"Infernal" by Mark Jager is a rollercoaster ride of adrenaline-fueled action and supernatural intrigue. Jager's talent for crafting fast-paced plots and dynamic characters shines through in this urban fantasy thriller. From the very first page, readers are plunged into a world where demons and dark magic lurk in the shadows, keeping them on the edge of their seats until the very end. However, while the novel excels in delivering heart-pounding excitement, it occasionally falls short in terms of character development, leaving some protagonists feeling one-dimensional. Additionally, the intricate magical system introduced may overwhelm readers seeking a more straightforward narrative. Despite these drawbacks, "Infernal" remains a thrilling read for fans of the genre, showcasing Jager's knack for crafting high-octane adventures in the supernatural realm.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a copy of this EARC in return for an honest review.
Sadly I ended up DNFing this book about 110 pages in as I was not enjoying it at all and it was just not for me but others may really enjoy it. It just seemed way too over the top and it felt like Groundhog Day every time he came into contact with others. I still have no ida who or what he is and I am okay with that.
Sorry I cannot give a better, more in-depth review but I struggled to get to the 110 page mark.

What I Liked
The Alien Nature of Humans. Since the main character isn’t well… human, the intricacies of human interaction are lost on him. He cannot fathom why a kindly tinker would gift him with his spare cloak or why the other main character would save his hide. He also takes many phrases literally and or gauge the meaning to be totally opposite. In a scene, his partner distracts a group of soldiers both so they’d get away and won’t have to fight. He goes after the men, slaughters them, and praises the partner for distracting them. Such instances are funny and provide much needed respites from all the killing and violence — yes, there’s a looooooooooooooooot of it!

What I Didn’t Like
The Casual Racism. So, many characters refer to the protagonist’s skin color in weird and derogatory terms. Get your black ass up or a nation of the blacks and so on. I don’t know why the man’s skin colored needs to be mentioned in the first place, since it adds nothing to his story. And if it was, why make the mentions so yucky?

The TSTL Protagonist. So, he doesn’t yet understand how to blend in. Shouldn’t that mean Stratus would be careful or at least come up with a strategy that’s more than, I’ll kill anything in my path? But yeah, this is what we get. Stratus solves all issues with his sword, often putting his partner’s life in danger because of his stupidity.

What I Would Have Liked
Likeable or Unforgettable Characters. It is an okay read while it lasts, but cannot make you care about the protagonist or most of the other characters we meet. At best, I feel lukewarm towards Tatyana and her continued existence, but that was it! The characters that do catch my eye, i.e., the Prince and his Wizard, play brief roles before going off screen. Sad!

More Backstory. I’d have also loved to see some flashbacks of Stratus’s life when he was treated like an oddity or freak and used as a money-making machine. Maybe it would have made me like him more–something which became impossible after that incident…in the sewers…the poor kid!

Sadly, Infernal by Mark de Jager was a hit and a miss for me.

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately, it was a DNF for me. Tried it multiple times before giving up.

4 / 5 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2021/07/11/infernal-by-mark-de-jager-review/

Stratus wakes in an unfamiliar body, an unfamiliar place, with no memories of how he got there, where “there” is, or who he even is. All that he knows is that his name is Stratus—and that a demon lives within him.

Armed with just this knowledge—and a powerful yet volatile innate sorcery—Stratus begins a journey of self-discovery. This journey will take him through Krandin, recently decimated by war. A land that proves less than welcoming to a hulking dark-skinned stranger with amnesia and a powerful hunger. One that includes both horse- and human-flesh.

As Stratus slowly pieces together his history, he discovers a land full of both allies and enemies, some of them from his very past. He also discovers a dark power threatening to engulf the land—a land that despite himself he has begun to care about. But is it worth enough to him that he will help save it, or will Stratus let all fall to darkness to slake his thirst for vengeance?

I’m a bit of a sucker for the amnesiac trope: the one where the main character has no idea who they are and has to piece it together while the world tries to kill them. Interesting enough at the outset, the mystery just ramps up when Stratus’s demon emerges and starts compelling him to strangle horses or describe just how familiar (and tasty) human flesh is.

The narration really helps bring the story to life however, and I can’t rave enough about how great Obioma Ugoala is as Stratus. It lends an impressive voice to this very personal tale, one that just fits so well!

Over the course of the story, Stratus is tested and developed as a character as he slowly discerns his identity. He isn’t alone in this but his is by far the most extensive. It makes sense as this is his tale, but I would’ve liked to see more from the characters of Infernal other than just the two or three that really evolve over the course of the story. Still, those few are strong enough to carry the tale—as most of it falls squarely upon the shoulders of Stratus himself.

The only real issue I had with Infernal was the ending. Yes, I see why it ended in the manner it did (and you will too, should you read it). It makes perfect sense, and really cuts out on the right foot to set up Book #2. That being said—we left a decent amount unresolved. Part of the story is complete, yes, and part of it is just starting. But part cuts out in the middle, with no real resolution even hinted at.

TL;DR

Infernal is an excellent new addition to the fantasy genre, one that makes very few mistakes over the course of its 13ish hours. Stratus is a strong and fascinating character, one whose story you’ll surely become invested in over the course of the tale. The places he goes, things he does are not widely done in fiction, but are passed off as if they’re completely normal. The narrator is excellent and I cannot recommend the audio version of this enough! The only real issue I had was with how much is resolved at its end. Yes, there is an excellent reason it ends like it does; and yes, part of the story is concluded while still setting up Book #2—but I still feel more could have been resolved. It was just very abrupt.

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

Nice book, nice characters and nice writing style. Not the best book that I ever read, but a good one.

I would recommend it

I really struggled with this one. A great premise with a lot of good action and an interesting world. On paper it's everything I wanted.

But I really struggled with the depiction of Stratus. There was a complete absence of danger for him and it got a bit tiring watching him suddenly discover new abilities to get out of trouble.

To be honest, I could deal with all that. What I really, really didn't like was the over-emphasisation of Stratus' skin colour. We get it, he's black. Very clearly and noticeably black. What I hated was that this highlighting of his skin seemed to be a way of associating it with his being a demon. Thrown in some good old-fashioned human eating and it's not a good look.

Maybe I'm reading a bit too much into it but the depiction of the main character and his skin colour left me, as a POC, uncomfortable and unhappy. Hard to rate this book highly in that situation.

Confession time… I requested this book through Netgalley because I thought Mark de Jager might be Dutch. But then the Husband told me it is also an African name (yes, he knows both Dutch and African de Jagers). And guess what, he won.

That didn’t make me enjoy this book any less though. It is an epic fantasy… but different. We follow Stratus, a man with unusually dark skin who is possessed by some ‘demon’, on his journey to find out who and what he is. He isn’t a good guy. He isn’t a bad guy either though. He is his own man, and doesn’t hesitate to kill whoever gets in his way, no matter whose side they are on. And his incredible strenght does lead him to kill them quite brutally at times.

I also loved Stratus’ voice. He is very matter of fact. He doesn’t know/care about etiquette, social norms and emotions. When someone in front of him complains about how much it hurts to die, he tells them that this is obvious and just answer his question. He is blunt, and opens his mouth without thinking… and in a way this makes him hilarious (even though he doesn’t mean to be). It is what made this book a great reading experience. Stratus starts the book of not knowing anything, and the reader learns together with him. Though this can turn out a bit tropy, I feel this was handled very well in this case. Stratus didn’t conveniently not remember the parts that were important to the story. He also didn’t know what oats are and how to make a fire.

I didn’t care all that much about the other characters. Though I hugely appreciate Stratus didn’t get romantically invovled with the female major character, and the fact that she kicked ass, I didn’t really care for her as a person. Nor did I give a shit about any of the other characters and their war. I just wanted to know what happened to Stratus, and everything else was background noise.

I did however really enjoy the sourcery and especially the necromancy elements in this book. The zombies and the disgusting scenes that came with them were something I haven’t come across ofthen in (epic) fantasy, and I really enjoyed this fresh take on the genre.

It is weird to complain about the fact that the main character was too good that I didn’t care for the rest of the book. But that really is an issue I had with the book, my only issue. I LOVE the reveal in the end, and the cover of the second book already has me fascinated. I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for an epic fantasy that is bloody and brutal, but also hugely entertaining and a tad different.

It was okay, a fun time. Interesting plot and characters, but not a story that will follow me for a very long time.

Infernal is a dark mystery where even the main character doesn’t know who - or what - he is and finding the answer propels us through this strange new world. Filled with magic, intrigue, and necromancy, this is one that will keep you guessing until the very end.

The excellent start of a new fantasy series that kept me hooked till the end.
It's gripping and entertaining, the world building and the characters are excellent.
I really appreciated the tightly knitted plot and can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was just what I needed to start my year of reading off on a high. I’ve been reading some mediocre books lately but this definitely pulled me out of my reading funk.

This was a great, fast paced, easy to read, and totally engrossing book that reminds me a little bit of Patrick Rothfuss. I loved the main character, Stratus, who is just trying to solve the mystery of who he is and where he came from. At the same time, he meets some other interesting people along the way, each helping in supplying triggers to his past. Stratus seems to be constantly fighting his way through life, either because of the way he looks, the power he wields or what he could represent to certain people; this book is action packed; it’s full of battles, blood, guts, gore, magic, and treachery.

Highly recommend this one and I can’t wait for the 2nd installment in English.

Received from Solaris and Netgalley for honest read and review.
This was a brilliantly written book and was so glad to have read it.
Really excellent story that had me hooked from the beginning.Great main character in Stratus and also some funny moments along the way as well.
Cannot wait for next in series.

How could you not be immediately interested in a book where the main character wakes up paralyzed and amnesiac in a field?? And he’s also about to get his eyeballs pecked out by vultures, which immediately cranks up the tension, you know? It only gets wilder and more action packed from this point forward. Stratus, our dear, amnesiac MC is an extremely powerful man and since he can’t remember anything, he also lacks certain social graces. The demon in his head doesn’t help things either because it has quite the taste for human flesh.

Has that piqued your interest yet? If it hasn’t, or if it has thoroughly repulsed you, you should maybe pick a different book. It only gets weirder and more interesting from that point onward – necromancy, worm lords, war, and Stratus stumbling through literally every social situation he encounters.

It almost goes without saying that I loved this book and the narration is absolutely wonderful if you enjoy audio format. This is just the beginning of a series and it sets up the outline for major conflict and introduces us to our characters. Stratus of course is our MC and he’s truly a fascinating guy. I spent much of the book wondering if he truly had a demon in his head, or if it was perhaps something a little more scaly and drakine based on the cover art. I’ll leave you to puzzle that out for yourself. The minor characters are not quite as well fleshed out, but it is only the first book in the series. I expect they will get much more page time in the next book. We’ve also only been told of the big bad Worm Lord and met a few cronies that were suitably threatening.

Overall, I have to say this was an impressive beginning to a series that I think could be one of my new favorites. I am really, really looking forward to the sequel for more bloodshed and action but mostly, I can’t wait for more of Stratus’ past to become clear! It’s so vague for almost the entirety of the book until a few tidbits are slipped in near the end when he encounters one of the Worm Lord’s henchmen. This was not too dark of a read, and I literally laughed out loud several times when Stratus made social gaffs. Honestly, I never thought cannibalism could be funny but when he mentioned having eaten someone’s arm with such nonchalance I totally lost it. That might say more about my sense of humour than anything else though.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

I have mixed feelings about this book. At times I liked it, and at others I was annoyed at it. It's a dark fantasy told in the first person about a man that wakes up with no memory and unable to move. From there, he takes us a on a violent road trip to an unknown destination to find answers to burning questions like, "what (not who) am I", "why am I so angry" and "why do I have a thirst for revenge"?

Stratus wakes up in the middle of a field, unable to move, with no memory of who, or what he is, or how he got there. He's got enormous strength, killer (literally) fighting skills, and powerful sorcery that gives him an edge at survival. He sets out to figure out what he is and what happened to him, stumbling through a land torn apart by a ten year war that is escalating to new heights of savagery and dark magic.

Stratus has no interest in these kingdoms' war, but he gets sucked into the struggles nonetheless. It's only at the very end of the book do we discover what Stratus is and why he has a deep need for vengeance, although frankly, I had it figured out less than half-way through the book. It wasn't difficult with the clunky foreshadowing sprinkled throughout the book.

I generally don't like books told in the first person, and at first it really annoyed me. I got used to it a bit as the book progressed, but it still bugged me. The book is uneven and there is little to no world building and character development. Stratus is ruthless in his quest of discovery, carelessly using people until they've served their purpose, and then killing them. He even eats a brain or two. The book is pretty bloody and gory, but that's to be expected in a dark fantasy book. It took me a long time to get into the story, but once I did, it flowed pretty quickly from there and I enjoyed it. I did like Stratus' interactions with some of the characters in the book, and he even developed a friendship, of a sort.

It will take the reader a while to get into the book, but once they do, it's an enjoyable read. I even liked it enough to read the next book in the series.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Del Rey books in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the premise behind this one, but I unfortunately didn’t love the book itself. I feel that the first person POV was not the best choice when focused on a character with amnesia, and it would have been interesting to have at least one other main POV to offer a counterbalance and a way into the world around Stratus. I also felt that the worldbuilding was a little too light on the ground, and while I understand that this is character driven it wasn’t balanced out. While the humour wasn’t to my taste, I can understand why people have enjoyed that aspect, and why the book has such appeal. It just wasn’t the book for me.

MY REVIEW: 4 Stars ⭐️

I quite enjoyed the books with the exception of a few bits.

Stratus is the main character and he wakes up one morning, naked on the ground, and only knowing his name. He’s super strong and has some magical abilities.

He bumbles his way through the story trying to figure out exactly what he is and along the way he meets friends and foes alike.

This book was humorous, which I personally enjoy in a good fantasy. There are some fire parts and of fighting. My favorite character in the book was Crow, he was a hoot.

The author does give hints throughout the book as to what Stratus is and I figured he was just that but you never know, an author can pull something out of left field. You won’t find out until the end of the book exactly what he is, makes you want to sneak a peek huh?

Anyhoo, I’m interested to see where this story goes in the next book.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Solarisbooks for a digital copy of this book.

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Infernal is certainly a strange one for me … I’ve never before read a fantasy focused on an inhuman (literally) character, that is both instantly dislikeable and very, very intriguing before. I mean all of that in the best possible way. This is a debut that kicks and punches you with all the cool things of the genre: Magical wards, the undead, castles, nobles, beasts and a good old bit of swordplay. It also intersperses this with the new; a heavily nuanced that voice shouts loud that it isn’t human, but still encourages the reader to follow, hate (love) and explore the human world along with Stratus, the straight-talking, brutally violent, main character.

As I have mentioned, the story is focused around Stratus (who we’re led to believe is not human) but he doesn’t quite remember what he is, or even how he got there in the first place. A focus of this is his struggle to fit in with the human world and every one else around him – he makes his hatred for humans known with his super-human strength (and the beatings doled out with this.) And his willingness – literally – to tear the jaw off anyone in his path. He’s a character that flaunts his strength, cares not for those he thinks deserve to be on the other end of it, but also presents a very layered, well put together character with no shortage of mystery.

The focus on identity, paired with his natural sorcerous skill, strong sense of smell and cat-like curiosity leads him into many tangles with necromancy – a feature of magic that I love in any fantasy novel (for who doesn’t like the undead?) … no really. He is searching for clues on the Worm King, a man leading an army of wizards who threaten to topple the city next, for all have fallen so far in their path. His link to which mystyfies the reader until the very end. There’s also Tatyana, the last of a line of knights that he has other unknown links to, Prince Lucien Stahrull, Magus Fronsac and a plethora of intriguing characters that suffer at the end of his sharp wit and physical approach to things. He might not think too much of humans, but I had a fantastic time watching Stratus learn of his past, of what he really is, while unravelling the mysteries that have the city reeking of necromancy.

The voice was at times uncomfortable and at best a joy (read: cynical terror) to read. Mr de Jager did a phenomenal job with keeping the character relatable and also completely unrelatable. Obviously, the way a non-human character interacts with a human world, the language they use, the concepts they know, are going to be entirely different from those humans experience. Especially when they don’t remember who they are. This was something that I particularly enjoyed and also thought was done well. I totally believed he wasn’t human. Though, the one thing that let this down for me was that I guessed very early on what exactly Stratus was … though not something to do with the writing, I thought the clues in parts of the books were too heavy before they needed to be.

