‘Clarity of purpose is among our greatest strengths, my son. The Ghangerai people are not feared because we are inherently better warriors than anyone else. We are not feared because we are wiser, or stronger, or more numerous than our enemies. We are feared because we see the world as it is…

Violence is the supreme authority of this world, and only by wielding it effectively can we make a place where ideas may take root and safely grow.’

Alex originally self published this way back in 2018, and I was super fortunate to have beta read that version. I fell in love with the characters and the world, and kept pestering Alex for the sequel… but Alex was too busy on other projects and gaining well-earned notoriety popularity through his titles published with Portal Books. I was therefore overjoyed when he announced that Portal were picking up his self-published debut and were giving him the opportunity to rework it before republishing it. You can find out more about Alex’s journey rewriting Servant of Rage here.

As I said above, I already loved this story; Servant of Rage has always held a special place in my heart from my early years of reviewing. The characters (Subei, Kashi, and Batar), their world, and their adventure stayed with me when so often I struggle to retain stories. I’d found the debut such an assured work, but reading this reworked edition, Alex’s growth and experience gained from the last seven years shine through clearly. What we have this time round is an author bringing his considerable wealth of experience to breathe new depths into the characters and carve new facets into this great story.

Batar, Subei, and Kashi are brothers; they are Ghangerai hunters of the Steppe and sons of their tribe’s Khan, Kemu. Once united under the Great Baji Khan and ability to wield magic, the Ghangerai people are divided and fight amongst themselves for dominance. They meet every ten years for the traditional great Kurultai gathering, but the brothers are disappointed that less and less have turned up. There is the distinct feeling their world, their people, are are spreading further apart. The brothers are to compete in the tournament, but under the watchful gaze of the statue of Great Baji Khan a fight breaks out between them and a group of bandits they had been previously chasing. During the course of the fight, Subei accidently strikes against an obelisk flanking the statue of his ancestor, causing it and its twin to shatter and explode. The brothers are all injured in the incident, and when they come to, they discover they are covered in scars imbued with magic and they now possess powers – powers the Great Baji Khan himself once wielded. But they can sense this power in others also, and so they are tasked with hunting these others who have mistakenly inherited the powers of the Ghangerai ancestors. The khanate unites under this display of returned might, their people together once more; but what will be the cost of this unity?

We soon discover that with this new magical power comes a Bloodrage, a state of being that overcomes the individual and takes control to encourage violence. My favourite aspect of this book was the exploration that ensued of the morality of what they were doing. The brothers become divided over their use of their powers, Batar against Subei, with Kashi desperately trying to keep the peace between the two (he’s my favourite because he is precious). Batar advocates learning to control the rage and use it to their advantage; as the oldest, he feels most keenly the responsibility to his people, his father, their way of life. Subei, on the other hand, can see that the rage would use them for its own ends, would manipulate them, and there is no controlling it. It’s a compelling observation of the power of emotion and the dangers of becoming a slave to it.

This time round, Alex has really improved his character work in this regard; there is a lot more balance to their torment and their relationships are far more credible. One of Alex’s key strengths as a writer is creating that driving narrative pace required for an action-packed epic such as this – the chapters are short and snappy and the action sequences high octane. If you love your fantasy fights and battles, then prepare to veritably gorge yourself on Servant of Rage because they are in abundance! As Alex promised, the plotting is also improved. We have a stronger introduction to the brothers’ world and their culture before they are whisked away onto their mission, which improves our connection to them and our understanding of their motivations and drives. This in turn better supports the plot, the events having more character drive behind them.

With every book of Alex’s I read, I find him growing from strength and strength and it’s been a true privilege to see his work come full circle here. Servant of Rage is an exhilarating gut-punch of a book that packs it all – earth-shattering fights, electrifying magical powers, and a meaningful investigation of the human condition. What makes us? What drives us? Are we our own motivators or are we just servants to intangible masters?

Servant of Rage is due for release 11th March – you can find out more and pre-order your copy HERE