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Kagen the Damned #1
Kagen the Damned: A Novel
**A trade paperback edition of this title is also available for preorder. This hardcover edition of Kagen the Damned is primarily intended for library use.**
Sworn by Oath
Kagen Vale is the trusted and feared captain of the place guard, charged with protection the royal children of the Silver Empire. But one night, Kagen is drugged and the entire imperial family is killed, leaving the empire in ruins.
Abandoned by the Gods
Haunted and broken, Kagen is abandoned by his gods and damned forever. He becomes a wanderer, trying to take down as many of his enemies as possible while plotting to assassinate the usurper–the deadly Witch-king of Hakkia. While all around him magic–long banished from the world—returns in strange and terrifying ways.
Fueled by Rage
To find the royal children and exact his vengeance, Kagen must venture into strange lands, battle bizarre and terrifying creatures, and gather allies for a suicide mission into the heart of the Witch-king’s empire.
Kings and gods will fear him.
Kagen the Damned
Sworn by Oath
Kagen Vale is the trusted and feared captain of the place guard, charged with protection the royal children of the Silver Empire. But one night, Kagen is drugged and the entire imperial family is killed, leaving the empire in ruins.
Abandoned by the Gods
Haunted and broken, Kagen is abandoned by his gods and damned forever. He becomes a wanderer, trying to take down as many of his enemies as possible while plotting to assassinate the usurper–the deadly Witch-king of Hakkia. While all around him magic–long banished from the world—returns in strange and terrifying ways.
Fueled by Rage
To find the royal children and exact his vengeance, Kagen must venture into strange lands, battle bizarre and terrifying creatures, and gather allies for a suicide mission into the heart of the Witch-king’s empire.
Kings and gods will fear him.
Kagen the Damned
560 pages, Hardcover
First published May 10, 2022
353 people are currently reading
11585 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Maberry
518 books7,782 followersJONATHAN MABERRY is a NYTimes bestselling author, #1 Audible bestseller, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, 4-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, comic book writer, and producer. He is the author of more than 50 novels, 190 short stories, 16 short story collections, 30 graphic novels, 14 nonfiction books, and has edited 26 anthologies. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-WARS, was a Netflix original series starring Ian Somerhalder. His 2009-10 run as writer on the Black Panther comic formed a large chunk of the recent blockbuster film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. His bestselling YA zombie series, Rot & Ruin is in development for film at Alcon Entertainment; and John Wick director, Chad Stahelski, is developing Jonathan’s Joe Ledger Thrillers for TV. Jonathan writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, epic fantasy, and action; and he writes for adults, teens and middle grade. His works include The Pine Deep Trilogy, The Kagen the Damned Trilogy, NecroTek, Ink, Glimpse, the Rot & Ruin series, the Dead of Night series, The Wolfman, X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, The Sleepers War (with Weston Ochse), Mars One, and many others. He is the editor of high-profile anthologies including Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird, The X-Files, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Out of Tune, Don’t Turn out the Lights: A Tribute to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Baker Street Irregulars, Nights of the Living Dead, Shadows & Verse, and others. His comics include Marvel Zombies Return, The Punisher: Naked Kills, Wolverine: Ghosts, Godzilla vs Cthulhu: Death May Die, Bad Blood and many others. Jonathan has written in many popular licensed worlds, including Hellboy, True Blood, The Wolfman, John Carter of Mars, Sherlock Holmes, C.H.U.D., Diablo IV, Deadlands, World of Warcraft, Planet of the Apes, Aliens, Predator, Karl Kolchak, and many others. He the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, and the editor of Weird Tales Magazine. He lives in San Diego, California. Find him online at www.jonathanmaberry.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 483 reviews
June 1, 2024
My thanks to St. Martin's press, Jonathan Maberry and Netgalley.
I spent the first 30% of this tale with a major mad on! I hated it! Kagen the drunk. Kagen the whiner.
Still, I kept reading on. There are really very few authors that I'd do that with, but Maberry is one.
Truth is that I've enjoyed every book I've read from this author. I've not read all of them, but..
So, I'm glad I stuck with this one! I will say that it's not my "idea" of fantasy. But it is a kind of fantasy. There are so many types of tropes here. Fantasy, supernatural, horror, science fiction. Almost too damned much! But, I'm willing to read more.
Turns out that I ended up happy as a pig in shit!
Bring on the next books!
I spent the first 30% of this tale with a major mad on! I hated it! Kagen the drunk. Kagen the whiner.
Still, I kept reading on. There are really very few authors that I'd do that with, but Maberry is one.
Truth is that I've enjoyed every book I've read from this author. I've not read all of them, but..
So, I'm glad I stuck with this one! I will say that it's not my "idea" of fantasy. But it is a kind of fantasy. There are so many types of tropes here. Fantasy, supernatural, horror, science fiction. Almost too damned much! But, I'm willing to read more.
Turns out that I ended up happy as a pig in shit!
Bring on the next books!
December 28, 2021
Jonathan Maberry’s foray into epic dark fantasy is a fantastic start to a new series. It features Kagen Vale, the captain of the palace guard and protector of the royal children of the Silver Empire. One night when he is off-duty, the entire imperial family is killed and the empire is in ruins throughout all of its nation states. Kagen feels abandoned, heartbroken, and haunted. He turns to alcohol and vows to kill as many of the enemy as he can until he can kill the Witch-king of Hakkia who will soon be crowned emperor. His rage fuels him as he wanders the lands and gathers allies.
Kagen is a strong character with plenty of good qualities, but also many flaws. However, he initially isn’t very likeable. His petulance, guilt, and rage consume him. Can he find a way to regain his balance and overcome magic and sorcery?
Kagen is not the only one that wants to kill the Witch-King. The nun Miri and a fifteen year old girl Ryssa manage to escape the capital city. What role, if any, will they play? Another nun, Mother Frey, and her cabal of friends have plans as well. But can any of them succeed or is all lost? Who is the Witch-King that came from nowhere and is so enigmatic with a veil covering his face? The characters are well drawn and unforgettable.
Maberry’s writing is always great, but his world-building in this novel was fantastic. There was a strong sense of time and place causing me to feel transported, as though living the events alongside the characters. There was a balance between cultural elements, historical events, and action that made the reading experience an immersive one.
The book ends with more of a cliffhanger than I would have liked. While the epilogue helped, there are still a lot of unresolved threads for future books in the series. Themes include different cultures and religions, battles, heroes, how history can be altered or slanted by those recording it, treatment of the defeated and dead, magic, sorcery, and much more.
Overall, this was suspenseful and action packed with compelling characters that kept me turning the pages. It’s an impressive start for the first novel in a new series. I’m looking forward to reading the next one. If you are looking for a dark epic fantasy with twists, action, and a few surprises, then this is one you may want to check out.
St. Martin’s Press – St. Martin’s Griffin and Jonathan Maberry provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for May 10, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
--------------------
My 4 star review of this epic dark fantasy will be posted 3-4 days after it appears in Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
Kagen is a strong character with plenty of good qualities, but also many flaws. However, he initially isn’t very likeable. His petulance, guilt, and rage consume him. Can he find a way to regain his balance and overcome magic and sorcery?
Kagen is not the only one that wants to kill the Witch-King. The nun Miri and a fifteen year old girl Ryssa manage to escape the capital city. What role, if any, will they play? Another nun, Mother Frey, and her cabal of friends have plans as well. But can any of them succeed or is all lost? Who is the Witch-King that came from nowhere and is so enigmatic with a veil covering his face? The characters are well drawn and unforgettable.
Maberry’s writing is always great, but his world-building in this novel was fantastic. There was a strong sense of time and place causing me to feel transported, as though living the events alongside the characters. There was a balance between cultural elements, historical events, and action that made the reading experience an immersive one.
The book ends with more of a cliffhanger than I would have liked. While the epilogue helped, there are still a lot of unresolved threads for future books in the series. Themes include different cultures and religions, battles, heroes, how history can be altered or slanted by those recording it, treatment of the defeated and dead, magic, sorcery, and much more.
Overall, this was suspenseful and action packed with compelling characters that kept me turning the pages. It’s an impressive start for the first novel in a new series. I’m looking forward to reading the next one. If you are looking for a dark epic fantasy with twists, action, and a few surprises, then this is one you may want to check out.
St. Martin’s Press – St. Martin’s Griffin and Jonathan Maberry provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for May 10, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
--------------------
My 4 star review of this epic dark fantasy will be posted 3-4 days after it appears in Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
December 28, 2021
I love Jonathan Maberry and I was super excited to read a fantasy book written by him. Unfortunately, I couldn’t even finish the book. I used to enjoy Grimdark books but not so much any more depending on how bad it is with the grim and graphic scenes.
I really wanted to find out more about Kagen as I like his character. I would loved to have bought these books for my collection as they came out but I’m going to pass. I’ll stick with Mr. Maberry’s other books.
If you love grimdark fantasy at its best, you will love this book!
Trigger warning for what I did get through: Graphic scenes of all things imaginable to men, women, children. A mention of killing animals, not sure if it got worse but I can imagine it did.
*Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital copy of this book.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
BLOG: https://melissa413readsalot.blogspot....
I really wanted to find out more about Kagen as I like his character. I would loved to have bought these books for my collection as they came out but I’m going to pass. I’ll stick with Mr. Maberry’s other books.
If you love grimdark fantasy at its best, you will love this book!
Trigger warning for what I did get through: Graphic scenes of all things imaginable to men, women, children. A mention of killing animals, not sure if it got worse but I can imagine it did.
*Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital copy of this book.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
BLOG: https://melissa413readsalot.blogspot....
September 28, 2023
Action! Cthulhu! Old Gods! King in Yellow! Action! Treason! Mystery!
Ray Porter plus Jonathan Maberry=FUN.
Ray Porter plus Jonathan Maberry=FUN.
March 4, 2024
I can absolutely see why this book would NOT be for everyone. It's gritty and uncomfortable and beastly horrific at times, the dark terrors never really abating, and the gore simply doesn't let up until almost 3/4 of the way through. The violence was quite grisly, but in the latter part of the book the characters really came into themselves, and I was especially fond of the camaraderie shared between Kagen, Tuke and Filia!🗡️⚔️
The ending actually hit me pretty HARD though, because of how much I genuinely liked Kagen, which was A LOT! I was very impressed by Maberry's ability to make me feel for Kagen, and I think a lot of that had to do with how vulnerable he seemed in the chapters where he was dreaming...even more so now that I've finished reading this.😢
I could have done without the Ryssa and Miri chapters though. Straight up, I just didn’t care. Thankfully the chapter lengths in general were very short, and the pace was lightning fast. This first installment of the series was a very eccentric, OTT throw everything into a story and whatever lands lands lol!🦑
🍻It's weird, but for me this story (or maybe it was just the relationship between Kagen and Tuke)...
🤡read pretty goofy (the cuss words were...an interesting choice...)
so despite the graphic violence there was still this unseriousness about the narrative that had me paying closer attention because of the disparate elements comprising the whole.⛈️
Regardless, I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series (which I'll get around to end of summer), because this one ended haaaaaard with a ton of impact that I won't be forgetting any time soon!⚔️
This is definitely NOT for everyone, but for those who get it, it's well written, fast-paced and pretty entertaining for what it is, and that's really all you can ask for!✌🏽
The ending actually hit me pretty HARD though, because of how much I genuinely liked Kagen, which was A LOT! I was very impressed by Maberry's ability to make me feel for Kagen, and I think a lot of that had to do with how vulnerable he seemed in the chapters where he was dreaming...even more so now that I've finished reading this.😢
I could have done without the Ryssa and Miri chapters though. Straight up, I just didn’t care. Thankfully the chapter lengths in general were very short, and the pace was lightning fast. This first installment of the series was a very eccentric, OTT throw everything into a story and whatever lands lands lol!🦑
🍻It's weird, but for me this story (or maybe it was just the relationship between Kagen and Tuke)...
🤡read pretty goofy (the cuss words were...an interesting choice...)
so despite the graphic violence there was still this unseriousness about the narrative that had me paying closer attention because of the disparate elements comprising the whole.⛈️
Regardless, I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series (which I'll get around to end of summer), because this one ended haaaaaard with a ton of impact that I won't be forgetting any time soon!⚔️
This is definitely NOT for everyone, but for those who get it, it's well written, fast-paced and pretty entertaining for what it is, and that's really all you can ask for!✌🏽
April 3, 2022
As a huge fan of Maberry's Joe Ledger series, I was excited to read his fantasy debut. Kagen The Damned opens with the world burning and the Elder Ones beginning to stir.
Kagen Vale wakes up with a massive hangover and learns that the Hakkian army had killed his family and the Empress. Gethon Haklan, the Hakkian Witch-king, has won. No one can resist his dark magic. The usurper prepares for a coronation to gain complete (and official) control of the Empire. Kagen flees certain death but falls into despair and drowns his sorrow in alcohol. Meanwhile, magic seeps into reality and changes everything.
Maberry excels at writing action scenes. But, it turns out he's also a skilled world-builder. I loved how he defined and introduced people's beliefs and then crushed them. I loved how he mixed folkloric elements with the Cthulhu mythos and politics. Readers get a strong sense of a place and its customs, but they don't need to follow the backstory pages. Just the way I like it. On the other hand, enthusiasts of deep worldbuilding will probably feel that the setting lacks depth. Maberry focuses on the plot and characters, giving enough context to understand their circumstances, but he never gets the story bogged down with unnecessary explanations.
The publisher markets Kagen as grimdark. I agree. It's a bleak and brutal story, not without some humor, but gritty and unforgiving overall. Some passages require the reader to have a strong stomach (like a necromancer "reading" entrails). I didn't mind, but here's the thing. Kagen The Damned is a violent pulp read, fast and furious, with fantastic ideas and creepy mythos, but without the nuance that some grimdark books offer.
As a character, Kagen falls on a flattish side. He's young, brash, and highly-skilled, a superior fighter who doesn't think much of himself. Of course, we are supposed to cheer when he finds a goal (kill the Witch-king ) and stops drinking, but such a change is hardly surprising.
Maberry's characters have well-defined personalities and are all memorable but rarely complex. I love it in his Joe Ledger series, but I could use more character-building in Kagen. Now, don't get me wrong. Kagen and other protagonists are distinct, and you won't forget them anytime soon. It's just that their motivations and development aren't "organic."
Cthulhu mythos plays a vital role in the story. Maberry impressed me with his take on Elder Ones. The series's opening suggests Elder Ones (Hastur, Cthulhu) have plans for this world, and humans are merely pawns. I'm excited!
As an experienced writer, Maberry has good control over pacing and structure. His writing is mostly accessible, but sometimes he indulges in vivid comparisons ("She was very tall, with flowing hair the color of midnight and lips red as all the sin in the world"). I like his style, though I suspect it won't appeal to everyone :)
I had a great time reading it despite minor reservations and finished the book in two sittings. Short chapters and excellent pacing make it difficult to stop and do something else :) I'll preorder the sequel as soon as it's listed for sale.
TL;DR: Cthulhu mythos + magic returning to the world + antiheroes doing the right thing. I had a good time reading it.
Arc through NetGalley.
Kagen Vale wakes up with a massive hangover and learns that the Hakkian army had killed his family and the Empress. Gethon Haklan, the Hakkian Witch-king, has won. No one can resist his dark magic. The usurper prepares for a coronation to gain complete (and official) control of the Empire. Kagen flees certain death but falls into despair and drowns his sorrow in alcohol. Meanwhile, magic seeps into reality and changes everything.
Maberry excels at writing action scenes. But, it turns out he's also a skilled world-builder. I loved how he defined and introduced people's beliefs and then crushed them. I loved how he mixed folkloric elements with the Cthulhu mythos and politics. Readers get a strong sense of a place and its customs, but they don't need to follow the backstory pages. Just the way I like it. On the other hand, enthusiasts of deep worldbuilding will probably feel that the setting lacks depth. Maberry focuses on the plot and characters, giving enough context to understand their circumstances, but he never gets the story bogged down with unnecessary explanations.
The publisher markets Kagen as grimdark. I agree. It's a bleak and brutal story, not without some humor, but gritty and unforgiving overall. Some passages require the reader to have a strong stomach (like a necromancer "reading" entrails). I didn't mind, but here's the thing. Kagen The Damned is a violent pulp read, fast and furious, with fantastic ideas and creepy mythos, but without the nuance that some grimdark books offer.
As a character, Kagen falls on a flattish side. He's young, brash, and highly-skilled, a superior fighter who doesn't think much of himself. Of course, we are supposed to cheer when he finds a goal (kill the Witch-king ) and stops drinking, but such a change is hardly surprising.
Maberry's characters have well-defined personalities and are all memorable but rarely complex. I love it in his Joe Ledger series, but I could use more character-building in Kagen. Now, don't get me wrong. Kagen and other protagonists are distinct, and you won't forget them anytime soon. It's just that their motivations and development aren't "organic."
Cthulhu mythos plays a vital role in the story. Maberry impressed me with his take on Elder Ones. The series's opening suggests Elder Ones (Hastur, Cthulhu) have plans for this world, and humans are merely pawns. I'm excited!
As an experienced writer, Maberry has good control over pacing and structure. His writing is mostly accessible, but sometimes he indulges in vivid comparisons ("She was very tall, with flowing hair the color of midnight and lips red as all the sin in the world"). I like his style, though I suspect it won't appeal to everyone :)
I had a great time reading it despite minor reservations and finished the book in two sittings. Short chapters and excellent pacing make it difficult to stop and do something else :) I'll preorder the sequel as soon as it's listed for sale.
TL;DR: Cthulhu mythos + magic returning to the world + antiheroes doing the right thing. I had a good time reading it.
Arc through NetGalley.
April 20, 2022
The Plot:
This is a dark fantasy novel about the conquest of an empire and the subjective failure of one of it's guardians. I was drawn in by the synopsis and like the idea of conquest and revenge. There is nothing terribly original about the plot or the main ideas of magic being bad and outlawed, a chosen one come back to avenge the nation, etc, but I still enjoyed it.
If nothing else the plot moves quickly, with plenty of action scenes and alternating points of view to move the story along.
The themes:
Kagen shined most in it's themes for me. The main character had to deal with letting his guilt go after he believed he was responsible for the fall of the empire and had been forsaken by his Gods. There were questions and themes of honor, oaths, oppression, monsters vs saviors, and found family. One of my favorite themes centered around What Makes a Monster? Is the conquering Witch-king a monster for decimating a nation that did much worse 1000 years ago? Is a dragon or a grotesque creature a monster just because it kills to feed itself, or is hideous?
Obviously per Grimdark there are also themes of brutal violence, in pretty much any imaginable fashion... I liked the brutality of the dark elements and the historian figure who carried his own theme of re-writing history for the victors.
The Characters:
I think the book is about 70/30 plot/action vs character driven
Kagen is about as morally gray as you can get, but he's got values. I liked his story and his path to redemption. Tuke is another main character who swears by the BALLS of about 1000 different creatures, he was hilarious. The friendship/bromance between those two was hilarious and provided the comic relief
The witch-king ... Is probably the most brutal A-Hole I have seen in a while, but some of his points are solid. He liked killing. A lot. His high priestess practices a rather grotesque form of necromancy that had me equal parts CRINGING and wanting to see more.
I hated one storyline though where a 20 something year old "nun" more or less lied to, then seduced her 15 year old "cousin", and then either pretended or believed that fooling around with another female maintained their religious purity. Well joke is on them, I would almost guarantee that's why their ritual didn't entirely succeed.
A few other things:
I think I needed more from the magic. There wasn't much described except the necromancy. How did the rest work? I also think too many modern and real elements slipped into an otherwise made-up and highly creative world (like Cthulhu. I love him but he didn't quite fit). There was everything else from alternate realms to outer space mentioned and I think it created too much white noise in an otherwise straightforward fantasy world. I wanted more from Kagen's dreams and the Dragon in the ice.
Hopefully in the next book.
Overall: there is a lot to process in this one but overall, I liked it. There is a lot of absolutely excellent Dark Fantasy out there and I think that this is a good one for people who might be looking to sample the genre. While it doesn't deep dive into the world-building and fantasy elements so much, the author maintains a fairly consistent mood and keeps the book moving.
I will plan on reading the second installment when it is released!
This is a dark fantasy novel about the conquest of an empire and the subjective failure of one of it's guardians. I was drawn in by the synopsis and like the idea of conquest and revenge. There is nothing terribly original about the plot or the main ideas of magic being bad and outlawed, a chosen one come back to avenge the nation, etc, but I still enjoyed it.
If nothing else the plot moves quickly, with plenty of action scenes and alternating points of view to move the story along.
The themes:
Kagen shined most in it's themes for me. The main character had to deal with letting his guilt go after he believed he was responsible for the fall of the empire and had been forsaken by his Gods. There were questions and themes of honor, oaths, oppression, monsters vs saviors, and found family. One of my favorite themes centered around What Makes a Monster? Is the conquering Witch-king a monster for decimating a nation that did much worse 1000 years ago? Is a dragon or a grotesque creature a monster just because it kills to feed itself, or is hideous?
Obviously per Grimdark there are also themes of brutal violence, in pretty much any imaginable fashion... I liked the brutality of the dark elements and the historian figure who carried his own theme of re-writing history for the victors.
The Characters:
I think the book is about 70/30 plot/action vs character driven
Kagen is about as morally gray as you can get, but he's got values. I liked his story and his path to redemption. Tuke is another main character who swears by the BALLS of about 1000 different creatures, he was hilarious. The friendship/bromance between those two was hilarious and provided the comic relief
The witch-king ... Is probably the most brutal A-Hole I have seen in a while, but some of his points are solid. He liked killing. A lot. His high priestess practices a rather grotesque form of necromancy that had me equal parts CRINGING and wanting to see more.
I hated one storyline though where a 20 something year old "nun" more or less lied to, then seduced her 15 year old "cousin", and then either pretended or believed that fooling around with another female maintained their religious purity. Well joke is on them, I would almost guarantee that's why their ritual didn't entirely succeed.
A few other things:
I think I needed more from the magic. There wasn't much described except the necromancy. How did the rest work? I also think too many modern and real elements slipped into an otherwise made-up and highly creative world (like Cthulhu. I love him but he didn't quite fit). There was everything else from alternate realms to outer space mentioned and I think it created too much white noise in an otherwise straightforward fantasy world. I wanted more from Kagen's dreams and the Dragon in the ice.
Hopefully in the next book.
Overall: there is a lot to process in this one but overall, I liked it. There is a lot of absolutely excellent Dark Fantasy out there and I think that this is a good one for people who might be looking to sample the genre. While it doesn't deep dive into the world-building and fantasy elements so much, the author maintains a fairly consistent mood and keeps the book moving.
I will plan on reading the second installment when it is released!
gave-up-on
December 21, 2021DNF at 20% in.
I love fantasy books, and I love books with characters that have flaws or are (in this case) 'damned'.
However - what I do not appreciate are books where a single night takes 20 chapters to get through. TWENTY CHAPTERS.
This book is in need of an editor. Someone who can tighten these twenty chapters. Brandon Sanderson is an author who is great on creating description and plot movement. This author unfortunately does not excel in such so the twenty chapters is full of endless descriptions of actions and following Kagen mourn and grieve over characters you don't even know or don't even care about.
There is no backstory, there is no flashbacking... just info dump after info dump. Honestly, I don't mind gore but I felt with all the above combined with the gore made it a very unsatisfied read.
There might be an audience for this book but I think it would require you to have never read a fantasy book before.
I love fantasy books, and I love books with characters that have flaws or are (in this case) 'damned'.
However - what I do not appreciate are books where a single night takes 20 chapters to get through. TWENTY CHAPTERS.
This book is in need of an editor. Someone who can tighten these twenty chapters. Brandon Sanderson is an author who is great on creating description and plot movement. This author unfortunately does not excel in such so the twenty chapters is full of endless descriptions of actions and following Kagen mourn and grieve over characters you don't even know or don't even care about.
There is no backstory, there is no flashbacking... just info dump after info dump. Honestly, I don't mind gore but I felt with all the above combined with the gore made it a very unsatisfied read.
There might be an audience for this book but I think it would require you to have never read a fantasy book before.
May 1, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I'm sorry to say this probably won't be the review Jonthan Maberry or St. Martin's Press was hoping for. This book was painful to read from the first page, and it never got any better.
The story begins at the end of civilization as Kagen knows it, with his beloved empire falling to the villainous, black magic-using Hakkians. Kagen is caught with his pants down (literally), and fails to protect the royal children in his charge. The gaping plot hole of how he wasn't killed in his sleep like every other soldier isn't even acknowledged, let alone addressed. Queue a very long 15% of the book that was literally just a naked Kagen running around figuring out how badly his world is crashing down on him, and realizing how completely he's failed.
Nearly every other chapter switches points of view to Ryssa, an orphan preparing to become a nun. Ryssa and her guardian run and hide throughout the battle, find some mysterious, secret tunnels, and then disappear from the book for a long time.
Once Kagen accepts that his home is lost, he leaves the palace to sink into a state of drunken despair, resigning himself to the suicidal mission of killing every Hakkian he can one by one. Except Kagen takes the time between leaving the palace and starting his quest to meet up with an old friend, have sex, and smile and laugh over some drinks, completely ruining the organic flow of his arc. He was suicidally depressed when he left the palace, went to a friend for solace and had a good time, then actively chose to go back to being depressed and suicidal when it was clear that he was capable of thinking clearly and had alternatives.
Along the way, Kagen meets a bunch of new people, including a witch who would have been killed for having nearly passive magic under the old regime. For someone as devoted to his empress as Kagen was, he comes to the conclusion rather quickly that the religious persecution of magic users in his kingdom wasn't necessarily a good thing.
This book felt like something the author was so excited to write, he rushed through the first draft, then was too impatient to fill it out. The bare bones were there, but the writing was just so disappointingly lazy. The language was over-dramatized and read as though dictating what should appear on a movie screen. Every conversation was one big bad's monologue. The characters were one dimensional and even the main character was treated like a plot device instead of a person. Everyone was introduced as their role or profession ("the soldier," "the nun," "the empress," etc.), and while they were given names, and more often than not, with the exception of Kagen, they were still referred to by their title, de-humanizing them. Everything about the writing and the characters felt hollow.
