What do you think?
Rate this book
The Sorcerer's Corpse
In the gruesome and blood-splattered version of the future ruled by a handful of surviving True Humans, an artificially created person is sent on a quest to kill a demigod. Her only desire is to please her creator, but things get complicated really quickly when she finally confronts her quarry...
At the same time, a nobleman is tormented by his horribly domineering wife, a psychotic lord and a cruel, immature king. Things begin to change when he finds a morbid artifact belonging to another world altogether.
And deep below the earth, a Saint mourns her lover, who was forced to serve a colossal biological machine...
They will all play a role in a morbid conspiracy unfolding in this ruined world.
At the same time, a nobleman is tormented by his horribly domineering wife, a psychotic lord and a cruel, immature king. Things begin to change when he finds a morbid artifact belonging to another world altogether.
And deep below the earth, a Saint mourns her lover, who was forced to serve a colossal biological machine...
They will all play a role in a morbid conspiracy unfolding in this ruined world.
492 pages, Paperback
Published March 28, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 27, 2026
It's more of a 3.5, but this website won't let me do half stars, so I bumped it up to four to even out the average rating a bit.
I have a lot of half formed thoughts about this book, but I can't figure out how to word them in a review, so I'll just say that the book is too small for its contents. It has a lot of concepts but some of them it discards and others it doesn't give room to breathe. I think Loren and Maal are well balanced to be 2/3 of the POV characters, but there's so much going on on Kores end.
Some spoilers to follow.
The jester system is very interesting, I'm a big fan of sacrifice used as the price to make magic happen. However, almost everyone with that power has a workaround so that the price doesn't last or isn't significant for them. We spend a sizable chunk of the book seeing our lead losing limbs in order to advance her quest, but then she regenerates them later. Once that happens the only price we see her pay for her jester afterwards is her hair, and even then it doesn't seem like all of it. Then she loses her ability to make those wishes with sacrifice, and then we don't see any more wishes occur for the rest of the book. This is somewhere around the halfway point. I understand that much of the remainder of the larger plot is about this wish granting ability, but given how often we see it used for smaller things in the first half, it feels really noticeable to not see anyone using it in the back half.
I can't form my other thoughts in to anything constructive but I do want it to be clear I did like this book, I read it in two days. I just wish it had more space to breathe and explore some of the concepts it wants to explore.
I have a lot of half formed thoughts about this book, but I can't figure out how to word them in a review, so I'll just say that the book is too small for its contents. It has a lot of concepts but some of them it discards and others it doesn't give room to breathe. I think Loren and Maal are well balanced to be 2/3 of the POV characters, but there's so much going on on Kores end.
Some spoilers to follow.
The jester system is very interesting, I'm a big fan of sacrifice used as the price to make magic happen. However, almost everyone with that power has a workaround so that the price doesn't last or isn't significant for them. We spend a sizable chunk of the book seeing our lead losing limbs in order to advance her quest, but then she regenerates them later. Once that happens the only price we see her pay for her jester afterwards is her hair, and even then it doesn't seem like all of it. Then she loses her ability to make those wishes with sacrifice, and then we don't see any more wishes occur for the rest of the book. This is somewhere around the halfway point. I understand that much of the remainder of the larger plot is about this wish granting ability, but given how often we see it used for smaller things in the first half, it feels really noticeable to not see anyone using it in the back half.
I can't form my other thoughts in to anything constructive but I do want it to be clear I did like this book, I read it in two days. I just wish it had more space to breathe and explore some of the concepts it wants to explore.
April 10, 2026
i feel like i need to gather my thoughts before i come back with an actual review. what i can say is it truly is amazing what some people can come up with. also, i keep randomly picturing the jester starfishing as it appeared. anyway
June 1, 2026
“All that was ever accomplished by humanity became meaningless in just one brief moment of history.” This is quite the visceral dystopia. It is as gross as it is unique and as mind bending as it is funny.
There is nothing more invigorating than when I believe I am just being entertained by a perfectly satisfactory book—until I put all of the pieces together and realize that my scope of understanding had only been at the surface level at best. I first had this rush of realization around page 200, but the author provided enough context and clues that I could have figured more out sooner—if I hadn’t been so busy daydreaming my way through the engrossing, surreal environments and imaginative “magic” system (or is it nightmaring my way through the “magic”? I suppose that would depend on the True Human.). The story continues this pattern throughout: burying the larger picture in so many fun, intricate layers until it all converges too obviously to miss.
I always try to read everything as blindly as possible, so if there were a summary, I wouldn’t have read it. But, since this book doesn’t seem to have a one on this site, I’ll provide a little (Feel free to skip the remainder of this section and the next, if you share my sentiment. But, I promise I am being vague and leaving out all the best parts.). The seven remaining humans are essentially gods in this puppet-laden, nearly colorless world. Kore, a puppet, is selected to fulfill a quest by the True Human who created their world from the ashes of ours. Simultaneously mysterious writing on the sun also provides more inspiration for this quest. Or is perhaps initiating a new one? Armed with a special sentient, snarky Foetal blade and corpse armor, the seemingly simple quest quickly goes sideways. Kore is forced to venture beyond the world of The Golden Princess to the domains of other True Humans, and suddenly everything isn’t quite as black and white. Or colorless. “‘This makes no sense,’ Kore says. ‘You said I couldn’t summon a Jester in the first place. I am a puppet, am I not?’”
This is split into three distinct narratives that ultimately inform each other and culminate. Each protagonist is a distinctly different type of repressed, empathetic, bumbling antihero, and even though I had favorite storylines initially, by the second half of the book, I was so engrossed in each that I never wanted to switch. “He sees himself in the creature, a tormented victim subservient to someone more powerful.” I also love the way the narrative splits—It is a great source of depth for all storylines.
I always fall into the trap of turning everything into a social commentary these days. But I don’t think I’m entirely wrong in this case. “Is there nothing more to life apart from human desire to trample others to emerge on top?” Even though this prospective future is horrifying, there are so many levels of humor in the specific decisions of the humans smart enough to hoard power as well as how these choices warp them. Even if you spin out like me and keep applying these hypotheticals well beyond the scope of the novel.
Warning: If you are a reader who evaluates lists of trigger warnings before deciding to read something—this book is probably not a good fit for you (unless you are just worried about a specific trigger—in which case you would probably be fine.).
There is nothing more invigorating than when I believe I am just being entertained by a perfectly satisfactory book—until I put all of the pieces together and realize that my scope of understanding had only been at the surface level at best. I first had this rush of realization around page 200, but the author provided enough context and clues that I could have figured more out sooner—if I hadn’t been so busy daydreaming my way through the engrossing, surreal environments and imaginative “magic” system (or is it nightmaring my way through the “magic”? I suppose that would depend on the True Human.). The story continues this pattern throughout: burying the larger picture in so many fun, intricate layers until it all converges too obviously to miss.
I always try to read everything as blindly as possible, so if there were a summary, I wouldn’t have read it. But, since this book doesn’t seem to have a one on this site, I’ll provide a little (Feel free to skip the remainder of this section and the next, if you share my sentiment. But, I promise I am being vague and leaving out all the best parts.). The seven remaining humans are essentially gods in this puppet-laden, nearly colorless world. Kore, a puppet, is selected to fulfill a quest by the True Human who created their world from the ashes of ours. Simultaneously mysterious writing on the sun also provides more inspiration for this quest. Or is perhaps initiating a new one? Armed with a special sentient, snarky Foetal blade and corpse armor, the seemingly simple quest quickly goes sideways. Kore is forced to venture beyond the world of The Golden Princess to the domains of other True Humans, and suddenly everything isn’t quite as black and white. Or colorless. “‘This makes no sense,’ Kore says. ‘You said I couldn’t summon a Jester in the first place. I am a puppet, am I not?’”
This is split into three distinct narratives that ultimately inform each other and culminate. Each protagonist is a distinctly different type of repressed, empathetic, bumbling antihero, and even though I had favorite storylines initially, by the second half of the book, I was so engrossed in each that I never wanted to switch. “He sees himself in the creature, a tormented victim subservient to someone more powerful.” I also love the way the narrative splits—It is a great source of depth for all storylines.
I always fall into the trap of turning everything into a social commentary these days. But I don’t think I’m entirely wrong in this case. “Is there nothing more to life apart from human desire to trample others to emerge on top?” Even though this prospective future is horrifying, there are so many levels of humor in the specific decisions of the humans smart enough to hoard power as well as how these choices warp them. Even if you spin out like me and keep applying these hypotheticals well beyond the scope of the novel.
Warning: If you are a reader who evaluates lists of trigger warnings before deciding to read something—this book is probably not a good fit for you (unless you are just worried about a specific trigger—in which case you would probably be fine.).
June 4, 2026
Stellar concept and incredibly unique magic system(I hesitate to even call it that, as I think the way the magic is employed purely serves to enhance the world building, so “magic system” is a bit reductive). I adore the main character of Kore, I find her mystery engaging pretty much all the way through the book, but I never quite connect with the other POV characters like I do with her. I get what the narrative is going for with having three entirely separate characters doing their own things until they collide at the very end, but that collision was very lackluster for me. There are revelations at the end that, while cool, don’t have a lot of punch, and much of it seems to be focused on setting up some kind of sequel. An enjoyable and novel read, though a bit repetitive at the end, what with people just crawling through caves the entire time. I would recommend to those with a taste for unconventional fiction in the vein of something like The Locked Tomb, but not nearly as goofy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2026
3.5 !! the ending kind of pissed me off but makes sense for the type of world its set in so Yeah
August 23, 2026
The brutal imagery of The Sorcerer's Corpse enraptured me until the end. I don't know what sort of author is capable of tying together all the ideas present here, but they are brilliant and I look forward to reading any future works by them. Horror sprinkled with comedy paints a uniquely harrowing tale of the self-destructive nature of humanity. I laughed out loud at blunt one liners, and felt chills as the characters warped reality to their selfish whims.
There is a clear vein of trans-humanism and the loneliness inherent in the alteration of self. The brutal tone reminded me of the universes of the Fromsoft video games, and also the video game Fear & Hunger. I can only guess at the author's inspirations, but the plot is reminiscent of stories such as Land of the Lustrous (宝石の国), From the New World (新世界より), and the movie Akira (アキラ). Similar to these works, The Sorcerer's Corpse features a somber world where humanity's cruel selfishness carves a hellish landscape for those who remain, and a protagonist that goes on a journey of discovery and transcendence. If you loved anything I mentioned, give this a read.
Despite my five star rating, the book loses half a star due to some clunky mistakes. Multiple times the bluntness of the characters goes too far, and they err into heavy-handed exposition with phrases such as "Remember this thing you told me?". There are also some continuity errors, and I was a little frustrated by how suddenly the ending came about. There are a few open plotlines, with clear setup for a sequel. I wouldn't quite call it a cliffhanger, but it is as close to that as you can get. The excellent tone is carried throughout, however. I never lost my immersion, hence me quibbling over just half a star.
By the way, the author has a game out on steam called Dungeons of Blood and Dream. I believe it's in the same universe, so I will definitely be checking that out. I thought I'd shout that out, since this seems to be a debut work and I'm hungering for more.
There is a clear vein of trans-humanism and the loneliness inherent in the alteration of self. The brutal tone reminded me of the universes of the Fromsoft video games, and also the video game Fear & Hunger. I can only guess at the author's inspirations, but the plot is reminiscent of stories such as Land of the Lustrous (宝石の国), From the New World (新世界より), and the movie Akira (アキラ). Similar to these works, The Sorcerer's Corpse features a somber world where humanity's cruel selfishness carves a hellish landscape for those who remain, and a protagonist that goes on a journey of discovery and transcendence. If you loved anything I mentioned, give this a read.
Despite my five star rating, the book loses half a star due to some clunky mistakes. Multiple times the bluntness of the characters goes too far, and they err into heavy-handed exposition with phrases such as "Remember this thing you told me?". There are also some continuity errors, and I was a little frustrated by how suddenly the ending came about. There are a few open plotlines, with clear setup for a sequel. I wouldn't quite call it a cliffhanger, but it is as close to that as you can get. The excellent tone is carried throughout, however. I never lost my immersion, hence me quibbling over just half a star.
By the way, the author has a game out on steam called Dungeons of Blood and Dream. I believe it's in the same universe, so I will definitely be checking that out. I thought I'd shout that out, since this seems to be a debut work and I'm hungering for more.
August 1, 2026
I wanted to love this book, but I only merely like it.
It suffers woefully from white room syndrome, which is to say most things are just... not really explained. A lot of things lack detail (for example: the puppets. We are told they are "fleshy" and noodle-limbed and have glowing eyes but that is about it- details are scant. I ended up imagining them as mannequins stuffed with mincemeat,) and what is given detail tends to just be wildly repetitive.
While I thought the magic system was very interesting and that TGP using her own flesh and blood children to fulfill the system was one of the most interesting character aspects, that was.. really just it... nothing else was as terribly eye-catching :-(.
It's a fine book and I like the dark horror aspects but it just wasn't for me.
It suffers woefully from white room syndrome, which is to say most things are just... not really explained. A lot of things lack detail (for example: the puppets. We are told they are "fleshy" and noodle-limbed and have glowing eyes but that is about it- details are scant. I ended up imagining them as mannequins stuffed with mincemeat,) and what is given detail tends to just be wildly repetitive.
While I thought the magic system was very interesting and that TGP using her own flesh and blood children to fulfill the system was one of the most interesting character aspects, that was.. really just it... nothing else was as terribly eye-catching :-(.
It's a fine book and I like the dark horror aspects but it just wasn't for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2026
This has been one of the more creative and unconventional dark fantasy (with a splash of sci-fi) books I’ve read in recent years. The worldbuilding was top-notch and reminded me of King’s Dark Tower series along with the Berserk manga.
With three fascinating POV characters the story hopped between, I never got bored with the unpredictable plot in this weird and mysterious world.
I wouldn’t have found this fascinating book without an extremely negative review about it from some hack I saw on Twitter. So thanks for the ironic recommendation, you silly goose!
Anyways, I will definitely be keeping an eye on Lori Vornoy’s various creative projects going forward!
With three fascinating POV characters the story hopped between, I never got bored with the unpredictable plot in this weird and mysterious world.
I wouldn’t have found this fascinating book without an extremely negative review about it from some hack I saw on Twitter. So thanks for the ironic recommendation, you silly goose!
Anyways, I will definitely be keeping an eye on Lori Vornoy’s various creative projects going forward!
July 11, 2026
This fucking rules. Felt like a fromsoftware game in spirit. Fascinating world and POV characters I really wanted to knock sense into. I wish it was longer as the ending felt a bit rushed, but the ride was so fun I can barely complain. Definitely checking out the author's games after this.
June 5, 2026
I was once again fooled by a cool cover.
August 12, 2026
dark souls the book
July 15, 2026
The book has awakened in me the idea of an (unofficial) genre that I'd like to call "Whimsical Gore". I didn't know I needed that, but I'll gladly take more of it. This was a dark, goofy, intriguing, ambitious, wild ride and I hope more people read it.
There were a couple things I was a little underwhelmed with. The following is spoilers for plot points and the ending:
But despite the few things above, I also loved this book. It was the perfect balance of dark and weird and funny, something I haven't personally seen a lot of. I really enjoyed Kore as a character. The world building was extremely unique, and the concept of the jesters was fascinating. As I was reading I kept being like "damn, the human mind is amazing, AI could never dream of this."
All in all, I had a very fun time reading this, and I sincerely hope she writes a sequel one day!
There were a couple things I was a little underwhelmed with. The following is spoilers for plot points and the ending:
But despite the few things above, I also loved this book. It was the perfect balance of dark and weird and funny, something I haven't personally seen a lot of. I really enjoyed Kore as a character. The world building was extremely unique, and the concept of the jesters was fascinating. As I was reading I kept being like "damn, the human mind is amazing, AI could never dream of this."
All in all, I had a very fun time reading this, and I sincerely hope she writes a sequel one day!
August 2, 2026
I do wish I could give this book 3½ stars, but goodreads won't let me.
I really enjoyed this, even as someone who is normally not much of a fantasy reader. I'm also a very slow reader, and I can have a difficult time staying focused, but this book kept my attention for all its near 500 pages, which really says something!
My favorite part was absolutely the world and its characters. Fantasy novels, especially ones that are clearly meant to be the first in a series, can get really bloated with character, and location, names, but I had absolutely no issue keeping this book's many characters apart, and I never felt lost or pandered to.
This book very much felt like it was a world and story that was in the author's head that they wanted (or needed perhaps) to get out on to the pages, and it was a delight to be along for the ride.
The critique I have is that, while I understand we DO gotta move things from A to B somehow, here and there it kinda felt like things got introduced for the sole purpose of setting things up for later, and they didn't to have any reason for existing in between that. Characters and items with the sole purpose of being a macguffin.
I really enjoyed this, even as someone who is normally not much of a fantasy reader. I'm also a very slow reader, and I can have a difficult time staying focused, but this book kept my attention for all its near 500 pages, which really says something!
My favorite part was absolutely the world and its characters. Fantasy novels, especially ones that are clearly meant to be the first in a series, can get really bloated with character, and location, names, but I had absolutely no issue keeping this book's many characters apart, and I never felt lost or pandered to.
This book very much felt like it was a world and story that was in the author's head that they wanted (or needed perhaps) to get out on to the pages, and it was a delight to be along for the ride.
The critique I have is that, while I understand we DO gotta move things from A to B somehow, here and there it kinda felt like things got introduced for the sole purpose of setting things up for later, and they didn't to have any reason for existing in between that. Characters and items with the sole purpose of being a macguffin.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews