Kagen The Damned by Jonathan Maberry

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File under: Cosmic Horror meets Epic Fantasy, with a side of a lot of other stuff

Wizard-level reading challenge: A book written by a new-to-you author

This book was bonkers in many ways, lacking in subtlety and slipping some sneaky/interesting ideas between blood, gore, and horror. The tone falls between a hacker flick and an epic fantasy novel, which I didn't expect and liked more than I would have guessed. Most of the over-the-top violence here serves a purpose, but sometimes I felt it was a bit much.

Jonathan Maberry is a “new-to-me” author (which marks one off my list), and—I didn’t know this going in—he’s most well-known for horror, which explains a lot.

Overall, though, I liked it. But I also like grimdark, cosmic horror, and bonkers-kitchen-sink-type novels, so this was right in my wheelhouse. YMMV, for sure, and I expect some people to hate this one.

Oh, an aside: I would have loved a better map. :)