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The Hellborn King Saga #3
The Queen of Scorn
From ruin she rises. In scorn she reigns. Damien Dreadfire’s warband staggers through blood and battle, a host of fractured clans bound by rage alone. Victory tastes like ash as oaths splinter and knives flash in the dark. Yet the warlord presses on, chasing whispers of gods and legends thought dead. With fire in his heart and madness in his soul, he dares the impossible—to defy the divine and carve his name among them.
In the south, Prince Gareth Bethard drowns beneath grief and treachery. Betrayed in love, hunted by conspirators, and burdened with a kingdom on the edge of collapse, he must rise from despair and don the mantle of a king. On the Plainhold, where empires bleed and faith withers, Gareth must rise, or watch Betanthia fall to dust.
In the south, Prince Gareth Bethard drowns beneath grief and treachery. Betrayed in love, hunted by conspirators, and burdened with a kingdom on the edge of collapse, he must rise from despair and don the mantle of a king. On the Plainhold, where empires bleed and faith withers, Gareth must rise, or watch Betanthia fall to dust.
- GenresDark FantasyFantasy
688 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2025
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Christopher G. Brenning
4 books82 followersChristopher G. Brenning is an author based out of Racine, Wisconsin. He is the author of the epic fantasy series, "The Hellborn King Saga". Chris has always had a passion for entertaining, and started writing short stories as far back as elementary school. In 2003, he became more focused on writing and made it into a hobby. In 2019, he decided to write his first novel. He is also passionate about music, movies, history, and travel.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 30, 2025
Finally! The third installment of The Hellborn King saga by Christopher G. Brenning!
And what a surprise! There's two more books coming!
I'll start this review with the following understanding of how I'm reading this series:
"I will always root for the invaded, the oppressed and downtrodden.
I am pro North and pro Droethien.
Fuck Bethanthia."
Said that, man, Chris does an incredible job at making all of the characters' POVs meaningful, poignant, interesting and full of their energy.
Madelyn's inner conflict is one of the most page-turning character arcs I've had in a while. We all know what happened to her, what's the path she decided to take, but no one knows the real consequences of it. Well, this book starts to show glimpses of those consequences.
Then there's Lucetta's arc. I find it fascinating how compelling to read her is. There's a sort of morbid delight in seeing that Trailer Truck rudderless on the loose at top speed. Every page of Lucetta's descent is something that makes your skin crawl in the way it's so perfectly believable that her choices lead to these results.
I could gush for hours about every other character we get in this book, but I'll just now pivot and talk about the TURN this book took!
This series was mostly grounded in realism in the first books, but now? The series exploded into full-blown fantasy!
The series has a lot fantasy energy pent-up, contained, constrained, and in a sense the thrum of that energy IS felt, but dismissed as religious zealotry or myths and stories. But now the lid has blown up and all of that energy is on the loose.
Chris did something incredibly bold, and he did it with great skill, he laid the groundwork for this pivot throughout the previous books. But as I said before, since everything was so grounded in realism, the fantastic elements that are hinted are easily dismissed, put in the back of your mind while you're reeling with the blood, betrayals and brutality.
I also want to give him incredible props for the way he makes poignant, marked comments on our world under the guise of a fiction book. Anyone willing to read between the lines will understand. And that again is also something very brave he did.
This is a book that does not let up. It uses everything you loved in the first books and then cranked that energy to 11. If you came for blood, blood you'll have. If you're here for madness, stay seated, you'll have it. If you want desperation, loyalty, love, anguish, anger and every other emotion in the spectrum, this is your book.
Now I need to go and pester Chris and demand the next book.
4.6 ⭐️
And what a surprise! There's two more books coming!
I'll start this review with the following understanding of how I'm reading this series:
"I will always root for the invaded, the oppressed and downtrodden.
I am pro North and pro Droethien.
Fuck Bethanthia."
Said that, man, Chris does an incredible job at making all of the characters' POVs meaningful, poignant, interesting and full of their energy.
Madelyn's inner conflict is one of the most page-turning character arcs I've had in a while. We all know what happened to her, what's the path she decided to take, but no one knows the real consequences of it. Well, this book starts to show glimpses of those consequences.
Then there's Lucetta's arc. I find it fascinating how compelling to read her is. There's a sort of morbid delight in seeing that Trailer Truck rudderless on the loose at top speed. Every page of Lucetta's descent is something that makes your skin crawl in the way it's so perfectly believable that her choices lead to these results.
I could gush for hours about every other character we get in this book, but I'll just now pivot and talk about the TURN this book took!
This series was mostly grounded in realism in the first books, but now? The series exploded into full-blown fantasy!
The series has a lot fantasy energy pent-up, contained, constrained, and in a sense the thrum of that energy IS felt, but dismissed as religious zealotry or myths and stories. But now the lid has blown up and all of that energy is on the loose.
Chris did something incredibly bold, and he did it with great skill, he laid the groundwork for this pivot throughout the previous books. But as I said before, since everything was so grounded in realism, the fantastic elements that are hinted are easily dismissed, put in the back of your mind while you're reeling with the blood, betrayals and brutality.
I also want to give him incredible props for the way he makes poignant, marked comments on our world under the guise of a fiction book. Anyone willing to read between the lines will understand. And that again is also something very brave he did.
This is a book that does not let up. It uses everything you loved in the first books and then cranked that energy to 11. If you came for blood, blood you'll have. If you're here for madness, stay seated, you'll have it. If you want desperation, loyalty, love, anguish, anger and every other emotion in the spectrum, this is your book.
Now I need to go and pester Chris and demand the next book.
4.6 ⭐️
October 27, 2025
Loved this. The world really opened up with this book and its new factions/POVs. if you're not reading this series....what is wrong with you ;p
November 16, 2025
A war begun, a priest needing to embrace his fate, a betrayal within the capital, a captain set to find his comrade, a husband searching for his bride, a warlord needing the will of the gods, and a chosen warrior set on revenge but can she handle the truth? Top notch grimdark fantasy at its best. Read it!!!’n
December 1, 2025
I've been a fan of this series since I first found it. Chris's writing is brutal, yet there is a comfort in it even though his characters find very little of that in their world.
I really think Chris is hitting his stride with his writing in the book. Let me be clean, I've never thought his writing has been bad or sub par, but he has honed his craft in the book, really shining through in the darkest ways possible.
This series is not for the faint of heart but if you want to journey into madness and the deepest depths of humanity(or lack of) then I think you will enjoy the hell out of this series.
The worst part of finishing this book is having to wait again for the next volume.
I really think Chris is hitting his stride with his writing in the book. Let me be clean, I've never thought his writing has been bad or sub par, but he has honed his craft in the book, really shining through in the darkest ways possible.
This series is not for the faint of heart but if you want to journey into madness and the deepest depths of humanity(or lack of) then I think you will enjoy the hell out of this series.
The worst part of finishing this book is having to wait again for the next volume.
October 30, 2025
Finally! The third installment of The Hellborn King saga by Christopher G. Brenning!
And what a surprise! There's two more books coming!
I'll start this review with the following understanding of how I'm reading this series:
"I will always root for the invaded, the oppressed and downtrodden.
I am pro North and pro Droethien.
Fuck Bethanthia."
Said that, man, Chris does an incredible job at making all of the characters' POVs meaningful, poignant, interesting and full of their energy.
Madelyn's inner conflict is one of the most page-turning character arcs I've had in a while. We all know what happened to her, what's the path she decided to take, but no one knows the real consequences of it. Well, this book starts to show glimpses of those consequences.
Then there's Lucetta's arc. I find it fascinating how compelling to read her is. There's a sort of morbid delight in seeing that Trailer Truck rudderless on the loose at top speed. Every page of Lucetta's descent is something that makes your skin crawl in the way it's so perfectly believable that her choices lead to these results.
