Risen is the 12th and final Alex Verus urban fantasy novel by Benedict Jacka. Released 7th Dec 2021 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley Ace imprint, it's 334 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a consistently solid series, well written, skillfully plotted, and precisely engineered. Titular protagonist Alex Verus is world-weary, cynical, and generally fed up with everyone's crap. This installment sees him yet again navigating the self-created crises the council have managed to create in their jockeying for power whilst (hopefully) staying alive and preventing minor catastrophes like the end of the universe and all life in it.

I've seen Verus and the series as a whole compared to Butcher's Dresden. They're both seat of their pants mages and reactive and sarcastic, but Dresden is indelibly American in tone, language, and impulse - he's a hot tempered cowboy. Verus seems more considered and tactical - he usually has a backup plan or two (and usually needs them).

The plotting throughout is tight and the plotline is beautifully fluid, leading to a satisfying climax, denouement, and conclusion. For all the readers who enjoy binge reading from start to finish and aren't already huge fans, this is a good candidate. It's top notch well written urban fantasy with well rendered characters and settings.

Four and a half stars. Sad to see the end of the series, but it's very very well done.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Everything comes to a head in this grand finale of the Alex Verus series. Alex fights an epic battle against the marid jinn possessing Anne, takes a final stand with the Council, and has the final showdown with Richard he's been dreading for over a decade. Alex's laundry list of feats is a mile long: save his true love Anne, minimize collateral damage, fight off petty politicians, survive two armies holding grudges against him, save his friend Vari who's been possessed by another jinn, stop his arch nemesis, former master, and boogeyman Richard, and - just in case he gets bored - save the world. No problem. Oh yeah, and even if he accomplishes these things, there's a magical artifact slowly killing him, and he's still public enemy #2 (behind Anne) in magical Britain. Actually, this sounds very fitting for 2021.

Unlike previous books where there was a caper, adventure, or detective work, this book was 100% war. I know some readers don't mind when the final battle takes up an entire book, but to me that reads like a pacing problem. Jacka had 12 books these battles could have happened over, but everything before the last book was just a warm up where Alex had to come to terms with his darker side. Alex's quest for self-acceptance really was what he needed to complete, not trying to play his enemies' games. Battle scene after battle scene gets very repetitive and didn't offer enough adventure to really quench my thirst. I was mostly very happy with the ending though. All the loose ends were tied up. My only complaint was that several characters went through major transformations and traumas, and we only got a snippet of how they were coping.

Alex Verus's last battle in this satisfying conclusion to the series is quite awesome! Alex and Luna want to save Anne and Vari and defeat Richard and the djinn and not get killed by the council. There were plot twists and lots of action in this fantastic last book.

Thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

The final book in the Alex Verus series... and what an ending it was!
It drops you right into the action from the start and doesn't let up until the very end. It's basically one big battle. If it wasn't the conclusion to an amazing series, I might be a little more annoyed by that. I'm not a fan of looong battle scenes in general, but he made it work. During the book long fight Jacka manages to tie up the story, force us to say goodbye to some characters (both good and bad), and showcase the final confrontation between Alex and Richard- which provided some of my favorite dialogue of the novel.
Excellent ending to the series!

It is so hard to end a long running series well but I think Benedit Jacka has managed it with Risen. This was a pretty intense and action-packed finale happening in only a few days as the big battle against all of Verus’s enemies has finally come.

With many of his friends in danger and the love of his life under the control of a Djinn, Alex is going to need all of the fate weavers’ power to turn the tide of the battle if he wants to even have a chance of saving Anne and Veri from the traps they have fallen into. His only completely trusted companion is Luna and everyone else could turn on him at any moment.

To win the war Alex must go into a Shadow realm with both the council forces and Richard’s. It is set up from the beginning to be a bloodbath, because how long can we really expect to be playing on the same side. It was an epic battle full of dangers and moments that I will not forget as everything comes to a head.

The thing I really liked about this series is that Alex really isn’t a good guy. I mean he isn’t evil or anything but he is definitely not for the good of all mankind either. He protects his friends and companions and that is about it. He will make the hard choices to keep them safe no matter the cost to others and his soul. That makes him a lot less predictable than other heroes and I appreciate that you don’t have to be the good guy to win the war.

I have loved Alex’s growth and character development throughout the series. He and Luna are some of my favorite characters and I will miss them. Although I do hope to see Luna in future books as she is now owner of a magic shop.

Risen is a fitting conclusion to a series that had moments I though it was going to spin out of control. But I’m glad to see that Benedict Jacka had a plan and was able to follow through on it. Like any war not all the characters are going to make it out alive, but overall, this is a very satisfying conclusion to a series, so now if the perfect time to start it since it is completely finished.

It's honestly a little hard to believe that it's been nearly 10 years since I first stumbled across the Alex Verus series back when I was in the middle of my urban fantasy obsession. While I've now mostly burned myself out on the genre, there was no way I wasn't going to read that last book in this amazing series. And boy was a fucking ending it was! I can't even guess how many times I've gotten to the end of a series over the years only to be disappointed when it didn't meet the expectations I had built up over the years. I honestly thought Risen would be the same but I think somehow, as high as my expectations were, they still weren't high enough because I thought this was such a good end to the series. 


This is probably going to be a shortish review because I wouldn't want to risk spoiling the final book in a series for anyone but man was this ending everything I hoped it would be and more. When I first sat down with this book a few weeks ago I was totally expecting to get the political intrigues and magic that we've gotten from the rest of the books in the series. I was not quite prepared for the explosive and nearly nonstop action that got with Risen, but boy di I love it. I definitely made a mistake when I decided I would read for an hour or so before bed because I was unable to stop reading until I had finished every single chapter. 

I've now finished reading Risen three separate times now and while I'm sad to have reached the end of such a fantastic series, I'm excited to see what Benedict Jacka has in store for us next! If it's anything as good as the Alex Verus series is, then I know I'll have another decade of amazing books to look forward to and I don't know that I have the words to properly convey just how excited that thought makes me. All in all, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone looking for something amazing to read, though I would highly recommend that it's started from the very beginning because part of what makes this ending so good is that we got 11 books of buildup first. 

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Benedict Jacka has in store for us next! If it's anything as good as the Alex Verus series I know I'll have another decade of amazing books to look forward to and I don't have the words to properly convey just how excited that thought makes me.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m rounding this one up to five stars because the series as a whole was such an enjoyable read. I thought the author did a great job of wrapping this story up. You really can’t start the book with this one but if you’re the sort to wait for a series to be finished before you start it this one’s an excellent choice if you like urban fantasy and prefer any romantic buts to be a sub plot and not the main note in the series. Alex is a likable and sympathetic main character. The universe sure dumps on him but he keeps getting back up. I look forward to the author’s next series as a definite to read book!

I have been with this series since the very beginning, and I can’t believe this is the last one…and what a way to go! Everything has come to a head, and Alex must save everyone, including the girl he loves, or die trying. I really can’t say too much about this as I don’t want to inadvertently give away any spoilers, but what I can say is that this is a very fitting end to the series, and I laughed at the end at the way the author kinda, sorta, kept us hanging. Kinda, sorta. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. LOL! This is a well-written urban fantasy, and this last book is filled with lots of action, surprises, and some unexpected twists. I am completely happy with this way this series and book ended. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2021/12/02/%f0%9f%8e%a7risen-by-benedict-jacka/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I LOVED having the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/71196-alex-verus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Alex Verus</strong> </em></a>series as the Read-along choice for 2019.  <strong>Risen</strong> is the final book of the series and I have highly anticipated it.  I would definitely recommend reading this series in order and the books are highly recommended.

I look at my review of <strong>Forged</strong> and many things are the same. " things only seem more dire for Alex.  I don't know how he even figures out a plan. ....  He can't see any friends or they will be questioned and persecuted too.  It's almost easier to list who isn't a problem than who is a problem."  Alex has things he wants to accomplish, but more for others than himself.  He has problems, big problems personally.  There are effects of using some magic and imbued items and they are changing him.

The biggest issues continue to be the council, Richard and Anne.  All three are threats.  It takes constant vigilance to stay ahead of the council who wants to execute him.  Richard may want to kill him or use him, or both.  With Anne, it is hard to know who is in charge, Anne, Dark Anne or the djinn?  He wants to get Anne away from the djinn and make a life for them, but that may not be what Anne wants.  Currently though, Anne possessed by the djinn is such a big threat, the council is willing to take his help with conditions.  The council has also had it with Richard and his power plays.

Alex, as usual, has limited options for plans and some seriously dangerous enemies.  Luna is a steadfast friend.  So many other friends are dead or in their own difficulties.  The action is intense as usual as Alex has to watch the possibilities and update his battle strategy on the fly.  He is solid in his caring about others and those who have treated him fairly.  He isn't really out for revenge but in some cases I am, and I'm glad to see karma bite some of the prejudiced in Alex's world,  or just those who have abused him for power like Richard.

