Review: "An End to Sorrow"

An End to Sorrow by Michael R. Fletcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An End to Sorrow is the kind of book that grabs you by the throat and drags you through a world full of necromancers, demons, gods, dragons, sorcerers, shamans, and wizards. Somehow it makes you love every brutal second of it. Fletcher doesn’t just write dark fantasy. He makes you live in it.

The story never lets up. It feels like getting strapped into a roller coaster with no brakes, and you’re weirdly okay with that. The pacing is relentless, the conflict has weight, and the stakes keep getting higher and more complex.

What really sets this book apart though is the mental side of the journey. Khraen isn’t just fighting monsters—he’s battling himself. Every step forward comes with a question of who he really is and whether he can live with the person he’s becoming. His internal conflict is just as intense as the blood-soaked battles, and watching him struggle to piece together his soul and confront the truth of what he really is hit me the hardest.

On top of that, Fletcher does a brilliant job showing how unclear loyalty can be. You start to really question who’s on Khraen’s side and why. Just like him, you’re left trying to figure out who’s a friend, who’s a threat, and who’s playing a much deeper game. That shifting tension of these entangled relationships kept me hooked.

Amidst all of this, Bren continues to steal scenes with his perfectly timed sarcasm. His running line—“is my one flaw”—is expertly placed and always hits the mark. It’s the kind of humor that sticks with you. I’ve caught myself using it lately, which might be my one flaw.

Two quotes that really stood out to me:

“Can a man who dies thousands of deaths ever truly be dead?”
“One should always strive for freedom from oppression.”

They sum up the soul of this series—fighting for freedom, identity, and survival when everything, even your own mind, seems against you.

I finished this book feeling wrecked but satisfied, and craving more. The story is unforgettable. Fletcher nailed it.

Rating:
★★★★★ (5/5 stars)

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