Scott's Take: Kagen The Damned by Jonathan Maberry

 
Kagen The Damned by Jonathan Maberry is the first book in a new dark fantasy series with strong Lovecraft elements. The main character is Kagen, a soldier, tasked with protecting the heirs of the crown. One night he is drugged and the Empire along with the heirs are destroyed by a magical army led by the Witchking. Kagen feels responsible and abandoned by his gods. He wanders the fallen empire in a drunken haze while plotting his revenge. At least, that is how it starts, but things get way more complicated and detailed as the read goes on.

The universe is a mish-mash of various fantasy and Lovecraft ideas merged into a world of its own. Kagan is a very violent, dark, cynical, and bitter character. He is a good guy who hates himself and routinely describes his own self-loathing. The world he inhabits is not a nice one. There is plenty of action, as well as suicides, rapes, murders, and adult humor in this rather dark book that should only be read by adults. This is not a read for children or teens as there is some very dark violence and ideas in this complicated fantasy read.

This is a really good book though, in my opinion, one of the plot lines should have been cut. The plot line did not matter much at all and, with so much going on, could have easily been eliminated.  and really did not matter that much at least in this book.

Though a very dark and violent read, I highly recommend Kagen The Damned by Jonathan Maberry for dark fantasy readers. This book is better, that the recent reads in the Ledger series that began with Patient Zero. It had seemed that Mr. Mayberry had become bored with his other series and wanted to do something new and different. He certainly has in Kagen The Damned by Jonathan Maberry.

Book two of the series titled, Son of the Poison Rose, is currently scheduled to be released in early January 2023. 

 

My reading copy came from the Lakewood Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2022