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The Grimdwarf: Cursed
He woke from a dreamless death to the sound of screaming.
All he knows is that every day is agony and he cannot die to escape it.
His friends are a water witch he can't trust and a dog that's much more than a dog.
Described as "a Grimdark Cosy Fantasy" and "TOTALLY unexpected in a number of ways" this book is equal parts action, humor, hard drinking, and found family.
That's four parts. It's a lot of parts.
All he knows is that every day is agony and he cannot die to escape it.
His friends are a water witch he can't trust and a dog that's much more than a dog.
Described as "a Grimdark Cosy Fantasy" and "TOTALLY unexpected in a number of ways" this book is equal parts action, humor, hard drinking, and found family.
That's four parts. It's a lot of parts.
311 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 21, 2025
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 23, 2025
The Grimdwarf: Cursed by J.C.M. Berne
adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing
Medium-paced
Plot or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
4.5 Stars
I'm not sure I've ever read a Grimdark Cosy Fantasy before.
This was TOTALLY unexpected in a number of ways.
One, this was FREE from the author. Really appreciated that.
Two, the story was refreshing. I'm not usually up for a basically plot-less character driven story, but I fell in love with the humour and the characters...and each interaction with Sterj, Kayla and Blink was just a LOT of fun.
I need more from this group of characters. Their particular set of skills, along with their motivations is infectious.
The humour is amazing. Grumpy sunshine for Sterj. His limited memory. His set of skills, actually written on his very person. His unique outlook on life. His ability to get under people's nerves, but then also talk his way in/out of problems is truly baffling (in the good sense, and also in the bad sense).
I don't want to say too much, for the experience of reading about him and his vibe is just such a treat.
I truly loved this novel, and hope to be able to keep reading these till the day I die (which hopefully is in thirty years, or more).
Kayla, being an Ice-Witch has an interesting set of skills. Her motivations are unique and self-serving (at times), but also a great companion in other times.
...and Blink, is truly special (in many ways, that we don't even truly understand).
If there was another novel in this series out, right now...I'd be starting it, now. Please let future me, be happy.
adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing
Medium-paced
Plot or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
4.5 Stars
I'm not sure I've ever read a Grimdark Cosy Fantasy before.
This was TOTALLY unexpected in a number of ways.
One, this was FREE from the author. Really appreciated that.
Two, the story was refreshing. I'm not usually up for a basically plot-less character driven story, but I fell in love with the humour and the characters...and each interaction with Sterj, Kayla and Blink was just a LOT of fun.
I need more from this group of characters. Their particular set of skills, along with their motivations is infectious.
The humour is amazing. Grumpy sunshine for Sterj. His limited memory. His set of skills, actually written on his very person. His unique outlook on life. His ability to get under people's nerves, but then also talk his way in/out of problems is truly baffling (in the good sense, and also in the bad sense).
I don't want to say too much, for the experience of reading about him and his vibe is just such a treat.
I truly loved this novel, and hope to be able to keep reading these till the day I die (which hopefully is in thirty years, or more).
Kayla, being an Ice-Witch has an interesting set of skills. Her motivations are unique and self-serving (at times), but also a great companion in other times.
...and Blink, is truly special (in many ways, that we don't even truly understand).
If there was another novel in this series out, right now...I'd be starting it, now. Please let future me, be happy.
August 24, 2025
JCM, we (all) need another 2 books 📚.
The Hero journeys across all of JCM's novels are similar.
What makes.them enjoyable to read is, the effort put into making the Hero of each series uniquely different. That all the side characters are also fully fleshed out? Icing, on a very well written novel-cake!
C'mon JCM just 2 more GrimDark Novels!
Yoo Can Dooo It!
The Hero journeys across all of JCM's novels are similar.
What makes.them enjoyable to read is, the effort put into making the Hero of each series uniquely different. That all the side characters are also fully fleshed out? Icing, on a very well written novel-cake!
C'mon JCM just 2 more GrimDark Novels!
Yoo Can Dooo It!
December 18, 2025
Joe has great writing. Dialogue is awesome and characters are fun but the lack of plot and direction made this quite hard to get through.
November 16, 2025
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S THE GRIMDWARF: CURSED ABOUT?
The book opens with a dwarf waking up and really freaking out the woman who had been locked up with him; she thought he was dead—actually, she was sure he was dead (and there was plenty of evidence to back her up). But before she really understands what's going on, this dwarf is taking out their captors with great relish—and only his own two fists.
He remembers nothing from before he woke up—he doesn't even remember his dog (and this is not a dog easy to forget). He pretty much remembers how to fight and that he enjoys whisky.
He, his dog, and the woman, Kayla—who turns out to be a water witch—end up traveling together, facing a series of foes, and ultimately taking on some pretty serious foes.
COZY GRIMDARK?
An early reviewer called this collection Cozy Grimdark—and I love the idea, it’s a great juxtaposition of notions/genres. And somehow, it’s entirely appropriate. (Berne uses the phrase "Knuckles and Necromancy," which is also apt, but it doesn't fit what I want to talk about, so never mind.) Sturj is a violent, violent man—who’s pretty pleasant (under a gruff exterior) to those he wants to be, in his own special way. And the circumstances that he and Kayla find themselves in (yeah, sure, and place themselves in) are pretty violent, too.
However, the very bloody combat doesn’t feel all that violent as you read it. This isn’t Abercrombie or Michel. It’s not even the JCM Berne of The Hybrid Helix.
But oo-de-lally, the warm fuzzies this collection elicits! There’s a strong found family bond between Blink, Kayla, and Sturj. You do get a lot of the same warmth from these stories as you do from a Travis Baldree tale.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE GRIMDWARF: CURSED?
Oo-de-lally! This was just fun. I dug the various and sundry monsters—or monsterly creatures. Even the secondary or tertiary characters were fun. The bad guys were clearly in black hats—nothing like a little moral clarity to offset an inherently gray protagonist.
There’s nothing about Sturj that I didn’t like—from his fuzzy (at best) past to his “Hulk smash” present. I don’t know how he picked up the dog, but I love their bond. His determination to keep a certain other pet was a great touch. Kayla was a great balance to his character, and watching them become friends was what the stories needed to keep this from being about a grumpy dwarf version of Kwai Chang Caine wandering the countryside beating people into a pulp.*
You’ll smile, you’ll wince, you’ll feel a warm fuzzy or two. Check it out!
* Not that there’d be something wrong with that version of the stories, but this is better.
---
“He’ll be fine. See? He’s loving it.” Blink licked the top of the glass again, taking in a delicate sip of the amber liquid. “He’s savoring it. I think he’s a dwarf dog, not a human dog. We give whisky to everything. Kids, pets. Plants.”
“Maybe that’s part of the reason dwarven agriculture is pitied all over the world.”
WHAT'S THE GRIMDWARF: CURSED ABOUT?
The book opens with a dwarf waking up and really freaking out the woman who had been locked up with him; she thought he was dead—actually, she was sure he was dead (and there was plenty of evidence to back her up). But before she really understands what's going on, this dwarf is taking out their captors with great relish—and only his own two fists.
He remembers nothing from before he woke up—he doesn't even remember his dog (and this is not a dog easy to forget). He pretty much remembers how to fight and that he enjoys whisky.
He, his dog, and the woman, Kayla—who turns out to be a water witch—end up traveling together, facing a series of foes, and ultimately taking on some pretty serious foes.
COZY GRIMDARK?
The hard thing about fighting people with weapons is the instinct to retreat. After all, swords and daggers and axes are sharp and nasty and nobody enjoys getting cut. Almost nobody. But the safest place to be when a person is swinging a long piece of metal at you is not far away; that’s where they want you. You have to get in close, where the weapon’s reach is a hindrance. Where you can hit back.
An early reviewer called this collection Cozy Grimdark—and I love the idea, it’s a great juxtaposition of notions/genres. And somehow, it’s entirely appropriate. (Berne uses the phrase "Knuckles and Necromancy," which is also apt, but it doesn't fit what I want to talk about, so never mind.) Sturj is a violent, violent man—who’s pretty pleasant (under a gruff exterior) to those he wants to be, in his own special way. And the circumstances that he and Kayla find themselves in (yeah, sure, and place themselves in) are pretty violent, too.
However, the very bloody combat doesn’t feel all that violent as you read it. This isn’t Abercrombie or Michel. It’s not even the JCM Berne of The Hybrid Helix.
But oo-de-lally, the warm fuzzies this collection elicits! There’s a strong found family bond between Blink, Kayla, and Sturj. You do get a lot of the same warmth from these stories as you do from a Travis Baldree tale.
Her lips twitched at that, flashing into something not quite a smile, but maybe a smile’s younger cousin’s lonely friend from down the street, painfully shy but not really a bad sort once you got to know them.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE GRIMDWARF: CURSED?
All I wanted was to finish my drink, then maybe finish a few of its friends so it wasn’t lonely inside my belly, then choose between staring out the window and taking a nap. However, the captain had other ideas.
Oo-de-lally! This was just fun. I dug the various and sundry monsters—or monsterly creatures. Even the secondary or tertiary characters were fun. The bad guys were clearly in black hats—nothing like a little moral clarity to offset an inherently gray protagonist.
There’s nothing about Sturj that I didn’t like—from his fuzzy (at best) past to his “Hulk smash” present. I don’t know how he picked up the dog, but I love their bond. His determination to keep a certain other pet was a great touch. Kayla was a great balance to his character, and watching them become friends was what the stories needed to keep this from being about a grumpy dwarf version of Kwai Chang Caine wandering the countryside beating people into a pulp.*
You’ll smile, you’ll wince, you’ll feel a warm fuzzy or two. Check it out!
* Not that there’d be something wrong with that version of the stories, but this is better.
November 14, 2025
I think this might be my favourite read of the year.
While I love the Hybrid Helix series, the darker tone and humour in Grimdwarf is my jam, and I found myself having more chuckles. With less emotional complexity, Grimdwarf somehow feels freer in its apathy. Emotional conundrums are not a thing, and murder is often the solution.
All character, little plot. The story is more about the journey than the destination. Sturj is often focused on the present rather than having any plans beyond removing the constant pain he experiences from his curse, i.e. the rush of a fight and drinking a savage amount of whisky. Not that there is no plot, world building elements are introduced in a trickle, giving the world cohesion and the sense that there is a greater story. It's just that Sturj doesn't care—it's all background noise.
Check this out if you want a taste of the grimdark genre with the reassurance that THE DOG WILL ALWAYS BE SAFE.
I definitely want to see more of this series, but I'm not gonna fault Joe if his priority is finishing the Hybrid Helix. I'm looking forward to whatever release he has planned for the future.
While I love the Hybrid Helix series, the darker tone and humour in Grimdwarf is my jam, and I found myself having more chuckles. With less emotional complexity, Grimdwarf somehow feels freer in its apathy. Emotional conundrums are not a thing, and murder is often the solution.
All character, little plot. The story is more about the journey than the destination. Sturj is often focused on the present rather than having any plans beyond removing the constant pain he experiences from his curse, i.e. the rush of a fight and drinking a savage amount of whisky. Not that there is no plot, world building elements are introduced in a trickle, giving the world cohesion and the sense that there is a greater story. It's just that Sturj doesn't care—it's all background noise.
Check this out if you want a taste of the grimdark genre with the reassurance that THE DOG WILL ALWAYS BE SAFE.
I definitely want to see more of this series, but I'm not gonna fault Joe if his priority is finishing the Hybrid Helix. I'm looking forward to whatever release he has planned for the future.
August 8, 2025
Excellent
Fantastic book, love the Grimdwarf. The action is great, the mystery hooks into you, the character depth is spot on. I particularly like that the story is told almost exclusively from the point of view of the main character and also that the secondary characters are fleshed out with real personalities.
Yes, please write book 2!
Fantastic book, love the Grimdwarf. The action is great, the mystery hooks into you, the character depth is spot on. I particularly like that the story is told almost exclusively from the point of view of the main character and also that the secondary characters are fleshed out with real personalities.
Yes, please write book 2!
August 6, 2025
Interesting
Good enough that I'd like to read book two - so please write it.
Very good finish.
Good enough that I'd like to read book two - so please write it.
Very good finish.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews