Have you read the Jason Bourne novels & thought... this, but science fiction, and also more action sequences? Well! This is the book for you!

I didn’t find the protagonist to be super relatable but he is entertaining & his interactions are amusing. Should Naughty Dog be looking- this book would make an excellent video game.

Thank you Netgalley & Rebellion for this advanced e-ARC.

First of all, allow me to appreciate the author, publishers, and the Netgalley team for the opportunity to review the book.

The protagonist founds himself in an unknown location, with no prior memory and with no interest and desire in helping creatures he physically appeared with. However, it appeared that he is a carrier of some inhuman skills and appears to be very useful in the upcoming "battle". And Status takes advantage of these powers and gains knowledge my tasting the opponent's essence, the brains.
A bit underdevelopment of characters, due to the storytelling of the protagonist's POV.

The work is a 3 star read for me, overall an interesting dark fantasy work, with hints of animism,

The book perfectly shows human nature, behavior, and the consequences of some behavior.
I loved the mythology, the world, and would love to dive deeper into that aspect.
Many thanks for the opportunity to review the book.

I’m not quite the target audience for this book. It is very very bloody.
The protagonist awakens naked in a field with no memories. The entire book has him slaughtering his way through countless opponents on his path to figure out what happened to him and who he is. He gradually regains memory and power as he hacks his way through the book. It’s solidly written if a straight up action power fantasy sounds good to you. If this sounds good to you this book would be a good read.
The more sensitive natured are not going like how he refers to women as females probably but he’s a killer and not a rapist, nor does he have any particular interest in hurting non threatening individuals.

I read the first 20% of the book but then I gave up becuase the story didn’t interest me much. The main character Stratus wanders on mostly aimlessly, fights random soldiers. He is hurt a lot but somehow he heals almost immediately. He doesn’t remember who he is but than seems to know stuff he shouldn’t.

Thank you to NetGalley a d the publisher for my copy,

“I set him on fire before his brain melted, then burned his corpse.” I’m afraid that this book just wasn’t for me. I made it to the 20% point and by that time Stratus had been in countless fights, he was injured but healed rapidly, he ate a lot and he was gradually remembering who he was and what his magical powers were. I also read the last chapter and discovered that he (and the reader) don’t find out the answers to those questions until the end of the book. And then they have to read a second book. He is also naked a lot of the time. There is some male fantasy thing going on here to which I do not relate.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Thanks go to NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for giving me the ARC for INFERNAL by Mark de Jager. I must say that this book took me on a roller coaster for the first 50 pages or so. Great start, then to a “Yuk! heroes don’t do that” stage. I did not stop at the “Yuk” point, thankfully. The story took an exciting upturn and eventually revealed the reasons for the main characters violent nature. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, the story’s ups and downs, the characters, and the satisfying “ending” that leaves room for the next chapter in the series. Overall, I definitely recommend this book to everyone who likes a kick-ass main character, a strong female soldier partner, surprising twists, and the promise of it all continuing.

Review

I have to admit to fan boy begging for a copy of this book, the cover just shouts out to be read. I’m a big fan of a decent cover, and yes you can judge a book by the cover, because if the cover sucks i’m probably never going to read it….

I’m also a sucker for a debut, keeping a look out for the next great read, the person who will hit the genre like a very irate Balrog (fully committing to a geek reference), demanding notice and attention and deserving it.

So how did this stack up? it was very different, which as an opener can be good or bad. The Protagonist Stratus neither a hero or a villain wakes at the beginning of the book unable to move. The book follows his first person account / voyage of discovery to who and what he is. Strength sorcery and a very irate mental passenger all make for a dangerous force crossing the landscape of this world, and the first person allows for a clever use of descriptive to info drop the nuances of the world and its geopolitical framework.

There is a rich darkness to this book, being given free passage to a persons thoughts is a voyeuristic ride, one that is slightly disturbing, because Startus clearly isn’t human (any fantasy reader will guess very quickly what he is, but i’m not really sure that will win any prizes). This is also clearly the start of a longer journey, as we learn about the magic of the world, the beings that inhabit it and its history, all of which both draw you in and and ask more questions, for me the sign of great writing.

I will admit to a few times being frustrated with the first person nature of the book when Stratus asks himself the same thing yet again, but like anything different it needs time to bed in, when i first read Julian Stockwin it took me time to get used to the Sea shanty nuance of the language. I did get used to those subtleties in Infernal and by the later part of the book it was hard to put down, and the hooks were well embedded by the end, leaving me wanting more more more. As ever D H H Literary Agency have found a winning combination of author, clever writing and something unique in style, bring on the next great debut (please).

