SERVANT OF RAGE by Alex Knight (COVER REVEAL)
Today, I have something super special to share! The Fantasy Hive is beyond thrilled to share the brand new cover for the republication of SERVANT OF RAGE by Alex Knight!
Alex will chime in a little later with his thoughts on this cover and a little explanation of the long journey this book has had, but I just wanted to illustrate why it’s so special to me. Servant of Rage was one of the first books I reviewed, way back in my first year of blogging. I loved this book, for all the reasons you can read here, and I have patiently been waiting for a sequel for seven years. I’ve been following the journey of this story, praying for it to get the love and attention it deserves, and so I’m absolutely over the moon that Portal have picked it up and given it an exciting new home.
Alex was not only there for the start of my blogging… career? Journey? Misadventure? We’ll go with misadventure… but also that of the Hive’s. Although not one of the infamous Fantasy Five that started this page, he did came up with the very punny name of the Fantasy Hive and was instrumental in the early days of this site.
So, welcome home Alex, and onwards with the cover reveal! As always, let’s begin with the official blurb:
Kill an heir, claim their magic.
Subei and his brothers have been raised on stories of the Great Khan, their ancestor who conquered the world with might, mind, and fearsome magic. But the Great Khan is long dead and his power vanished.
The brothers live by his laws still, even as infighting consumes their once-proud people. When a sacred artifact is destroyed in an attempt on their lives, Subei, Bataar, and Kashi find themselves imbued with slivers of the Great Khan’s magic—and they’re not alone.
Under the tutelage of a famed commander, and the guidance of a stoic monk, the brothers are ordered to hunt the other ‘heirs’ and claim their magic for the khanate. With each kill, they grow stronger. But the magic that empowers them is no mere tool. Something ancient, alive, and angry dwells within it.
Kill an heir, claim their magic. But at what cost?
Servant of Rage is an action-adventure fantasy with cultivation- and progression-like elements (abilities, technique development, and power gain). Expect epic combat, dangerous magic, and to test the limits of duty to one’s people, brothers, and honor.
Servant of Rage is due for publication on 11th of March 2025 – you can pre-order your copy here!
And now for the main event:
I always rather loved the simplicity of the original cover, but it’s fair to say it really didn’t match the story contained within. It was pretty, but this is a powerful story whose action sequences pack a punch. Ivan Vujovic has captured that punch and electrified it for this incredible new cover which does so much more justice to the story! Let’s hear what Alex has to say:
Beth asked for my thoughts on the cover some time ago and I’ve had no idea what to say, seeing as excitedly pointing and jumping up and down wasn’t gonna cut it.
For starters, I have to say all credit for this absolute piece of art goes to Taran Matharu (art director) and Ivan Vujovic (artist). Those two took my disjoined ideas and worked them into this brilliant piece! I merely watched from the sidelines and tried not to drool.
Being serious a moment (do I have to? Yes please Alex…), Servant of Rage has been the toughest book I’ve ever written. I set out to pen an action-filled fantasy with magic that harbors a sinister twist. Somewhere along the way though, I unintentionally plunged into an exploration of themes I didn’t know were inside me. Like the seething desire to sweep across the steppe and bring to heel all civilizations in our pa—er, sorry. I meant meditations on brotherhood, on what one owes to their family. On the difference between seeing the world as we’ve been told to see it, or with fresh eyes. And then that’s all topped off with some good ol’ popcorn fantasy fight scenes. Wait, I was supposed to be talking about the cover, wasn’t I?

SoR Cover Concept, round 1, v4
Honestly, I’m in love with the mood of the cover. It’s beautiful in the way a gas line exploding can be beautiful. It’s intimidating, it’s got attitude, and it shows you exactly what to expect inside: a pleasant story where everyone makes the right decisions and is happy with the outcomes!
What impresses me most about Ivan’s work is how there’s so much going on—a city under siege, a pissed off warrior staring you down, giant flaming projectiles raining from the sky—and yet, my eye is drawn mostly to the magic. I think that’s meaningful. Servant of Rage is full of a lot of ideas and fight scenes, but the crux of it all is the return of the Great Khan’s magic. Within it, Subei and his brothers find the power to reshape the world, and more frightening yet, themselves.
I’ll end with a note that some of y’all may be thinking “Hold on, I remember this book!” To which I say “Holy crap! Your memory is very good!” Servant of Rage has been through a lot in the world of publishing. Years ago, it was repped by one of the top lit agents in North America, until that agent unceremoniously departed the industry. Then it was self pubbed and competed in SPFBO, and eventually, unpublished to collect dust for years. In that time, I had the privilege of writing and publishing eight other novels, but Servant of Rage was always in my thoughts. Somewhere around a million published words later, I felt I finally had the wisdom and experience to do the book justice. Since its first iteration, Servant of Rage has been rewritten extensively, with fifteen new chapters, additional POVs, and a general reworking of just about every page. The fact Portal Books wanted to publish it, and Podium brought on Tim Gerard Reynolds (of Red Rising fame, among so many others) to narrate it, makes me feel that I’m not totally off base in thinking all the work was worth it. If you want to hear more about this journey, the fine folks here at the Fantasy Hive are having me back later this year to write about it in more detail. Until then, I’m honored they’re hosting this reveal, and I sincerely hope you love the cover. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some jumping and gesturing to be about.
Servant of Rage is due for publication on 11th of March 2025 – you can pre-order your copy here!