The conclusion is extremely satisfying although the epilogue starts a bit campy.  We end up checking in on the important characters throughout this book.  We learn a bit more history in a few places.  I love this world, the magic systems and battles, but most of all I love Alex. The series is easily one of my all time favorites.

5 / 5 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2021/12/07/risen-by-benedict-jacka-review/

Well, we’ve reached the end. It’s been twelve books, most of them a legitimate joy to read, but the final—yes, FINAL—book in the Alex Verus series is nigh. This is a series I’d very much like to revisit, perhaps as soon as next year, and reread from the very beginning.

But first, the end.

The path for Alex Verus has been long and hard—from a former dark apprentice to an independent, non-council nobody running a shop in Camden, to one of the premier independent mages in all of Britain—but perhaps no part of it has been more difficult than what he faces now. An army of Djinn, led by Anne, his former lover. Or, what used to be Anne. Instead, what wears her face nowadays is a marid, a sultan-level djinn once in considered the greatest threat to humanity’s future. Once, and possibly again.

For the marid is raising an army—and using Anne to do so, much as she once used it—and preparing a ritual that will allow it to possess every mage in Britain, or perhaps, the world. Luckily all the mages in Britain have realized the threat. Now they gather, light and dark and independent all together, setting aside their differences and disagreements in order to fight on the same side until this most horrible of enemies has been defeated!

Or, you know, until it’s really worth it to stab the other in the back. Say they have like a fruit cup or something.

The Council don’t trust Drakh in the least, which is good because neither does Alex. The problem is, he doesn’t really trust the Council either. And the cost of his cooperation with the two is going to be really, really high.

But he’s picked up a few allies of his own. Minus Anne and Variam—currently possessed by djinn—Alex still has Luna (the mage Vesta) on his side, as well as the blink fox, Hermes. He’s also picked up a wayward dark apprentice. And, well, Landis probably won’t betray him. He’s got this made.

But when all cards are on the table, Alex isn’t sure what he’s going to do. If it comes down to it, will he be able to face Richard alone? Will he be able to save Caldera, or Variam, or Anne? Will he be able to stop the djinn, and save the world? And will he be able to do it all before the Fateweaver consumes him, and transforms him into a block of stone?

Man, what a ride!

Admittedly, Risen wasn’t quite the same ride as Forged, as we certainly know what to expect. In general, at least. There’s a war on, and it’s not going to stop until one of the two sides is dead. In that sense, it’s a bit like Battle Ground. But fortunately, it’s also completely different.

In Battle Ground, it was us or them. In Risen, sides are a lot more complicated. Everyone is—on some level, at one time or another—planning to betray everyone else. It’s just the where and when, if or if not it’ll happen, and where the chips fall when it does. There’s also a lot more preparation, a lot of calm before and between the storm. There’s a certain amount of tension in Risen that keeps building, on and on through the fighting, through the breaks and planning and backstabbing. Where Battle Ground just went action action action and tried to constantly push the pace, Risen doesn’t just throw out what has worked for the series to date. There’s still the same amount of intrigue and mystery, it’s just the stakes are higher this time. And this IS the end—one way or another.

It also remembers to be funny every now and then. While Alex has gotten a whole lot darker in recent entries, he’s still the same bottle of pent up cynicism and sarcasm we’ve come to know and love.

TL;DR

I don’t really know what else to say about this. I loved Risen. I loved Forged and Fallen before it. Marked and Bound and Burned before them. And Veiled and Hidden and Chosen and Taken and Cursed. And Fated. With the way the Dresden series has stumbled recently, this may just be my favorite urban fantasy series of all time. In part because everyone loves an underdog. But once they have transcended underdogdom, and maybe even defected to the dark side… what then? Are they still the hero; someone to root for, someone to love, to relate to, to look up to, to enjoy? Or are they something else, something they can never come back from? The Verus series tells the story of Alex as he wanders down this path. As he confronts difficult situations—ones that have no perfect solution—and makes his own decisions. He’s not perfect. He’s not evil. But he sure ain’t all that good either. He’s human. And… he has light at the end of the tunnel. In an age when so many series just go on and on and on, Benedict Jacka knows when to stop. I think that’s one example of why Alex Verus is great. Yeah, I would’ve loved to see more of him; just another book, or two, or ten. I would’ve read them and I would’ve loved them. Until I didn’t. Alternatively, the series could just end right now. An ending not for me, but for Alex. An ending he not only deserves, but has earned ten times over. So if you’re a fan of urban fantasy and haven’t read Alex Verus, I say this: yeah, the first book isn’t perfect—but it’s headed somewhere special, and you’ll want to be there at the close, at the end of all things.

Wow, another brilliant book by Benedict Jacka! I can't believe this is the final book in the Alex Verus series!

Risen is a shattering final book of the Alex Versus series by Benedict Jacka; we say goodbye to the titular character Alex. It is all done. Finito. Endings can be difficult; it is hard to wrap up all the emotion and gravitas of a series, especially one as large as the Alex Verus one with a neat bow. Instead of allowing the series to pitter out like a band still on stage when patrons are getting their bags and heading home, Jacka finished the series with a thundering crash of an orchestra in its final song for the night. It was perfectly timed and perfectly executed, and a conscious choice by Jacka that this book and this plot arc is the right time to finish. Jacka did a great job, and I am left with a fondness for the series.

It took us 12 books to get to this point, and unlike other stories in the Alex Verus series, you can't start at book 12, Risen. You won't get the gravitas of what is going on and the combined struggles Alex has faced. Jacka does his best to give context to the situation that Verus finds himself in. But even with some backstory, it will read like an excited but superficial action fantasy novel. Instead, Risen feels like a story written as a nod for the fans and everything Verus has gone through and lost.

Alex Verus is an unlikely hero on many fronts. Firstly, up until recently, he was not a hugely powerful mage. Verus has always been cunning and strategic in planning because of necessity. He was scrappy, the runt puppy of the Mage world. Often his fights were akin to someone attacking with a pea shooter instead of a Nuke. You can do a lot of damage with a pea shooter if you get someone right in the eye, which was Alex's modus operandi. It took him far in the mage world, but Verus was always lacked true power.

That is, until the last few books, where the tides began to turn. But there is always a price to pay for power.

One of the most positive aspects of the story is how Alex has grown and nurtured his relationships with his allies. As I mentioned above this is essential for Alex's survival, but I think this is more so because of his highly protective nature. It is the epitome of a found family. If Alex chooses you and trusts you, he will likely care about you his entire life, and possibly burn the world down to save you. With all the magical and political machinations going on in the background, his relationships take center stage and are the beating heart of the Alex Verus series.

Verus also has a distinctive duality in his nature, which was evident as the series progressed but doubly true for the last book. He can be intensely pragmatic and ruthless, in essence, a dark mage. The very thing he spent most of his adult life running from. He is capable of very dark things, which many dark mages attempted to exploit for their gain. Especially, the longstanding villain of the story Richard Drakh. The morally ambiguous nature of Jacka's hefty cast of characters seems much more realistic and practical than the perfect "good guy/bad guy" characters that many other urban fantasy series employ.

So, who is Alex Verus and why should you read this series? Alex is a complex character set in difficult situations that never jump the proverbial shark. The series has grey characters that have an authenticity that is appealing and grabs you. And those characters have psychological issues that again, add to the realism of the series. The ever-evolving plot is great, you continually want to know more. And now that it is a finished story, you can binge-read it. There is so much good, which is why I have loved and read this series for years.

It was bittersweet to see it go, but it was time. Jacka did Alex Verus justice and I was thrilled with the ending. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great urban fantasy series to binge read. You won't be able to put it down.

Bold but fitting ending to a series I have thoroughly enjoyed. I am not saying I agree with all the author's choices but I am so happy that I was there for the ride. Quite the body count.

Risen is, sadly, the last book in the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka. It's the endgame. Alex is trying to save his girlfriend and the world from being destroyed by the Djinn. Short on allies, and with a magical artifact consuming his body, Alex has no time to waste.

Alex has come a long way from his shopkeeper days, and even he couldn't have divined that he'd end up here, although to readers of the series, it seems like the logical and inevitable conclusion to the choices he was forced to make.

Anne, Alex's girlfriend, made a bargain with the Djinn to gain power and get retribution on those who had wronged her. She thinks she's in control, just as she thinks she is with her suppressed dark side. She's wrong. Through her, the Djinn intend to create a force of dark mages that will control the world.

You have to feel for Alex. He started out wanting to do and be good, but the Council just wouldn't let him be, and neither would his conscience. By this book, he's lost so many friends and most of his good intentions. All that's left now is saving Anne and as many of his remaining loved ones as possible. He knows he's not coming out of this alive, and he's under the gun to save the others.

The body count is high in this one, and you're almost guaranteed to lose at least one of your favorite characters by the time the book ends. The lines between ally and enemy shift constantly, and Alex uses all of the skills he's gained to change Fate. (One small spoiler - Hermes the Blink Fox makes it.) Alex shows that, while he's embraced being a Dark Mage, he hasn't lost at least some of the basic decency with which he started the series. It's a wild ride, this book, but it's an incredibly satisfying end to a wonderful series.

Jacka has stated there won't be any more Verus books, BUT there will be stories in the Verus-verse. I'm hoping for Arachne, personally.

4 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from Ace and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

An absolutely satisfying ending. Gives balanced due to both the good and dark parts of Alex. Ends the series on a bang, wrapped up with a bow.

WHAT I LOVED:
This book was an absolutely satisfying ending to the Alex Verus series. All the loose threads were tied off in interesting and thematically resonant ways.
The pacing of this book is excellent. The threat is larger than it's ever felt before, and yet the book also takes scenes to just breathe and let the characters talk in between battles. I loved every page.
In the books leading up to Risen, Alex has been getting increasingly closer to being a seriously bad guy. So, this book had a lot to tackle with either giving him a redemption arc or making the ending satisfying with such a gray protagonist. I was worried that the book would go too far to one of those sides, and change the core of Alex's character in the process. However, I was delighted with how this novel balanced the light and dark sides of Alex, gave them both their due, and found a way to end this arc solidly on the foundation of all the books that came before.
The fox, Hermes, was at the forefront of many parts of this book. This is exactly what I have been hoping and waiting for, and he was used expertly to both give some lightheartedness and raise the stakes in key scenes. I give this book a fox score of 9.5/10.
Having finished the series, I would recommend the following reading order: 3-9, 1-2, 10-12. Books 1&2 are the weakest of the series, and they shouldn't be your first impression. Book 3 cleverly gives you enough background knowledge that you don't need to read 1&2 first. However, you should read 1&2 before book 10, because they finally become important around then.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
Though Alex gets a great arc and balancing to his character, Anne does not. In this book, her arc is again being pushed more by Alex than herself. This makes Anne feel passive and like she isn't getting her own character growth. This is disappointing, and feels like a waste to a fantastic and layered character.

I have made two video reviews of this book (one spoiler free and one with spoilers). Here are the links to those. I plan to make these videos public right before the book comes out (spoiler free video) and on the release date (spoiler video),
Spoiler free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u98gukdjrs
Spoiler video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JpaRGW7zRk

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

From the plot description for this book, it pretty much sums up what is happening throughout the story. Much of the story is the description of how this battle against the djinn is going from Alex's view. Of course, throughout the story it is being mentioned about his love for Anne, and how saving her is his ultimate goal, as well as stopping the djinn and Drakh.

Where should I go from there? The main character has reached the apex of his power, not only magically, but politically, and has no where else to go. He has a magical device (the Fateweaver) turning his body to stone. Currently it has taken his arm and shoulder. The more it is used, the faster it grows. So taking out Drakh, and a powerful djinn, and what other entities get in the way, kind of gives you a good idea where this is heading.

I have really enjoyed this series, growing with the character as he does into his powers, making friends, making alliances ... and in short, becoming who he is in this book. I was not happy when I reached the end, but am content we have reached a conclusion. As I sat and thought about it, I realized, there was not much more Alex could do - no place for the story to continue without splitting to another character (possibility?). Thanks Benedict Jacka for a well-written series!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book and write a review.
#Risen #Netgalley

An excellent and satisfying conclusion to the Verus series. A must-buy for collections with the previous titles.

What a perfect conclusion to an excellent series. In each book of this series, they got better- I was late to the game to start reading them, and even though they ended with this book, it's a bit bittersweet. It's not the most common thing to find a series end this well - it's especially hard when the storyteller is as good as Jacka is and you don't really want the series to end. I'm going to leave off a more full review until this is posted, but I'm walking away pretty thrilled with it.

(Review based from an ARC from NetGalley)

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

This book makes a great conclusion to the highly enjoyable Alex Verus series. Alex has changed a lot over the run of this series, learning just how far he is willing to go to save and defend his friends and companions. We get lots of mage battles, we acquire some new helpers, and lose a number of fairly major side characters as well as villains (as is apt to happen in the conclusive magical battles of any series). The book seems to reach a somewhat dark conclusion, but then continues with a few cute asides as the author directly addresses the series fans, then concludes with a nicely satisfying epilogue. I'm really looking forward to seeing what new series the author entices us with next.

For me, this was a satisfying end to Alex's story. I am a sucker for a happy ending!
I would love to see a series by Jacka focusing on Luna's character!