It turns out that, although The Fantastic Four was a highly hyped release this summer, it was actually the MCU’s Thunderbolts* that stole the hearts and minds of audiences. And we aren’t totally surprised by that news because the anti-hero has long been one of the greatest character categories around. The anti-hero brings to life that darkness that is so interesting to explore in fiction, but always keeps a heart of light at the center—the best of both worlds. And so, if you’re already craving your next team-up of questionably well-intentioned, but infinitely lovable characters, we can do you one better. How about a band of morally dubious mages fighting to stop the apocalypse? Get ready for the sequel to The Malevolent Seven, The Malevolent Eight.
It’s Anna Smith Spark, author of The Court of Broken Knives, that really sets the scene for us, sharing that The Malevolent Eight is “Spectacularly clever, funny and violent. I puke-laughed so hard I broke my favourite coffee cup.” We’re glad for the reminder not to have our favorite coffee cups nearby in case of projectile laughing. But we might have expected that, because author Sebastien de Castell has a way of wielding the pen that is both incredibly sharp and searingly hilarious. Fans of the acclaimed author of The Greatcoats and Spellslinger series will already be prepared for this delicious prose, but if you’re new to de Castell’s work, prepare yourself (in the best way).
“Darkly humorous” is an understatement when it comes to this action-packed sequel to The Malevolent Seven. The chaotic good energy is strong with this author and strong in The Malevolent Eight. (Although we began this piece discussing Thunderbolts*, lovers of Deadpool will also find a lot to enjoy in this text.) And we’d expect nothing less from a book that introduces us to *spoilers* a dragon vampire kangaroo.
So, in sum, we have chaotic good, Deadpool meets Thunderbolts, wizard energy flowing through this tome. And, in our book, that makes it the perfect offering for basically every kind of nerd. Lovers of fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons worlds will lap up this fresh new take on the wizard. Don’t expect any long grey beards or fatherly smiles here, no sir. The Malevolent Eight continues the journey of our favorite mercenary wonderists/war mages as they determinedly seek peace… No matter the kill count they amass on their quest. And, of course, the skin on their own backs is priority #1. We just know this crew of irrevent mages is going to use their magic for something absurd, bloody, and hilarious… But in the swish of a cloak will suddenly make us feel many feelings.
The true beauty of The Malevolent Seven lay in de Castell’s artful creation of nuanced and multi-layered characters, whose backstories were unexpected and tragic, but did not fully explain the grey nature of our heroes (not good guys)—leaving room for us to both understand and shake our heads at our favorites. We can’t wait to go on The Malevolent Eight‘s new adventures with them. (Especially main character Cade, who we loved at first sight.)
If you’re ready to adventure as well, check out everything you need to know about The Malevolent Eight below.
When Does The Malevolent Eight Release?
The Malevolent Eight was officially released on August 26. It is now available to purchase.
Where Can You Buy The Malevolent Eight?
If you want to buy The Malevolent Eight and dive into all its anti-hero goodness, you can do so through its Amazon page.
How Many Books Are in The Malevolent Seven Series?
Currently, there are two books in The Malevolent Seven series, The Malevolent Seven and The Malevolent Eight. You can check out the series page here.
More About Author Sebastien de Castell
Here’s more about the author of The Malevolent Eight via his official 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 the 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 and is published in more than a dozen languages.”
On top of all of this, de Castell wants you to know, “The one job I’ve kept doing from the age of nineteen until today is performing live music. I play with a number of bands, including a Beatles tribute and a zany ’80s show.” And he always wanted to be a bard. de Castell shares, “When I was sixteen, I was off on an island, camping by myself, and ended up having to wait about six hours for a ferry. While sitting on the pier, I read a book titled Bard by Keith Taylor filled with music, adventure, and swordplay. I was hooked. Unfortunately, it turns out there’s no such job as “bard” these days, so I’ve made do with a string of strange vocations, all of which brought me right back to books, only now I get to write them for a living!”
If you want to meet this Renaissance Man for yourself, Sebastien de Castell is currently touring in the US and Canada in honor of The Malevolent Eight and his other titles.
The Malevolent Seven Official Synopsis & Where to Buy
If you haven’t yet read the first book in Sebastien de Castell’s series, here’s the synopsis for The Malevolent Seven:
‘Seven powerful mages want to make the world a better place. We’re going to kill them first.’
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 one 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).
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 . . .
You can snag the book for yourself, here.
Even John Wick‘s Creator Wants You to Read This Series
Nerdist favorite, Chad Stahelski, director of John Wick had this to say about The Malevolent Seven: “Like the tremendous Spellslinger and Greatcoats series’, THE MALEVOLENT SEVEN is another example of the brilliant and vivid world-building that Sebastien de Castell uniquely delivers through his incredibly original characters and their riveting adventures.”
That’s an account we can trust.
The Malevolent Eight Official Synopsis
If you’d like to know a little bit more about The Malevolent Eight, here’s its official synopsis as well.
The stakes have never been higher.
The world is teetering on the brink of annihilation. The Lords Celestine and the Lords Devilish, celestial and infernal beings locked in an age-old enmity, have at last found the perfect battlefield for their apocalyptic Great Crusade: the mortal realm.
Cade Ombra, former Glorian Justiciar turned mercenary wonderist, leads a band of emotionally unstable mages in a desperate bid to prevent the impending clash of divine and diabolical titans. Failure will leave humanity to be conscripted into an eternal war, serving as foot soldiers doomed to oblivion.
The mission seems impossible, but Cade and the Malevolent Seven aren’t exactly pacifists, so they’re determined to bring peace no matter how many people they have to kill first. With wit as sharp as their blades and a moral compass that points only toward survival, they’re ready to cut down anyone in their path to stop the war before it begins.
If you need us, we’ll be buried in this book. Cade, here we come.
This article published in collaboration with Laurence King & Mobius.