What do you think?
Rate this book
Makerborn
Not yet published
Expected 15 Jun 26The God War is over. An empire built on suffering, slavery, and betrayal remains.
In the fractured lands of the Salvian Empire, the Great Houses rule through blood and fear. For years, Alandra Phoenyka has hunted powerful Sonomancers in the empire’s name, paid in empty promises that her stolen daughter would be returned.
Each step forward demands another compromise. Another betrayal. Another piece of herself lost.
When those promises turn to treachery, she is forced to take matters into her own hands and risk everything to reclaim her child.
In the empire’s mining camps, Bez Windstrider has endured years of torture and brutal experimentation. Broken but unyielding, he clings to one purpose: vengeance. The men who murdered his parents will pay, and their deaths will complete the ritual needed to free his parents’ souls from damnation.
But the deeper his grief cuts, the more he becomes something far more dangerous, for himself, and for the empire.
As their paths draw closer, the buried truths of the God War begin to surface. What begins as two personal vendettas threatens to unravel something far greater than either of them can control.
Because empires do not fall quietly.
And the gods that shaped them are not as dead as they seem.
Makerborn is the first book in the Maladies of Empire series, a brutal epic dark fantasy of vengeance, sacrifice, and the cost of love.
For readers of dark, character-driven epic fantasy in the vein of Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, R.F. Kuang, Evan Winter, and Steven Erikson.
In the fractured lands of the Salvian Empire, the Great Houses rule through blood and fear. For years, Alandra Phoenyka has hunted powerful Sonomancers in the empire’s name, paid in empty promises that her stolen daughter would be returned.
Each step forward demands another compromise. Another betrayal. Another piece of herself lost.
When those promises turn to treachery, she is forced to take matters into her own hands and risk everything to reclaim her child.
In the empire’s mining camps, Bez Windstrider has endured years of torture and brutal experimentation. Broken but unyielding, he clings to one purpose: vengeance. The men who murdered his parents will pay, and their deaths will complete the ritual needed to free his parents’ souls from damnation.
But the deeper his grief cuts, the more he becomes something far more dangerous, for himself, and for the empire.
As their paths draw closer, the buried truths of the God War begin to surface. What begins as two personal vendettas threatens to unravel something far greater than either of them can control.
Because empires do not fall quietly.
And the gods that shaped them are not as dead as they seem.
Makerborn is the first book in the Maladies of Empire series, a brutal epic dark fantasy of vengeance, sacrifice, and the cost of love.
For readers of dark, character-driven epic fantasy in the vein of Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, R.F. Kuang, Evan Winter, and Steven Erikson.
861 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 15, 2026
5 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Makerborn by Daymon Ashcord is a brutal, grimdark fantasy that leans hard into violence, moral ambiguity, and the cost of survival—and that’s both its biggest strength and its biggest challenge. Set in the fractured Salvian Empire after a devastating God War, the story follows multiple characters, including a mother hunting for her stolen daughter and others caught in a system built on suffering and power. The world-building stands out: magic (Sonomancy) is tied to pain and madness, and the empire itself feels harsh, layered, and politically unstable, with a constant sense that something worse is coming.
Where the book struggles a bit is in pacing and intensity. The story is heavy and unrelenting —there’s a lot of violence, trauma, and bleakness, and it doesn’t really let up. It can feel both overwhelming and slow, especially given the length and multiple storylines. The characters are compelling in a grim, morally gray way, but they’re not always easy to connect with emotionally, and the story focuses far more on survival and revenge than romance.
Overall, I’d give it 3 stars. It’s a dark, ambitious fantasy with strong world-building and high stakes, but the relentless tone and uneven pacing may not work for everyone. If you like gritty, uncompromising fantasy in the vein of grimdark epics, it’s worth checking out—but it’s definitely not a light read.
Where the book struggles a bit is in pacing and intensity. The story is heavy and unrelenting —there’s a lot of violence, trauma, and bleakness, and it doesn’t really let up. It can feel both overwhelming and slow, especially given the length and multiple storylines. The characters are compelling in a grim, morally gray way, but they’re not always easy to connect with emotionally, and the story focuses far more on survival and revenge than romance.
Overall, I’d give it 3 stars. It’s a dark, ambitious fantasy with strong world-building and high stakes, but the relentless tone and uneven pacing may not work for everyone. If you like gritty, uncompromising fantasy in the vein of grimdark epics, it’s worth checking out—but it’s definitely not a light read.
Review of advance copy
While I personally wasn’t able to connect to this story I am choosing to rate and review based on things I think other readers would like. The novel checks all the high/epic fantasy boxes. Magic, bloody battles, multiple characters, world building. If you are a fan of David Estes or Phillip C Quaintrell I think this one is worth a try. I can’t put my finger on why I didn’t connect to this story I just didn’t.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews