Kagen the Damned: A Novel
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- Create Date：2022-04-29 08:52:50
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Jonathan Maberry
- ISBN：1250855004
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Summary
**A trade paperback edition of this title is also available for preorder。 This hardcover edition of Kagen the Damned is primarily intended for library use。**
Sworn by Oath
Kagen Vale is the trusted and feared captain of the place guard， charged with protection the royal children of the Silver Empire。 But one night， Kagen is drugged and the entire imperial family is killed， leaving the empire in ruins。
Abandoned by the Gods
Haunted and broken， Kagen is abandoned by his gods and damned forever。 He becomes a wanderer， trying to take down as many of his enemies as possible while plotting to assassinate the usurper–the deadly Witch-king of Hakkia。 While all around him magic–long banished from the world—returns in strange and terrifying ways。
Fueled by Rage
To find the royal children and exact his vengeance， Kagen must venture into strange lands， battle bizarre and terrifying creatures， and gather allies for a suicide mission into the heart of the Witch-king’s empire。
Kings and gods will fear him。
Kagen the Damned
Sworn by Oath
Kagen Vale is the trusted and feared captain of the place guard， charged with protection the royal children of the Silver Empire。 But one night， Kagen is drugged and the entire imperial family is killed， leaving the empire in ruins。
Abandoned by the Gods
Haunted and broken， Kagen is abandoned by his gods and damned forever。 He becomes a wanderer， trying to take down as many of his enemies as possible while plotting to assassinate the usurper–the deadly Witch-king of Hakkia。 While all around him magic–long banished from the world—returns in strange and terrifying ways。
Fueled by Rage
To find the royal children and exact his vengeance， Kagen must venture into strange lands， battle bizarre and terrifying creatures， and gather allies for a suicide mission into the heart of the Witch-king’s empire。
Kings and gods will fear him。
Kagen the Damned
Reviews
Melissa Overby
，
Absolutely as good as the Joe Ledger series and Rot and Ruin。 I don't think there is one book by Mr。 Maberry I don't love。 His world building is excellent and he really sucks you into his story。 Absolutely as good as the Joe Ledger series and Rot and Ruin。 I don't think there is one book by Mr。 Maberry I don't love。 His world building is excellent and he really sucks you into his story。 。。。more
Kayla with a Book
，
DNF at 35%
Sky
，
It was fun and interesting。 Very， very graphic so be sure to look up the trigger warnings。 There were instances where the writing was annoying and I don't really plan on continuing if it becomes a series。 It was fun and interesting。 Very， very graphic so be sure to look up the trigger warnings。 There were instances where the writing was annoying and I don't really plan on continuing if it becomes a series。 。。。more
Veronica
，
Review to come
Sarah-Grace （Azrael865）
，
As with all of Jonathan Maberry's writing， this story is relentless。 It opens with a seige on the Silver Empire and the 13 nations it is comprised of。 All the capitol cities are taken in one bloody night。 The Silver Empire came into existence at the expense of the defeat of the nation of Hakkia and their sorcerer ruler known as The Witch-King。 Now Hakkia is back in power and The new Witch-King is eager to complete his coronation to solidify his right to rule the new Empire。 Kagen Vale was the C As with all of Jonathan Maberry's writing， this story is relentless。 It opens with a seige on the Silver Empire and the 13 nations it is comprised of。 All the capitol cities are taken in one bloody night。 The Silver Empire came into existence at the expense of the defeat of the nation of Hakkia and their sorcerer ruler known as The Witch-King。 Now Hakkia is back in power and The new Witch-King is eager to complete his coronation to solidify his right to rule the new Empire。 Kagen Vale was the Captain of the royal guard of the Silver Empress and her family。 Even though he was off duty， he is on the point of breaking from his failure to save the royal children and from witnessing the death of both parents。 His only driving desire is revenge。 This story follows Kagen on his road to redemption， though he doesn't feel he deserves it， in a world where forbidden magic is now reawakening and strange things are happening。 I never saw the final twist， during the ending climax， coming。 Jonathan Maberry has touched on the world of HP Lovecraft and the existence of many other worlds in his writings before and it is exciting to see that aspect expanded on in this world。 I look forward to seeing more from these new characters and if I had any complaints it would be that I didn't have a world map to look at because this is a digital ARC of the book。 That will be fixed as soon as the book is published because I am buying a copy right away。 Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to entire into this start of an exciting fantasy epic。 。。。more
Matt Spaulding
，
I am not a huge fantasy lover， but I am big fan of Jonathan Maberry so of course I read this。 Solid story and world-building。 Shades of Stephen King's Dark Tower series and Lovecraftian horror woven with traditional sword-and-sorcery fantasy give this book a very unique feel。 I am not a huge fantasy lover， but I am big fan of Jonathan Maberry so of course I read this。 Solid story and world-building。 Shades of Stephen King's Dark Tower series and Lovecraftian horror woven with traditional sword-and-sorcery fantasy give this book a very unique feel。 。。。more
Aashna
，
I received this book as a giveaway。 This book took me a very long time to get into。 Having never read Game of Thrones， a book this is often compared to， I expected it to be exciting and fast paced and have a lot of characters。 It's not really any of those things。 The beginning is quite slow and character driven， except he isn't very likable。 But， I kept reading because I hate not finishing books and the story picks up a lot in the second half。 The main character gets his act together and the sto I received this book as a giveaway。 This book took me a very long time to get into。 Having never read Game of Thrones， a book this is often compared to， I expected it to be exciting and fast paced and have a lot of characters。 It's not really any of those things。 The beginning is quite slow and character driven， except he isn't very likable。 But， I kept reading because I hate not finishing books and the story picks up a lot in the second half。 The main character gets his act together and the story becomes more story driven and I ended up liking the ending。 Also， the world building in this book is well done as are the characters。 。。。more
Heather
，
The story behind this book was really good。 It was long and drawn out for me I don't like flowery books。 There was a chapter that I don't know why it was even there。 I'd recommend it and let people make up their own minds 。 It just wasn't a book for me。 The story behind this book was really good。 It was long and drawn out for me I don't like flowery books。 There was a chapter that I don't know why it was even there。 I'd recommend it and let people make up their own minds 。 It just wasn't a book for me。 。。。more
Rachel Feeck
，
Look， duty-bound guard with a tragic past is everything I love， but I had to put this down around 25%。 The style， and just overall level of violence， isn’t for me。When it comes to violent subjects， this book pulls no punches。 There is death。 There is blood。 There are corpses mutilated and strewn in gruesome patterns， and blunt mentions of abuse。 In no way are these things glorified， but the totality of it all feels uncomfortable， and at times crass。I might’ve been able to push through， except I Look， duty-bound guard with a tragic past is everything I love， but I had to put this down around 25%。 The style， and just overall level of violence， isn’t for me。When it comes to violent subjects， this book pulls no punches。 There is death。 There is blood。 There are corpses mutilated and strewn in gruesome patterns， and blunt mentions of abuse。 In no way are these things glorified， but the totality of it all feels uncomfortable， and at times crass。I might’ve been able to push through， except I wasn’t really attached to Kagen either。 His failure and mission， instead of being fueled by delicious tortured guilt and melancholy， feels melodramatic and negligent。 Blocks of exposition weigh down the fast-paced action scenes， dragging out the opening conflict and driving me nuts。 Return of magic？ Awesome。 The last stand of the Poisoned Rose？ Unbeatable enemy knights？ Cool and cool。 It’s just so hard to be immersed in a one-night-dash-through-a-revolution when everything is padded by all this information that’s less immediately important than Kagen trying not to get slashed， stabbed， or smashed。**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC** 。。。more
Shelby Gee
，
Trigger warnings are needed for this book。 It is extremely violent and graphic。 So much so that I got to a point where I could not continue reading bc it made me so uncomfortable。 The plot was awesome。 I was hooked from the start and really wanted to see the characters journeys in this story。 The whole magical fantasy was awesome and the writing is well done。 3 stars since I can’t fully judge the book。 The writing and story were promising， but sadly the description does not accurately warn reade Trigger warnings are needed for this book。 It is extremely violent and graphic。 So much so that I got to a point where I could not continue reading bc it made me so uncomfortable。 The plot was awesome。 I was hooked from the start and really wanted to see the characters journeys in this story。 The whole magical fantasy was awesome and the writing is well done。 3 stars since I can’t fully judge the book。 The writing and story were promising， but sadly the description does not accurately warn readers how adult and dark the content is。 Thank you Netgalley for the ARC 。。。more
April
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Jonathan Maberry does it again！ First of all， publishers take notice， this cosmic horror and dark fantasy gem deserves a hardback edition followed by special deluxe editions not just a paperback。 What an outstanding opening battle scene。 Jonathan Maberry starts 'Kagen The Dmned' by explaining how Kagen became dmned in the first place。 By dropping readers directly into the brutal， savage resurrection of the Hakkian Empire and fall of the City of Argentium， he had my heart racing from chapter one。 Jonathan Maberry does it again！ First of all， publishers take notice， this cosmic horror and dark fantasy gem deserves a hardback edition followed by special deluxe editions not just a paperback。 What an outstanding opening battle scene。 Jonathan Maberry starts 'Kagen The Dmned' by explaining how Kagen became dmned in the first place。 By dropping readers directly into the brutal， savage resurrection of the Hakkian Empire and fall of the City of Argentium， he had my heart racing from chapter one。 The religious world-building is extensive but relevant。 I loved the Cthulhu tie-in。 Maberry did not pull any punches， they all land。 What an amazingly dark mythic faerie tale。 I enjoyed reading every page。 If you have any triggers this probably isn't the book for you but I personally enjoyed the level of darkness。 Caution Potential Spoilers follow:It reminded me of 'Empire of the Vampire' by Jay Kristoff with a Darth Vader style twist。 That was a little disappointing because it was pretty loudly telegraphed。 In fact， it was probably not meant to be a twist at all but I think it would've played better if it had been。 Other than that， I have no criticism。 Maberry's writing is compelling， emotionally moving， thought provoking and action packed。 Tuke's repeated quips about balls were funny and made him a favorite character of mine。 I absolutely will be buying a hardcopy。 Thank you to Mac Nicholas， Marketing Coordinator for St。 Martin’s Publishing Group for inviting me to review this early。 Kagen the Dmned is going to fall into my best books of the year。 。。。more
V
，
After months of trying to finish this book， I’ve decided I have to dnf。 This was my first attempt at reading one of Maberry’s books， and I’ve come to the conclusion that this was probably not the best place to start。 I was not impressed with the writing quality which is what mainly kept me from moving forward with this book。 I was pretty surprised this was the case since Maberry has such a backlog of novels。 I guess his style of writing just doesn’t work for me。 From what I can tell with other r After months of trying to finish this book， I’ve decided I have to dnf。 This was my first attempt at reading one of Maberry’s books， and I’ve come to the conclusion that this was probably not the best place to start。 I was not impressed with the writing quality which is what mainly kept me from moving forward with this book。 I was pretty surprised this was the case since Maberry has such a backlog of novels。 I guess his style of writing just doesn’t work for me。 From what I can tell with other reviews， if you enjoyed previous Maberry works， there’s a really good chance you’ll like this。 Otherwise， I suggest you pick up something else。 Thank you to NetGalley for this e-arc。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Tessa
，
Kagen Vale， a guard for the Empress and her family， is damned。 Damned because the Witch-King destroyed his life as he knew it along with the Silver Empire in one evening of bloody destruction。 In a world dominated by gods， old and new， forces have turned against all that Kagen has known， trusted and loved。 Fear is the new controlling factor in the world as the Witch-King ruthlessly converts the populous of the Silver Empire。 As Kagen copes with the changing world and his building vengeance， trut Kagen Vale， a guard for the Empress and her family， is damned。 Damned because the Witch-King destroyed his life as he knew it along with the Silver Empire in one evening of bloody destruction。 In a world dominated by gods， old and new， forces have turned against all that Kagen has known， trusted and loved。 Fear is the new controlling factor in the world as the Witch-King ruthlessly converts the populous of the Silver Empire。 As Kagen copes with the changing world and his building vengeance， truths about magic and the old gods come to the forefront。 I truly enjoyed the world building and structure of the novel。 You are navigated through the truths of several individuals as the story progresses。 As the pieces knit together the complexity of this novel becomes more and more fascinating。 Beyond Kagen’s thread， each of the supporting characters is equally complex and well thought out。 The novel has a satisfying ending but leaves you ready to pick up the next one to see how the story continues。 5 stars， a well written novel。Review based on an Uncorrected Digital Galley provided by St。 Martin’s Press and NetGalley。 Thank you！ 。。。more
Destiny
，
There is so much in the first book of what looks to be a promising new series。 Good vs。 evil， chases， escapes， lots of sword/knife fighting， magic， vampires， Cthulu！！ This books has it all。 I cannot wait for the second book of this series。
Kevin Halter
，
As a fan of Jonathan Maberry， I was super excited about a dark fantasy by the author。 I'm not sure why the book Kagen the Damned failed to engage me perhaps some parts hit a little too close to home for me。 I'm not sure。 As others have noted the first third of the book Kagen is a morose alcoholic and there is little to connect him to the audience。 There were aspects that I enjoyed， however， the Lovecraftian references and the dark humor between Kagen and Tuke were fun and added a little levity t As a fan of Jonathan Maberry， I was super excited about a dark fantasy by the author。 I'm not sure why the book Kagen the Damned failed to engage me perhaps some parts hit a little too close to home for me。 I'm not sure。 As others have noted the first third of the book Kagen is a morose alcoholic and there is little to connect him to the audience。 There were aspects that I enjoyed， however， the Lovecraftian references and the dark humor between Kagen and Tuke were fun and added a little levity to this Grimdark fantasy。The Witch-king is an evil character that is sure to thrill and catch the reader's imagination。I wish I had enjoyed it more honestly。 Thank you to #Netgalley #St。Martins and #JonathanMaberry for the AR copy of Kagen the Damned。 。。。more
Rebecca Zabel
，
Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin's Press for providing me with an arc of this book！This book is DARK and VIOLENT。 Death galore。 There is a lot of drama and rather wonderfully described world building in this novel。 Aside from that， there were some pretty graphic scenes which I was not prepared for and emotionally needed to take like 2 weeks to recover but I persevered！ Kagen is the morally grey character we all love but for a good chunk of the book I wanted to smack him for his drunken stup Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin's Press for providing me with an arc of this book！This book is DARK and VIOLENT。 Death galore。 There is a lot of drama and rather wonderfully described world building in this novel。 Aside from that， there were some pretty graphic scenes which I was not prepared for and emotionally needed to take like 2 weeks to recover but I persevered！ Kagen is the morally grey character we all love but for a good chunk of the book I wanted to smack him for his drunken stupors。 Overall my feelings of this book are， it's not my cup of tea。 I'd say this book would be perfect for fans of Game of Thrones。 Triggers/Warnings: graphic violence， rape， adult language， adult content。 。。。more
Michael Hicks
，
Confession: I am not a fan of the fantasy genre。 I've dipped my toes into the fantasy pool now and then， but am usually left cold by it。 Most of the books I've tried in this genre have ended up in my DNF pile or， in the case of those series where I managed to finish Book 1， left me deeply uninspired and disinterested in continuing。 The only works I've found to match my tastes and sensibilities， thus far， have been George R。R。 Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series， and R。 Scott Bakker's Kellhus Confession: I am not a fan of the fantasy genre。 I've dipped my toes into the fantasy pool now and then， but am usually left cold by it。 Most of the books I've tried in this genre have ended up in my DNF pile or， in the case of those series where I managed to finish Book 1， left me deeply uninspired and disinterested in continuing。 The only works I've found to match my tastes and sensibilities， thus far， have been George R。R。 Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series， and R。 Scott Bakker's Kellhus books。 In point of fact， I very nearly passed on reading an ARC of Kagen the Damned save for one sole， deciding factor: Jonathan Maberry。 I dig the hell out of Jonathan Maberry， see。 Given how much I've loved his Joe Ledger books and P。I。 Monk Addison from Glimpse and Ink， if anybody was going to make me give the fantasy genre another try， it's this guy。After a night of drinking and whoring， Kagen Vale - whose job and sacred duty is to protect the Empress's children - sleeps through the opening volley of a devastating invasion that destroys the Silver Empire and leaves Argentium under the rule of the Hakkian Witch-King。 Magic has returned to the world after a thousand years of being outlawed， and in one single night the Witch-King topples an entire empire and usurps the throne as the new emperor。 Having failed so completely in his duties and oath to the Empress， the gods have turned their back on Kagen， leaving him damned and adrift， but with a single goal: to kill that black-hearted son of a bitch Witch-King。Right from the outset， Kagen the Damned is a dark， bloody， and violent affair。 Admittedly， this appealed to me greatly and Maberry's widescreen action scenes that dominate the book's opening sucked me right in。 To make matters even more exceptional， Maberry drags Lovecraftian gods into his sword and sorcery epic， infusing the proceedings with a nice layer of cosmic horror。 I thought I was in with this violent romp through the kingdom， but throw in some Lovecraft mythos？ Gods of the Pit， I was in-in！Kagen makes for an exceptional hero， and his fall from grace is as tragic as his attempts at redemption are savage。 A skilled knife-fighter， it's rare that Maberry passes up the opportunity to remind us just how proficient and merciless a bladesman Kagen is， or why his skills earned him a place on the Empress's protective detail。 What's even more compelling， though， is the moral conundrum presented by the rise and fall of the Silver Empire， and Hakkia's place among the kingdom's territories。 While there's a certain degree of empathy to be had for the Hakkian people， it's hard to sympathize with the action of the Witch-King and his Raven soldiers， squarely making this a conflict of good versus evil， albeit with varying shades of gray to muddy it all。 Admittedly， I went into Kagen the Damned with low expectations， based only on my own past disappointments with previous fantasy stories。 But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what Maberry brought to the table here。 Worst-case scenario， I thought， this book would just be one more title in my DNF pile of fantasy books。 Instead， this turned into the best of best-case scenarios。 I not only loved Kagen the Damned， but turned that last page ready for more adventures with this motley crew of warriors。 It's also given me a bit of an itch to try some more fantasy books and see what's happening of late in that genre， particularly in the field of grimdark sword and sorcery。 Only time will tell if that itch can be satisfied， or if I must be left waiting for Kagen's second adventure to hit the shelves。 。。。more
Lukasz
，
As a huge fan of Maberry's Joe Ledger series， I was excited to read his fantasy debut。 Kagen The Damned opens with the world burning and the Elder Ones beginning to stir。Kagen Vale wakes up with a massive hangover and learns that the Hakkian army had killed his family and the Empress。 Gethon Haklan， the Hakkian Witch-king， has won。 No one can resist his dark magic。 The usurper prepares for a coronation to gain complete （and official） control of the Empire。 Kagen flees certain death but falls int As a huge fan of Maberry's Joe Ledger series， I was excited to read his fantasy debut。 Kagen The Damned opens with the world burning and the Elder Ones beginning to stir。Kagen Vale wakes up with a massive hangover and learns that the Hakkian army had killed his family and the Empress。 Gethon Haklan， the Hakkian Witch-king， has won。 No one can resist his dark magic。 The usurper prepares for a coronation to gain complete （and official） control of the Empire。 Kagen flees certain death but falls into despair and drowns his sorrow in alcohol。 Meanwhile， magic seeps into reality and changes everything。Maberry excels at writing action scenes。 But， it turns out he's also a skilled world-builder。 I loved how he defined and introduced people's beliefs and then crushed them。 I loved how he mixed folkloric elements with the Cthulhu mythos and politics。 Readers get a strong sense of a place and its customs， but they don't need to follow the backstory pages。 Just the way I like it。 On the other hand， enthusiasts of deep worldbuilding will probably feel that the setting lacks depth。 Maberry focuses on the plot and characters， giving enough context to understand their circumstances， but he never gets the story bogged down with unnecessary explanations。The publisher markets Kagen as grimdark。 I agree。 It's a bleak and brutal story， not without some humor， but gritty and unforgiving overall。 Some passages require the reader to have a strong stomach （like a necromancer "reading" entrails）。 I didn't mind， but here's the thing。 Kagen The Damned is a violent pulp read， fast and furious， with fantastic ideas and creepy mythos， but without the nuance that some grimdark books offer。As a character， Kagen falls on a flattish side。 He's young， brash， and highly-skilled， a superior fighter who doesn't think much of himself。 Of course， we are supposed to cheer when he finds a goal （kill the Witch-king ） and stops drinking， but such a change is hardly surprising。Maberry's characters have well-defined personalities and are all memorable but rarely complex。 I love it in his Joe Ledger series， but I could use more character-building in Kagen。 Now， don't get me wrong。 Kagen and other protagonists are distinct， and you won't forget them anytime soon。 It's just that their motivations and development aren't "organic。"Cthulhu mythos plays a vital role in the story。 Maberry impressed me with his take on Elder Ones。 The series's opening suggests Elder Ones （Hastur， Cthulhu） have plans for this world， and humans are merely pawns。 I'm excited！As an experienced writer， Maberry has good control over pacing and structure。 His writing is mostly accessible， but sometimes he indulges in vivid comparisons （"She was very tall， with flowing hair the color of midnight and lips red as all the sin in the world"）。 I like his style， though I suspect it won't appeal to everyone :）I had a great time reading it despite minor reservations and finished the book in two sittings。 Short chapters and excellent pacing make it difficult to stop and do something else :） I'll preorder the sequel as soon as it's listed for sale。TL;DR: Cthulhu mythos + magic returning to the world + antiheroes doing the right thing。 I had a good time reading it。 Arc through NetGalley。 。。。more
Linda
，
This is a violent book。 Not dark so much as just violent。 Lots of death。 Buried amongst the violence are some very interesting observations on oppression （specifically religious oppression）。But that said Kagan wasn't very likeable for the first third of the book。 Granted he'd lost everything he loved， but then he goes off and gets drunk and we have to wander aimlessly around with him on his drunken rambles。 Rather boring （interspersed with horrendous violence as Kagan kills basically everyone he This is a violent book。 Not dark so much as just violent。 Lots of death。 Buried amongst the violence are some very interesting observations on oppression （specifically religious oppression）。But that said Kagan wasn't very likeable for the first third of the book。 Granted he'd lost everything he loved， but then he goes off and gets drunk and we have to wander aimlessly around with him on his drunken rambles。 Rather boring （interspersed with horrendous violence as Kagan kills basically everyone he meets）。Rysaa and Miri， who are supposedly important， are ignored for that first third of the book after watching them flee the city。 Because it is much more amusing to follow a drunk around。 Um， yeah。 Not so much。 I do like dark fantasy， but I'm not really into drunken male violence。 Once Kagan sobered up， he wasn't any less violent。 Just more intentional。Overall， this would be more suited to someone who likes a plot-driven book and isn't into character development as much。 I'd much rather have spent more time with character development， less time with drunkeness and wandering lost。 So perhaps it could have used a bit more plot development as well。 。。。more
Bakertyl
，
Endings are hard。 Let's just admit that and enjoy the story。Kagen is a soldier's soldier; raised by a living legend of a knife fighter into a family known for being generally awesome， he's a young commander for the castle guard。 Most importantly to him， he is the sworn body guard and protector for the Royal children。 Until they're all massacred or raped to death， and then Kagen is just a loser。The book opens with Kagen waking from sleep （？） to find his city invaded， soldiers attacking and alread Endings are hard。 Let's just admit that and enjoy the story。Kagen is a soldier's soldier; raised by a living legend of a knife fighter into a family known for being generally awesome， he's a young commander for the castle guard。 Most importantly to him， he is the sworn body guard and protector for the Royal children。 Until they're all massacred or raped to death， and then Kagen is just a loser。The book opens with Kagen waking from sleep （？） to find his city invaded， soldiers attacking and already inside the city。 We learn later the entire empire is similarly attacked， and defeated in literally hours。 The magic that allowed this attack has been outlawed for generations， so how did this happen？ Did one of the outlaw sorcerers use illegal magic to set up this attack？ I dunno， maybe， but also yes。This book is written like a movie or TV show， which I usually hate， but it works here。 The chapter view points bounce around between a few repeating characters， so we can see a few different viewpoints， but also a few characters that only serve to show the reader some action。 In one memorable chapter， during the initial attack on the empire， two men are drinking wine to mourn their loss， the vineyards and villa burning around them。 They discuss the attack and we learn something about the magical nature of the attack。 The story then returns to a main character's POV， but the scene is well written and does a great job of delivering the information in a new way。 The violence is deliberate and graphic， but not gratuitous。 The characters are pretty good， believable for the most part， though some of them are just sort of there， doing character-things for plot-reasons。 A girl is a main character early on， and then disappears awhile， and then comes back on the other side of the actual world with people who are preparing her for a "sacrifice"。。。 that's not foreboding or anything。 Are they going to sacrifice her？！？！ If they are， they're really bad at keeping it secret， and if they're not， then this whole thing is just really weird。 I mean， a literal deux ex machina？ The ending is pretty weak， just， it is。 I understand you have to set up the sequel somehow， but whatever， I'm still reading the sequel because this book is fun。 For almost everything I didn't like， there was something I did like that canceled it out。 I liked the training montage where Kagen learns to be a thief and hilariously face a fear of heights， even if I didn't like the "prophecy" he gets early in the book。 The witch who prophesied read a couple fortune cookies， that's some weak-ass prophecy， lady。Still， a fun read， looking forward to the next book in this series。**I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Pam
，
I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone with this one。 A fantasy book with a made up kingdom？！ What the heck was I thinking？ Actually， it is pretty darn good if you can get past all the drunkeness and well men having a good time at a woman's expense。Many thanks to Netgalley and St。 Martin's Press， St。 Martin's Griffin for this advanced readers copy。 This book is schedule for release on May 3， 2022。 I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone with this one。 A fantasy book with a made up kingdom？！ What the heck was I thinking？ Actually， it is pretty darn good if you can get past all the drunkeness and well men having a good time at a woman's expense。Many thanks to Netgalley and St。 Martin's Press， St。 Martin's Griffin for this advanced readers copy。 This book is schedule for release on May 3， 2022。 。。。more
Viccy
，