There was also a strong vein of sadism running throughout the story, with a near obsession with rape. Put a man and a woman in a room together, and she's getting raped. Unless it's Kagen; then she's safe. Because he's the hero, right? Well, he may be the protagonist, but that's the only thing heroic about him. It's a bit like watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, where the bad guys are depicted as bloodthirsty savages for no good reason, with some truly graphic and unnecessarily cruel punishments. I mean some of them were fairly creative - I'll give Maberry that - but it was in a torture!porn kind of way.
The story begins at the end of civilization as Kagen knows it, with his beloved empire falling to the villainous, black magic-using Hakkians. Kagen is caught with his pants down (literally), and fails to protect the royal children in his charge. The gaping plot hole of how he wasn't killed in his sleep like every other soldier isn't even acknowledged, let alone addressed. Queue a very long 15% of the book that was literally just a naked Kagen running around figuring out how badly his world is crashing down on him, and realizing how completely he's failed.
Nearly every other chapter switches points of view to Ryssa, an orphan preparing to become a nun. Ryssa and her guardian run and hide throughout the battle, find some mysterious, secret tunnels, and then disappear from the book for a long time.
Once Kagen accepts that his home is lost, he leaves the palace to sink into a state of drunken despair, resigning himself to the suicidal mission of killing every Hakkian he can one by one. Except Kagen takes the time between leaving the palace and starting his quest to meet up with an old friend, have sex, and smile and laugh over some drinks, completely ruining the organic flow of his arc. He was suicidally depressed when he left the palace, went to a friend for solace and had a good time, then actively chose to go back to being depressed and suicidal when it was clear that he was capable of thinking clearly and had alternatives.
Along the way, Kagen meets a bunch of new people, including a witch who would have been killed for having nearly passive magic under the old regime. For someone as devoted to his empress as Kagen was, he comes to the conclusion rather quickly that the religious persecution of magic users in his kingdom wasn't necessarily a good thing.
This book felt like something the author was so excited to write, he rushed through the first draft, then was too impatient to fill it out. The bare bones were there, but the writing was just so disappointingly lazy. The language was over-dramatized and read as though dictating what should appear on a movie screen. Every conversation was one big bad's monologue. The characters were one dimensional and even the main character was treated like a plot device instead of a person. Everyone was introduced as their role or profession ("the soldier," "the nun," "the empress," etc.), and while they were given names, and more often than not, with the exception of Kagen, they were still referred to by their title, de-humanizing them. Everything about the writing and the characters felt hollow.
There was also a strong vein of sadism running throughout the story, with a near obsession with rape. Put a man and a woman in a room together, and she's getting raped. Unless it's Kagen; then she's safe. Because he's the hero, right? Well, he may be the protagonist, but that's the only thing heroic about him. It's a bit like watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, where the bad guys are depicted as bloodthirsty savages for no good reason, with some truly graphic and unnecessarily cruel punishments. I mean some of them were fairly creative - I'll give Maberry that - but it was in a torture!porn kind of way.
May 10, 2022
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Kagen the Damned is the first book in a new Grimdark fantasy series Kagen the Damned and it is dark. Kagen was part of the royal guard, trained by his mother the personal bodyguard to the empress he was supposed to protect the royal children. But the city was invaded while he lay drugged in a whore's bed and everything he lived for, all of his honor is lost and Kagen believes he has failed his honor and is damned.
The first 10% of the book is the sacking of a city and it is rough. The Witch-King of Hakkia performed a masterful attack and was able to take over the entire silver empire in one evening. His people were overthrown in much the same way over a thousand years ago when the Silver Empire slaughter many of the Hakkia people, outlawed their gods and magic persecuting and who practiced. The tides have turned and Witch-king has brought magic back to this land and outlawed only the new gods of the Silver Empire.
Kagen takes awhile to warm up to as he spends some time after the events in the beginning of the book lost in a drunken stupor. It takes some hard truths and a new friend, Tuke, to pull him out. Tuke was a much needed breath of fresh air and humor the story really needed. He has a quick wit and way with a turn of phrase that added a little light to all of the dark we had been dealing with. He is a good balance to Kagen and able to help him see a path that might mean vengeance against the Witch-king.
I did like how this book toyed with good and evil. Is the Witch-king really evil for wanting his people to be free to practice their religion and thrive in a world with magic again? Are the monsters of the deep and a dragon evil for needing to feed themselves or looking hideous? Do you blame the nature of an animal for what they need to do to survive or is their a balance that can be reached? There are truths to every story and whoever writes the history gets to decide what those truths are. It is a powerful thing.
I do wish we got to do more with the last dragon on earth currently trapped, that seemed like a quest worth going on. Kagen has magic himself, even though he was taught not to speak of it. He was probably born for this time in the world where new gods are awakening and the Witch-king is trying to bring hell to earth.
There are plenty of interesting characters. The historian selected to rewrite the history of the last 1000 years to make Hakkia the slighted country and the Silver Empire the villain. Mother Frey, once of the religion of the garden, with three different prongs to a plan that might be able to save them from what the Witch-king has in store. There is Ryssa and Mara, nuns escaped from the city on the night it was sacked and now on an Island where they are protected but there is a devious plot that is hidden until near the end. This storyline lost something for me halfway through as women became lovers. Not because they were women, but they were nuns and one nun was well into her 20s while the other was barely 15 it seemed a bit on the edge a pedophilia and blasphemy all at the same time.
This had a lot of great ideas and moments in the book if you can get past how dark it is. I usually don't read anything quite this dark. But I think the plot could have been a little cleaner as there is a ton of stuff going on in the background. I think that will play into the next books of the series but didn't have much to do with what is happening now. The book was engaging though and I did have a hard time putting it down after I got to 35-40% but did debate on DNFing earlier. Maberry is good at writing conflicted characters though and through the multiple PoV was able to develop was layered story.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Kagen the Damned is the first book in a new Grimdark fantasy series Kagen the Damned and it is dark. Kagen was part of the royal guard, trained by his mother the personal bodyguard to the empress he was supposed to protect the royal children. But the city was invaded while he lay drugged in a whore's bed and everything he lived for, all of his honor is lost and Kagen believes he has failed his honor and is damned.
The first 10% of the book is the sacking of a city and it is rough. The Witch-King of Hakkia performed a masterful attack and was able to take over the entire silver empire in one evening. His people were overthrown in much the same way over a thousand years ago when the Silver Empire slaughter many of the Hakkia people, outlawed their gods and magic persecuting and who practiced. The tides have turned and Witch-king has brought magic back to this land and outlawed only the new gods of the Silver Empire.
Kagen takes awhile to warm up to as he spends some time after the events in the beginning of the book lost in a drunken stupor. It takes some hard truths and a new friend, Tuke, to pull him out. Tuke was a much needed breath of fresh air and humor the story really needed. He has a quick wit and way with a turn of phrase that added a little light to all of the dark we had been dealing with. He is a good balance to Kagen and able to help him see a path that might mean vengeance against the Witch-king.
I did like how this book toyed with good and evil. Is the Witch-king really evil for wanting his people to be free to practice their religion and thrive in a world with magic again? Are the monsters of the deep and a dragon evil for needing to feed themselves or looking hideous? Do you blame the nature of an animal for what they need to do to survive or is their a balance that can be reached? There are truths to every story and whoever writes the history gets to decide what those truths are. It is a powerful thing.
I do wish we got to do more with the last dragon on earth currently trapped, that seemed like a quest worth going on. Kagen has magic himself, even though he was taught not to speak of it. He was probably born for this time in the world where new gods are awakening and the Witch-king is trying to bring hell to earth.
There are plenty of interesting characters. The historian selected to rewrite the history of the last 1000 years to make Hakkia the slighted country and the Silver Empire the villain. Mother Frey, once of the religion of the garden, with three different prongs to a plan that might be able to save them from what the Witch-king has in store. There is Ryssa and Mara, nuns escaped from the city on the night it was sacked and now on an Island where they are protected but there is a devious plot that is hidden until near the end. This storyline lost something for me halfway through as women became lovers. Not because they were women, but they were nuns and one nun was well into her 20s while the other was barely 15 it seemed a bit on the edge a pedophilia and blasphemy all at the same time.
This had a lot of great ideas and moments in the book if you can get past how dark it is. I usually don't read anything quite this dark. But I think the plot could have been a little cleaner as there is a ton of stuff going on in the background. I think that will play into the next books of the series but didn't have much to do with what is happening now. The book was engaging though and I did have a hard time putting it down after I got to 35-40% but did debate on DNFing earlier. Maberry is good at writing conflicted characters though and through the multiple PoV was able to develop was layered story.
did-not-finish
March 18, 2024Read the first 100 pages... didn't like it, at all.
So this book has been sitting on my reading pile waiting for me to pick it up again. I tried a few more pages today and I just can't read any more of this. I thought I might like this, I've read pretty much everything Maberry has written. But I have to admit don't like fantasy novels, all the made up things, places, foods, languages. Just sets my teeth on edge. I'm throwing in the towel and moving on.
So this book has been sitting on my reading pile waiting for me to pick it up again. I tried a few more pages today and I just can't read any more of this. I thought I might like this, I've read pretty much everything Maberry has written. But I have to admit don't like fantasy novels, all the made up things, places, foods, languages. Just sets my teeth on edge. I'm throwing in the towel and moving on.
May 19, 2024
4/5. I had no idea what to expect going into this book and it definitely was not what I expected! (in a good way). By looking at the cover I honestly expected a more YA fantasy book with maybe some romance thrown in, but boy was this not YA. I was glad it wasn’t (not that I don’t like YA—I do, its just this story was so much better being what it is). This book reads more like a grimdark type book but not all hope is lost.
The beginning is very dark and I say that as a warning. There are murders, rapes, torture etc. all the bad scenes that come with an invasion from an enemy army, the Hakkians. Kagen unfortunately was not prepared when this invasion came and he experienced the loss of people he was supposed to be protecting and some of his family. Therefore, since he has failed in his oath to protect this people, he believes he is damned by his gods.
Kagen goes through a lot of development in this story, he is grieving, lost and angry. But he is searching for a way and something to help him to fight back against the invaders. I really enjoyed Kagen’s character. He can be humorous at times, especially when it is with Tuke. I really enjoyed their scenes together. As another plus, Kagen is an awesome fighter. It did feel like at times Kagen’s fighting skill was more told rather than shown but there are some good scenes of him fighting and I just enjoy a character that is OP in fighting. I don’t care if it is a trope or not, that’s what I enjoy.
The book does jump point of views with multiple characters, but Kagen is the main character. I felt the point of view switching was done really well. It is done only to make sure the reader is getting the full story and you are never away from Kagen for very long.
The world is large and with the end of this book, it feels as though the world has opened even wider. I could see new areas being explored in the other books. Magic has returned to this world and with magic, new creatures, gods, and monsters have awoken/returned. There is so much to explore and learn about this world, I am excited to continue with this series and get to know more about magic in the world.
My main complaints with this story were all the sex scenes.. they felt unnecessary to the story and I really didn’t care about reading about it. Also, Ryssa’s and Miri’s story was tedious and I grew tired of Ryssa’s whininess. But overall I really enjoyed this story, world and Kagen. There is a great twist at the end that I honestly didn’t see coming, and it definitely made me want to continue. I will be reading the rest of this series and I am glad I picked this book up!
The beginning is very dark and I say that as a warning. There are murders, rapes, torture etc. all the bad scenes that come with an invasion from an enemy army, the Hakkians. Kagen unfortunately was not prepared when this invasion came and he experienced the loss of people he was supposed to be protecting and some of his family. Therefore, since he has failed in his oath to protect this people, he believes he is damned by his gods.
Kagen goes through a lot of development in this story, he is grieving, lost and angry. But he is searching for a way and something to help him to fight back against the invaders. I really enjoyed Kagen’s character. He can be humorous at times, especially when it is with Tuke. I really enjoyed their scenes together. As another plus, Kagen is an awesome fighter. It did feel like at times Kagen’s fighting skill was more told rather than shown but there are some good scenes of him fighting and I just enjoy a character that is OP in fighting. I don’t care if it is a trope or not, that’s what I enjoy.
The book does jump point of views with multiple characters, but Kagen is the main character. I felt the point of view switching was done really well. It is done only to make sure the reader is getting the full story and you are never away from Kagen for very long.
The world is large and with the end of this book, it feels as though the world has opened even wider. I could see new areas being explored in the other books. Magic has returned to this world and with magic, new creatures, gods, and monsters have awoken/returned. There is so much to explore and learn about this world, I am excited to continue with this series and get to know more about magic in the world.
My main complaints with this story were all the sex scenes.. they felt unnecessary to the story and I really didn’t care about reading about it. Also, Ryssa’s and Miri’s story was tedious and I grew tired of Ryssa’s whininess. But overall I really enjoyed this story, world and Kagen. There is a great twist at the end that I honestly didn’t see coming, and it definitely made me want to continue. I will be reading the rest of this series and I am glad I picked this book up!
February 13, 2025
Audiobook (21 hours) narrated by Ray Porter
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Ray Porter is my version of awesome narration. In this series, he follows Jonathan Maberry's pen from military action hero into a dark fantasy. If you have listened to Ray in the past, you will hear that his voice is noticeably different in tone and demeanor as he creates a whole new persona. Some of the side character voices will sound familiar, however in the context of the story those voices make sense. Always a pleasure to enjoy a good book with Ray and his multiple personalities.
The audio is good.
Kagen the Damned is a dark fantasy by an author that seems to have the rare multi faceted author talent that is super fun for readers who enjoy reading across several genre's but also like to hang out with their favorite authors.
Kagen the Damned is a three book series, with the first being a strong 4.
Coincidentally, or strangely, Maberry's pen flows long with the fantasy genre with the shortest of the series clocking in at 21 hours. Is there a club with a rulebook that when writing true fantasies the book must have enough pages to double as a weapon or workout device?
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Ray Porter is my version of awesome narration. In this series, he follows Jonathan Maberry's pen from military action hero into a dark fantasy. If you have listened to Ray in the past, you will hear that his voice is noticeably different in tone and demeanor as he creates a whole new persona. Some of the side character voices will sound familiar, however in the context of the story those voices make sense. Always a pleasure to enjoy a good book with Ray and his multiple personalities.
The audio is good.
Kagen the Damned is a dark fantasy by an author that seems to have the rare multi faceted author talent that is super fun for readers who enjoy reading across several genre's but also like to hang out with their favorite authors.
Kagen the Damned is a three book series, with the first being a strong 4.
Coincidentally, or strangely, Maberry's pen flows long with the fantasy genre with the shortest of the series clocking in at 21 hours. Is there a club with a rulebook that when writing true fantasies the book must have enough pages to double as a weapon or workout device?
November 3, 2021
This book is so new that I don't feel right shredding it. Instead, I will simply give a quick menu of things you can expect to find in this story, so that you can judge for yourself whether you'll enjoy it or not:
I came so close to DNF-ing this, only sheer stubborn will pulled me through. That, and the Cthulhu subplot. I did want to find out what the hell was going on with that, and honestly I'm still not sure what happened.
• Remember the "I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep" speech from Name of the Wind? Kagen is not nearly as dramatic as Kvothe (and neither does he deserve to be) but there is a core of him that loves this vibe. The prose occasionally breaks out with a NotW rash of self-aware grandiosity as well.
• "Gods of [insert thing]." A third of the dialogue is someone exclaiming or better yet, breathing this.
• Relationships? There is one friendship that consists of Kagen and another dude swearing at each other and exchanging lots of penis humor. That's about it.
• The ratio of rape scenes to sex scenes is about 50/50, and the amount of both is "kind of a lot."
• Special Honorable Mention: entering the cursed tower and having sex with evil vampire faerie woman, but instead of draining Kagen's lifeblood as she has done to all others over the centuries, she helps with the quest and lets him leave. Kagen, after all? He's special.
• Island of sexually liberated Cthulhu-worshippers.
• So much violence and gore. It's weird how some stories are able to infuse so much shock and horror into something as simple as a slap, and then there are books like this where someone being gang-raped to death and their body mutilated happens a LOT and it's yawn-worthy.
I came so close to DNF-ing this, only sheer stubborn will pulled me through. That, and the Cthulhu subplot. I did want to find out what the hell was going on with that, and honestly I'm still not sure what happened.
December 3, 2023
5 glorious stars and a new favorite book for me. I was completely captured by this story in every possible way. There was not a single moment where I felt bored or irritated with the plot. It pretty much had all the making of a great book for me. There were myths, old and ancient gods, dark magic, great character arcs, and exceptional world building. I thought that the different storylines and characters all came together beautifully. Even better, I didn’t see the twist at the end coming and it actually made me gasp. I already ordered the second book because I absolutely have to know what is going to happen.
May 3, 2022
KAGEN THE DAMNED #1 by Jonathan Maberry
An immersive epic dark fantasy that is a melange of the best in heroic and sword & sorcery
works of the past masters. Rivals the scope of Game of Thrones, with elements of Robert E. Howards’s “Conan The Barbarian” , while borrowing from H.P. Lovecraft’s “Cthulhu Mythos”, and projecting the cinematic quality of “Indiana Jones”. Our intrepid hero, Kagen Vale is the captain of the palace guard and is sworn by oath to protect the children of the Silver Empire. While off-duty and enjoying the benefits of a maiden, he is drugged and fails to note the ensuing calamity enveloping the city. When he is eventually aroused from the drug addled stupor he rushes to the palace only to find the royal children butchered, after being tortured and defiled. He witnesses his father’s death and attempts to unsuccessfully intervene in a sword fight involving his mother, who is taking on a multitude of dark knights. The lavishly choreographed fight scene is a marvel to behold. The fact that the invading army “appeared out of nowhere” without warning is the first hint that magic has been used …. even though outlawed for a thousand years. Kagen miraculously escapes, only to be haunted by his oath failure and grief at the annihilation of his and the royal family. Surely he is “damned” by the gods. While on the road and fleeing for his life, he vows to kill as many of the Hakkian enemy as possible .. with the end goal of killing the Witch-King of Hakkia before he can be coronated as emperor. He will encounter many colorful friends and foes on the road in his attempt to seek revenge and retribution.
Maberry crafts a masterful complex and twisted tale, steeped in intrigue, menace and mounting obstacles. His world building and fight scenes are thing of absolute beauty and poetry. The elements of magic and sorcery are introduced so effortlessly that would make Lovecraft, Howard and Poe proud. The main characters are multilayered and compelling … the reader cannot help but identify with them as the suspense and action escalates to a crescendo denouement. The lyrical prose is laced with well placed humor …. irony, sarcasm , good natured blistering insults and a stream of colorful epithets that adds texture to this epic fantasy. Introduced are the concepts of the presence of many worlds, on different planes and the notion that time is truly not linear. Very appealing is the insertion of elements of the Cthulhu mythos. Although there is an artful crisis and conclusion during the denouement, many loose threads remain to be explored and enjoyed in future volumes.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication on May 10, 2022
An immersive epic dark fantasy that is a melange of the best in heroic and sword & sorcery
works of the past masters. Rivals the scope of Game of Thrones, with elements of Robert E. Howards’s “Conan The Barbarian” , while borrowing from H.P. Lovecraft’s “Cthulhu Mythos”, and projecting the cinematic quality of “Indiana Jones”. Our intrepid hero, Kagen Vale is the captain of the palace guard and is sworn by oath to protect the children of the Silver Empire. While off-duty and enjoying the benefits of a maiden, he is drugged and fails to note the ensuing calamity enveloping the city. When he is eventually aroused from the drug addled stupor he rushes to the palace only to find the royal children butchered, after being tortured and defiled. He witnesses his father’s death and attempts to unsuccessfully intervene in a sword fight involving his mother, who is taking on a multitude of dark knights. The lavishly choreographed fight scene is a marvel to behold. The fact that the invading army “appeared out of nowhere” without warning is the first hint that magic has been used …. even though outlawed for a thousand years. Kagen miraculously escapes, only to be haunted by his oath failure and grief at the annihilation of his and the royal family. Surely he is “damned” by the gods. While on the road and fleeing for his life, he vows to kill as many of the Hakkian enemy as possible .. with the end goal of killing the Witch-King of Hakkia before he can be coronated as emperor. He will encounter many colorful friends and foes on the road in his attempt to seek revenge and retribution.
Maberry crafts a masterful complex and twisted tale, steeped in intrigue, menace and mounting obstacles. His world building and fight scenes are thing of absolute beauty and poetry. The elements of magic and sorcery are introduced so effortlessly that would make Lovecraft, Howard and Poe proud. The main characters are multilayered and compelling … the reader cannot help but identify with them as the suspense and action escalates to a crescendo denouement. The lyrical prose is laced with well placed humor …. irony, sarcasm , good natured blistering insults and a stream of colorful epithets that adds texture to this epic fantasy. Introduced are the concepts of the presence of many worlds, on different planes and the notion that time is truly not linear. Very appealing is the insertion of elements of the Cthulhu mythos. Although there is an artful crisis and conclusion during the denouement, many loose threads remain to be explored and enjoyed in future volumes.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication on May 10, 2022
September 22, 2025
A warrior haunted by failure. An evil greater than one can imagine.
In a nutshell, this is it.
A story at first about redemption but one that becomes much more than that.
Laced with humour, action and ominous terror. It reminded me of Conan, Thor with a dash of Edgar Alan Poe. Lots of energy and good times despite the darkness shrouding this world.
Kagen the Damned is a rollicking great time. A crude rock and roll sword and sorcery thrill ride.
Bring on Son of the Poison Rose. :)
In a nutshell, this is it.
A story at first about redemption but one that becomes much more than that.
Laced with humour, action and ominous terror. It reminded me of Conan, Thor with a dash of Edgar Alan Poe. Lots of energy and good times despite the darkness shrouding this world.
Kagen the Damned is a rollicking great time. A crude rock and roll sword and sorcery thrill ride.
Bring on Son of the Poison Rose. :)
June 7, 2022
Kagen the Damned is a meaty book, 560 pages and chock-full of story.
There are authors who write good stories; they pull you in and create a connection with the protagonist, they are innovative and bring you to a new and exciting place. Then there are authors who write great books; they do all of the things that make a good book and then some more; their supporting characters are given as much attention as the protagonist, they make you run the whole gamut of emotions. They make you tense, laugh, cry, just everything. Jonathan Maberry is one of those authors.
Just read the synopsis, Kagen the Damned is a story of war, death, turmoil, and destruction. Why was I laughing? Because Maberry knows that the story has to be multidimensional; the story and the protagonist must have layers. The secondary characters need and get as much attention to detail as Kagan, their every action adds to the enjoyment of the story.
As a book one, Kagen the Damned did exactly what it should have done: I’m invested, I like the characters (except for the ones I hate), and I want to see the story resolved. Will I read book two, hell yeah! Sign me up now!
Over the past few years, I’ve been avoiding series, I find that they get repetitive after a while. I want to see some change/growth/evolution in my protagonists. There are too many authors who get a good thing going and they just ride that pony for as long as they can. I hope that Maberry can wrap up Kagen’s story in a nice trilogy. A good 1 500 to 2 000 pages in total.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley).
There are authors who write good stories; they pull you in and create a connection with the protagonist, they are innovative and bring you to a new and exciting place. Then there are authors who write great books; they do all of the things that make a good book and then some more; their supporting characters are given as much attention as the protagonist, they make you run the whole gamut of emotions. They make you tense, laugh, cry, just everything. Jonathan Maberry is one of those authors.
Just read the synopsis, Kagen the Damned is a story of war, death, turmoil, and destruction. Why was I laughing? Because Maberry knows that the story has to be multidimensional; the story and the protagonist must have layers. The secondary characters need and get as much attention to detail as Kagan, their every action adds to the enjoyment of the story.
As a book one, Kagen the Damned did exactly what it should have done: I’m invested, I like the characters (except for the ones I hate), and I want to see the story resolved. Will I read book two, hell yeah! Sign me up now!
Over the past few years, I’ve been avoiding series, I find that they get repetitive after a while. I want to see some change/growth/evolution in my protagonists. There are too many authors who get a good thing going and they just ride that pony for as long as they can. I hope that Maberry can wrap up Kagen’s story in a nice trilogy. A good 1 500 to 2 000 pages in total.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley).
April 6, 2022
Confession: I am not a fan of the fantasy genre. I've dipped my toes into the fantasy pool now and then, but am usually left cold by it. Most of the books I've tried in this genre have ended up in my DNF pile or, in the case of those series where I managed to finish Book 1, left me deeply uninspired and disinterested in continuing. The only works I've found to match my tastes and sensibilities, thus far, have been George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, and R. Scott Bakker's Kellhus books. In point of fact, I very nearly passed on reading an ARC of Kagen the Damned save for one sole, deciding factor: Jonathan Maberry.
I dig the hell out of Jonathan Maberry, see. Given how much I've loved his Joe Ledger books and P.I. Monk Addison from Glimpse and Ink, if anybody was going to make me give the fantasy genre another try, it's this guy.
After a night of drinking and whoring, Kagen Vale - whose job and sacred duty is to protect the Empress's children - sleeps through the opening volley of a devastating invasion that destroys the Silver Empire and leaves Argentium under the rule of the Hakkian Witch-King. Magic has returned to the world after a thousand years of being outlawed, and in one single night the Witch-King topples an entire empire and usurps the throne as the new emperor. Having failed so completely in his duties and oath to the Empress, the gods have turned their back on Kagen, leaving him damned and adrift, but with a single goal: to kill that black-hearted son of a bitch Witch-King.
Right from the outset, Kagen the Damned is a dark, bloody, and violent affair. Admittedly, this appealed to me greatly and Maberry's widescreen action scenes that dominate the book's opening sucked me right in. To make matters even more exceptional, Maberry drags Lovecraftian gods into his sword and sorcery epic, infusing the proceedings with a nice layer of cosmic horror. I thought I was in with this violent romp through the kingdom, but throw in some Lovecraft mythos? Gods of the Pit, I was in-in!
Kagen makes for an exceptional hero, and his fall from grace is as tragic as his attempts at redemption are savage. A skilled knife-fighter, it's rare that Maberry passes up the opportunity to remind us just how proficient and merciless a bladesman Kagen is, or why his skills earned him a place on the Empress's protective detail. What's even more compelling, though, is the moral conundrum presented by the rise and fall of the Silver Empire, and Hakkia's place among the kingdom's territories. While there's a certain degree of empathy to be had for the Hakkian people, it's hard to sympathize with the action of the Witch-King and his Raven soldiers, squarely making this a conflict of good versus evil, albeit with varying shades of gray to muddy it all.
Admittedly, I went into Kagen the Damned with low expectations, based only on my own past disappointments with previous fantasy stories. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what Maberry brought to the table here. Worst-case scenario, I thought, this book would just be one more title in my DNF pile of fantasy books. Instead, this turned into the best of best-case scenarios. I not only loved Kagen the Damned, but turned that last page ready for more adventures with this motley crew of warriors. It's also given me a bit of an itch to try some more fantasy books and see what's happening of late in that genre, particularly in the field of grimdark sword and sorcery. Only time will tell if that itch can be satisfied, or if I must be left waiting for Kagen's second adventure to hit the shelves.
I dig the hell out of Jonathan Maberry, see. Given how much I've loved his Joe Ledger books and P.I. Monk Addison from Glimpse and Ink, if anybody was going to make me give the fantasy genre another try, it's this guy.
After a night of drinking and whoring, Kagen Vale - whose job and sacred duty is to protect the Empress's children - sleeps through the opening volley of a devastating invasion that destroys the Silver Empire and leaves Argentium under the rule of the Hakkian Witch-King. Magic has returned to the world after a thousand years of being outlawed, and in one single night the Witch-King topples an entire empire and usurps the throne as the new emperor. Having failed so completely in his duties and oath to the Empress, the gods have turned their back on Kagen, leaving him damned and adrift, but with a single goal: to kill that black-hearted son of a bitch Witch-King.
Right from the outset, Kagen the Damned is a dark, bloody, and violent affair. Admittedly, this appealed to me greatly and Maberry's widescreen action scenes that dominate the book's opening sucked me right in. To make matters even more exceptional, Maberry drags Lovecraftian gods into his sword and sorcery epic, infusing the proceedings with a nice layer of cosmic horror. I thought I was in with this violent romp through the kingdom, but throw in some Lovecraft mythos? Gods of the Pit, I was in-in!
Kagen makes for an exceptional hero, and his fall from grace is as tragic as his attempts at redemption are savage. A skilled knife-fighter, it's rare that Maberry passes up the opportunity to remind us just how proficient and merciless a bladesman Kagen is, or why his skills earned him a place on the Empress's protective detail. What's even more compelling, though, is the moral conundrum presented by the rise and fall of the Silver Empire, and Hakkia's place among the kingdom's territories. While there's a certain degree of empathy to be had for the Hakkian people, it's hard to sympathize with the action of the Witch-King and his Raven soldiers, squarely making this a conflict of good versus evil, albeit with varying shades of gray to muddy it all.
Admittedly, I went into Kagen the Damned with low expectations, based only on my own past disappointments with previous fantasy stories. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what Maberry brought to the table here. Worst-case scenario, I thought, this book would just be one more title in my DNF pile of fantasy books. Instead, this turned into the best of best-case scenarios. I not only loved Kagen the Damned, but turned that last page ready for more adventures with this motley crew of warriors. It's also given me a bit of an itch to try some more fantasy books and see what's happening of late in that genre, particularly in the field of grimdark sword and sorcery. Only time will tell if that itch can be satisfied, or if I must be left waiting for Kagen's second adventure to hit the shelves.
October 31, 2024
Pod nohy se mi po delší době nečekaně připletla strašně fajn věc. Kagen sice nebyl v takové roli, do které si ho autor pošťuchoval, ale všechno ostatní fungovalo na jedničku. Prostředí, dialogy, spád, vedlejší postavy, svět stojící spíše v pozadí i ta pomyslná závěrečná tečka.
Na dvojku se nefalšovaně těším!
Na dvojku se nefalšovaně těším!
May 10, 2022
Kagen the Damned follows the eponymous man who believes he is damned and whose gods have turned their backs on him. One night, a brutal coup strips him of his charges, his family, and all he holds dear. Tragically, he does not arrive in time to save the royal children. Surviving against all odds, Kagen swears revenge against the person responsible- the mysterious and terrifying Witch King. The stage is thus set for a grimdark epic fantasy, as magic is brought back to a world that has long forgotten it.
Despite the dire circumstances in which readers initially find him, I didn’t feel a strong sense of interest in Kagen. While his circumstances were indeed grim, I didn’t find the choices he made as a result particularly compelling. It felt like the book struggled to balance the level of gore and assault one might expect during a coup with shock value.
Ultimately, I did not find Kagen a likable or relatable character. He was a character of extremes. This ranged from self-congratulatory over his substandard treatment of women to self-castigating over honest mistakes. The writing felt clunky and unpolished. I particularly disliked the ending for two of the only queer-coded characters, which had an unpleasant twist.
However, this series certainly has a lot of potential and I look forward to learning what is next for Kagen. I know Jonathan Maberry is a beloved author and now that the world-building and circumstances have been established in book one, perhaps book two will be more my cup of tea. Thank you to Jonathan Maberry, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Despite the dire circumstances in which readers initially find him, I didn’t feel a strong sense of interest in Kagen. While his circumstances were indeed grim, I didn’t find the choices he made as a result particularly compelling. It felt like the book struggled to balance the level of gore and assault one might expect during a coup with shock value.
Ultimately, I did not find Kagen a likable or relatable character. He was a character of extremes. This ranged from self-congratulatory over his substandard treatment of women to self-castigating over honest mistakes. The writing felt clunky and unpolished. I particularly disliked the ending for two of the only queer-coded characters, which had an unpleasant twist.
However, this series certainly has a lot of potential and I look forward to learning what is next for Kagen. I know Jonathan Maberry is a beloved author and now that the world-building and circumstances have been established in book one, perhaps book two will be more my cup of tea. Thank you to Jonathan Maberry, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 8, 2022
Unfortunately I can’t finish this book. This was my first encounter with this authors work and definitely is not for me. I’m always open to try new stories out of my comfort zone, but this one here is way too much for myself. Very graphic scenes of sexual violence, this is way to dark and just can’t keep reading.
I have to thank NetGalley and St Martin Press for trusting me with an advance copy of this book, I wish all the success to all the parts involved in this.
Happy reading 🥰
I have to thank NetGalley and St Martin Press for trusting me with an advance copy of this book, I wish all the success to all the parts involved in this.
Happy reading 🥰
May 19, 2022
This one started out slow for me, but we had to get to know what was going on, the world the story was set in and who everyone was. It really picked up about half way through, was hard for me to stop listening to the story. I feel for Kagen, for how he was betrayed at the start, but that was nothing to what he discovered at the end, that betrayal so huge. I wished we could have had more of his reaction, but I guess that will have to wait for the next book.
August 26, 2024
GUYSSSSS, I am so torn. I still hate fantasy, but I love Maberry's writing and Ray Porter's voice.
I enjoyed the dark and twisted things in this fantasy world. I loved following Kagen's journey, but I still rolled my eyes at Witch-king's and other fantasy.
I can appreciate dragons and swords and that, I just can't get behind it.
No matter how much I try, despite that, I still enjoyed this, probably just because of Maberry and Porter.
I enjoyed the dark and twisted things in this fantasy world. I loved following Kagen's journey, but I still rolled my eyes at Witch-king's and other fantasy.
I can appreciate dragons and swords and that, I just can't get behind it.
No matter how much I try, despite that, I still enjoyed this, probably just because of Maberry and Porter.
July 9, 2022
Kagen Vale, leaders of the guard and personally responsible for the security of the royal family and more specifically the royal children of Argentium, wakes up hungover and disoriented. Eventually, he pulls himself together enough to understand that there's an active attack against his land by the Hakkians, who use magic that was banned in Argentium. When he arrives at the royal wing, he finds all of them, right down to the babies, killed in various gruesomely described ways. He decides at that moment that he is incompetent, terrible at his job, and damned.
I'm a firm believer that what matters when tragedy strikes, or when some life situation goes terribly wrong and bad, that what matters is owning your responsibility in it, if any, and that true character is shown by how one acts after such tragedies occur.
And his personal mindset of mind had a very large issue with Kagen and his nonstop whining, drinking, and lamenting about how he sucked at his job. I started calling him Kagen the Whiny, and promised myself at about the 35% mark that if he didn't get his shit together, I was going to make this a DNF. The author pulled out of the nosedive shortly thereafter.
While Kagen was drinking and whining his way about this fictional world, other characters were also introduced - some appeared and hen vanished until almost the end of he book. I get that Kagen is the main character and so much of he book time is devote to him, but we got some pretty detailed narrative time with the other characters, including a young nun destined for a sacrifice, so I was expecting a bit more from her at some point before the end of her journey.
There are various side characters who show up, either for Kagen to fight against and kill, or just to give us some information about what's happening in the rest of the world instead of the usual "As you know, Bob." stuff where someone just talks at he main character. I hope some of them show up again later, because they were just as interesting (sometimes moreso) than Kagen.
But Kagen is back to himself by now, halting he drinking, and even invading a vampire witch's tower, where he is "captured", but not killed, as every other interloper has been. There's a prophecy, of course, and she lets him go because of that prophecy.
And that brings me to another issue I have with this kind of book in general. Kagen was obviously taken out of action by a woman who drugged him. My question: why not just poison him and take him out of action entirely?I understand the value of humiliation some people require others to feel, to know that they have been bested, and with barely any effort, but in things like this, a better leader would have weighed the value of having Kagen gone versus his humiliation and gone with the former.
In any case, throughout the book we pop into the heads of other characters wandering around this world, so we get a good picture of what has happened and how the occupation of Argentium is ongoing. It presents a good reference point for the reader, and avoids head-hopping within any one individual scene.
There is a lot, and I mean a LOT of violence in this book: torture, rape, general war and individual fighters killing one another - all are here, and all described in very detailed ways. If you can't handle fictional blood, or don't like descriptions of rape and torture, stay far away.
It occurred to me after finishing that the whole magic question came across as the usual 2nd Amendment stuff here in the US. One side (Hakkian) had and used all the magic (guns) and one side (Argentium) had no magic (guns) because of very strict laws. Of course the Hakkians quickly overran Argentium. I'll let the reader make the conclusion there.
Overall, not bad for an afternoon read if you can get past the main character whining his way through the first 30% so and don't mind gore.
Three stars out of five.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press ad NetGalley for the review copy.
I'm a firm believer that what matters when tragedy strikes, or when some life situation goes terribly wrong and bad, that what matters is owning your responsibility in it, if any, and that true character is shown by how one acts after such tragedies occur.
And his personal mindset of mind had a very large issue with Kagen and his nonstop whining, drinking, and lamenting about how he sucked at his job. I started calling him Kagen the Whiny, and promised myself at about the 35% mark that if he didn't get his shit together, I was going to make this a DNF. The author pulled out of the nosedive shortly thereafter.
While Kagen was drinking and whining his way about this fictional world, other characters were also introduced - some appeared and hen vanished until almost the end of he book. I get that Kagen is the main character and so much of he book time is devote to him, but we got some pretty detailed narrative time with the other characters, including a young nun destined for a sacrifice, so I was expecting a bit more from her at some point before the end of her journey.
There are various side characters who show up, either for Kagen to fight against and kill, or just to give us some information about what's happening in the rest of the world instead of the usual "As you know, Bob." stuff where someone just talks at he main character. I hope some of them show up again later, because they were just as interesting (sometimes moreso) than Kagen.
But Kagen is back to himself by now, halting he drinking, and even invading a vampire witch's tower, where he is "captured", but not killed, as every other interloper has been. There's a prophecy, of course, and she lets him go because of that prophecy.
And that brings me to another issue I have with this kind of book in general. Kagen was obviously taken out of action by a woman who drugged him. My question: why not just poison him and take him out of action entirely?I understand the value of humiliation some people require others to feel, to know that they have been bested, and with barely any effort, but in things like this, a better leader would have weighed the value of having Kagen gone versus his humiliation and gone with the former.
In any case, throughout the book we pop into the heads of other characters wandering around this world, so we get a good picture of what has happened and how the occupation of Argentium is ongoing. It presents a good reference point for the reader, and avoids head-hopping within any one individual scene.
There is a lot, and I mean a LOT of violence in this book: torture, rape, general war and individual fighters killing one another - all are here, and all described in very detailed ways. If you can't handle fictional blood, or don't like descriptions of rape and torture, stay far away.
It occurred to me after finishing that the whole magic question came across as the usual 2nd Amendment stuff here in the US. One side (Hakkian) had and used all the magic (guns) and one side (Argentium) had no magic (guns) because of very strict laws. Of course the Hakkians quickly overran Argentium. I'll let the reader make the conclusion there.
Overall, not bad for an afternoon read if you can get past the main character whining his way through the first 30% so and don't mind gore.
Three stars out of five.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press ad NetGalley for the review copy.
October 30, 2022
DNF at ~20%
Writing a book is never easy, so as a reader I try not to be overly critical. A lot of time and effort goes into any book and I respect anyone that can finish a novel with a cohesive story.
That said, if this book is any indication of Jonathan Maberry's writing ability, I doubt I will ever read another one of his works. I'm not talking about plot (which started off well enough), characters (who are dull), setting (nothing particularly stand-out here), all the gruesome details (which are overdone, even for the genre), the almost comical violence (and a juvenile excitement with it), but instead the actual prose and flow of the book. It is painfully amateur, more suited for middle-grade fiction (if that) than the audience this was intended for.
And yes, perhaps it is me being a snob, but I just cannot get through it. Too much stilted dialog, too many metaphors that are thrown in for no purpose, too much exposition, too many play-by-play sequences of actions that don't need to be presented to the reader, too many descriptions that don't add any movement or purpose to the scene, and so on.
I'm sure I've gotten through books that had worse writing than this, but usually there is some other redeeming feature that allows me to overlook it. Not in this case. For me, this one is just a bad book.
Perhaps you will enjoy it if you like "grimdark" fantasy and aren't too uppity about prose, but if you don't and you are, then I'd recommend avoiding Kagen the Damned.
Writing a book is never easy, so as a reader I try not to be overly critical. A lot of time and effort goes into any book and I respect anyone that can finish a novel with a cohesive story.
That said, if this book is any indication of Jonathan Maberry's writing ability, I doubt I will ever read another one of his works. I'm not talking about plot (which started off well enough), characters (who are dull), setting (nothing particularly stand-out here), all the gruesome details (which are overdone, even for the genre), the almost comical violence (and a juvenile excitement with it), but instead the actual prose and flow of the book. It is painfully amateur, more suited for middle-grade fiction (if that) than the audience this was intended for.
And yes, perhaps it is me being a snob, but I just cannot get through it. Too much stilted dialog, too many metaphors that are thrown in for no purpose, too much exposition, too many play-by-play sequences of actions that don't need to be presented to the reader, too many descriptions that don't add any movement or purpose to the scene, and so on.
I'm sure I've gotten through books that had worse writing than this, but usually there is some other redeeming feature that allows me to overlook it. Not in this case. For me, this one is just a bad book.
Perhaps you will enjoy it if you like "grimdark" fantasy and aren't too uppity about prose, but if you don't and you are, then I'd recommend avoiding Kagen the Damned.
December 7, 2021
I was completely enthralled with this book — my only complaint is that I’m finished reading it and I need more of the story NOW!
Okay, okay. I’ll be patient. I’m completely invested in Kagen and company.
I love a good fantasy world with just enough historic accuracy to make the reader wonder about alternate universes and other world that developed similar but oh so differently from the world we know.
Gods, mythology, how different cultures worship, and how all these things can be so similar (gods serving similar functions and such) yet so different based on the people worshipping — land or sea, war drive, desert dwellers, hidden forest people, and so on.
If epic battles, intrigue, quests, heroes & villains, history written by the victorious vs the defeated ones’ version, and unanswerable questions pique your interest you won’t want to sleep on this one.
Okay, okay. I’ll be patient. I’m completely invested in Kagen and company.
I love a good fantasy world with just enough historic accuracy to make the reader wonder about alternate universes and other world that developed similar but oh so differently from the world we know.
Gods, mythology, how different cultures worship, and how all these things can be so similar (gods serving similar functions and such) yet so different based on the people worshipping — land or sea, war drive, desert dwellers, hidden forest people, and so on.
If epic battles, intrigue, quests, heroes & villains, history written by the victorious vs the defeated ones’ version, and unanswerable questions pique your interest you won’t want to sleep on this one.
December 2, 2021
This is a very quick-start book. I really wanted to love it, but it's honestly a really hard to get into. Generally Maberry is an author I enjoy, but there was a lot going on with this, and I kept fighting the urge to go back to see if I missed something, and part way through I did check to see if I missed a first book.
The ending was really solid, but it seemed to take me forever to get there.
The ending was really solid, but it seemed to take me forever to get there.
January 12, 2023
An Epic Tale! Driven, riveting characters, blistering actionz
Extraordinary story, impossible to put down, neck breaking twists and turns. Unlikely heroes, unpredictable battles and mind bending warfare and battle strategies. Strong writing, insightful and fulfilling. Well done Jonathan Maberry, well done indeed! More please, asap.
Extraordinary story, impossible to put down, neck breaking twists and turns. Unlikely heroes, unpredictable battles and mind bending warfare and battle strategies. Strong writing, insightful and fulfilling. Well done Jonathan Maberry, well done indeed! More please, asap.
Read
June 6, 2023DNF. The writing style did not agree with me and I couldn’t get into the story at all.
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