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jkpiowa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Death, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism
sws004's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The village of Tannabroke has a problem. The fanatical armies of the Lucent Empire are converging on them to conquer and convert. Thankfully brave heroes are here to protect them, including a fiendish vampire, a scheming necromancer, and a drunken demigod...wait, what? As the title suggests, The Maleficent Seven is a take on the Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven style of story with the characters, in this case, being archetypical fantasy villains. Forty years ago, demonologist Black Herran led her armies to nearly conquer the continent of Essoran before mysteriously abandoning her troops on the eve of ultimate victory. When Herran returns to recruit her six most fearsome captains to protect her adopted home of Tannabroke, they are, unsurprisingly, not happy to see her. Can Herran keep her bickering and insane former comrades in line long enough to stop a force even worse than themselves? Doubtful. Will they provide fun adventure along the way? For me they did.
Although the concept of the bad guys taking down an even worse bad guy isn't an original one, it still feels novel enough for epic fantasy. Johnston doesn't shy away from truly showing the seven as villains. These are monstrous people, and the story never, with the possible exception of Tiarnach (the demigod), softens or tries to show them as too sympathetic. Instead, the story embraces creativity and carnage as the seven unleash all the horrors you would expect of bad guys in epic fantasy. Chemical warfare, zombie attacks, and summoned demons compete against holy magic in battles that gave me the giddy feeling of smashing action figures against each other. The seven could easily be considered "overpowered" characters, but Johnston strikes a fine balance between giving them faceless enemies to butcher and more powerful foes. The divinely powered inquisitors and their leader, the Falcon Prince, provide a significant challenge and lead to some of the book's most memorable action scenes.
Character-wise, the seven are more memorable than they are deep, with the emphasis on action overtaking character development. Black Herran in particular, feels underdeveloped. Despite supposedly being the main character, she often feels like side peace to the rest of the seven. She frankly doesn't have a lot to do until the epilogue. The rest of the seven get the bulk of the action and emotional moments throughout the battle, and Maeven (the necromancer) does most of the heavy lifting plot-wise. While Herran's ultimate plans are foreshadowed early in the book, having a character get a "Just as planned." through actions that largely occur off-page and are only hinted at feels lazy.
That aside, I feel like Johnston does a great job playing to the book's strengths. Worldbuilding is conveyed smoothly and through demonstrations of the character's abilities (the way Johnston portrays vampires is especially unique). The story is very efficient in setting up the seven, never getting bogged down with long scenes of traveling or exposition, getting right to the action.
The Maleficent Seven is hands down one of the best times I had reading last year. It's pure entertainment without any of the unnecessary padding of more traditional epic fantasies. Fans of grimdark (but with a sense of fun) and well-constructed action should give it a look.
4/5
Although the concept of the bad guys taking down an even worse bad guy isn't an original one, it still feels novel enough for epic fantasy. Johnston doesn't shy away from truly showing the seven as villains. These are monstrous people, and the story never, with the possible exception of Tiarnach (the demigod), softens or tries to show them as too sympathetic. Instead, the story embraces creativity and carnage as the seven unleash all the horrors you would expect of bad guys in epic fantasy. Chemical warfare, zombie attacks, and summoned demons compete against holy magic in battles that gave me the giddy feeling of smashing action figures against each other. The seven could easily be considered "overpowered" characters, but Johnston strikes a fine balance between giving them faceless enemies to butcher and more powerful foes. The divinely powered inquisitors and their leader, the Falcon Prince, provide a significant challenge and lead to some of the book's most memorable action scenes.
Character-wise, the seven are more memorable than they are deep, with the emphasis on action overtaking character development. Black Herran in particular, feels underdeveloped. Despite supposedly being the main character, she often feels like side peace to the rest of the seven. She frankly doesn't have a lot to do until the epilogue. The rest of the seven get the bulk of the action and emotional moments throughout the battle, and Maeven (the necromancer) does most of the heavy lifting plot-wise. While Herran's ultimate plans are foreshadowed early in the book, having a character get a "Just as planned." through actions that largely occur off-page and are only hinted at feels lazy.
That aside, I feel like Johnston does a great job playing to the book's strengths. Worldbuilding is conveyed smoothly and through demonstrations of the character's abilities (the way Johnston portrays vampires is especially unique). The story is very efficient in setting up the seven, never getting bogged down with long scenes of traveling or exposition, getting right to the action.
The Maleficent Seven is hands down one of the best times I had reading last year. It's pure entertainment without any of the unnecessary padding of more traditional epic fantasies. Fans of grimdark (but with a sense of fun) and well-constructed action should give it a look.
4/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Violence, Gore, War, and Blood
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Religious bigotry
cassilynn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, War, and Violence
Moderate: Genocide, Gore, War, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Torture
meltingpages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Torture, War, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
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