I could gush for hours about every other character we get in this book, but I'll just now pivot and talk about the TURN this book took!
This series was mostly grounded in realism in the first books, but now? The series exploded into full-blown fantasy!
The series has a lot fantasy energy pent-up, contained, constrained, and in a sense the thrum of that energy IS felt, but dismissed as religious zealotry or myths and stories. But now the lid has blown up and all of that energy is on the loose.
Chris did something incredibly bold, and he did it with great skill, he laid the groundwork for this pivot throughout the previous books. But as I said before, since everything was so grounded in realism, the fantastic elements that are hinted are easily dismissed, put in the back of your mind while you're reeling with the blood, betrayals and brutality.
I also want to give him incredible props for the way he makes poignant, marked comments on our world under the guise of a fiction book. Anyone willing to read between the lines will understand. And that again is also something very brave he did.
This is a book that does not let up. It uses everything you loved in the first books and then cranked that energy to 11. If you came for blood, blood you'll have. If you're here for madness, stay seated, you'll have it. If you want desperation, loyalty, love, anguish, anger and every other emotion in the spectrum, this is your book.
Now I need to go and pester Chris and demand the next book.
4.6 ⭐️
And what a surprise! There's two more books coming!
I'll start this review with the following understanding of how I'm reading this series:
"I will always root for the invaded, the oppressed and downtrodden.
I am pro North and pro Droethien.
Fuck Bethanthia."
Said that, man, Chris does an incredible job at making all of the characters' POVs meaningful, poignant, interesting and full of their energy.
Madelyn's inner conflict is one of the most page-turning character arcs I've had in a while. We all know what happened to her, what's the path she decided to take, but no one knows the real consequences of it. Well, this book starts to show glimpses of those consequences.
Then there's Lucetta's arc. I find it fascinating how compelling to read her is. There's a sort of morbid delight in seeing that Trailer Truck rudderless on the loose at top speed. Every page of Lucetta's descent is something that makes your skin crawl in the way it's so perfectly believable that her choices lead to these results.
I could gush for hours about every other character we get in this book, but I'll just now pivot and talk about the TURN this book took!
This series was mostly grounded in realism in the first books, but now? The series exploded into full-blown fantasy!
The series has a lot fantasy energy pent-up, contained, constrained, and in a sense the thrum of that energy IS felt, but dismissed as religious zealotry or myths and stories. But now the lid has blown up and all of that energy is on the loose.
Chris did something incredibly bold, and he did it with great skill, he laid the groundwork for this pivot throughout the previous books. But as I said before, since everything was so grounded in realism, the fantastic elements that are hinted are easily dismissed, put in the back of your mind while you're reeling with the blood, betrayals and brutality.
I also want to give him incredible props for the way he makes poignant, marked comments on our world under the guise of a fiction book. Anyone willing to read between the lines will understand. And that again is also something very brave he did.
This is a book that does not let up. It uses everything you loved in the first books and then cranked that energy to 11. If you came for blood, blood you'll have. If you're here for madness, stay seated, you'll have it. If you want desperation, loyalty, love, anguish, anger and every other emotion in the spectrum, this is your book.
Now I need to go and pester Chris and demand the next book.
4.6 ⭐️
November 13, 2025
Excellent book, my favorite of the series. Further expands the world with new characters and places, makes the possibilities very interesting. Action packed but does not run out of steam or skimp on characterization. Hell of an ending too, look forward to the next book!
January 12, 2026
There’s a few authors I trust to write grimdark. Christopher Brenning is one of them.
I’ve extolled the fantastic work of this author before. The Hellborn King is a phenomenal work of dark military fantasy that is uncompromising in its depictions of violence and the effect it has on the men and women of its world. A visceral work of literature for those missing that touch of brutality that Game of Thrones provided.
The Queen of Scorn arrives two years after The Wrathbringer and occurs in the immediate aftermath of that book’s climactic battle between Gareth and the Bethanthian army vs Damien Dreadfire’s coalition of nordic-inspired viking-ish horde. So if you don’t want to know spoilers for the end of that book, tune out right now. This is Book 3, so you oughta be well acquainted with it if you’re reading this.
The Non-spoiler aspect? Queen of Scorn is a transitional book. It's a middle child, for good and bad. Brenning writes exceptional fights and battles with glee and hard-hitting emotional gut-punches, but for this book expectations need to be adjusted. Hellborn King and Wrathbringer are highly recommended by me first.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Wrathbringer’s climactic battle wasn’t the end for Damien and his horde. Their loss frayed the already precarious alliance of the northern horde, a collective of nordic-inspired barbarian tribes who all share a hatred of the powerful Betanthian kingdom. All, however, has not been well for the people. It's a kingdom united against multiple outward threats and splintering within.
The king is demented and sickly, hating anyone and everyone who comes within sight due to brain damage from an old battle wound. His son Gareth, the crown prince, spent the better part of two books getting his shit together, so to speak, while his sister Lucetta has been slowly losing hers at the same time. Their feckless younger brother is uninterested in politics, leaving Gareth to struggle against usurpers to the throne while Lucetta schemes to tear the kingdom down and rebuild it in her image with the help of a mysterious shadowy Woman in Black only she can see.
Gareth emerges into this book with the victory on the fields but a loss in the home. He married Madelyn, his lifelong crush, only for her to vacate the wedding bed in favor of revenge against Damien for atrocities committed against her at the end of Hellborn King. She spent much of Wrathbringer recovering and discovering new abilities as the fantasy part of this dark fantasy finally start to encroach on the narrative in a more meaningful way.
Queen of Scorn is largely relating to her and the bloody path of revenge Maddie takes throughout the course of the book–aiding by wraith-like powers from the gods as she vowed a one-woman jihad on Damien and his forces. Not without personal consequences, as the toll of three books of war start to tear at the fabric of her mind. She fights against constant self-doubts to reaffirm her personal mission, but the narrative goes a long way in showing her break down from perpetual war, perhaps even to her eternal detriment.
Meanwhile, Lucetta, the princess, is struggling to remain lucid and alive as she tries to maintain her standing as a royal head while she mentally and physically decays. I had to wonder at what point do the Betanthian soldiers start questioning why they follow the orders of an obviously addle-minded king and his clearly crazed daughter, but there are always machinations working against them, which drive Lucetta into a crazed stupor.
If you’ve watched the news lately watching woman scream into Tiktoks like wide-eyed raving lunatics, just imagine one of them as a princess trying to burn her home kingdom to the ground so she can rebuild a kingdom of her own on top of it. Its a perfect analogy for what’s happening to her in this book and no amount of torment to her feels like enough. The identity of who or what the woman in black is remains as elusive as she is in this book’s narrative, as she rarely shows up. This mystery has been something I and other readers have long wondered, but I’m not smart enough to put the pieces together as we go along. I hope in retrospect it will seem obvious but until then I’m left wondering.
The big question is what does Damien Dreadfire do after getting his ass handed to him and limping off injured? He goes on a quest to level up with dark powers that is one of the more notable instances of the series where it feels like everything changes forever. Its an interesting and great change, I just wish it had happened a bit sooner than so late in the book.
That’s the part I hate to write. Because of its nature as a transitional book building up the coming conflicts a lot of other characters in this narrative were either spinning their wheels or waited until near the end of the book to advance in a meaningful way. And I hate to say that, but the bad part of this book is that there’s a lot of building back up in the aftermath of the climax of Wrathbringer, meaning characters have to deal with what happened and find either their resolve to move forward or a different path altogether. So a good middle of the book felt like just that: spinning the wheels, waiting for traction. Some characters felt like they ended the book exactly where they started.
Titan spends much of the book chasing Maddie, Einaar spends much of the book keeping the peace of the northern horde while searching for a plot of his own, Sylvia tags along with Damien on his side quest to get some new weaponry to give himself an edge, and Gareth evades attempts to assassinate him while leading his troops. The final chapters do pay off in a big way, but it made the book a slow burn that at times felt too slow.
There were new POV characters that I struggled to connect with. Aleksius is a politician with a kingdom faction that was only mentioned before and spends his chapters hand-wringing over what to do about Betanthia. My least favorite character was Udorn, part of another faction of sea-faring viking raiders. My dislike coming from him and others being murdering plunderers who put women and children to the axe. Were it not for this aspect, I might have enjoyed the chapters because the action and warfare were good, but viking raiders aren’t exactly here for fun and giggles. Discerning readers may decide if they agree or not.
Brenning’s strengths lie in visceral battle scenes, hard-hitting combat and deep gut-punches of emotional impact. The book has plenty woven through a maze of political and personal intrigue that ends the book with the promise of a (hopeful) explosive collision of factions, forces, and warring powers that takes most of the book to set up. The pacing of the book did not so much help build tension as it did diffuse some of it as characters trudged to their next big plot waiting for them in the final chapters. There is enough happening at intervals to keep the book from feeling TOO slow burn, but by the end when the “Big Stuff” is happening, it's over quickly and I wondered why the book couldn’t be more like those exciting final chapters.
Even still, I’ll be there for Book 4, anxious to know what happens next now that so much went into the build-up for this that it promises to be one of the harder hitting narratives in the series. Brenning is a commanding author with a penchant for exciting violence and dark, heartfelt moments. A recommendation but with an adjustment of expectations.
I’ve extolled the fantastic work of this author before. The Hellborn King is a phenomenal work of dark military fantasy that is uncompromising in its depictions of violence and the effect it has on the men and women of its world. A visceral work of literature for those missing that touch of brutality that Game of Thrones provided.
The Queen of Scorn arrives two years after The Wrathbringer and occurs in the immediate aftermath of that book’s climactic battle between Gareth and the Bethanthian army vs Damien Dreadfire’s coalition of nordic-inspired viking-ish horde. So if you don’t want to know spoilers for the end of that book, tune out right now. This is Book 3, so you oughta be well acquainted with it if you’re reading this.
The Non-spoiler aspect? Queen of Scorn is a transitional book. It's a middle child, for good and bad. Brenning writes exceptional fights and battles with glee and hard-hitting emotional gut-punches, but for this book expectations need to be adjusted. Hellborn King and Wrathbringer are highly recommended by me first.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Wrathbringer’s climactic battle wasn’t the end for Damien and his horde. Their loss frayed the already precarious alliance of the northern horde, a collective of nordic-inspired barbarian tribes who all share a hatred of the powerful Betanthian kingdom. All, however, has not been well for the people. It's a kingdom united against multiple outward threats and splintering within.
The king is demented and sickly, hating anyone and everyone who comes within sight due to brain damage from an old battle wound. His son Gareth, the crown prince, spent the better part of two books getting his shit together, so to speak, while his sister Lucetta has been slowly losing hers at the same time. Their feckless younger brother is uninterested in politics, leaving Gareth to struggle against usurpers to the throne while Lucetta schemes to tear the kingdom down and rebuild it in her image with the help of a mysterious shadowy Woman in Black only she can see.
Gareth emerges into this book with the victory on the fields but a loss in the home. He married Madelyn, his lifelong crush, only for her to vacate the wedding bed in favor of revenge against Damien for atrocities committed against her at the end of Hellborn King. She spent much of Wrathbringer recovering and discovering new abilities as the fantasy part of this dark fantasy finally start to encroach on the narrative in a more meaningful way.
Queen of Scorn is largely relating to her and the bloody path of revenge Maddie takes throughout the course of the book–aiding by wraith-like powers from the gods as she vowed a one-woman jihad on Damien and his forces. Not without personal consequences, as the toll of three books of war start to tear at the fabric of her mind. She fights against constant self-doubts to reaffirm her personal mission, but the narrative goes a long way in showing her break down from perpetual war, perhaps even to her eternal detriment.
Meanwhile, Lucetta, the princess, is struggling to remain lucid and alive as she tries to maintain her standing as a royal head while she mentally and physically decays. I had to wonder at what point do the Betanthian soldiers start questioning why they follow the orders of an obviously addle-minded king and his clearly crazed daughter, but there are always machinations working against them, which drive Lucetta into a crazed stupor.
If you’ve watched the news lately watching woman scream into Tiktoks like wide-eyed raving lunatics, just imagine one of them as a princess trying to burn her home kingdom to the ground so she can rebuild a kingdom of her own on top of it. Its a perfect analogy for what’s happening to her in this book and no amount of torment to her feels like enough. The identity of who or what the woman in black is remains as elusive as she is in this book’s narrative, as she rarely shows up. This mystery has been something I and other readers have long wondered, but I’m not smart enough to put the pieces together as we go along. I hope in retrospect it will seem obvious but until then I’m left wondering.
The big question is what does Damien Dreadfire do after getting his ass handed to him and limping off injured? He goes on a quest to level up with dark powers that is one of the more notable instances of the series where it feels like everything changes forever. Its an interesting and great change, I just wish it had happened a bit sooner than so late in the book.
That’s the part I hate to write. Because of its nature as a transitional book building up the coming conflicts a lot of other characters in this narrative were either spinning their wheels or waited until near the end of the book to advance in a meaningful way. And I hate to say that, but the bad part of this book is that there’s a lot of building back up in the aftermath of the climax of Wrathbringer, meaning characters have to deal with what happened and find either their resolve to move forward or a different path altogether. So a good middle of the book felt like just that: spinning the wheels, waiting for traction. Some characters felt like they ended the book exactly where they started.
Titan spends much of the book chasing Maddie, Einaar spends much of the book keeping the peace of the northern horde while searching for a plot of his own, Sylvia tags along with Damien on his side quest to get some new weaponry to give himself an edge, and Gareth evades attempts to assassinate him while leading his troops. The final chapters do pay off in a big way, but it made the book a slow burn that at times felt too slow.
There were new POV characters that I struggled to connect with. Aleksius is a politician with a kingdom faction that was only mentioned before and spends his chapters hand-wringing over what to do about Betanthia. My least favorite character was Udorn, part of another faction of sea-faring viking raiders. My dislike coming from him and others being murdering plunderers who put women and children to the axe. Were it not for this aspect, I might have enjoyed the chapters because the action and warfare were good, but viking raiders aren’t exactly here for fun and giggles. Discerning readers may decide if they agree or not.
Brenning’s strengths lie in visceral battle scenes, hard-hitting combat and deep gut-punches of emotional impact. The book has plenty woven through a maze of political and personal intrigue that ends the book with the promise of a (hopeful) explosive collision of factions, forces, and warring powers that takes most of the book to set up. The pacing of the book did not so much help build tension as it did diffuse some of it as characters trudged to their next big plot waiting for them in the final chapters. There is enough happening at intervals to keep the book from feeling TOO slow burn, but by the end when the “Big Stuff” is happening, it's over quickly and I wondered why the book couldn’t be more like those exciting final chapters.
Even still, I’ll be there for Book 4, anxious to know what happens next now that so much went into the build-up for this that it promises to be one of the harder hitting narratives in the series. Brenning is a commanding author with a penchant for exciting violence and dark, heartfelt moments. A recommendation but with an adjustment of expectations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2026
Christopher Brenning has a skilled way of penmanship, as well as successfully advancing plot. The style of writing works, shifting between the characters, and building up plenty of anticipation through the story. The character arcs continue to progress very well- for me, I liked Lucetta's development (and her storyline as a whole). The world continues to develop with these events now starting to span the entire continent. This is a clear 5/5 star book- people are really missing out on this absolute gem of a series.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews