Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight two awesome upcoming books coming out in 2024 from one of my favourite authors, Jonathan Maberry.
Reader’s familiar with The Unseen Library will be well aware that I am a massive fan of horror and thriller author Jonathan Maberry, whose work I first fell in love with during the early days of my blog. There have been so many great books from Maberry over the years, such as his cool standalone novel Ink (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020) and all the awesome books from his exceptional and fun Joe Ledger science fiction thriller series. I have a lot of love for all the impressive Joe Ledger novels, including the books from the original series like Patient Zero, Assassin’s Code, Code Zero, Dogs of War and Deep Silence, and the books from the sequel Rogue Team International series, Rage (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019), Relentless (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), and the recently released Cave 13.
Due to how much I have enjoyed Maberry’s books over the years, I am always keeping an eye out for any future releases coming our way from him. Well, it looks like Maberry fans are in for a real treat in 2024 as the author has another two books planned for next year. Both of these novels are highly appealing to me in their own unique way, and I look forward to checking them both out soon.
Amazon
The first upcoming book that I need to highlight is the fantastic and awesome sounding read, NecroTek, which is coming out in May 2024. Released in collaboration with the horror icon Weird Tales magazine (which Maberry is currently the editor of), NecroTek see’s Maberry take on the science fiction genre with several human protagonists launched into a dark dimension where ancient horrors live and the only means of surviving and saving Earth might reside in some deadly, necromantic alien technology.
Plot Synopsis:
From New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry, NecroTek is a gripping sci fi thriller full of ghosts, Gods, and a battle for the soul of humanity.
Neither cosmic philosopher Lars Soren, hotshot pilot Bianca Petrescu, nor the high priestess Jessica McHugh—Lady Death herself—can say quite where in the galaxy they are. But after an experiment gone horribly wrong, one thing is Asphodel Station isn’t in orbit around Jupiter any longer. Worse, the monsters that live out here—ancient eldritch beings thought only to exist in stories and nightmares—have now been alerted to Earth’s existence.
Their army of Shoggoths is coming for us next.
Humanity’s only hope for survival lies on the surface of the alien world of Shadderal, where a ghost named Lost, the last of an ancient race, still haunts the vast plains of the Field of Dead Birds. But hope has a cost. Lost tells Soren about ancient derelict spacecraft awaiting on Shadderal, shapeshifting machines that blend ultra-advanced technology with the dark powers of necromancy. These ships might just be nimble enough to defend mankind against the coming invasion.
But there’s a they can only be piloted by the dead.
As human starfighters fall in battle, their spirits can be called back from death to pilot these ghost ships of a fallen race. But will this new necromantic technology—NecroTek—allow humanity to stand against the vast armies of the Shoggoths? And even if it can, is the war to save the human race worth the cost of its pilots’ immortal souls?
Why am I not surprised that a Jonathan Maberry book set in outer space would force its protagonists to face off against an army of Lovecraftian monsters? Maberry is a huge Lovecraft fan, and many of his books contain some of monsters and creatures. As such, featuring them in a book partially brought to us by Weird Tales, which has its own connections with H. P. Lovecraft, is a pretty nice homage. I love the idea of Earth being threatened by these monsters after several humans are sent to a hell dimension, and I am expecting some major horror elements in NecroTek as a result. The concept of the titular NecroTek, which grabs the souls of fallen humans and use them to power dead alien ships is really cool, and I cannot wait to see what sort of crazy, negative side effects that has. I am honestly very excited for NecroTek, especially as it will allow me to see Maberry’s first dive into full-on science fiction, and it will be great to have a whole new series from this author to focus on.
Amazon
In addition to NecroTek, Maberry also has a second book coming out in 2024 with the third and final Kagen the Damned novel, The Dragon in Winter. The Kagen the Damned series is a brilliant, recent body of work from Maberry that represents the author’s first foray into fantasy fiction. A dark and brutal series, the Kagen the Damned books follow an emotionally wrecked protagonist who loses everything, including the love of his gods, after the royal family he was sworn to protect is brutally murdered by the armies of the nefarious Witch-king. Brutal, bloody, and loaded with compelling worldbuilding and complex characters, the Kagen the Damned series is so damn awesome and I have had an excellent time getting through it. The series has so far featured two exceptional novels, including Kagen the Damned (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and Son of the Poison Rose (one of my favourite books and audiobooks from the first half of 2023), and I loved every second I spent reading them.
Luckily, it looks like I don’t have too much longer to wait to see how this compelling series ends as the final Kagen the Damned book is set for release in August 2024. This book, The Dragon in Winter, will see Kagen finally face off against the Witch-king, with magic, dark forces, an ancient dragon, and a mysterious being of unimaginable power, all getting thrust into the mix.
Plot Synopsis:
The Dragon in Winter brings New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry’s epic Kagen the Damned Trilogy to a wild conclusion!
War is coming! War is here! The Witch-king of Hakkia, aided by terrifying dark forces, sits uneasy on his stolen throne. His enemies, led by Kagen the Damned and the Bloody Bastards have found the secrets of ancient magic they hope will defeat him. Strange forces gather on both sides – vast armies of both the living and the dead, devious trickster spirits, strange gods, warrior ghosts, undying vampires, blood plagues that drive people to murderous rage, immortal faeries, and Earth’s last dragon.
Kagen knows that he faces the impossible task of toppling a usurper whose dark magic conquered an empire in a single night. But the Damned fear nothing and there are no limits to what Kagen will do to destroy the Witch-king. With his allies he will tear apart the veils that separate our world from the infinite realms of supernatural magic. The Witch-king will not go down with a fight, and he is willing to drown the western lands in innocent blood to retain his stolen crown. Even if he rules over an empire of dust and blood. His power is growing and soon he will be unstoppable.
But they are not the only forces at work in the world. Magic of all kinds is awakening and who can tell which side they will pick…or if they will pose a new and terrible threat to all! In the frozen North, the last dragon –tortured, captive, dying― cries out in despair. In the inky vastness of the outer dark that cry is heard! And something of incalculable power is coming in answer.
I am very, very excited to get my hands on The Dragon in Winter next year and I already know it’s going to be one of the best books of 2024. Maberry has done a remarkable job with his first fantasy series, and I have loved seeing his typical fun writing style transferred to a dark fantasy storyline. The elaborate plots, damaged protagonists, and huge array of horror-inspired antagonists makes for quite a gripping read and the Kagen the Damned books is one of the most distinctive fantasy series at the moment. The above plot synopsis sounds extremely impressive, and it is going to be fun to see the long-anticipated continent spanning war to destroy the antagonist and his dark hordes. I am particularly keen to see the final showdown between Kagen and the Witch-king, especially as they have quite the complicated history, and knowing Maberry there is a very good chance his protagonist isn’t going to survive. Throw in some memorable new supporting villains, as well as the mysterious ancient power that is coming at the beckoning of the tortured dragon, and this should prove to be a very intense and destructive read.
Due to how much I have enjoyed Maberry’s work in the past there is absolutely no way that I won’t have an outstanding time with both upcoming books in 2024. Both NecroTek and The Dragon in Winter are going to be dark, complex, and powerful books and I will make sure to read them as soon as possible. I will probably try to get them both on audiobook, especially if Ray Porter returns as narrator, and they should make for quite the epic listen.
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