The Malevolent Seven: "Terry Pratchett meets Deadpool" in this darkly funny fantasy

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Description

From the bestselling author of THE GREATCOATS: seven war mages with dark pasts and special powers 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. No doubt he's wearing iridescent silk robes that couldn't protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat's a must, too, right Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would instantly show every other mage where this gets his magic 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.

At least, until such irritating concepts as friendship and the end of the world get in the way.

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 . . .

Reviews

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 *

Author Bio

Bio: Sebastien de Castell had just finished a degree in Archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later he realised how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor and product strategist. His only defence against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way. Sebastien's acclaimed swashbuckling fantasy series, The Greatcoats, was shortlisted for both the 2014 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy. the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut, the Prix Imaginales for Best Foreign Work, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His YA fantasy series, Spellslinger, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal. He is published in more than a dozen languages.

Sebastien lives in Vancouver, Canada with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats.