Song of Monsters

by Noah Naiman

Kane once died in a noose. Now he has a god in his head, and a city to save.

Hundreds of miles from the gallows, Kane has built a new life baking sweets in the hillside city of Torry. But when a brawl with a drunken constable uncovers a conspiracy of poisoned tea and black powder, Kane is caught between a plot threatening his newfound home, and the god in his head intent on saving the world—even if it costs Torry itself.

Outmatched, Kane stakes Torry’s survival

A thief with a stolen firearm and a vendetta against its maker.

A suicidal, immortal musician who can’t abandon a good story.

A monstrous wizard hellbent on doing right.

A diminutive chemist chasing a kidnapping no one believes happened.

But Kane knows the line between hero and monster is a noose, and it's tightening again.

434 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 27, 2026

About the author

Noah was born with half his vocal cords paralyzed, and found his voice through fantasy stories; he has followed broken heroes through strange worlds on ill-advised adventures ever since. His debut novel, Song of Monsters, began as a single page about two characters having breakfast and grew into a story of gods, monsters, found family, and the thin line between hero and monster. Noah lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and their two dogs, Grover and Solo.

Reviews

[André · Rating 3 out of 5]

Song of Monsters had me with the blurb: Five very different characters that sounded intriguing and very possibly like good ingredients for an interesting story.

So, there are five different points of view and storylines that we follow and that slowly weave together. The threads slowly build up to a cohesive story, and the five characters slowly become a rather dysfunctional group with strong found family-vibes. The characters’ storylines were interesting to follow, and each character is easily recognizable by their speaking patterns and therefore their very own voice, which is something I really like. But it took almost half of the book to bring these different threads and different people together. Some parts of their stories felt a little dragged out and even unnecessary to me. And still I felt like I did not always understand the characters’ stories and motives. Once they formed their group, I even felt that some of their members acted quite uncharacteristically from time to time. Even if this is the first book in a series, I want to understand the main characters and their drives at least to a certain degree. Nevertheless, the group-dynamics were fun to follow along and there is some really great banter.

Despite my nags, Song of Monsters was an engaging read that throws quite a lot of topics into the mix: religion, politics, crime, mystery, magic, technical inventions,…and manages to stir these things into a cohesive story. The tone meanders between fun fantasy and dark fantasy with a touch of epic and some gaslight elements. It’s definitely a solid debut for author Noah Naiman. There is definitely room for improvement in the following installments, but I also see quite a lot of potential in this set-up.

[Wyatt Berens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun to read. In particular, I think the characters are extremely well-developed, and the prose is as sharp as it is witty. We're gradually introduced to five characters and explore different parts of the interesting and well-thought-out world they inhabit.

Each character feels fully realized, as we get to see more and more pieces of their lives as the story progresses. Some of them have a rich collection of side characters to flesh out their sliver of the world--and in a couple cases, they have an eqaully interesting lack of relationships.

I like fantasy but can't say I read very much in the genre. I usually find it difficult to get invested in fantastical worlds. However, this book grabbed my attention five times over and got me wanting to learn even more about this crazy collection of characters and the unique world they live in. Needless to say, I'm very eager to read this novel's sequel.

[Aikane Belez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to tell this is a debut novel! Story moved along at a nice pace with great Easter eggs for future books. Really like the character development, adding morally gray to everyone or at least not clear cut morals, and giving you characters to root for and want to succeed. Just enough “dark” to invest in characters' backstories and explain their actions @noahnaimanbooks.
Only criticism…besides having to wait for the next one, was some of the speaking styles were hard to read, and it slowed the flow of the story, having to reread passages and figure out meanings through context clues.
That ending though! UGH…but not like Ash’s family, that’s a whole different UGH….more like a UGH, where is the second book cause we need answers and shits about to get REAL. A good mix of Mistborn (Action/World/Character-building), DCC (Humor, Action, Wordbuilding), and DnD the movie humor. 4.75 Slow Blinks from us.

[Viking Jam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: Wow, what a fun ride. Constant movement, interesting magic infused with the modern mechanical/chemical, great characters and on and on.

I always like the writing approach of different groups story lines, slowly converging to form a synergistic albeit dysfunctional whole. While one group is questing their way towards destiny, another is deeply entrenched at the center of malfeasance.

Ikor and Penny were my favorites. Penny's sarcasm went a long way with me. It is rare that I laugh out loud when reading. This a great story that is made exceptional by the one that wrote it. The only innaccuracy I found was in the Publishers description. Merrill is not suicidal. He is broadcast from the beginning as an immortal coward. Big difference, but there you go....publishers.

4.8/5

I received this ARC for an honest review from a great company, Book Sirens.

[Suzanne Irving · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be following this series with bated breath! This book was marvelous and was a great example of bringing an odd group of characters together and having them save their world, or at least the town to begin with. I like how Noah Naiman slowly introduces the characters and how interesting and unique they all are. It’s not just the main characters that are interesting because the side characters both good and bad add so much to the story. The quest makes for a great story and the twists in the story are well plotted out.

I really wish that I could give this book more stars because it really deserves them. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy.

[Yael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this debut novel by Noah Naiman. We follow 5 different characters, through their story we are introduced to a world on a brink of changes, with our 5 POV MC in the center of it. Great storytelling, vivid world, amazing character build, and perfect pace make for a story you can't put down. I can't wait to read the next installment.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[The Delulu Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little bit wary since the last ARCs I've read recently were good ideas but poor executions, gladly I did not give up and found this hidden gem.
I like the prose, and the development of the characers, I'm looking forward to reading more of this author.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[NK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bound by desperation and pasts they would rather leave behind, a group of misfits sets forth on a quest to save their world.

*SPOILERS*

If there’s one thing that gives someone a renewed appreciation for life, it’s being executed. That, and then being brought back to life by a secret god who moves into one’s head and occasionally usurps one’s body. Kane (pronounced Kah-nay) takes these incidents in his stride as he builds a new life for himself in the Puddles, the lowest district – economically and topographically – of the city of Torry. The novel follows the perspectives of multiple characters, each various degrees of human and with their own previous lives. As their paths cross, they uncover a sinister plan against the citizens of Torry, and the group must do all that they can to stop it before everyone’s fate is sealed.

Throughout the book, a fresh world of gods, monsters, and magic is woven with organic and humorous storytelling; each chapter opens with an epigraph that builds the lore further, and the curious plots from the cast of characters beg to be followed from start to finish.

The novel’s carefully crafted world provides calamitous adventures and great promise for a new fantasy series.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a lot of great stuff to say about this book, but I want to talk about the characters.

They are the heart and soul of this book—the bread and butter, the cream of the crop. There's multiple character perspectives in this story, and they all bring something unique to the table. Different backstories, different worldviews, and different methods, all of which are smashed together by the plot.

The result? A fresh, engaging set of character dynamics and relationships. It's heartwarming to see connections form between these characters, who might have otherwise seemed incompatible. On the flip side, there is some serious beef, and it made me turn pages just as much as the plot. These individual relationships are treated seriously and authentically—and in turn, each of these are a puzzle piece that connect together to create a wonderful found family dynamic. This ground-up approach—instead of top down—to portraying a found family dynamic is precisely what makes it so interesting.

Characters are nothing without great dialogue, and Naiman delivers it in droves. Crisp and witty, scorching and blunt, eloquent and sophisticated—it's all there, bursting through the page, every character voice clear and distinct in my head. And get this: at many points, there are multiple main characters in a scene, and you can tell who is speaking without dialogue tags. If that's not a hallmark of great character and dialogue writing, then I don't know what is.

Blend all this with the intricate worldbuilding, exciting plot, and mysterious mythology, and you've got an awesome first book. I eagerly await the next one in the series!

Go ahead - read this book and become a Merrill fan like me. Or was it Penny? I don't know -- I love them all.

[Theresa Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song of Monsters felt like a combination between a choose your own adventure and a dungeons and dragons campaign because of the many different points of view throughout the story. It was a fast-paced ride with many moving parts, action, and fun characters. The main cast is diverse, the banter between them made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. The speech patterns of some of the characters does take some getting used to, but even those choices are touched on as part of the story.

All-in-all, this was an enthralling fantasy adventure, action packed, and a great introduction to the world within. I am looking forward to the next installment that comes out in 2027!

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.