Fantasy

The Maleficent Seven

The Maleficent Seven

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  • Create Date：2021-09-14 07:51:24
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • 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

Max ，

The definition of a “romp”。

Julio ，

Gran libro， con buenos personajes y Voces muy bien logradas。 Destaca el punto de vista del caballero no muerto， aunque sea un personaje secundario。 La mayoría de giros son buenos。 Tiene grandes batallas y el autor demuestra gran imaginación。 Leeré algo más de él。 Lamentablemente uno de los personajes principales muestra falencias en su desarrollo， y esto hace que el giro， vital para entra al final， sea demasiado debil comparado con el resto。 Otro punto bajo es que el número de los personajes es Gran libro， con buenos personajes y Voces muy bien logradas。 Destaca el punto de vista del caballero no muerto， aunque sea un personaje secundario。 La mayoría de giros son buenos。 Tiene grandes batallas y el autor demuestra gran imaginación。 Leeré algo más de él。 Lamentablemente uno de los personajes principales muestra falencias en su desarrollo， y esto hace que el giro， vital para entra al final， sea demasiado debil comparado con el resto。 Otro punto bajo es que el número de los personajes es demasiado para la cantidad de páginas， de modo que si bien Esten bien logrados， no se profundiza demasiado en sus motivaciones。 Leeré más de este escritor。 La historia es autoconclusiva， pero algunas deciciones en los epílogos podrían dar que pensar en otras cosas。 7。5 punto y una nota de notable。 En los puntos buenos es mucho mejor que varios libros con cuatro estrellas u ocho puntos que he leído。 。。。more

Etta ，

[Actual Rating 4。25] The Maleficent Seven is a very fast-paced story featuring a rag-tag group of villains。 The characters that make up the seven are a demonologist （Black Herron）， a necromancer （Maeven）， a god of war （Tiarnach）， a pirate queen （Verena Awilan）， a vampire （Lorrimer Felle）， an orc （Amogg）， and an alchemist （Jerak Hyden）。 It takes a group of bad guys and puts them against the good guys， who may not be as good as they seem。 The story takes place in Black Herron’s town of Tambroo [Actual Rating 4。25] The Maleficent Seven is a very fast-paced story featuring a rag-tag group of villains。 The characters that make up the seven are a demonologist （Black Herron）， a necromancer （Maeven）， a god of war （Tiarnach）， a pirate queen （Verena Awilan）， a vampire （Lorrimer Felle）， an orc （Amogg）， and an alchemist （Jerak Hyden）。 It takes a group of bad guys and puts them against the good guys， who may not be as good as they seem。 The story takes place in Black Herron’s town of Tambrooke， where she has lived for the past forty years since she last saw the other six。 It is Black Herron that begins the quest to bring the others together to fight the other side。There are essentially two pieces to this story。 The first is the gathering of all the characters together as the Black Herron gets everyone to join the cause。 The second is the actual good vs evil。 The two intermingle among character development， connections between the characters and multiple action sequences to create a dynamic read。 While seven central characters plus multiple side characters is a lot to keep track of， the author managed to make everyone memorable and unique enough to reduce confusion。 There is a lot of death （animal and human） in this novel， so this novel might not be for every reader。 The details， while being filled with gore， were all well-done and fit the story and characters nicely。 Given the nature of some of the characters， such as necromancers， I expected some type of gore before fully getting into the story。The Falcon Prince is a very compelling character as a deranged villain。 While there are multiple characters to track， I wish the reader got to go into his mind a little more as it would drive the point home about the madness within。 Even with this wish， I loved the characters in this novel。 The group of seven had amazing dynamics as they are not close friends， but are all together for the same cause。 They have excellent banter and a great natural dynamic。 While the story itself is interesting， it was the characters that kept me invested。 Each character had their own motivations and backstory that were revealed overtime to the reader。 None of them were initially likable， for me， but they all became great in their own time as the story moved forward。Overall， this was a captivating take on the “bad guys” coming together to defeat a common enemy。 The beginning starts off slow before becoming action-packed， which may not work for everyone。 For me， I enjoyed the slower pace at the start as the rest of the novel is fast， so it provided a nice balance。 It is a very fun chaotic novel with a group of unlikely allies。 It explores the concepts of “good” and “evil” as it is grey all around with both sides having their good and bad traits。 A great and unexpected novel with many plot twists for this new-to-me author that makes me curious to read more！ 。。。more

Isaac ，

The covert art of the book can be a little bit misleading， regarding of the characters presented in the book ， but outside of that great story

Lashaan Balasingam （Bookidote） ，

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here。How does one reconcile with someone after being betrayed？ Can their common interests pave the way towards solidarity？ Can they allow themselves to forgive one another， move forward， and attain their deepest desires through an unwarranted alliance？ Maybe。 Only if their most sinister intentions can be kept at bay。 Unfortunately， this crew is filled with the most hateful and maleficent bunch who clearly won’t mind back-stabbing others to get what t You can find my review on my blog by clicking here。How does one reconcile with someone after being betrayed？ Can their common interests pave the way towards solidarity？ Can they allow themselves to forgive one another， move forward， and attain their deepest desires through an unwarranted alliance？ Maybe。 Only if their most sinister intentions can be kept at bay。 Unfortunately， this crew is filled with the most hateful and maleficent bunch who clearly won’t mind back-stabbing others to get what they want。 However， their unison could also lead them to save the world and mend their reputation once and for all。 In his latest stand-alone dark fantasy novel， author Cameron Johnston （Age of Tyranny） delivers a flamboyant and riveting adventure with an unlikely crew off to do the unthinkable。What is The Maleficent Seven about？ 40 years ago， Black Herran， a feared and terrifying demonologist captained a team of seven fearsome warriors: Maeven （a necromancer）， Lorrimer Felle （a vampire lord）， Tiarnach （a demigod）， Amogg （an orcish warleader）， Verena Awildan （a pirate queen）， and Jerak Hyden （a twisted alchemist）。 Together， they went on to conquer countless continents within Essoran。 However， on the day they were ready to proclaim complete dominion over the world， Black Herran jumped ship。 Today， she looks to rally her former captains back together for another conquest to take place in the small town of Tarnbrooke in hopes to put an end to the growing strengths and victories of the Lucent Empire。 Unfortunately for her， the task is far more complex than it ever was as the members， soured by their past experience， find themselves unable to trust a soul。Focused first on speeding through the world to find each member in their natural habitat， now accustomed to treachery， deception， and manipulation， the story then shifts its attention to the promised bloodshed。 Despite its breakneck pace， inevitably cutting away at the journey and the time to bond along the way， writer Cameron Johnston nevertheless does a fantastic job in highlighting the most singular and exciting traits of his quirky band。 Through snappy dialogues， witty comebacks， and a colourful prose full of baffling insults， he offers an entertaining journey where every little interaction highlights his characters’ most identifying traits and hints at their most sinful desires。 Without sending these monsters on a quest to change themselves for the better， this adventure focuses on drawing out the best （or worse） of their being in an attempt to do something that might seem good on the surface but hides far more than they dare share。With such a thrilling plot， delivered at an unquestionably fast pace， it had to suffer in terms of world-building。 The upside is that writer Cameron Johnston delivers an incredibly diverse world that features classic villainous creatures。 While he doesn’t delve deeper than necessary into their history， he allows their interactions to establish a dynamic and entertaining atmosphere that will fully satisfy readers as they follow the group’s formation and vicariously enjoy their bloody skirmishes。 If there’s anything rewarding， it’s the fascinating execution of action sequences and the grim banter between the crew members。 Although there isn’t much time offered to appreciate the setting， the fun essentially comes from the chaotic， rapid-fire， and unfiltered energy emitted from this crew。The Maleficent Seven is an exciting， action-packed， and gruesome adventure following an unusual evil bunch in one last epic crusade。Thank you to the author for sending me a digital copy for review！Yours truly，Lashaan | Blogger and Book ReviewerOfficial blog: https://bookidote。com/ 。。。more

Carrie ，

If only the characters were a tad likeableThey are antiheroes， but they need to have some redeeming bits to them or the reader doesn't care about them。 I enjoyed the book， but even Raistlin in Dragonlance had a soft spot ， ya know？ Make them as evil as you want， but give us something to like， even a little。 Overall the book was enjoyable and I liked 3 of the 7 enough to finish the book。 Perhaps 3。5。 I would read a sequel， if only for those characters。 If only the characters were a tad likeableThey are antiheroes， but they need to have some redeeming bits to them or the reader doesn't care about them。 I enjoyed the book， but even Raistlin in Dragonlance had a soft spot ， ya know？ Make them as evil as you want， but give us something to like， even a little。 Overall the book was enjoyable and I liked 3 of the 7 enough to finish the book。 Perhaps 3。5。 I would read a sequel， if only for those characters。 。。。more

Aaron Kapner ，

Brilliant！！What an amazing dark fantasy version of Magnificent Seven！ Just like that movie （or the movie it's based on， Seven Samurai） each "hero" or extremely anti-hero in this case， has a unique identity and very particular set of skills。。。。in this case richly set in the very best of dark fantasy。 A fabulous read！ Brilliant！！What an amazing dark fantasy version of Magnificent Seven！ Just like that movie （or the movie it's based on， Seven Samurai） each "hero" or extremely anti-hero in this case， has a unique identity and very particular set of skills。。。。in this case richly set in the very best of dark fantasy。 A fabulous read！ 。。。more

AcidGirl ，

Slightly amusing at the beginning， this trope-fest actually bored me about two thirds in because it made the book so predictable。 Also far too long。

Steve M ，

This was a terrific read！ I'm not giving any spoilers but I'll definitely read more of Cameron Johnston！ This was a terrific read！ I'm not giving any spoilers but I'll definitely read more of Cameron Johnston！ 。。。more

Azu ♡ ，

3。5 stars。The writing style is not really for me but it was fun overall。

Heather ，

Follow Black Herran， a necromancer， vampire， demigod， orcish warleader， pirate queen and twisted alchemist as 7 vengeful anti-heroes are pitted against a fanatical religious army hell-bent on destroying them。I could not put this down - a bloody， glorious， fast-paced fantasy！

Red Ink Book Reviews ，

The Maleficent Seven – Cameron Johnston I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in order to provide an honest review。 Cameron Johnston is a Scottish writer how is a gamer and has interests in archaeology， history and mythology。 He has written dark fantasy stories such as “The Traitor God” and “God of Broken Things”。 “The Maleficent Seven” follows the story of an old war general known as Black Herran， who was feared and ruled over her people with an iron fist – she also was known as a The Maleficent Seven – Cameron Johnston I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in order to provide an honest review。 Cameron Johnston is a Scottish writer how is a gamer and has interests in archaeology， history and mythology。 He has written dark fantasy stories such as “The Traitor God” and “God of Broken Things”。 “The Maleficent Seven” follows the story of an old war general known as Black Herran， who was feared and ruled over her people with an iron fist – she also was known as a demonologist; she could wield what lurked in the shadows。 She had a pact with a great and old demon， thus allowing her the power she was able to wield over lesser demons， power she was able to cultivate to her own ends。 Black Herran had her trusted captains of her dreaded and dark army， they were loyal to her and followed without question。 That was until she abandoned them all on the very eve of battle that would have seen them ruling over all the conquered lands。 Yet abandon them she did and her captains and people were almost wiped from the lands of Essoran。 And for 40 years there was no word of the dreaded Black Herran and her follows， they were presumed dead and forgotten。 That is until a new threat comes to take over and impose their new world order。 The problem with this is Black Herran is not dead， she faded away into obscurity and became known by another name， had a family and lived in peace。 This peace is now being threatened by the goddess known as the Golden One and her brainwashed army of followers。 In order to stand a chance of crushing this new rising power Black Herran and her captains must rise again， yet are they up to the task after all the time that has passed。 Can they work together and forget old grievances or will they betray each other when it suits their own individual ends。 “The Maleficent Seven” is a dark fantasy story with a refreshing plot where the villains are the heroes of the day。 The author gives the reader an intricate story line with detailed characters。 I enjoyed reading a fantasy story that doesn’t have a hero as the focal point but rather several villains。 Villains that actually won in the end， villains that were relatable and almost lovable。 I can’t state enough what a breath of fresh air this story was， an original and creative work of fantasy。 。。。more

Chuck ，

Rad the Amazon sample （four chapters）; shows some promise but none of my libraries have the book， e- or paper and it isn’t $6。99 worth of promise。

Rebecca Veight ，

Black Herran， a dread demonologist， disappears on the eve of her greatest victory。 40 years later she must return to the land she almost destroyed and save it from a new enemy， religious fanatics trying to finish what she started。 She must bring her 6 captains back together again: a necromancer， a pirate queen， a vampire lord， a demigod， an orcish war leader and a twisted alchemist。 The objective is to take one final stand in the town of Tarnbrooke。This is 'Suicide Squad' of the fantastical bloo Black Herran， a dread demonologist， disappears on the eve of her greatest victory。 40 years later she must return to the land she almost destroyed and save it from a new enemy， religious fanatics trying to finish what she started。 She must bring her 6 captains back together again: a necromancer， a pirate queen， a vampire lord， a demigod， an orcish war leader and a twisted alchemist。 The objective is to take one final stand in the town of Tarnbrooke。This is 'Suicide Squad' of the fantastical bloodthirsty kind。 Don't you just love villains being forced to do good？ Unlikely heroes bickering amongst themselves is so entertaining。 This is a group of badasses， each in their own right。 My favorite is a toss between the orc leader Amogg and the demigod Tiarnach。Presenting charismatic worldbuilding， Johnston's creativity is evident in even the smallest detail and has your imagination working in overdrive。 "There is always another plan in play" says the protagonist and that captures the essence of shocks， surprises and betrayals。The introduction of all these awesome characters is uniquely interesting and entices you to the story。 Multiple POVs with the voice of each character giving a sort of old-timey vibe in a modern wrapping that compliments the narrative。Sometimes it lags a bit in parts， taking too long to set a scene and other times the changes between characters are whiplashy， making the flow of the story uneven。 These two aforementioned things would make me feel detached from the story。 What the author does well though is make you root for their characters and enjoy the action。 In the midst of guts， gore， relentless fighting and insults， you cannot help but notice that hope springs eternal。 And that all， bar none， need something to believe in。Indulgingly gruesome， with an abundance of snarkiness， and an underlying dark， dark humor。 This is an adventurous 'let's gather all the reluctant antiheroes road trip' that leads to a satisfying brutal battle of epic proportions。 And the tying of loose ends in the finale doles out quite a few surprises。 。。。more

Guido ，

If the movie The Magnificent Seven were turned into a fantasy book， featuring the antagonists as the main characters， you'd end up with this book。 Fast-paced， dark humour， plenty of action and despite all their vile traits， relatable main characters。 If the movie The Magnificent Seven were turned into a fantasy book， featuring the antagonists as the main characters， you'd end up with this book。 Fast-paced， dark humour， plenty of action and despite all their vile traits， relatable main characters。 。。。more

Mackenzie （bookish_black_hole） ，

this was rad。 full RTC on the blog soon

Shane ，

5/5 Stars

Aly ，

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for providing me a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review。At first I was struggling to understand why this one didn't work for me。 The story was exactly as pitched， suicide squad esc， with a band of villains coming together to destroy an even worse villain。 However， I stumbled across another review that put it into words perfectly。 This concept just works better as a film。Introducing each of the characters in the middle of doing what they do best， I co Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for providing me a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review。At first I was struggling to understand why this one didn't work for me。 The story was exactly as pitched， suicide squad esc， with a band of villains coming together to destroy an even worse villain。 However， I stumbled across another review that put it into words perfectly。 This concept just works better as a film。Introducing each of the characters in the middle of doing what they do best， I continuously felt as though this would have been better as a movie。 The visual aspects would have made it easier to fall in love with each character， while unfortunately as a reader it fell a bit flat。 Because this story is SO fast paced， I never had time to connect with any of the characters， and for me that made the entire story feel quite one dimensional。 While we did see some humorous interactions between characters， and moments that made them more empathetic characters， for me a lot of those moments came too late and I had already been struggling through the story for so long at that point， it left out some of the emotional impact it could have otherwise had if we had slowed down and done some world building or work with the characters backstories。I felt I wish I'd gotten a novella for each character before reading this story， so that I could appreciate this book more for what it is。Now don't get me wrong， there is definitely an audience for this book。 People who want to skip the boring stuff， and just learn characters names and hop into the action will have a great time reading this。 Unfortunately for me however， it left me wanting。P。S。 I refuse to believe men talk about their "cocks" as often as they do in this book， it felt very out of place for me and took me out of the action LOL 。。。more

Brock Mclaughlin ，

The Maleficent Seven asks the questions， what if grim-dark was fun？ I dug this book。 Cameron Johnston is a wicked writer。 This book is a combination of Kings of the Wyld and The Suicide Squad。When you are all out of heroes， all that's left are the villains。The story is a retelling of "The Magnificent Seven，" which is itself a retelling of "The Seven Samurai" （if you haven't ever seen this movie， add it to your cue）。 Itsa simple enough story - group of heavily outnumbered but highly skilled warri The Maleficent Seven asks the questions， what if grim-dark was fun？ I dug this book。 Cameron Johnston is a wicked writer。 This book is a combination of Kings of the Wyld and The Suicide Squad。When you are all out of heroes， all that's left are the villains。The story is a retelling of "The Magnificent Seven，" which is itself a retelling of "The Seven Samurai" （if you haven't ever seen this movie， add it to your cue）。 Itsa simple enough story - group of heavily outnumbered but highly skilled warriors defends village from invading force。 It makes for an action packed tale。I loved the pace of this book as every shortish chapter was full of action and suspense and each of the characters were unique and quite fun。If you're looking for an action packed， gross summer read， this one is for you。 。。。more

Jenny （ofproseandspells） ，

I would like to thank Angry Robot Books for the review copy。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。When a ragtag， mismatched villains were the only ones who could possibly save the world， devious and mayhem adventures ensued。 The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston delivered a fast， almost-a-movie-like pacing tale with a brimful of gruesome actions， vicious characters， and dark sense of humor。The story started when Black Herran， a demonologist， abandoned her army on the brink I would like to thank Angry Robot Books for the review copy。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。When a ragtag， mismatched villains were the only ones who could possibly save the world， devious and mayhem adventures ensued。 The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston delivered a fast， almost-a-movie-like pacing tale with a brimful of gruesome actions， vicious characters， and dark sense of humor。The story started when Black Herran， a demonologist， abandoned her army on the brink of victory。 Now， forty years later， she must bring her former captains back together to make the final stand against a fanatical group。 However， old wounds never truly healed， and the unlikely crew hated each other’s guts。 Was having a common enemy enough to get them work back together？I love how the plot was cruelly wild！ If I had not said enough， this novel did not have “good” people in this story。 Expect that violence， gore， and graphic descriptions were present here。 They were evils who were doing wicked things to stop the other evil。 The first part of the book focused on banding the group together， and the second part was about the siege and how they dealt with the Lucent Empire。 Here， the characters’ intentions came to light， and of course， there was the plot twist at the end that would make you want more。Characterwise， the author did a great job making each character memorable and distinct。 I liked how diverse the characters were， as well as their individual personalities。 Also， even when these group of people did a lot of horrible things， and readers were kept reminded of these things， it was so easy to root for them。This would have been perfect if only there were more of the world-building for me。 There were not much enough details for my taste。 Nevertheless， I still enjoyed this novel。Overall， The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston is a spellbinding and striking read。 I recommend this book to people who like villainous characters！4。25 stars！CW: gore， violence， animal torture， inappropriate jokes， mutilations， and PTSD 。。。more

Erin ，

☠️ “𝙱𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜， 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚍𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎。” ☠️What happens when a dread demonologist， a necromancer， a vampire lord， an ex-war god， a pirate queen， an orcish chieftain， and a twisted alchemist walk into a bar？Chaos ensues 。 。 。 no joke。 The Maleficent Seven is a RIDE of unconventional antiheroes， grim odds， endless action， gory one-uppery， and snort-inducing debauchery。The monstrous main characters are all lovably loathsome， dep ☠️ “𝙱𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜， 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚍𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎。” ☠️What happens when a dread demonologist， a necromancer， a vampire lord， an ex-war god， a pirate queen， an orcish chieftain， and a twisted alchemist walk into a bar？Chaos ensues 。 。 。 no joke。 The Maleficent Seven is a RIDE of unconventional antiheroes， grim odds， endless action， gory one-uppery， and snort-inducing debauchery。The monstrous main characters are all lovably loathsome， depraved and devoid of heroic qualities but not beyond redemption， and most of which are just kind of charmingly clueless and a little ways past their prime， which was perhaps one of the most amusing aspects of the story。If you’re looking for a blend of fantasy adventure， horror， and brutalistic comedy， look no further， because The Maleficent Seven has it ALL。‼️TW: heavy themes of death + violence‼️———————————————Thank you so much Angry Robot Books for having me on the bookstagram tour！ 。。。more

Darren McGowan ，

HumorousWant a good break from the standard fantasy ， something that will tickle your fancy？ Well then， come meet seven of the vilest characters you could ever read about。 Chose one and rout for them， watch the bodies pile up and the insults fly。 This is really a light read， no deep sub plots to figure out。 The plot is straightforward。 Comparable to the Kings of the wild， not as good， but still worth a read。 I enjoyed how vile one could make a character。

Johnathan Breeland ，

Explosive page TurnerThis book was amazing from the 1st page it's one of them books I stop reading just because I don't want it to end， Either way no spoilers here 7 bad people against an evil Empire， And what's not to like great characters，nonstop action， In a world I would love to read more about I literally loved this book more please Explosive page TurnerThis book was amazing from the 1st page it's one of them books I stop reading just because I don't want it to end， Either way no spoilers here 7 bad people against an evil Empire， And what's not to like great characters，nonstop action， In a world I would love to read more about I literally loved this book more please 。。。more

Troy ，

This is just one of those great ideas for a book where you say to yourself， "Why has no one else thought of this before？"The Magnificent Seven。。。。but fantasy。。。。oh， and with the bad guys being the "heroes"。This book was a lot of fun to read。 The characters were all great， the action was well described， and the writing for the most part was really well done。If you ever wanted to read a book about a group of anti-heroes banding together to save the world in one last desperate stand， then this is t This is just one of those great ideas for a book where you say to yourself， "Why has no one else thought of this before？"The Magnificent Seven。。。。but fantasy。。。。oh， and with the bad guys being the "heroes"。This book was a lot of fun to read。 The characters were all great， the action was well described， and the writing for the most part was really well done。If you ever wanted to read a book about a group of anti-heroes banding together to save the world in one last desperate stand， then this is the book for you。 。。。more

Missy （myweereads） ，

“Be the death that comes with the darkness but do leave some alive to spread tales of horrors yet to come。”Cameron Johnston’s new dark fantasy is based around the story of the dread demonologist Black Herran who in legend abandoned her army on the eve of battle and now looks upon them for help。 An even bigger fight has brought itself to their doorsteps， past rivalries are faced once again through this band of legendary villains but who is going to win？There are so many elements to love about thi “Be the death that comes with the darkness but do leave some alive to spread tales of horrors yet to come。”Cameron Johnston’s new dark fantasy is based around the story of the dread demonologist Black Herran who in legend abandoned her army on the eve of battle and now looks upon them for help。 An even bigger fight has brought itself to their doorsteps， past rivalries are faced once again through this band of legendary villains but who is going to win？There are so many elements to love about this story。 Firstly the fact that it’s based around all things evil and depraved。 Be prepared for a lot of graphic imagery involving dark magic， battle scenes and trauma。 These combined with the unique cast of characters is what makes the story an addictive read。As well as the demonologist herself there is a necromancer， vampire， orc chieftain， war-god， twisted alchemist and pirate queen。 These are the monsters upon whom Black Herran is counting on to help her win this war。 Each of them has to decide wether they can put their differences aside for the sake of helping the Black Herran。 What I loved the most was the dialogue throughout。 There were several moments of dark humour， the jokes had me laughing a lot as well as the way the characters were interacting with each other。 You do end up loving these monsters in one way or another。This novel is what happens when a reader wishes for their favourite villains to all be in one epic battle and to see who comes out victorious。 I absolutely enjoyed reading this well crafted story。 I definitely recommend it for fans of horror and dark fantasy。Many thanks to @angryrobotbooks for sending me a copy of the book。 。。。more

Jenny T ，

Grimdark fantasy where the protagonists are a team of evil-doers somewhat past their prime， who find themselves up against a Bigger Bad。 It's terribly violent and the 'heroes' are awful people， but it's compelling as all get out， and there's a dark humor to its complete over-the-top-ness。 The story moves at a breakneck speed， with a few moments to breathe and contemplate just how bad things are -- there's blood EVERYWHERE， demons everywhere， backstabbing （literal and metaphorical） everywhere。 An Grimdark fantasy where the protagonists are a team of evil-doers somewhat past their prime， who find themselves up against a Bigger Bad。 It's terribly violent and the 'heroes' are awful people， but it's compelling as all get out， and there's a dark humor to its complete over-the-top-ness。 The story moves at a breakneck speed， with a few moments to breathe and contemplate just how bad things are -- there's blood EVERYWHERE， demons everywhere， backstabbing （literal and metaphorical） everywhere。 And yet it's impossible not to feel *something* for Our Heroes and I may have gotten a tiny little bit misty at the end。 Thank goodness Death isn't necessarily a permanent condition in this universe。 。。。more

Paul O'Neill ，

One of the best things I've ever read。 Just what I needed。 Sheer， unbridled fun。 I'd happily read a standalone book on each of the seven main characters。 Would love to read more from this world。 One of the best things I've ever read。 Just what I needed。 Sheer， unbridled fun。 I'd happily read a standalone book on each of the seven main characters。 Would love to read more from this world。 。。。more

Justine ，

Check out more bookish thoughts and videos on my YouTube channel。I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 This review is spoiler-free。I wont lie， the first thing that caught my eye about The Maleficent Seven is that fantastic title。 While it’s not the kind of fantasy that I typically read these days， I ended up being won over by this ragtag band of villains。 Oh ， and the fact that it happens to contain some of my favourite tropes:-One last job-Small gro Check out more bookish thoughts and videos on my YouTube channel。I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 This review is spoiler-free。I wont lie， the first thing that caught my eye about The Maleficent Seven is that fantastic title。 While it’s not the kind of fantasy that I typically read these days， I ended up being won over by this ragtag band of villains。 Oh ， and the fact that it happens to contain some of my favourite tropes:-One last job-Small group defending against an overwhelming enemy-Villains as heroes-Reluctant alliances-Ageing characters who are still badassesA quick fun fact about me: The Seven Samurai is one of my absolute favourite movies of all time （seriously， watch it if you haven’t seen it yet）。 It inspired the Western film The Magnificent Seven， which you have probably already guessed is connected to this very book。 Johnston takes the bones of this plot （small town defended by a ragtag group of warriors against considerable odds） and spins it into a rollicking fantasy tale。 This book is packed with action and banter — it feels like a chaotic DnD campaign with your best and weirdest friends。I wont lie， it took me awhile to get into this book — I just wasn’t sold on it until about 30-40% of the way through。 However， once we got to know some of the characters and the greater world better， I got more and more attached。 Johnston does a great job of creating refreshing lore and culture around classic fantasy races and themes — the orcs were my absolute favourite — and I’ll always be won over by the ‘one last job’ and ‘greatly outnumbered group working against a huge army’ tropes。 While there are really no ‘good’ characters and everyone has their own， selfish motivations， the enemy in this book is horrifying。 The Falcon Prince and his army of fanatics were absolutely terrifying in their zealousness and power。 If I had to choose between them， I’d probably side with the demonologist and her captains too。In terms of characters， I didn’t think I’d end up liking any of them very much， but I was totally won over by a surprising number of them。 Amogg the orc chieftan and Lorimer Fell the vampire lord were fabulous characters， but my favourite was the fallen war god Tiarnach。 His character arc throughout the book is just fantastic and I just adored him。 None of the characters in this book are perfect （nor would you want them to be， they’re villains for a reason）， however Johnston gave them a surprising amount of depth。 You can’t help but root for them。The Maleficent Seven is a popcorn-y fantasy book — it’s fast paced， action packed， and wildly entertaining。 Will it change your life？ Probably not。 But if you’re looking for a fun fantasy book filled with battles and banter that you can devour in a weekend， I’d definitely recommend picking it up。CW: violence and gore， animal death 。。。more

Susan ，

I spent 50 % of this book getting to know a load of characters that 😑I don't understand I spent 50 % of this book getting to know a load of characters that 😑I don't understand 。。。more

Suzanne ，

Well that was an absolute riot of a story。 This book was absolute carnage and I had way too much fun with it！ I had several laugh out loud moments with the humour which went from snarky to downright crude at times。 And let's not even get started on the brutal and bloody gorefest in here。 What happens when there are no heroes left to stand against a fanatical empire bent on domination through war and magical means？ You take one pissed off old demonologist who won't bow down， add in her captains; Well that was an absolute riot of a story。 This book was absolute carnage and I had way too much fun with it！ I had several laugh out loud moments with the humour which went from snarky to downright crude at times。 And let's not even get started on the brutal and bloody gorefest in here。 What happens when there are no heroes left to stand against a fanatical empire bent on domination through war and magical means？ You take one pissed off old demonologist who won't bow down， add in her captains; a spiteful necromancer， a has-been war-god， an orc warrior mystified by humans， a snarky vampire， a badass pirate queen and a psychotic alchemist and unleash them on the enemy。 I've read alot of violent fantasy before， but even I gagged at some of the scenes in here。 There's alot of gore and a little bit of horror which are extremely graphic。 I just thought you might like to beware of that going in lol。 I love that these characters really are villains。 They're not in this to save humanity， they each have their own selfish reasons from revenge to boredom for joining the fight。 And they really loathe other so I had a blast just sitting back and watch plot against each other as well as the enemies。 I'm not sure who my favourite character is because they were all so entertaining。 I loved Amogg's puzzlement at human behaviour， Tiarnach's crude humour and Lorimer's snark。 So if you're in the mood for violent， bloody action and watching a group of monsters who are only out for themselves reap absolute chaos and carnage on everyone around them （and I mean everyone！） then I would highly recommend this。 。。。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