The magics … trap wards, elemental constructs, mind control and necromancy (to keep it simple) were very fun. What more do you want in a fantasy novel? The system is soft, and by that, I mean that the rules of how it works are kept to a real minimum. But I enjoyed it that way, it helped present the effect that this is something that has always been present in the lives of the characters and is both integral to the plot but not so overriding to it that it takes centre-stage. No, Stratus has that. With great lore that outlines the origins in the Dreamsinger and the Songlines left behind, there’s plenty for the fantasy fan to eat up surrounding it, but also manages to limit the magic, set restrictions and prevent Stratus and the wizards from being too overpowered. Which is something I love, even in a system like this.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s fun, everything a fantasy reader needs and also short enough to be consumed in a few days. A nice rest from those great tomes I usually find myself buried in (under). The magic is what you’d expect, but with its own voice and the plot is original, quirky with a nice bit of mystery (which, as I’ve mentioned before, is a bit of a staple love of mine.)

Absolutely loved this book, which reminded me of the best of Joe Abercrombie and David Gemmell. With its fascinatingly complex main character and dense, lush prose, Infernal is easily one of the best things I've read this year — brutal, darkly funny fantasy of the goriest order. Can't wait for book two.

Thank you to Mark de Jager and publisher Rebellion for granting me eARC access to Infernal in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

Although I chose not to finish reading Infernal, I do feel that I've read enough to be able to offer a fair review. Please note that this is a DNF review, and I would call it a 2.5 if I could award half stars.

Infernal is the story of Stratus, a demonic being with amnesia who escapes his paladin captors and proceeds to murder and eat his way through the world around him in search of answers regarding who he is, how he came to be here, and what his purpose is. The book is written in the first person (passive continuous tense) from Stratus' point of view and takes time to describe Stratus' every move. While this is certainly well written and I was not bored by it, I wouldn't call the pacing of this book fast in any way. In order to enjoy this book, you must be the sort of reader who likes spending a lot of time with the characters even in the absence of fast-moving plot events. This is not my reason for discontinuing the book, I usually am that sort of reader, and the author's writing style is compelling.

I have two main reasons for putting this book down. The first reason is a matter of taste and expectation. The synopsis given for this book was short and given that the genre was listed simply as "Sci-Fi & Fantasy," what to expect wasn't clear. Featured early reviews included that make claims such as "If Jack Reacher came to Westeros" had me hoping for a story that breaks out of the gate at full gallop, makes me care for the characters, and then breaks my heart. What I got was a slow start that didn't inspire any empathy at all, and none of the deaths meant anything. If I'm going to read a first-person account of a demon with amnesia murdering and eating his way through town I want it written by a Terry Pratchett contemporary. I want it laced with humour and absurdism. If I'm reading a cold murderer acting on demonic animal instincts, I either want a second POV I do care about early on, or I want insight into what this character has forgotten so I can have at least a hope of caring about this unempathetic killer. Perhaps the story begins at the wrong point. I think de Jager has done an excellent job of writing a demon, but it has taught me that I'm not interested in a demon's perspective.

The second reason I chose not to finish is a concern that there may be racist elements to this book. Stratus wakes up, examines his body, and knows immediately that his skin is darker than it used to be. Others who come across him compare him to a group of people who live farther south who are known to be that dark. A boy asks if he's a demon because of his complexion. These god-fearing and pure characters (paladins), though not presented as heroes of the story or anything so grand, are understood to be much paler. As Stratus moves through the land taking and killing as he pleases it becomes clear that he is very much a demon, something evil and dark, and that this is indeed not his original body. Whatever made him what he is now also put him in this dark-skinned body. Dark skin is being equated with the embodiment of evil. This is coming from a white author, and it's not a good look.

For those who aren't bothered by my second point and who enjoy slow-building, character-driven epic fantasy, this could very well be your next favourite read. I did see promising writing and prose skills in this book from a author who knows how to give just enough detail without losing sight of what's important in any given scene. I'm still open to reading other works by this author.