Kagen the Damned: A Novel

Kagen is a wonderful dark fantasy adventure, melding the best parts of classic fantasy and Lovecraftian horror, along with many original elements. The result is simultaneously a revenge thriller, horror novel, and high adventure,The Silver Empire whose royal family Kagen guards has been conquered by the left-in-the-dust nation of Hakkia, using forbidden and supposedly lost magic, in a single night of surgical strikes. His own family as well as the royal children that were his specific charge are dead. Believing he has failed in his duty and literally abandoned by his gods, he has only one purpose: kill the Witch-king who now rules. The Witch-king is a fascinating creation. He seeks domination and will not be challenged, and conquering the western half of a continent is only a start to fulfilling his purpose. Yet he is not a Sauron- or Hitler-style ruler. He is instead a clever demagogue who makes his appeals to the people sound reasonable, casts the old empire as the villain, and allows people to keep their local governments and gods. He serves his own god: indeed, a god who readers of HP Lovecraft know very well. (For people like myself who never read Lovecraft in depth, remember: the famed Cthulhu is not the only Old One in the universe.) There’s a compelling story in the exploration of the Lovecraftian mythos by a teenage girl and a nun whose divine alliances are not as they seem, and young Ryssa becomes our guide to this strange fragment of the world.Kagen, plagued by dreams of gigantic cities and labyrinths of ice, must seek for one of the last sources of magic not allied with the Witch-king. In a lonely tower protected by myth, sorcery, and physical guards (who seem at times incompetent, which is the only false note in the book to me), Kagan must make contact with a mystical being with deep roots in Tennyson’s epic poem “The Lady of Shalott.” (I also saw a line from Keats in there.) Maberry has also cited Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene” as an influence.The use of elements born from other literature produces, in Maberry’s hands, not a pastiche but an alchemical reaction. Some of the most memorable concepts from fantasy and legend become ingredients in a potion that produces a burst of literary magic in a world of copycat-Tolkien and copycat-Moorcock. It’s also brutal and violent, and some scenes are hard to stomach for those not into hard-core horror.One of the good choices Maberry makes here is creating Kagen as a wiry fighter of speed and skill rather than a massive sword-swinging Cimmerian. He is from humble, rowdy, brawling human stock. He doesn’t have the nobility of Aragorn or the Chosen-One vibe of far too many protagonists (although it turns out he is more important in the grand scheme than he has any idea of). Rather, he is a soldier whose every cell is infused with his dedication to duty and falls into drunken disorientation when he thinks he’s failed in that duty. Two old sometimes-allies knock some sense back into him, but Kagen doesn’t believe he can be redeemed (if he can be redeemed at all) until he has killed his enemy.A memorable feature of Kagen the Damned is the rich backstory of nations, gods, wars, and civilizations, the most important elements of which are woven through the events of the story with no dead stops for exposition. This keeps the pacing top-notch: I told the author online he owes me eight hours of sleep. It also means there are many hints of the larger world that aren’t followed up. I sometimes felt there was too much white space, but the essentials are here, and there’s no point in the story where it makes sense for the characters to ramble on about elements not connected to the unfolding events. There is plenty of world to be explored.When Kagan finally confronts his adversary, he will find the greatest secret of all, and no one knows what will become of him or the empire. Enjoy this book for itself and is the beginning of what looks like an impressive universe of adventure in dark fantasy.

#spokers…..I guessed his brother was the king..why else was he wearing a veil. Good book had me turning pages.

Love this new series by Jonathan Mayberry. If you’re a fan of his work, the Kagen the Damned series does not disappoint!

I was excited to read an author who namechecks Elric and Conan in his forward, but the book goes far beyond homage to simply lifting other author's entire worlds and grafting them on to his own. Not only are Howard and Moorcock's worlds seemingly present, but the whole tale is set in a Lovecraftian universe with Elder Gods and cosmic horrors, and the antagonist is The King In Yellow, another hoary old horror callback from an adjacent universe that Lovecraft hinself borrowed from, from 1895. Then for fun I suppose we get Nimue from the Arthurian mythology, but as a vampire, and well, it's already silly enough but there are tons more careworn fantasy tropes thrown in until its just the literary equivalent of the color brown.The book is well written, the characters memorable, but one other flaw is the extreme violence and gore, as we didn't have enough problems digesting several warring fantasy worlds, now we have to assimilate the sadistic descriptions of children's hacked up bodies and other slasheresque gore motifs. The violence was so over that top that early on I acually found myself laughing out loud at a scene where a baby is described as being thrown in the air and cleaved in two during a massacre of royals that sets the stage for the rest of the book. I started picturing Pete Sampras, only with a giant zweihander, lunging into one of his perfect and perfectly insane first-serves, just cutting a child in two, the violence was so overdone I couldn't take anything afterwards seriously.TL;DR A well-written mess of a book that could have used another draft, less laughable ultraviolence.

Kagen the Damned is a nuanced story about society, religion, war, and beliefs.We see how truth becomes fluid—an adaptable, almost malleable thing—depending on who tells the story. I loved how the content reflected so much of our current society and humanity (or lack thereof) without ever feeling preachy or heavy-handed.So this book is a bit of a monster. If you tend to shy away from long books, this one probably isn’t for you. The story is detailed, taking its time exploring moods and emotions and the consequences of actions. And while I’m not usually known for my patience, I loved every word. We don’t meander unnecessarily. Each section has a point, a meaning, an intention. A complex plot, richly developed characters, and thought-provoking content kept me fully invested throughout.The twist near the end? Spun me like a top! I didn’t see it coming at all.This is the first book in the Kagen the Damned Series. I was so hooked that I’m already reading an eARC of book two, Son of the Poison Rose, which releases in a few weeks.

The book starts and keeps going, never letting go.Twists, turns, violence. Lovely insults. More violence.People, nations, magical beings, and gods all center around Kagen the Damned and his quest for vengeance.What’s not to like?And for half of the book I listened to the audio version. Stellar!!!

4* for being well written, good beginning & good ending but the middle was a plod! The big/twist reveal....erm I'd be highly surprised if every reader doesn't know who the Witch King is before you are a third of the way through the book, the author makes it so blindingly obvious that as the "reveal" get's closer , you are hoping that you are wrong! The second "shock" is telegraphed as well & if any reader is shocked by it then I'd guess they've skimmed the book half asleep!This would have been so much better just sticking with Kagen & his group, there's side story about Risha & Miri that basically goes from one side of the world to the next with nothing of import happening! The Witch King is there & his bits do nothing but reinforce who you know he is! Lady Kestral & Nespar could be interesting but again are just there.All in all it really felt like a book that was setting up a series by introducing the cast & little else. If this had been a couple of £ I would happily read the next one but it was £8 & the second one is £9! & IMO just not worth it.

If you love RE Howard’s Conan and Solomon Kane, and the works of HP Lovecraft , then this is the book series for you, as Mr Maberry concocts a world and story that evokes both at their finest, but told with a more modern voice, giving it it’s own unique flavour, and bypassing some of the elements of early 20th century pulp fantasy that do not age comfortably.Those of you familiar with Mr Maberry’s other series and characters will know he fashions the most gripping and cinematic of action and fight scenes, described beautifully , and here attached to a truly ripping yarn.Recommended without reservation.

Maberry does it again. He has created a fantastic land full of life-sized caracters and launched a epic saga that does justice to the fantasy genre! Cant wait for the next part!

As usual Maberry's writing is fantastic, can't wait for book 2.

Another solid Mayberry page turner. Loved the mishmash of genres, old gods and dark comedy. Bring on the sequel can't wait