seven&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0