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Servant of Rage

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Kill an heir, claim their magic.

Subei and his brothers have been raised on stories of the Great Khan, their ancestor who conquered the world with might, mind, and fearsome magic. But the Great Khan is long dead and his power vanished.

The brothers live by his laws still, even as infighting consumes their once-proud people. When a sacred artifact is destroyed in an attempt on their lives, Subei, Bataar, and Kashi find themselves imbued with slivers of the Great Khan’s magic—and they’re not alone.

Under the tutelage of a famed commander, and the guidance of a stoic monk, the brothers are ordered to hunt the other ‘heirs’ and claim their magic for the khanate. With each kill, they grow stronger. But the magic that empowers them is no mere tool. Something ancient, alive, and angry dwells within it.

Kill an heir, claim their magic. But at what cost?

About the Series: Servant of Rage is an action-adventure fantasy with cultivation- and progression-like elements (abilities, technique development, and power gain). Expect epic combat, dangerous magic, and to test the limits of duty to one’s people, brothers, and honor.

461 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 11, 2025

19 people are currently reading
4045 people want to read

About the author

Alex Knight

12 books95 followers
Alex Knight is filling good books with bad jokes one sentence at a time.

As an author his work includes The Far Wild🦖, Servant of Rage🔥, the Nova Online Trilogy👾, and more.

As an aspiring twin he’s not making much progress, but remains determined.

Alex grew up a sunbaked Floridian. In the veritable far wild that was Florida, he spent his days in the prairies, swamps, and springs of the state’s interior.

Since those simple, sweaty days Alex has lived in many places around the world, including many of the on’s—London, Boston, and (currently) Houston.

In the past Alex has worked as everything from a dishwasher to a communications coordinator. After deciding he didn’t like stability or predictable paychecks he made the jump to become a freelance writer. That soon turned into ghostwriting romance novellas, then ghostwriting science fiction novels. After some time, he was able to excise the ghost from ghostwriting and write his own books.

When Alex isn’t writing, he’s likely lost in a wetland, falling down in his novice hockey league, or playing competitive pinball. Oh, and gaming. Lots of gaming.

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5 stars
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9 (29%)
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Booksblabbering || Cait❣️.
2,065 reviews832 followers
January 29, 2025
This is a cool-looking action story with big fight scenes and dangerous magic with three brothers vying for honour and fighting for duty at the heart of it.

The sons of Kemu Khan gain magic from an exploding obelisk giving them the opportunity to take back their legacy. However, the magic of Baji has been set free into the world and they aren’t the only ones who were given gifts. They are tasked to track down the others and consolidate their power.

This is a difficult book to review, rate, and review. The pages flew by, the writing was addicting, and this had insanely good battle scenes and action sequences. We also had two mentor figures which I am always a sucker for.

The three brothers are very different.
We have the quieter clever youngest, a smart mouth middle brother, a diligent warrior of an eldest brother.
Their personalities shape how their motivations and ambitions move the plot as the magic becomes more and more enticing and dangerous. It leads to madness and it seems to be a blade that cuts both way.

“It’s easier to trust the things we believe. When swept away in the ocean of uncertainty, they are the anchors to which we cling.” She fixed him with a sharp gaze. “But cling too tightly, and those anchors become weights, dragging us under.”

I can see what the author was trying to do with how he presented rage, control, and steadfastness. How efforts of warfare was conducted. However, the tone of the book shifts and becomes darker and I had to remind myself that I don’t have to be a fan of all the main characters.

I did like how immersed we were in this culture. I have read other books inspired by Ghengis Khan and this is definitely one I would recommend to people interested in this setting. From tactics, attitudes, values, this was vibrant. Especially the description using all five senses - I could smell certain scenes.

The ending did shock me and I would want to continue on to see what happens.

Physical arc gifted by the author.

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Profile Image for Erin Winick.
11 reviews15 followers
February 17, 2025
Such an awesome fantasy adventure with some really incredible sibling relationships at the forefront. Unique magic system, interesting setting, and a well developed world. Can't wait for book 2.
Profile Image for Amy GarBeck.
112 reviews3 followers
May 1, 2025
First off, I received this as an arc but this was unlike any ARC I have ever recived. I am unable to attach pictures but it's beautiful!
First the pa page ca.e from the Author Alex Knight directly NOT from the publisher.
Second, the book was wrapped in brown paper with a twine bow and attached was a wax seal stamp that held a book mark that matched the book and that was wrapped in antiqued paper.
It also included a sticker and wooden coin.
The cover of the book was unlike any ARC I have ever recived. It did not have anything written on the binding and on the beautiful front cover it had the title and date of release as well as the beautiful artwork.
When I opened the book... it was authgraphed.
AMAZING!!! Everything about this package was BEAUTIFUL. I will be keeping the whole package envelope and all in my Special Edition cabinet. This is now one of my most prized possessions. I seriously wish I could post pictures.
Anyways onto my review:
This isn't really a book I would normally read.
I really liked the writing style. I love chapters that are titled with that person's name that the chapter is either about or from their perspective. I always look at this as a bonus.
The story itself is great. The relationships between the brothers was tense at times and that was a great touch. I loved the softer points of this book, which is where the depth and true magic is.

My rating on the book itself is 4⭐️
My rating on presentation of the book and cover infinate⭐️
Profile Image for Bethan Hindmarch.
129 reviews21 followers
March 6, 2025
I already loved this story; Servant of Rage has always held a special place in my heart from my early years of reviewing. The characters (Subei, Kashi, and Batar), their world, and their adventure stayed with me when so often I struggle to retain stories. I'd found the debut such an assured work, but reading this reworked edition, Alex's growth and experience gained from the last seven years shine through clearly. What we have this time round is an author bringing his considerable wealth of experience to breathe new depths into the characters and carve new facets into this great story.

Batar, Subei, and Kashi are brothers; they are Ghangerai hunters of the Steppe and sons of their tribe's Khan, Kemu. Once united under the Great Baji Khan and ability to wield magic, the Ghangerai people are divided and fight amongst themselves for dominance. They meet every ten years for the traditional great Kurultai gathering, but the brothers are disappointed that less and less have turned up. There is the distinct feeling their world, their people, are are spreading further apart. The brothers are to compete in the tournament, but under the watchful gaze of the statue of Great Baji Khan a fight breaks out between them and a group of bandits they had been previously chasing. During the course of the fight, Subei accidently strikes against an obelisk flanking the statue of his ancestor, causing it and its twin to shatter and explode. The brothers are all injured in the incident, and when they come to, they discover they are covered in scars imbued with magic and they now possess powers - powers the Great Baji Khan himself once wielded. But they can sense this power in others also, and so they are tasked with hunting these others who have mistakenly inherited the powers of the Ghangerai ancestors. The khanate unites under this display of returned might, their people together once more; but what will be the cost of this unity?

We soon discover that with this new magical power comes a Bloodrage, a state of being that overcomes the individual and takes control to encourage violence. My favourite aspect of this book was the exploration that ensued of the morality of what they were doing. The brothers become divided over their use of their powers, Batar against Subei, with Kashi desperately trying to keep the peace between the two (he's my favourite because he is precious). Batar advocates learning to control the rage and use it to their advantage; as the oldest, he feels most keenly the responsibility to his people, his father, their way of life. Subei, on the other hand, can see that the rage would use them for its own ends, would manipulate them, and there is no controlling it. It's a compelling observation of the power of emotion and the dangers of becoming a slave to it.

This time round, Alex has really improved his character work in this regard; there is a lot more balance to their torment and their relationships are far more credible. One of Alex's key strengths as a writer is creating that driving narrative pace required for an action-packed epic such as this - the chapters are short and snappy and the action sequences high octane. If you love your fantasy fights and battles, then prepare to veritably gorge yourself on Servant of Rage because they are in abundance! As Alex promised, the plotting is also improved. We have a stronger introduction to the brothers' world and their culture before they are whisked away onto their mission, which improves our connection to them and our understanding of their motivations and drives. This in turn better supports the plot, the events having more character drive behind them.

With every book of Alex's I read, I find him growing from strength and strength and it's been a true privilege to see his work come full circle here. Servant of Rage is an exhilarating gut-punch of a book that packs it all - earth-shattering fights, electrifying magical powers, and a meaningful investigation of the human condition. What makes us? What drives us? Are we our own motivators or are we just servants to intangible masters?
Profile Image for Emmy Carrasco.
216 reviews8 followers
August 7, 2025
4.25/5 ⭐️

A trio of brothers thrust into the war spotlight when a damaged historical artifact imbues them with the same powers of their ancestor. You’re following along the brothers’ journey to collect all the magic from “false heirs” by murdering them.

To start off, I enjoy the differences of the 3 brothers. The youngest reflecting cleverness and wisdom, the middle having the most wit and sassiness and the eldest being the most headstrong and a warrior loyal to a fault. The differing personalities and how they weave and interact with each battle, moral dilemma, and goal shapes the story into such a beautiful sparring match. The dual POV allows you to witness a character driven story alongside an expanding plot.

I can’t compliment the writing enough. The pacing was great, the pages flying by. Alex has a natural knack for writing fight scenes that I have only seen present in John Gwynne’s writing. You’re witnessing firsthand the bloodshed right before your eyes. Amazing.

““Fire burns ever toward its own ends, brother, but we use it to give us warmth. To heat metal. To raze our enemy’s towns.” He set his jaw firm, nodded once. “The difference between fire as a weapon of war and a natural disaster, is control.”’

Throughout this book, I enjoyed the morality questions it brought up. Bataar repeatedly brings up how he must be strong like their people, how conquering is their right if you’re strong enough to do so. Khong people see them as barbarians and the villains due to this take and their history. Throughout the progression of the story, especially with the quote “there are no enemies…just victims”, I kept questioning…are they any different from the bloodrage?

I hope to witness Yue Ru’s POV in the next book! She, Subei, and of course Kashi stole the show. If you enjoy heavily action packed war, immersive Mongolian inspired culture, and an interesting magic system, I would recommend trying book 1 of this trilogy.
Profile Image for Nicole Kitten.
3 reviews
April 10, 2025
This is my first book of Alex Knight’s creation and I can’t wait to pick up more.

The moral conflict Subei goes through is compelling and relatable. Bataar wants to be the protector for his brothers, but his ego gets the better of him sometimes. He harps on his ties to his ancestor too much instead of becoming his own person. Kashi is just along for the ride as the younger brother. The fight scenes are dramatic and intense. The magic almost seems to be its own character. In book two, I hope that gets explored more.

If you enjoy shows like Dragon Ball Z or Inuyasha, you will enjoy this story. I compare it to the two because of the search for great power by fighting multiple opponents to collect said power.

I wish I had better knowledge of the Mongolian army structure though, because the titles were a little confusing for me. I probably could have done some research, but it wasn’t confusing enough to not get through the book without doing so. I love the women's representation in the book. Alex informed me that women in the Mongol empire held many positions of importance. He wanted to stay true to the culture. That’s how we got some badass characters like Ghula.

Servant of Rage is a morally conflicting gritty fantasy with brothers that may rise to glory with the help of women mentors and an ancient power bestowed upon them by their ancestor the Great Khan.

Definitely give it a read!
Profile Image for Lana.
2,786 reviews59 followers
February 20, 2025
I love this adventure filled fantasy 1st book in a new series, which is filled with magnificent battle scenes turning this also into a cultivation novel. The three sons of Kemu Khan are imbued with magical powers which they suddenly inherited from their famous ancient ancestor. They are forced to train with a commander and a monk who are both good at what they teach, but who differ in their opinions, one trains the body the other the mind. Subei, Kashi and Bataar are told to vanquish those who they claim are false heirs, but who have also been imbued with the same powers. These belong to the enemy of the khanate. When the siblings venture into the bigger world following the trail of magic in search of the false heirs, they realise that with every death they take on more magical powers, however Subei also realises that the powers within are sentient, and have a life of their own, and he fears that they are being manipulated and will lose themselves to the evil, power hungry magical entity within. Bataar disagrees, and the brothers are on the verge of killing one another, whilst the rest of the tribes now united under their father, look to them to bring them together. This 1st book is riveting, and I look forward to continuing the saga especially with the very surpriseing ending we were given!!
Profile Image for Devon Barrington.
Author 3 books
March 30, 2025
Book Review for Servant of Rage

Alex Knight crafted a breathtaking story that follows the perspective of three brothers. Each chapter tells you which brother it focuses on moreso, and really puts you into their thought process much better. Magic is unleashed upon some people, including the brothers, labeling them as "heirs", and the magic is ancient with its own personality as well. With the story being war driven as well, you can expect plenty of conflict, captivating fight scenes (which may be the best written fighting I've read so far, it really made it great), and some well written progression between the main characters.

I'm giving the story a 4 out of 5, which means I really liked the story. As it stands, the ending leaves much to tell without being so obvious about what will happen. My key takeaways is that the first 10 chapters were a bit harder to take in with the introduction of so many characters so fast, and also Knight tried this sentence structuring that starts a line in a mid-thought format. ie. "Thought he could cast more magic, but couldn't."
All in all, I'd read this book, as the second book should surely be a really good follow up. Good job Alex and Portal Books!
Profile Image for G.D. Penman.
Author 31 books81 followers
February 17, 2025
I received a physical arc copy of this book from the author. This has not influenced my opinion on the book.

The Bloodrage books produce a compelling historically rooted progression fantasy story with characters that show how their ascent to power effects them on every level, and while there is a lot of action, I find that the softer moments are where I find so much of the books charm; the conversations between the brothers, the interactions with their "teachers" and even the sinister presence of the Bloodrage itself, which lingers like another character behind events, manipulating things to its own ends.

I was lucky enough to read earlier versions of this story as it was being worked on, and I genuinely wish that I could entirely forget them and experience this whole book completely fresh without any awareness of what was coming next, because it is a rollercoaster.

If you like your fantasy dark and violent, this is a must-read book.
Profile Image for Jim Scriven.
319 reviews19 followers
April 19, 2025
An immersive tale leaning heavily on the history of Kublai and Genghis Khan, but this time, with MAGIC! Set in a fantasy world, we're seeing people very much like the Mongols of our world seeking to reclaim their dominance over all they can conquer due to the reemergence of long lost magic - yet that magic is far more than what anyone believes, and the true enemy of the people is soon to be discovered.

Author Alex Knight has written a fast-based tale of adventure, honor, and betrayal, one with a fascinating mystery to be slowly revealed. It's a tale of brothers and the challenge they face, one that will change them and their world forever.

Definitely enjoyed this first installment of Bloodrage, and I'll look forward to the sequel.
15 reviews
February 7, 2025
This is an excellent fantasy adventure novel! It is an accessible beginning to an epic story.

As an adult man I was captivated with the character arcs as well as the deeper themes of masculinity, honor, duty, and self control.

The pacing for this novel is superb. The prose lead the reader from chapter to chapter, while shifts in character points of view keep the reader engaged and their perspective open to the events of the novel.

I loved this one and can’t wait for the next installment!
2 reviews
March 12, 2025
Another fantastic world build from Alex Knight! Absolutely loved this action packed starter and throughly enjoyed the relationship with the brothers. The perspective change kept things fresh and interesting. The fights were action packed without going over the top. Really looking forward to the next installment!!
Profile Image for J.R. R.  Stewart.
Author 2 books18 followers
April 26, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. It had fun characters, magic, and adventure. I liked how the chapters weren’t too long or too short, they were just right to move the story along. I can’t wait to read what comes next!
2 reviews
March 11, 2025
Excellent read! Loved following these brothers, Subei, Bataar, and Kashi on their adventures! Battles, surprises, humor, and action that just keeps building!
2,222 reviews8 followers
March 14, 2025
Very good read

I enjoyed reading this book and I recommend this book to anyone who likes LitRPG and progression type of books with lots of action.
Profile Image for Amber Kluttz.
119 reviews9 followers
March 15, 2025
Awesome book!

Loved every moment of the story, it felt truly unique and you can tell it was written with a ton of passion. I'd definitely recommend giving this one a shot.
Profile Image for Norma.
772 reviews
March 28, 2025
Total Escape

I read this book and liked it. I wasn't sure in the beginning but as I read, I was drawn in.
Profile Image for Amanda Ho.
222 reviews2 followers
March 30, 2025
I liked the build up this book has. I enjoy that the main character has so many layers as well. I liked the evolution!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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