In one hellish night， the Silver Empire falls to Hakkia through the use of magic。 Magic has been banned in the Silver Empire for centuries， but Hakkia kept it alive。 Charged with protecting the children of the empress， Kagan is drugged while off duty and reaches the palace too late to save his charges。 He is devastated and proceeds to drink his way through the next months， certain he is damned。 He wanders the kingdoms searching for a way to take down the Witch-King， who now rules。 He will need a In one hellish night， the Silver Empire falls to Hakkia through the use of magic。 Magic has been banned in the Silver Empire for centuries， but Hakkia kept it alive。 Charged with protecting the children of the empress， Kagan is drugged while off duty and reaches the palace too late to save his charges。 He is devastated and proceeds to drink his way through the next months， certain he is damned。 He wanders the kingdoms searching for a way to take down the Witch-King， who now rules。 He will need all the allies he can muster。 This is the beginning of a new series from Maberry， with heroes and heroines and strange gods and deep dark magic。 And Kagan must worm his way into the the heart of the realm to rescue the anyone who might have survived the night of mayhem。 。。。more
Greg
，
Bestselling author Jonathan Maberry moves seamlessly into the epic fantasy genre with a great new series that will thrill fans of contemporary fantasy as well as devotees of the classic sword and sorcery tales。 With creative worldbuilding， great characters， and fast-paced plotting， Kagen the Damned is a fantastic story and a great start to a new series。 The character of Kagen is well drawn and multifaceted， paying homage to familiar fantasy heroes without being cliche。 Maberry incorporates eleme Bestselling author Jonathan Maberry moves seamlessly into the epic fantasy genre with a great new series that will thrill fans of contemporary fantasy as well as devotees of the classic sword and sorcery tales。 With creative worldbuilding， great characters， and fast-paced plotting， Kagen the Damned is a fantastic story and a great start to a new series。 The character of Kagen is well drawn and multifaceted， paying homage to familiar fantasy heroes without being cliche。 Maberry incorporates elements of Lovecraftian mythos as well， while still managing to keep it fresh and mysterious。 I highly recommend this title and anxiously await Kagen's next adventure。 。。。more
Priscilla Pontius
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Review: I received an ARC from the publisher。First let me start by saying， holy crap I did not see that coming！ I mean。。。I am actually speechless。 Wow。Now to get into it， I want to say that overall， I enjoyed the story and it was well written。 The imagery was very vivid and real。 It was easy to imagine how everything looked and get the feeling through Maberry's descriptions。 Not only did I feel like I could actually see what was going on， I felt the emotions and drive of the characters as well。T Review: I received an ARC from the publisher。First let me start by saying， holy crap I did not see that coming！ I mean。。。I am actually speechless。 Wow。Now to get into it， I want to say that overall， I enjoyed the story and it was well written。 The imagery was very vivid and real。 It was easy to imagine how everything looked and get the feeling through Maberry's descriptions。 Not only did I feel like I could actually see what was going on， I felt the emotions and drive of the characters as well。The Witch-King was a mystery and still is somewhat but I was able to understand how scary and intimidating he was just based on the imagery that Maberry gave。 Kagen was an extremely relatable character。 With all the emotions he felt and the rollercoaster of truths that he learned， it was easy to feel exactly what he felt in the story。The story is definitely one I would recommend to people who enjoy Game of Thrones or any medieval vibe books that have political aspects to it as well as intricate plots and strategies throughout the story。 I loved that there were multiple POVs and I wasn't kept in one part of the world but was able to travel through different parts not only through Kagen but through different characters and even though some of Kagen's dreams and memories。The one thing that I will say is that the book started out very strong and then I slowly started losing my patience with reading and started having a hard time finding the motivation to read because to me it felt like the plot was stalling。 I kept on going though and realized that what was going on was important to the plot and building what's to come， it's just slower。 The ending though。。。。。holy crap！ I'm still shocked by that twist and can honestly say that I did not see it coming！Trigger warnings: adult language， mentions of rape， adult content， abuse， & gore 。。。more
Athena （OneReadingNurse）
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The Plot: This is a dark fantasy novel about the conquest of an empire and the subjective failure of one of it's guardians。 I was drawn in by the synopsis and like the idea of conquest and revenge。 There is nothing terribly original about the plot or the main ideas of magic being bad and outlawed， a chosen one come back to avenge the nation， etc， but I still enjoyed it。If nothing else the plot moves quickly， with plenty of action scenes and alternating points of view to move the story along。 The Plot: This is a dark fantasy novel about the conquest of an empire and the subjective failure of one of it's guardians。 I was drawn in by the synopsis and like the idea of conquest and revenge。 There is nothing terribly original about the plot or the main ideas of magic being bad and outlawed， a chosen one come back to avenge the nation， etc， but I still enjoyed it。If nothing else the plot moves quickly， with plenty of action scenes and alternating points of view to move the story along。 The themes:Kagen shined most in it's themes for me。 The main character had to deal with letting his guilt go after he believed he was responsible for the fall of the empire and had been forsaken by his Gods。 There were questions and themes of honor， oaths， oppression， monsters vs saviors， and found family。 One of my favorite themes centered around What Makes a Monster？ Is the conquering Witch-king a monster for decimating a nation that did much worse 1000 years ago？ Is a dragon or a grotesque creature a monster just because it kills to feed itself， or is hideous？Obviously per Grimdark there are also themes of brutal violence， in pretty much any imaginable fashion。。。 I liked the brutality of the dark elements and the historian figure who carried his own theme of re-writing history for the victors。The Characters:I think the book is about 70/30 plot/action vs character drivenKagen is about as morally gray as you can get， but he's got values。 I liked his story and his path to redemption。 Tuke is another main character who swears by the BALLS of about 1000 different creatures， he was hilarious。 The friendship/bromance between those two was hilarious and provided the comic reliefThe witch-king 。。。 Is probably the most brutal A-Hole I have seen in a while， but some of his points are solid。 He liked killing。 A lot。 His high priestess practices a rather grotesque form of necromancy that had me equal parts CRINGING and wanting to see more。 I hated one storyline though where a 20 something year old "nun" more or less lied to， then seduced her 15 year old "cousin"， and then either pretended or believed that fooling around with another female maintained their religious purity。 Well joke is on them， I would almost guarantee that's why their ritual didn't entirely succeed。A few other things:I think I needed more from the magic。 There wasn't much described except the necromancy。 How did the rest work？ I also think too many modern and real elements slipped into an otherwise made-up and highly creative world （like Cthulhu。 I love him but he didn't quite fit）。 There was everything else from alternate realms to outer space mentioned and I think it created too much white noise in an otherwise straightforward fantasy world。 I wanted more from Kagen's dreams and the Dragon in the ice。Hopefully in the next book。 Overall: there is a lot to process in this one but overall， I liked it。 There is a lot of absolutely excellent Dark Fantasy out there and I think that this is a good one for people who might be looking to sample the genre。 While it doesn't deep dive into the world-building and fantasy elements so much， the author maintains a fairly consistent mood and keeps the book moving。 I will plan on reading the second installment when it is released！ 。。。more
Leigh Wilkinson
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I got an advance copy of this book from NetGalley， and I am so glad I did！ Maberry has done a fantastic job writing in the epic dark fantasy genre。 We got little snippets of what he can do with short stories and certainly he's done a great job with dark fantasy and suspense in his Pine Deep series。 I have to admit I have not read everything Maberry has written， as he's a prolific author who dabbles in many shades of speculative fiction and I only have so many hours in the day， but I must admit K I got an advance copy of this book from NetGalley， and I am so glad I did！ Maberry has done a fantastic job writing in the epic dark fantasy genre。 We got little snippets of what he can do with short stories and certainly he's done a great job with dark fantasy and suspense in his Pine Deep series。 I have to admit I have not read everything Maberry has written， as he's a prolific author who dabbles in many shades of speculative fiction and I only have so many hours in the day， but I must admit Kagen the Damned may very well be my favorite thing of his that I've read so far。We've got a fabled warrior hell-bent on vengeance （that would be our friend Kagen）。 We've got minglings with the Fae， and vampires， and an autocratic tyrant who wages bloody war against the previous regime。 Overarchingly， as a backdrop to the whole narrative， we've got Cthulhu/ elder gods mythos driving the motives of several main characters and really putting the "dark" in "dark fantasy。"Maberry exercises his usual deftness for moving the plot along with short chapters and shifting points of view， which also serves to heighten the suspense and keep the reader engaged。I don't want to say too much more for fear of giving out spoilers but I thoroughly enjoyed Kagen the Damned and can't wait to see where he goes with the next book in the series。 。。。more
Glen
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I won this book in a goodreads drawing。When the captain of the palace guard is drugged， and lets the royal family get massacred，and his city taken over， he goes on the run， killing his enemies at every opportunity， when he hears the royal twins may be alive。 Considering the author， I felt this was pretty ordinary。 I was expecting something。。。well， better。
Phil
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***I received a free ARC from the Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review。 I can candidly state that the fact I received a free copy in no way affects my review of this novel。*** There is a famous adage that goes something like "Aim for the moon; if you miss， you'll be among the stars。" I'll say that about this book since I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy。 But what I mean is that this book was a missed opportunity。 Don't get me wrong， I enjoyed this book and do not regret reading i ***I received a free ARC from the Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review。 I can candidly state that the fact I received a free copy in no way affects my review of this novel。*** There is a famous adage that goes something like "Aim for the moon; if you miss， you'll be among the stars。" I'll say that about this book since I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy。 But what I mean is that this book was a missed opportunity。 Don't get me wrong， I enjoyed this book and do not regret reading it in the least; but I also feel like it could have been great， had Maberry made some different decisions。 This book's Goodreads page provides all the summary you need to know about the general plot so my review will critique the book as a whole rather than discuss the story。My main critique about the book is that it felt cluttered。 By that I mean， not knowing where it wanted to fit， Maberry threw virtually every fantasy trope into the book。 I really can't list them all because it would take up my entire word count。 Similarly， info dumps。 I'm not a huge detractor of info dumps honestly。 Sometimes I'd rather them than adding pages on pages to set up what could have simply been told by one character。 But here， it occurred far to frequently in a novel that already sprawled 500+ pages。 Despite some of these common issues with fantasy novels， I did enjoy Maberry's take on the philosophical question of "truth"。 It is， without question， the central theme in this novel - that is not me being perceptive we literally have characters engaging， on many occasions， in philosophical discussions on the topic。 But it makes up the background for the novel and ultimately， one questions why we are "rooting" for or against any particular person， place， or being。I want to sojourn slightly away from my review to address another review I saw that actually had a pretty significant impact on me before I read this novel。 As indicated above， I received a free copy and did not know much about this novel or its author。 I was curious what I was getting myself into。 One review that nearly scared me away indicated that the reviewer DNF after 20% because the book's first 20 chapters covered only one night。 The reviewer cited Brandon Sanderson as an author who knows how to drive a plot forward。 I don't mean to attack this reviewer， but standing on its own this review is quite misleading - and I'm speaking from experience as I was hesitant after reading the review。 But let's start with the chapters。 Chapter 1 is ten words long。 Not pages。 Not sentences。 Words。 The entire first night encompasses approximately 80 pages。 Those pages cover and establish the entire rest of the novel。 It is not unreasonable at all。 Moreover， to cite Sanderson - an amazing author but not one lacking in verbosity - as someone to look to？ The same Sanderson who， in the Wheel of Time wrote about ONE BATTLE that lasted more pages than the entire first Harry Potter novel？ That's not really something that jives with me。 If you happen upon my review please keep these in mind as I do not see these concerns as hinderances。 There are many other valid reasons one might not enjoy this book， but I struggle to find those persuasive。 （I did agree with this reviewer's thoughts on the info dumps - although since this reviewer did not make it past the first 80 pages， they did not get to see the other aspects， such as flashbacks， which they chided Maberry for not including。）Back on track now。。。This novel is a mix between the grim dark of Martin/Lawrence and the clever/funny dialogue of Abercrombie （no offense to Maberry but I do not quite think he did either as well as those authors）。 It is not for the faint of heart as hardly five pages can go by without some bloodshed。 There is also a lot of mention of abhorrent actions against women， men， and children。 Most of this occurs 'off-page' and we are shown the end result。 But it is also talked about。 To be fair on this point， however， there is a 'purpose' behind these actions。 By that I mean it is included in the book for a reason - not that I am， in any way， defending the actions of those that were perpetuate such horrendous crimes。 I question whether we need to be reminded of it quite so often through the book， but that is my personal view。 But much of these terrible to read moments are part of an overarching theme in the book。 I can't say more without giving some things away but also do not want to leave anyone thinking that this book is about those terrible things。 It is not。 But they are also present。The world building in this novel is a tease。 Maberry has provided a lot of elements that hint at how great it might be， but at least through the first book， he has barely scratched the surface。 Similarly， the magics system is something that we are ultimately left at sea on because while magic exists， it is never discussed or shown how to operate。 I feel that these are things that will get fleshed out more in subsequent novels， but I note it as a detriment to the overall experience of the first book。 Similarly， there are at least a couple plot lines left ambiguously open。 I don't agree with having a first-person view point of a character early on in a book and then never going back to that person the remaining 400 odd pages。。。even if it is a set up to a subsequent book or background for another character。There are not many surprises in this novel。 The "big" reveal at the end is one that I think many readers would have figured out well before。 I'm one of those people who tends not to pick up on all the many clues - or who sees them and derives the wrong conclusion。 This one was a bit too obvious in my opinion。 Many will pick it up well before it is essentially told to you by another character （unless you've forgotten the preceding 300 odd pages the character essentially tells us）。 Part of me liked figuring it out because some of the earlier dialogue choices and actions made some sense to me。 Another part would have enjoyed the surprise later。 Be that as it may， I would have preferred the one big reveal not to have been spoon fed to anyone who could simply remember previous dialogue and scenes from the characters。Final Verdict: 3。7 out of 5If you can get over the violence （and war crimes） in this book， you are left with a tale that is intriguing but not quite entirely satisfying。 That is because the story is only partly told。 And we are missing so much。 There are hints of multi-dimensions， aliens coming to the planet， possibly remnants from an earth like our own， magics across different continents， magical beings （warewolves， vampires， faeries）， old gods， new golds， demi-gods， immortals， quasi-immortals。。。okay you get the picture。 But among all those things none was truly explained or explored fully。 If you are looking for a "complete" fantasy novel， this is not it。 If you are looking for a fun or interesting fantasy novel and/or a series with potential， this might be a read for you。 I do truly see great potential here。 And one character in particular has shot far up to among one of my all time favorites in fantasy。 At the end of day， despite its flaws and shortcomings， I found enough here to bring me back for the next installment。 It isn't just a cliffhanger ending （the ending tied up things well enough for one who only wants to dip a toe） but the rest of what was not explained in the first book， and getting to spend some more time with a few interesting characters。 。。。more
Caroline Palmer
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Fantastic world building and drama。 At times the story is a bit slow， but when the action heats up， it boils。 I can’t wait for the next book。
Mable
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