Description

‘Brilliant and vivid world-building . . . riveting’ CHAD STAHLESKI, director of John Wick

‘A masterful blend of Sebastien de Castell’s unique brand of wry humour, elegant prose, and wonderfully imaginative worldbuilding. I devoured this book and loved every page’ NICK EAMES, bestselling author of Kings of the Wylde

From the bestselling author of THE GREATCOATS: seven war mages with dark pasts must come together to fight an unknown enemy – but the stakes are higher than anyone can imagine . . . and someone’s setting the seven up for a fall.

Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. The hat’s a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing. Wouldn’t want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object).

Yep. Behold the mighty wizard.

Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you’re probably not going to like it, because we’re violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.

My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title – until I discovered the people I worked for weren’t quite as noble as I’d believed. Now I’m on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent.

Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . . .

Readers love The Malevolent Seven!
‘I absolutely loved this book. Immediately engaging characters and great world building – the story runs along at a breakneck pace and is gripping from start to finish’ reader review

‘Sassy and humourous . . . Sebastien makes characters that make you feel like you know them’ reader review

‘Really inventive and satisfying fun fantasy’ reader review

‘I honestly had so much fun reading this . . . easily one of my favorite reads of the year’ reader review

‘Well-written, intriguing, and highly entertaining!’ reader review

‘Never felt so good routing for the bad guys’ reader review

Publisher Review

There is no way you can read this book without a grin on your face * Financial Times * Chaotic energy, clever ideas and characters that stay with you after the final page * SFX * Brilliant and vivid world-building . . . riveting * Chad Stahelski, director of John Wick * With a contemporary style, relentless pace, and a unique and exciting magic system, The Malevolent Seven is an action-packed adventure that not only questions the true nature of heroes but the very meaning of good and evil * Michael J. Sullivan * Irreverent, foul-mouthed fun * Track of Words * A dark, comedic and bleak fantasy . . . breakneck and filled with twists and turns * Grimdark Magazine * A novel that wears its anti-hero credentials proudly on its sleeve * Geek Dad * de Castell doesn't get bogged down in the philosophizing. He lets his characters express the complexity and themes of the book through a propulsive and very fast-paced plot . . . this would make for a perfect summer beach read * The Fantasy Review * If you enjoy fantasy with clever plots, witty dialogue and characters with a keen sense of humour, you should keep The Malevolent Seven on your radar * Bibliosanctum * A march through mayhem. A unique mix of murderous mages, polymorphic angels, cunning demons, found family, and much more . . . one of my favourite books of the year, no question * FanFiAddict * This is de Castell without any restraints and writing complete chaos. It was a pleasure to read * Just Geeking By * A great time with bad people. The magic is fun, the cast is funny, and the quest is hopeless. I highly recommend you strap in and watch this diverse cast of rogues fall upward toward their goal with as much cursing and calamity as possible * The Quill to Live * Suffice to say if you enjoy your characters, magic and world on the darker side, aren't afraid of a little blood and enjoy found families who try to kill each other... this is the book for you * Becky's Book Blog * Full to the brim with magic, mayhem and danger. If you're looking for a book that will keep you guessing and keep you hooked right to the very last page, this one should definitely be on your wishlist * The Bibliophile Chronicles * This pulled me in from the first moments; it just felt like it was going to be fun - and it was * British Science Fiction Association *