Highly recommended

(Parm)

The premise to this was certainly interesting - a creature of unknown origin wakes up in a strange place with amnesia. I liked the strangeness of Stratus' character; he is violent, even eating people, but he navigated the world with a strange sort of logic that I understood. He was also unexpectedly funny, and I enjoyed reading about his journey to discover exactly who he is and what he had been trying to do. I also liked Tatyana and Lucien, side characters that he ends up befriending. However, I sometimes found the writing difficult to get through; at times, there was too much description and not enough dialogue, resulting in many long paragraphs which I ended up skimming. The big reveal of who/what exactly Stratus is was also left to the very last page, which felt a bit abrupt. In general, I felt that the second half of the book dragged on at times, and this made me lose interest.

Overall, this is a decent book with an intriguing protagonist and premise. However, the writing left more to be desired.

This is a dark and violent fantasy, but also laced with some sardonic humour. A large and powerful individual wakes up with no memories of who (or what) he is. There is something dark and very powerful within him and he sets off into a world at war to find the truth about himself. He becomes more and more aware as we go through the book as he realises that there is something very evil in the land and confronting it might give him some answers. So he teams up with a female fighter to track the bad stuff to its source.
Our main character is a little hard to like (he is NOT a good guy) and does some things that you wouldn’t expect and the story is told through his eyes.
I enjoyed it but the story gives us a big reveal at the end and then….stops. Obviously a second one to come, but this was far too abrupt and unsatisfying as an ending for me so I have gone for three stars whereas with a more complete ending I would probably have gone for four.
But I will pick up the next one, so there was plenty to enjoy here.

This was okay, I guess, but overall quite disappointing. to me, I expected more from it because several people have recommended it to me. The writing is overly repetitive, and the pacing felt off (often dragging) mostly due to a lack of dialogues. There's also nothing surprising in the story. Black Stone Heart by Michael R. Fletcher did a much better job in telling a grimdark character with an amnesiac main character .

3 stars

I enjoyed the book, however was not aware that it had been previously released beforehand.

We are introduced to Stratus a character with amnesia who wakes up in a world in which he knows little about and no one. Together we slowly piece together the mystery of who Stratus is via encounters with the people he meets and the path he takes. I very much enjoyed this novel. It was very graphic and brutal, so be warned However, in context the brutality is appropriate and I was very much drawn into this story and the world in which it takes place.

I could barely make it 20% into this rereleasing ARC due to some descriptions and overall feel of this novel. This is going to be a short review, but I will give you all my notes and where in the novel I felt things were inappropriate and wrong.

So, overall, the book drags. Especially for being about 20% in. The book should have started to pick up, but instead the writer repeats himself over and over again, and there is just no point. We’re constantly reminded this is a dark skinned man who is basically a monster, and he quickly becomes addicted to killing. Every time a complication occurs, it’s always someone who is afraid of him and wants to kill him based on how he looks. And normally I wouldn’t think negatively on this because if used in an educational way, readers could see how POC were and are still being treated, but it was the manner of how these issues were presented that bothered me.

First off, when the MC is discovered, an old wizened wizard and what I assume was his young apprectince adminster to him, to heal and save him. But all they really do is comment on his skin, and it’s inquired whether the MC is a demon because his skin is different. That bothered me. What also bothered me was the continual addressing of him as “my dark friend.” Over and over again. You don’t do that! It’s rude and wrong!

During one of the MC’s capturings, he’s set to be lynched, yes, lynched! And a minor character comments whether his skin color will change to white! As if death would erase who the MC is!

Another name call I noticed was “black arse.” I was getting really annoyed at that point but how many times the character was described and abused namely on his skin. And that was when I finally decided to DNF this book. Normally I’d give about 25% until I DNF, but it actually was VERY uncomfortable to read this book, not including the slow paced writing and boring atmosphere.

I don’t have anything good to say except that it was interesting to read from the POV of a villain, if the villain was a legit villain and not because of his skin color….just saying.

So, nope, I do not recommend this book.

A great dark fantasy story with a MC whose grim humor made this a highly entertaining story to read. I really enjoyed going on Stratus' journey with him as works to find out who he is. Intriguing, suspenseful, and highly engaging, I cannot wait to read more of Stratus and his quest of self-discovery.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley*

This was an amazing book! I loved it. Despite being quite dark, loved the touch of comedy. Stratus is a great character whom you get attached to . 
If you love Fantasy genre , you should definitely get your hand on this one !

I really enjoyed reading this book because the character is unique and very interesting. I like the humorous side of the story and the plot is traceable and well thought out.

The comparison to Game of Thrones meets Jason Bourne has never been more accurate. Our protagonist is on a one man mission to discover himself in the bloodiest way possible. Slowly discovering more about his surroundings and how came to be in the body he awakes in, the carnage around him grows, culminating in a bloody read that is sure to entertain readers. From the moment Stratus awakens, he fights. Literally. Never stopping until his quest for knowledge is satisfied and he discovers who he truly is. Unfortunately for him there are those who know the truth and would seek him out for their benefit. While Stratus doesn't take any sort of espionage route through his journey, the comparisons to Jason Bourne fit. He's without his memory, smart, resourceful, and most of all, he's hell bent on achieving his goal. This was a delightfully surprise of a good book considering its comparisons.

I really liked this book and the character of Stratus. There were a lot of reasons why this book stands out, and a lot of parts that just detracted from the experience as well. The character, main structures of the book's ideas, and the driving parts of the plot were amazing. I loved seeing Stratus change from a confused hulk into his true form and identity. However, the descriptions of the magic and what Stratus does in his own mind and even in his environment were super confusing and didn't really need to be added in.

I'm super excited for the next addition in the series. The ending leaves a lot of options open that eliminate what I found tedious in this novel, and Stratus just becomes this deeply immersive and interesting being the more I read about him. Oddly enough, this was nearly identical to Michael R. Fletcher's Black Stone Heart. Anyone that enjoyed this will deeply appreciate Fletcher's novel as well.

Infernal is fun. It’s also over-the-top and pulpy, but I loved it. Stratus wakes in an unfamiliar place, with no memories of his past. And just in time before local vultures rip him into pieces to enjoy the meal.

Things escalate quickly, and Stratus finds himself engaged in an approaching war with evil forces. He has no interest in people and their conflicts, but the fickle hand of fate cares little for his plans and goals. Especially that he has peculiar, inhuman, skills. Preternatural strength and a knack for sorcery allow him to decimate his opponents. Those who try to trap and hurt him disappear in a shower of blood. Interestingly, tasting brains allows Stratus to gain insights into the past of his fallen opponents.

I need to emphasize that despite gritty and violent moments, Infernal remains darkly humorous. Sure, not everyone will enjoy the grim humor, but I found it hilarious. Like this exchange between Stratus and Tatyana, the second key character:

Tatyana stared at me without saying anything for long enough that I began to wonder whether I had said it aloud, or simply thought it. As I was about to repeat myself, she turned her gaze to the dead man, then back to me. ‘You’re going to eat him,’ she said. She made it sound like a statement.‘Just his brain,’ I corrected her.‘His brain.’‘Are you repeating everything for a reason?’

In a way, Stratus resembles Drax the Destroyer - he has no sense of humor, he doesn’t understand sarcasm or metaphors. Subtle jokes skip right past him. Something about his earnest tone and deadpan delivery is comic, especially in his back and forth with Tatyana. The smell is his strongest sense - Stratus sniffs people without realizing it’s creepy as hell for them, and it results in solid situational humor.

Because the story is told only through Stratus’ POV, we don’t get any unnecessary exposition. It also means secondary characters remain underdeveloped, but I didn’t mind. We discover the world through his eyes and nose, and because Stratus isn’t human, he sees things from an alien perspective. Frankly, the big reveal of his identity is hardly surprising, but I won’t spoil the fun for you. I’ll just say the foreshadowing, while not subtle and rather in-your-face, entertained me a lot and helped me to picture him.

Infernal gives an old school fantasy vibe but plays with tropes. It blends non-stop violent action with horror and grim humor. I couldn’t put it down, but I need to point out its weaker parts. Jager’s writing is uneven. I found his similes awkward and sentence structure surprising in places. The beginning, while entertaining, is repetitious, and the story doesn’t pack a lot of really surprising twists. It’s simple and unpretentious, and I guess that’s the reason why I enjoyed it so much. Readers looking for depth and complexity may find it disappointing.

Personally, I'll read the sequel as soon as it's available. I love amnesiac hero trope, and Jager nailed it. Join me if you fancy following an inhuman with a fractured mind.

Fantasy is not my primary genre, but this is good overall. The author has a good imagination and told this story in a mostly engaging way. Most dark fantasy fans will probably like this one.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!