I didn't love it and ended up DNF-ing it. My biggest thing was how the characters were written did not really connect with me so this may have just been a "not for me" type book.

I find that high fantasy can be extremely hit-or-miss, but when it's done well and I'm in the right mood for it, it's one of my favourite genres. After being offered an ARC of this book and reading the synopsis, I was excited to dive into it and optimistic that I'd find a new favourite.

Unfortunately, this Kagen the Damned was a miss for me. For one, I found the protagonist pretty unlikable. Since the book relies so heavily on violence and dark themes, I thought this was a big problem. It was just hard for me to care as much about the bad things that were happening as I probably should have, because I didn't feel like I knew the character or could empathize with him much.

My main issue with Kagen the Damned, however, was the extremely frequent and casual mentions of rape. I don't think that including rape in a fantasy narrative is inherently a bad thing, but I do question why a male author felt the need to constantly bring it up for shock value or just as a way to illustrate how dark and violent the story is. I did not feel that the topic was properly examined at any point. The book just kept talking about rape all the time, and yet by the end I still didn't understand why that had been necessary. I just felt like more care should have gone into how the theme of rape was addressed. I found the book very difficult to read for that reason, and would have appreciated a warning before picking it up, because I probably would have stayed away from it if I'd known. I'd recommend that survivors or anyone else who is sensitive to this topic approach this book with caution

This book was a wild card for me. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it. I loved every second of it!

Brilliant writing. I cannot say enough to really encompass how much I loved the writing style of Maberry, it felt really genuine and down to earth for a fantasy novel. The plot was a little predictable but I can look past that for the great characters and writing

In the first installment of a dark fantasy series with heavy horror overtones, Maberry fires on all cylinders as he introduces us to a ferocious palace guard, one of the most feared fighters in his kingdom. When said kingdom is overtaken by a crazed sorcerer, it’s up to Kagen and two companions to try to set things right.

As Kagen battles guilt, alcoholism, and a host of obstacles both human and monster, a side plot dealing with a Cthulhu-worshipping cult adds to the growing sense of doom and sets up for a wildly satisfying finale. Kagen’s fighting style is endlessly entertaining, as he prefers smaller curved daggers to your standard bulky swords, proving speed can be as important as brute strength.

While some readers may see the main twist coming by the halfway mark, Maberry keeps the pages turning, no small feat in a book well over 500 pages. I’m totally hooked on this Conan-meets-Lovecraft horror mashup and can’t wait for the next chapter.

Kagen the Damned is an exciting first book in a new series by Jonathan Maberry. I've been a longtime fan of his zombie series and the premise of this book sounded amazing.
Kagen is the royal protector of the "Seedlings" the royal children of the empress of The Silver Empire. His mother is the infamous "Poison Rose", a deadly soldier of world renown. When he wakes up in an inn on his off duty night to the sounds of battle outside his window, he finds that his city has been invaded overnight by the almost forgotten enemy of the Hakkians led by the Witch-King, whom was overthrown by The Silver Empire and forbidden to use magic thousands of years ago. With this overnight defeat magic has also been re-released into the world. He then finds that the royal family has been slaughtered and after barely escaping with his life he makes his way down a dark well of self pity and self damning for failing in his duty.
I truly enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the rest of the series.
If you enjoy a fast past mix of fantasy, action, mythology and romance with lots of violence then this book is for you. It does start a bit slow and Kagen was seriously getting on my nerves with his self pitying drunkenness' in the beginning but just persevere! I also really enjoyed the chapters that had nothing to do with Kagen that described how random citizens stumbled across magic that they were able to use themselves. I wished there were more of those little side quests of stories.
Anyways, the banter is hilarious in parts and the world building is absolutely fascinating. Cthulhu even makes an appearance!
I'm highly recommending this to readers of George RR Martin but want something faster paced and Jay Kristoff's "Empire of the Vampire".

Magic has been eliminated from the kingdom. It has a new birth in a band of dangerous men who take over every segment of the land. Kagen is the captain of the palace guard who has been pledged to protect the royal children. It now becomes his quest to take back the kingdom from these evil magicians. This story is a quest for good to triumph over evil. You need a chunk of time to read it as it stands at nearly 600 pages, and this is billed as book one. My thanks to the author and NeGgalley for a complimentary copy.

Kagen Vale, leaders of the guard and personally responsible for the security of the royal family and more specifically the royal children of Argentium, wakes up hungover and disoriented. Eventually, he pulls himself together enough to understand that there's an active attack against his land by the Hakkians, who use magic that was banned in Argentium. When he arrives at the royal wing, he finds all of them, right down to the babies, killed in various gruesomely described ways. He decides at that moment that he is incompetent, terrible at his job, and damned.

I'm a firm believer that what matters when tragedy strikes, or when some life situation goes terribly wrong and bad, that what matters is owning your responsibility in it, if any, and that true character is shown by how one acts after such tragedies occur.

And his personal mindset of mind had a very large issue with Kagen and his nonstop whining, drinking, and lamenting about how he sucked at his job. I started calling him Kagen the Whiny, and promised myself at about the 35% mark that if he didn't get his shit together, I was going to make this a DNF. The author pulled out of the nosedive shortly thereafter.

While Kagen was drinking and whining his way about this fictional world, other characters were also introduced - some appeared and hen vanished until almost the end of he book. I get that Kagen is the main character and so much of he book time is devote to him, but we got some pretty detailed narrative time with the other characters, including a young nun destined for a sacrifice, so I was expecting a bit more from her at some point before the end of her journey.

There are various side characters who show up, either for Kagen to fight against and kill, or just to give us some information about what's happening in the rest of the world instead of the usual "As you know, Bob." stuff where someone just talks at he main character. I hope some of them show up again later, because they were just as interesting (sometimes moreso) than Kagen.

But Kagen is back to himself by now, halting he drinking, and even invading a vampire witch's tower, where he is "captured", but not killed, as every other interloper has been. There's a prophecy, of course, and she lets him go because of that prophecy.

And that brings me to another issue I have with this kind of book in general. Kagen was obviously taken out of action by a woman who drugged him. My question: why not just poison him and take him out of action entirely?I understand the value of humiliation some people require others to feel, to know that they have been bested, and with barely any effort, but in things like this, a better leader would have weighed the value of having Kagen gone versus his humiliation and gone with the former.

In any case, throughout the book we pop into the heads of other characters wandering around this world, so we get a good picture of what has happened and how the occupation of Argentium is ongoing. It presents a good reference point for the reader, and avoids head-hopping within any one individual scene.

There is a lot, and I mean a LOT of violence in this book: torture, rape, general war and individual fighters killing one another - all are here, and all described in very detailed ways. If you can't handle fictional blood, or don't like descriptions of rape and torture, stay far away.

It occurred to me after finishing that the whole magic question came across as the usual 2nd Amendment stuff here in the US. One side (Hakkian) had and used all the magic (guns) and one side (Argentium) had no magic (guns) because of very strict laws. Of course the Hakkians quickly overran Argentium. I'll let the reader make the conclusion there.

Overall, not bad for an afternoon read if you can get past the main character whining his way through the first 30% so and don't mind gore.

Three stars out of five.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press ad NetGalley for the review copy.

Jonathan Maberry's "Kagen the Damned" opens a new fantasy series, whose lead is a tortured soul seeking revenge, having given up on redemption. A protector of the royal children, he failed in his duty after being drugged while the Imperial family were slaughtered.

Kagen starts by drinking himself into oblivion, then fights back against seemingly impossible odds, but with an unusual collection of allies as well.

As this complex and intriguing episode ends, the alliance wins a battle, but not the war. I look forward to more.

Jonathon Maberry is one of our most accomplished and flexible writers in the genres today. He can write thrillers, zombie books and horror. He can write for adults and for teens and now he has shown he can write compelling fantasy. Especially if you are a fan of Abercrombie or Kristoff, this book will appeal to you. Bloody, sword and sorcery at it's best. If you think you have seen and read it all, give this one a try.

