The Dragon in Winter
by Jonathan Maberry
Kagen the Damned #3
Epic Fantasy Dark
NetGalley eARC/Audio ARC
Pub Date: August 20, 2024
St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Audio
Ages: 18+

Kagen and his rebels are gathering. The war against the Witch-king is on the horizon. And while Kagen gathers those still loyal to the Silver Kingdom, the Witch-king is gathering his own followers, living and dead. And once he ascends, the world will be remade in his image.


Book three and the final installment of the Kagen the Damned series, (there is a short story set between books one and two, which I did not read because of the price/page count, and because I didn't care much for the other books, so I didn't feel it was worth my time) and as with the first two books there is a lot of telling of this instead of showing. The chapters jump from character to character, and there are a lot of characters, so, for me, this caused the story to drag as I tried to insert myself into each character's perspective, and it does not easily happen since I have to remember who they are, why they are important, who's side they are on, etc...

This book is close to six hundred pages, and a lot of those pages, I feel, were wasted on all the extra minor characters' perspectives. Sure, some of it was interesting, but there were two characters on the Witch-king's side who I don't feel were really needed, other than extra info that the Witch-king could have offered. All of these extra perspectives took away from who the story was supposed to be about, Kagen; he was almost sidelined.

One thing that did earn a major grimace and an eye roll was the 'revelation' in the north. I did start having the suspicion it was going to happen and when it did, it changed my respect for the story. I did not like it.

I will admit that I did enjoy this book more than the first two. I also flipped between the E and audio versions and can say the narrator, Ray Porter, did a good job bringing life to the characters who were flat in the written copy. Maybe that had something to do with it, but this book did seem to be more concrete and a lot more interesting than the first two put together. If only it had more showing and less telling, it could've reached the next star.


2 Stars

Kagen the Damned returns for a third, and seemingly final, quest to stop the Haakian Witch-King once and for all in Jonathan Maberry's absolutely epic The Dragon in Winter.

If you dug the previous entries in this series, Maberry gives you plenty more where that came from and then some in this positively sprawling conclusion that stretches from Argon and on up through to the arctic wastelands of the Winterwilds and all the lands and oceans in between. Kagen Vale and his comrades in arms, the mercenary war-woman Filia and her balls-obsessed lover, cutthroat killer Tuke, gather their forces of Unbladed warriors into a growing army to unite what remains of the destroyed Silver Empire to launch an all-out war against the Haakian invaders. There's land battles, naval battles, one-on-one attacks, castle sieges, and a whole lot of magic and monsters as the world grows more twisted under the influence of the Witch-King and his ancient cosmic god, Hastur.

That last name in particular should ring a few alarm bells for fans of H.P. Lovecraft, and the combination of cosmic horror with good, old-fashioned sword and sorcery make for natural bedfellows here. It's an element that initially drew me to deeply into this world. I've never been a big fantasy fan and, more often than not, my attempts at approaching the genre usually ended in failure and boredom. Maberry himself was the key element that made me pick up Kagen the Damned a few years ago, having become a fan of his work and official Joe Ledger obsessive, and that book cut right to the chase with an immaculate and wonderfully violent extended opening recounting the utter collapse of the Silver Empire in a single night. I wrote in my review then that, if ever there was an author that could get me to try another fantasy book after so much disappointment, it was Maberry. And, well, goddamn if he didn't turn my attitude right around. Joe Ledger obsessive, meet Kagen the Damned obsessive.

What makes this series work so well for me is it's balls to the wall, everything including the kitchen sink approach. It's dark and violent to be sure, but Maberry also uses it to platform every single bit of pulpy goodness that both he and I love. There's Lovecraftian Elder Gods, cosmic horror, monster horror, witches, vampires, werewolves, elves, goblins, tarnished heroes, seriously wicked bad guys, and buckets and buckets of blood. And, unlike most of the fantasy books I've tried and tossed in the DNF pile, none of this stuff gets bogged down in hundreds and hundreds of pages of dry infodump to tell you all about the last ten thousand years of world history and Biblical-like lineages of who begat who that led to the modern day. Yet it's clear there is a hell of a lot of history in this world, and rather than spelling it all out Maberry teases us with it, which all by itself adds another interesting wrinkle to the proceedings.

Maberry has crafted here a large and expansive world, one that's still filled with a lot of mystery and plenty more potential to be mined. The Dragon in Winter effectively closes out this trilogy of Kagen the Damned novels, but Maberry smartly leaves the door wide open for further adventures. And by the hairy balls of the god of returning characters, I certainly hope we get to travel with Kagen again someday soon. He's too cool a character, and his world too vast, to be left by the wayside for long.

The Dragon in Winter, the third book in the Kagen the Damned series, is a compelling conclusion to Jonathan Maberry’s epic saga. Maberry’s unique style is a delightful blend of Tolkien-like fantasy, Arthurian legend, Monty Python hijinks, Stephen King horror, and Holmesian mystery, creating a narrative that is both familiar and refreshingly original.

The story features a vast array of characters, each meaningfully developed. Some characters persist throughout the story, while others meet their tragic demise, serving the tale’s progression. Dragons, elves, fairies, witches, and various monsters adds to the richness of this fantastical world. This book stands out as something genuinely different from anything I have read, and I'm sure it will excite and intrigue any fantasy literature enthusiast.

My anticipation for this installment of the Kagen trilogy was high, as I couldn’t wait to discover who would ultimately prevail. Maberry masterfully keeps readers guessing until the very end. The story concludes just as it began, focusing on family and its complexities.

I will greatly miss some of my favorite characters who now disappear behind the book covers. Kagen, Tuke, Filia, Jheklan, and Faulkner, along with many others, kept me heartily entertained throughout the series.

This conclusion to the epic kagen the damned trilogy was worth the wait. Spectacular action scenes and memorable characters are the essential features of this unique series. Chapters are shorter than usual in the genre, but this style makes sense for this type of storytelling. There are some spectacular twists that I did not foresee. Fans won't be disappointed with the conclusion to this epic series that leaves the door open for more adventures.

The only perk to discovering a good series late in the game is that I was able to read all three books in this series without any wait time in between.
I thought the author's writing was engaging and the storyline was really interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Thank you Jonathan Mayberry, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book!

This pains me to write.

I loved the first two books in the Kagen the Damned trilogy. When I saw THE DRAGON IN WINTER, this final book, was available on NetGalley, I couldn’t request it fast enough.

Okay, so the writing itself is still great. But content?

We have an overabundance of POVs woven together in short sections. Each POV switch takes us somewhere different, with a multitude of situations all unfolding at the same time with various characters. I normally like short scenes/chapters, but the constant switches felt dizzying and disjointed.

Consequently, Kagen, our main character, got lost in the maelstrom. I wanted more from him.

Then, the ending. Sometimes too much buildup sets me up for a letdown, which is what I felt here. I just didn’t love the way it played out.

Enough of my grumbling. If you’ve read the first two books (which you absolutely need to do before reading this one), you of course have to read this final installment. And I hope you love it!

After the second book, I was eager to read The Dragon in Winter and see it all come together. And Maberry does that, setting up an unforgettable ending. It was a good conclusion to a great series and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. There were some good plot twists that kept the novel interesting in this book and gave me the closure I wanted.

As someone who has been reading Jonathan Maberry novels for the past 15 years, I enjoyed seeing him return to the fantasy genre and write a memorable fantasy series. I will say, seeing zombies in this series was entertaining and made me laugh because I know how much Maberry loves them. They felt believable and played a big part but not overshadowing the main villian of the novel.

There are so many amazing concepts in this novel that I am sad to see go. I do hope Maberry revisits them in the future because I would love to read more about the other realms and what creatures inhabit them. Kagen was a fun protagonist and Maberry is one of the better writers when it comes to fighting scenes and that showed. If you are a fan of Maberry's novels or enjoy adult fantasy novels, then this book and series is worth reading!

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, Jonathan Maberry and Netgalley.
I've been a huge fan of Maberry's since I first read his Ledger series back in the lost mists of time. "For me, anyways."
I'll confess that I was somewhat sceptical of how this trilogy would turn out. It wasn't just fantasy. It was also horror, mythology, and quite honestly a bunch of genre's all mashed up. I just think that maybe, just maybe that was a sticking point with me.
My favorite thing about Maberry is that he writes different than most folks do.
I have always loved that!
This trilogy though? Seriously, I'm not quite sure what to think.
I loved books one and two, but this last book? Meh?
It was a whole lot of build up for not much of anything.
I'm still not even sure how foiling the "big bad" was.
I honestly think that most people will love this. But I've been a huge fan for a few decades now, and this ending did not float my boat.

Jonathan Mayberry may have written one of his 1st fantasy series of his career, but hopefully it's not his last.

His unique perspective on Fantasy is classic, yet refreshing. From his use of common characters throughout Fantasy, but with a new spin.
He plants easter eggs, such as somewhat historically recognizable names, to the, " box of metal and glass that contained human and dog bodies....." 😆.

Characters are fleshed out, magic in this book is cool, and settings, stories & monsters make this book so entertaining.

I highly recommend this book on creativity alone

Kagen Vale is damned. His gods turned their backs on him when he failed to protect the children of the Silver Empress when the Witch King unleashed the Night of the Ravens and killed thousands across the Empire in one night. But Kagen is driven to fight the Witch King, to make him pay for the death of his family and the precious children. War is coming. The nations that formerly made up the Empire are determined to take back their sovereignty and will band with Kagen. Kagen's brothers have traveled to the Winter Wilds, seeking the last dragon on earth, who is being held captive, tortured to obtain her tears and saliva for dark magics. Her dying cries summon horrors beyond imagining. As the Witch King seeks to obtain god-hood for himself, Kagen brings to bear more magics than can be imagined, brings them to a world who refuses to acknowledge the existence of magic. The price that will be paid is beyond knowing. This is one of the best conclusions to a series I have read in a while. All details are wrapped up in a satisfactory manner. Maberry writes an exciting and compulsive reading experience. Highly recommended.

<b>"Tell me" he said when he could trust his voice. "Tell me everything."

"I was drugged... on my night off," he began "And I woke to the sound of my own damnation."</b>

Man what a ride this series has been. The lines above are from 85% of the way through book 3 and are such a great call back to page 1 of book 1, while being a fantastic resetting of the table for the absolute force that is the end of this book.

Kagen The Damned (book 1) starts of with an absolute blistering opening and keeps that same pacing throughout that story. The scope is quite narrow, and I was hoping book 2 would open up to explore much of the larger pantheon and the pantheons interactions with the world itself. Instead book 2 begins delving and expanding on the world itself in ways that make the world feel quite expansive. But I truly don't think I was prepared for how much story was going to be packed into this story! It had so much of what I was hoping would be in book 2, and then created so much destruction in such a short amount of time.

I think my only criticism was that the scope was so large, that pieces felt rushed. I wanted to savor and let the tension build before unleashing absolute carnage across the realm. Is this me wishing these books would have been more than a trilogy... probably. Knowing what we learned in these books, do I now wish we could get prequel stories explaining in more detail some of the things we learned in a short amount of time from this book... well now I feel like I am being redundantly not subtle, but you get my point.

This is my first series from Maberry, though my brother in law has repeatedly urged me to read more of his work. I found some criticism of book 1's language and description of specific acts that occurred in the book fair. That said, I thought The Dragon In Winter really finding a consistent voice and balance between story and "grimdarkness" that made for an enjoyable read.

This will absolutely not be everyone's cup of tea both in the style and the pace. But man do I feel a bit empty as my teacup looks empty now! Great cap to a really fun series and I hope to see more from some of the surviving characters (I don't want to even risk hinting at these for spoilers sake) in some form in the future!!!

Huge thank you to Jonathan Maberry and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC from NetGalley.

The amazing end to an amazing fantasy trilogy!
That said - the language felt a little stiff and formal to me,

The final volume in the Kagen the Damned series. Kagen must face the Witch-king and stop his ruthless reign and endless destruction. His call to find allies will take him beyond the known world and with the reawakening of magic the gods themselves just might answer.

I love the ending to this trilogy and loved following the adventures of the youngest son of the Poison Rose, Kagen Vale, self-named Kagen the Damned. All plot points are addressed in a more than satisfactory way. Be prepared for a long read, but if you are already invested in this trilogy, the reading time will not be a surprise.

I have been looking forward to this third and final installment in the Kagen the Damned series since I finished book two, and It did not disappoint! I always hate to see a favorite series come to an end, but Mayberry wrapped things up in a satisfying way, giving the reader continued character growth and lovely plot movement right to the end. I can’t wait to see what comes next. (More in the Kagen world, perhaps?!)

Dragon in Winter
Entertaincity is Mayberry super power, I needed to create a word!! To show case his story telling prowess!!

Characters just keep giving, and the plot is spot on like the first two books
The story has its goods and meh parts, but with this being the last book of a trilogy and he landed ok!
I finger this 3.5 stars

Maberry sure can tell a story! This third installment in the Kagen the Damned series is every bit as entertaining as the first two. All of the main characters continue to grow more into who they are as the tale is told. The progression of their development is natural if not always linear.

As to the story itself, it is somber and hilarious, philosophically interesting and irreverent, and always entertaining. This is another book that does not like to be put down. Honestly I could see Netflix doing good things with a story such as this.

Five stars is an easy rating to give for this fantastic book. I seriously could not recommend it more highly! My most sincere thanks to Jonathan Maberry and St. Martin’s Griffin via Netgalley.

I received this as an ARC from netgalley.

I've been looking forward to this for a while, and I wasn't disappointed. Inevitably as the 3rd and last book in a series (maybe there'll be others in the same universe) there was a lot going on, some things coming together and a fitting conclusion.

We can never be 100% satisfied with a story wrapping up, but this had a bit of everything, while leaving the door open for more in the future. There were a few unnecessary plot points shoe-horned in that didn't seem to add much, and the final piece seemed a little rushed, but overall a good finish.

I would definitely recommend this series, especially as its not left hanging for years!

Top Notch book 3 blew my expectations out of the water really would love to see this series continue the characters the action the world it's all here if you read book one and two you have to read book three Jonathan Mayberry has created a rich brutal World here
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC for an unbiased and Honest review

Such a great finale for the conflict with the Witch-King. A bit slow paced in the beginning, but there's a lot to do when fighting a evil sorcerer. I've been looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint. There were several points in the story where I reacted out loud, which was embarrassing because I was at work.