The Maleficent Seven

A “wickedly inventive” grimdark fantasy full of non-stop bloody action, shocking plot twists, and snarky gallows humor as a mismatched team of villains gets their shot at heroic glory (SFX).   When you are all out of heroes, all that’s left are the villains.   Black Herran was a dread demonologist, and the most ruthless general in all Essoran. She assembled the six most fearsome warriors to captain her armies: a necromancer, a vampire lord, a demigod, an orcish warleader, a pirate queen, and a twisted alchemist. Together they brought the whole continent to its knees . . . Until the day she abandoned her army, on the eve of total victory.   Forty years later, she must bring her former captains back together for one final stand, in the small town of Tarnbrooke—the last bastion against a fanatical new enemy tearing through the land, intent on finishing the job Black Herran started years before.   Seven bloodthirsty monsters. One town. Their last hope.

Publishers Weekly

“There’s never a lull in the action, and the mismatched group provides plenty of fun, with high tension and biting arguments between the over-the-top characters keeping the pages turning… fans of grimdark fantasy will find plenty to enjoy.”

Locus

“Coarse, crude, bloody, brutal, and utterly over-the-top . . . A go-big-or-go-home delight.”

Booklist

“Fans of dark fantasy that enjoy gallows humor alongside over-the-top blood and gore action will find this group of misfits perfectly awful.”

Grimdark Magazine

“A fun, thrilling, and bloody novel filled with interesting characters and a unique world . . . You’ll be begging for more of Black Herran and the gang.”

Rob J Hayes, author of The Ties that Bind series

"Like Kings of the Wyld smooshed together with Suicide Squad into a glorious, gory, sweary melee.”

SFF World

“A fun romp of a novel. Recommended.”

SFX

“Like Joe Abercrombie was persuaded to write a Warhammer novel. It's dark and often brutal, but with a vein of intelligent playfulness running through . . . Cameron Johnston remains wickedly inventive . . . Soaring and magical, yet somehow very human and accessible.”

Devin Madson, author of We Ride the Storm

“Johnston has flipped the magnificent seven samurai trope on its head in this snarky romp of a tale. Packed with heart and humour, The Maleficent Seven is dark, bloody, and the most fun I’ve had in ages.”

About the Author

Cameron Johnston is the British Fantasy Award and Dragon Awards nominated author of dark fantasy novels The Traitor God and God of Broken Things. He is a swordsman, a gamer, and an enthusiast of archaeology, history and mythology. He loves exploring ancient sites and camping out under the stars by a roaring fire.

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