I was originally very excited about this book because I love high fantasy and this one sounded like it was going to be right up my alley. However I quickly realized that this book was so much darker and more graphic than I could have imagined. I had a hard time moving past a lot of the violence. The rest of the book was very interesting though and I loved Kagen's character and journey.

First of all, let's talk about the cover, it's a thing of beauty and it needs to be on my shelves!

I was so excited to read Grimdark, it sounded right up my alley. Outlawed magic, invasions and a man with nothing to lose? Yes, this was exactly what was delivered. Kagen was absolutely brutal and relentless. There was a lot of world building that always comes with a fantasy read, it was wonderful world building though! If you can't handle blood and gore, probably skip this one.

AHHHH cliffhanger ending!!!

This really should be flagged a genre-blend of Horror and Fantasy, which is truly epic if you ask me.

The first book in the Grimdark series, Kagen the Damned, is, in fact, grim and dark.

Kicking off with the fall of an empire, the book remains action-packed and fast-paced. Kagen is a royal guard. His duty is to protect the children of the queen. Waking from a hangover beyond compare, Kagen finds himself in the middle of a full invasion. The Witch-King has gained power and finally amassed enough of an army to end the Silver Empire's rule, which outlaws the use of magic.

The opening is brutal. Lots of death ensues, represented in grotesque ways on the page by author Jonathan Maberry. It doesn't detract from the overall story but paints a vivid picture of Kagen's world. What follows is a story of overcoming regrets, guilt, loss, redemption, and revenge. It marks a grand opening to a longer story as the series unfolds.

The storyline following the young nun is a little less interesting than that of Kagen. That being said, even Kagen can get on one's nerves with his self-pity and wallowing into the bottom of a tankard. The introduction of later characters adds some much-needed humor and lightness. Also missing is a deeper dive into the magic or its use. Perhaps there will be more unveiled in the books to come.

There isn't much originality to Kagen the Dmaned, not that its lack of creativity detracts from its entertainment value. However, I'd definitely read the following books in the series as they are released.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.*

A beautifully written epic dark fantasy by one of my favorite authors.
This book is fantastic, but it is not my usual fare. It starts off with violence and never really lets up. The world building is superb and the characters are all beautifully detailed. There are several different arcs occurring at the same time but you never really lose the thread. Maberry writes with his usual flair using detailed imagery to tell a tale of bloody violence, ancient gods, powerful evil, and the people who try to stand against it. If you like epic dark fantasies, then this book will not disappoint you. There is even an unexpected twist at the end that will leave you wanting more.

3.5 rounded down. Trigger Warnings for: Violence, Gore, Sexual Assault, Rape, and other things that can be triggering that happen during conquest.

Kagen The Damned is the first in a new series by author Jonathan Maberry. While I have not read anything by this author before, the premise seemed too enticing to pass up. At moments, I was pleasantly and thoroughly entertained and invested in the story, however with POV jumping extremely often it was hard to keep everything straight. I feel like the good bits really get started over halfway through and it was a long road to get there. Conquest is a bloody business, and while I expect there to be graphic moments the rape just seemed to never end. I'm not sure if the beginning of the story is to put the reader into the reality and cruelty of this world, but it was A LOT.

3.5 stars rounded down and I will not be looking out for the next installment. Sadly, I think I've stomached all of this world I can handle. Recommended for 18+ readers who enjoy George R. R. Martin and such works.

Maberry created a world where magic has been outlawed and stamped out, gods are possibly real, and an invasion sends a hero spiraling. The story is interesting, but moves a bit slowly until near the end. At that point it gets very busy; it almost feels rushed.

Four stars for this tale. I really liked the protagonist and his development. The major plot twist was something I saw early in the book; a minor one did surprise me, though I thought it irrelevant. It was a long book where nothing really happened for stretches at a time. Still, it was well told and I’m interested in seeing what happens next in the story. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press.

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Who here is a fan of Game of Thrones…the BOOK series?
Ever feel like it’s been 68 years for that epic conclusion we’ve all been eagerly anticipating?
Well, stand aside GRRM because Jonathan Maberry has crafted this newly released first novel in a brand new epic adult fantasy series that is going to knock your socks off.

Kagen the Damned is just so much damn(ed) fun to read.

Kagen Vale, captain of the palace guard and protector of the royal children of the Silver Empire, wakes one night to discover his empire in ruins and everyone he was sworn to protect slaughtered by the usurping army of the once-fallen empire Hakkia.
Damned forever, Kagen wanders the strange lands, killing enemies he can while plotting an assassination of the Witch-king of Hakkia.

It’s gory. It’s fierce. It’s not for the faint of heart. The first 100 pages is an action packed thrill ride that will make your heart pound. The world building is phenomenal—it’s vast and Maberry has created chapters that are the best “travel guides”, encapsulating voices of many from all over the map that only add to the dynamic world he’s constructed.
Multiple perspectives and short chapters easily make this almost 600 page book a pleasure to read. Allies and enemies, politics, religion, monsters and maidens, witty dialogue, twists and turns that you won’t see coming. This book has it all.
Kagen the Damned had me laughing out loud, my mouth gaping open in shock, goosebumps (the joyous kind), and filled with just so much damn(ed) excitement.

And I only have to wait six months for book two.

If you love fast-paced adult fantasy series with characters you give a damn(ed) about, then be sure to check out Kagen the Damned by Jonathan Maberry.

Thank you very much to @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review this book. It’s easily a 5⭐️ read for me.

I'm a sucker for morally gray characters. The first part of this book I was so irritated with Kagen, but I had a feeling he'd would get better and he did! I really like the dark fantasy elements in this. The cliffhanger at the end was brutal, but I can't wait for more!

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and St. Martin's Griffin, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Kagen Vale is the trusted and feared captain of the palace guard and he has to protect the royal children of the Silver Empire. When he's attacked and drugged and the entire royal family is murdered, leaving the empire in ruins, his life is abruptly ruined and changed. Thinking himself cursed and damned, abandoned by the gods, Kagen becomes a wanderer, trying to defeat as many enemies as possible, while trying to kill the empire's usurprer, while dealing with strange and powerful magic that returned in his world. Fueled by rage and vengeance, Kagen will try everything in order to get what he wants, venturing into strange lands, finding weird creatures and gathering allies for his plan and mission.

Kagen the Damned is the first installment of an new series of dark epic fantasy novels and this book is absolutely amazing. Dark, sometimes upsetting, filled with war, destruction, death and pain, the story is told by multiple POVs and the author has the amazing talent of characterizing each character with depth and layers, from the main one to the side ones.
The setting is incredible and thrilling and the reader follows, mainly, Kagen in his mission, thiking himself damned but determined to get his revenge and defeat the usurper.
Some scenes could be too much for some readers, since there are many graphic moments, but it didn't disturbed me and I've found this first installment, a dark epic fantasy story, truly interesting, leaving me to need more about this world and its characters.
Definitely recommended it.

There are some aspects of the book I would have preferred to have been a bit less a part of things, (SA is fairly heavy in the first quarter of the book in particular and may be a big trigger if you're a survivor), but I found this book to be an interesting and ultimately satisfying take on sword and sorcery fantasy from an author I've already enjoyed quite a bit of good horror novels from. Kagen is not always an endearing figure, he can even become frustrating at some points, but he's a fair antihero in a world where magic and elder gods figure heavily after an age where these things were stripped away from the kingdom in an attempt to protect its people from the horror of the worst gods and actions. I think I liked our side characters best here, and particularly the slice of life scenes where the magic is coming back in surprising ways. If you want a dark fantasy book that has some of the trappings of Conan, Elric, and the underpinnings of the kingdom in Game of Thrones under the terror of Elder Gods this will do quite nicely.