Son of the Poison Rose: Kagen the Damned, Book 2

Picking up Kagen the Damned was a bit of luck for me. I was unfamiliar with Jonathan Maberry. But, 'ole Amazon kept suggesting I try his books. Having largely left fantasy in my rearview mirror; so, so much disappointment in GRRM, disinterested in Abercrombie's steam-punk, Salvatore being straight schlep, DeCastell doing YA, Staveley gone skiing, and Feist, wait, does Raymond Feist still write Fantasy?Along comes Kagen, the Damned. Kagen, Son of the Poison Rose, in between, Kagen, "I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights." Refreshingly different. Straight brutal. His is a life turned upside down, inside out, thrown off a cliff, into deep waters, with big fish, and even bigger teeth.I was over-joyed that my least favorite part of book 1 gets little "screen time" in book 2. sorry island of the love nuns, but that part of the story was pretty lame. instead book 2 is a road trip of all the horrors that have crawled out of the grave. and this little land of dead empresses, usurping witch kings in yellow is now fit to burst with some truly horrific supernatural elements.I'm here for it.When's book 3?Until then, do yourself a favor, pick up Kagen the Damned if you haven't already, then immediately start Son of the Poison Rose.

In this second epic installment of Maberry’s KAGEN THE DAMNED series, Kagen is on a quest to find 7 ancient texts which may be the only way to prevent the Witch-king’s magic from reaching apocalyptic levels. He joins the Unbladed, a rogue group of mercenaries, who help him on his mission.As our heroes get closer to their goal, they face savage tribal warriors, flesh-eating ghouls spawned by alchemical terrorism, one of the most grueling forests to ever exist, more Lovecraftian creatures, and a demonic warrior Kagen managed to kill in the first novel, although this time he must face another without the weapon that previously helped him. Several new characters are introduced, my favorite being The Prince of Games, a mysterious figure who forcefully becomes the Witch-king’s right hand man. Kagen’s close allies Tuke and Filia become as essential to the story as Kagen, and I can easily see them in their own spin-off stories.For a book of nearly 700 pages, Maberry has the uncommon ability to make the pages fly by, once again blending dark fantasy, horror, and non-stop adventure into an incredibly satisfying series. There are plenty of side plots brewing, and I’m eagerly looking forward to what the author has in store.

I really enjoyed this, the second, book in the series. Hopefully the third is not far behind. Now to find something else to read until the next book arrives.

This series feels like an homage to the old school Conan style fantasies without being weighed down by explicit racism and misogyny. As always, the author writes a rollicking good action novel. I've particularly enjoyed his obviously well-thought-out use of the Lovecraftian mythos. Here the Elder Gods and their like are presented as simply part of life. They're almost portrayed as super advanced spacemen who play at being gods. On not sure my review does it justice, so just read if you're into this sort of thing!

Wonderful storyline that constantly moves from one important character to another with lots of hidden behind the scenes pivotal actions helping or hindering the main hero Kagan a d others.

Great sequel in the series and I can’t wait for the next one. I really hope it comes out soon because it’s awesome.

Fantastic second book, Maberry’s venture into Sword and sorcery has been fantastic so far. Love the world and always enjoy fantasy infused with lots of Lovecraft. Looking forward to the third book, the year wait will be worth it!

As with all Maberry books, Jonathan builds the suspense, forms the characters, and fashions outstanding action scenes. True fun. Can't wait for the third and final book.

What a book, what a sequal, bigger, better, non-stop action, gods, monsters, demons, witches, zombies, vampires, battles, adventure and all tied together with brilliant narrative. Highly recommended

This second book about Kagen Vale has not disappointed and is as good as the first if not better. There is a strong narrative which helps to develop the characters and plot. I look forward to the next book and hope it arrives soon. Fantasy with a twist for Joe Ledger fans.

I'm not sure how but this is even better than the first book, which I said had rewritten the genre in one fail swoop