Stratus wakes up in the middle of nowhere, with a total loss of memory. He only remembers his name and little by little he starts re-discovering his magical power. He knows that he isn’t human and starts looking for information about himself… but the enemy is always near him
In a land devastated by the war, the chronicles of Stratus begin…

This book is totally based on the main character of Stratus, using all the other events and characters as a background for his re-discovery of himself; basing all the story on the main character could be risky because, if he isn’t built well enough, it could easily bore. Luckily this isn’t the case for Stratus.
His dark side, that is what probably give the title to the book, adds depth and richness to his traits… especially if coupled with his naive part. This pairing end up adding some humor to certain situations that makes this book really enjoyable to read.

The beginning is kinda confusing; this could be a plus because let the reader experience the same disorientation afflicting Stratus in the first phases of the story, but it makes it more difficult to read. The adding of some more information and the developing of the plot will dissipate this initial feeling and make everything more interesting and less confounding.

I loved the numerous fight in this book! The protagonist always found some clever and unexpected way to face his opponents and this never makes the combats monotonous. Some of them could even seems like some comical skits and kinda remembered me of Bud Spencer’s movies.
Some of them and a few other scene in the book could be really strong for some people, as there are some gory part with themes like cannibalism and torture.

The suspense of some parts could really leave you with bated breath and the mystery around Stratus is really intriguing. The more hints and sneak peak the author will give, the more interesting it will become, with the reader founding himself more and more into it.

I really loved the finale and I hope that a sequel will arrive soon!

Infernal is a great book, it's dark but funny and hugely entertaining.It's also a clever and gripping fantasy that makes strides to further the Dark Fantasy genre.

I thought this one was entertaining to say the least. It was fun, enthralling, and fast paced. Hard to write a review without spoiling anything.

*** I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and Rebellion Publishing in return for an honest review ***

Bottom line: I loved this book. Clear and simple.

Why: The book tells the story of Stratus, a more than human character, who wakes up with no memory and no social skills, and slaughters his way through the book while learning how to interact with humans, and ends up with a good relationship with a female side-kick.

Why not 5 stars? Ends on a cliffhanger which I hate. Plus though Stratus does not find out to the end, it was reasonably obvious halfway through who he was. More important though, the basic concept is almost exactly like Django Wexler's 2006 Memories of Empire, which has been one of my favorite out-of-print unable-to-get-in-electronic format books for a long time. MoE is the story of a more-than-human character with no memory, a female sidekick, and a penchant for slaughtering his way through most of the book but discovering who he is at the end.

Doesn't mean this book is derivative. Far from it. De Jager has his own sardonic sense of humor and the dialog is frequently hilarious. De Jager is apparently going for a bigger story than just one book and I look forward to the sequel, apparently called Firesky.

I bought this book 4 years ago and really enjoyed it, in my review I left on Amazon I stated I looked forward to the next book in the series, I’m still waiting ........: