Oo okay so this book caught me off guard big time and I couldn't put it down. Five star book. I think I know a few people who read it but not sure. Guess I'll find out once I show them. But wow this book was a hella good book to read.

Received as an ARC from Netgalley:

Did not know what to expect from this one going in, but I ended up having a great time. I really appreciated the GRIMDark setting that went through lengths to discuss the horrors of war, whilst still being an engaging action tale.

The plot revolves around a single area and the battle our main character finds himself trapped within, so you get a good microcosm of the world the book is set within. The fact that our main character spends so much of the book being literally dragged through the mud sets the tone really well and makes his rise to power more interesting when you understand his limitations.

The writing had plenty of genuine laughs and the use of zombies in this book were incredibly entertaining.

Excited to read more from this series in the future.

This was brilliant, dark, and captivating. Sutton did an amazing job bringing the characters and world to life, complete with the eerie half-hyena marauders who are more likely to send chills down your spine than Deza or Malfus. (Who knew necromancers could be so likable?) I have to say Malfus quickly became one of my favorite characters, he's smart, determined, and refuses to admit defeat in the face of crazy odds. The action scenes will get your heart racing, and help keep the story moving forward smoothly. If you enjoy dark fantasy, you're going to love this one!

"Malfus: Necromancer Unchained" by Casey Sutton is a grimdark fantasy novel featuring a group of foul-mouthed characters who find themselves in tricky situations. The main character, Malfus, is enjoyable to follow, but the frequent internal tangents and abundance of perspective characters can be distracting. The book may be disconcerting for those unfamiliar with Dungeons and Dragons lore. While the world-building is original, the heavy reliance on DnD references may leave non-fans confused. The book reminded me of "Legends and Lattes," which used a similar methodology, and, like Malfus, I chose to DNF at 60% due to all the DnD references. However, for DND fans, this could be a great read and the start of an amazing series.

Thanks, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC copy of the book.

First I would like to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the privilege to read an ARC of this book. Unfortunately, I was not the target audience for it. DNF at 52%. I do not regret putting off reading this book. This is not good. What is the point of this story?? I’m 52% in and I’ve seen numerous POVs of completely insignificant characters with zero understanding of the overall plot. And there are going to be more books after this?! It’s just one giant info dump with no real direction. I thought I was going to like it in the first chapter but after that I don’t even know what the true story is. I hate giving poor reviews but I just can’t stand by something that doesn’t make any real sense to me.

Absolutely loved this, I would have probably read this in one sitting if life had not gotten in the way. It pulled me straight into the story and all the characters and each of their situations. it is quite bloody and full of gore, but those aspects of the story where I felt like a given part of the book as it is about a necromancer, so death was always going to play a part. that being said the death, blood and gore were discussed in a way that was I feel akin to those that were ever to be in that situation. For the most part we are in Malfus's point of view, although we do get thoughts and the POV from other critical characters and those really make the world and the situation that they are all in so real and rounded out. I am so into this world and the magic and the characters who are having to deal with the things occurring in said world. it is probably my favorite book I have read this year, if you are into fantasy, necromancy and are okay with quite a bit of death I recommend picking it up. I will definitely be reading anything else in this series.

Pretty interesting! I've never read a book from a necromancer's POV before and now I want to read at least ten more just like it. I thought it was a bit slow in the beginning but the last third was great and I really liked all of the characters.

My first read by this author. I had no idea what to expect but it was amazing to read lots of action and dark vibes. Not as gory as i thought which was good. The writing style was easy and just enough to understand the story. Lots in the story i love magic, monsters, battles, and zombies which i love all those. Kinda gave me vibes of the walking dead, game of thrones and D&D. I would recommend this book and author.

It was the best decision to finish this month with this awesome novel.

The cover gives off dark and sinister vibes and these vibes are clearly present in the story. It is grim, macabre, and I absolutely adored it. The plot is very engaging (morbid yes, but terrific as well). I did not need a lot of time before being completely absorbed by the world and its interesting characters.

The main character is gripping from the start. His background is mysterious and intriguing. Some other characters are also interesting but he definitely has a more appealing personality to me.

The plot is actually quite gruesome, and I really liked it. The author detailed many battle scenes and it gave more depth to the already dark story. I was enthralled from the beginning to the end.

I’m looking forward to reading the prequel novella and the next book(s) in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This was amazing! Solid fantasy book, the only problem is I wish it was longer. Can’t wait to read what other works Casey Sutton puts out in the future!

I really loved this book. The banter was great and I enjoyed the Inquisitor and Malfus as the main characters we followed. However I feel like this could have been better had the battle not be so long or if it didn’t end where it did.

Malfus the Necromancer is an exhilarating fantasy novel. I really enjoyed this book. The cover pulled me in first and then the blurb left me very intrigued. I'm glad I requested an arc copy. The story moved along at a good pace and I loved the characters. The descriptions of the gnolls really charges my imagination. I really loved the artwork and the quotes at the top of every chapter.
I can't wait to read more from this author.

Arc review: Malfus: Necromancer unchained by Casey Sutton

I've been hesitant to pick up books with not a huge amount of reviews as I very easily get into a reading slump. But then I've read A Gamble of Gods by and Harbringer of Justice by and my attitude drastically changed. Casey Sutton is another author, as the two mentioned above, that I'll follow and read everything they come up with.

The book is a grimdark military fantasy in which we follow a necromancer that had been caught by an Inquisitor- he is being brought to face justice and they find shelter in a fortress where a battle with an enemy ensues. We get immediately thrown into the story and the action is almost non-stop from there. Our main character is sarcastic and the book starts with a more fun tone, even though the situation presented to the reader is very dire. That's why I didn't expect being hit by all kinds of emotions that hard. We get multiple POVs interwoven with the one of Malfus and each one is really moving. Even though the pacing is very fast (I've sometimes had an issue with keeping my focus but that's on me!), there are also deep dives into emotions and lives of our characters.

I've really really loved the book and can't wait for the next part. It really kept me on edge and engaged.

I feel like it's a perfect book for fans of:
📖 Joe Abercrombie
📖 Guns of the Dawn by Tchaikovsky!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for granting me an access to an arc. This has been a fantastic ride!

Malfus: Necromancer Unchained by Casey Sutton is, as evidenced by the title, a book about death. Lots and lots of it. There's some intense battles between humans at a fort and the gnolls and giants trying to murder everyone there. Not to mention the Inquisitor and his captive, Malfus. When the two end up fleeing to the fort, they become embroiled in the conflict, and at odds with each other about how to wage war.
The book is great for fans of military fantasy (think Lord of the Rings, plus zombies), with some humor and snarkiness to keep from being too fraught.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reading Copy.

I wanted so much to like this but had difficulty getting into the story. I loved the illustrations in this book. The battle sequences were very well wrote and filled with tension.

Since this is a story about a Necromancer I had to read it, simply as that! Because how can you resist a Necromancer's story? But in the end, this book was not really what I was expecting, and maybe it's because of said expectations that I didn't enjoy this book as much, but... all things considered, I was really hoping for more.
On one hand, the story is interesting and it is also unusual. And this part I really appreciated. And we have a Necromancer and an Inquisitor that are linked by more than the fact that one is the natural prey of the other. And this part was interesting, for sure.
But the characters are not so well developed, Malfus, our Necromancer, is a coward who is trying his best to survive a dire situation, and our Inquisitor is a zealot on a mission. And, to be clear, you can do an amazing job with this kind of characters, but you have to be more in-depth with their development, and I am really partial to some sense of humor (I am not saying that they should go around cracking joke everywhere, but a subtle or dark sense of humor, some banter, some irony or self-deprecating jabs... something like that!), but we don't fin these things. Sadly.
The soldiers of the fort were nice, and I think they were my favorite things in the book, especially the one who befriend Malfus and the Captain. But they weren't enough to make the book.

This was a really fun read! I hadn't realized the story was mostly going to take place during siege battles at a military fort, so it wasn't quite what I'd expected, but it ended up being very entertaining. I love that the main character is not super fit, intelligent, all-powerful, etc., like so many MCs. He's interesting and has to really work for all that he gets.
There were a few characters I really liked, but one I will highlight is Peshka. I appreciate his habit of twirling his mustache to the point of the hairs breaking off. What makes this stand out to me is that all my life I have had an impulse control issue of twirling my hair, which progressed to the point of forming bald spots from so much hair breakage in certain areas. So this guy has a real issue that some of us face but we don't see it mentioned really anywhere outside of certain mental health circles. I liked the inclusion of this characteristic.
At first, when the POV began changing regularly, I was disconcerted and didn't like it. But it grew on me quickly, as it gave a really meaningful look into several characters and perspectives of the plot. It provided a variety of scenes to play out, even following some to death in various ways. It was a very useful writing tactic for this book.
A part that I didn't love was the MCs arc about 80% in; the stakes are heightened in a new trajectory that I guess I just don't like because I don't like the extreme conflict that it was clearly going to create. Still, overall, I ended the book feeling really pleased to have read it!
The artwork throughout the book is fantastic as well. It's great art, and it helped draw me more into the story.
Bravo to the author, and thanks for the good time.

Decided to try a slightly different type of book to read (fanstasy that has a FMC or romance in the plot) and this nailed it!

Instead of a ton of world building, the book gets right into the story making it a quicker read. I feel it doesn’t take away from the story though.

Multiple POVs help give a first hand view of the battle. This seems where the focus lands. It makes me want to know more about Malfus and the Inquisitor.

I do like the change in pace and reading on a plot set to the battle at hand but I find myself trying to reach for more about the characters themselves.

This is a great read!

A crazy, wild, and fun ride of a story!! Action from the start to end. Casey Sutton is a gifted story teller. I look forward to reading other stories he has.

Thank you #NetGalley for #Malfu:NecromancerUnchained

This was an interesting and engaging fantasy book. Our main character, Malfus, is a Necromancer (if you couldn't guess from the title). Necromancy is forbidden and he was captured by an Inquisitor and is being taken to be tortured by them.

During their travels, they have to take shelter from a gnoll attack (big beasties) in a fort in the middle of nowhere. The fort is under siege from the gnolls - oh, and they have a giant or 2. Malfus needs to raise an army of the dead in order to save the fort, but maybe he'll just run away and leave them all to die.

The story was very creative. The story takes place almost entirely during the few days at the fort. It worked very well and was a change from stories that cover months or years. It also was unique, which is hard to do in the world of fantasy and even within the world of necromancers. Malfus was an interesting character and I enjoyed that he was a giant coward and just wanted to run away from everything. It was a great change from the standard hero trope. The story is told from multiple points of view and overall, it worked (which is so often not the case). The art is fabulous - there are a few pictures throughout the book and they're beautiful.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.