Fence, Vol. 7: Challengers

Fence #7

by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad (illustrator)

The beloved sports romance returns from acclaimed writer C.S. Pacat and iconic artist Johanna the Mad, pushing the saga to new competitive heights!

Kings Row are heading into the State Championships as underdog champions, and now have to contend with the best of the best in fencing–including potentially facing Exton themselves. Before they can get there though, they'll have to get through some of the other top teams, including some old rivals...

Collects Fence Challengers: Long Shot #1 and Fence Challengers: Sweet Sixteen #1.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Young Adult, LGBT, Comics, Contemporary, Romance, Queer

112 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2025

About the author

C.S. Pacat is the USA-Today best-selling author of Dark Rise, the Captive Prince trilogy, and the GLAAD-nominated graphic novels Fence.

Born in Australia and educated at the University of Melbourne, C.S. Pacat has lived in a number of cities, including Tokyo and Perugia, and currently resides and writes in Melbourne.

Reviews

[Jackie ♡]

This came out two days ago?? To no fanfare?? And why can I not find this online anywhere? The only way to get it is to buy a paperback copy from the publisher? But I need it NOW!

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner for this series. It's just not long enough!

[João]

demora tanto para sair novas edições que eu tenho que reler todos os volumes para lembrar a história

[Brigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually a review for Fence Breakthrough: Game Changer - for some reason the newest issue is not on Goodreads.

It was sweet, and I love that Nicholas learned how much the team trusts him. <3 I can never get enough of this series!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fencing boys are back and perfect as always.

[Janessa Paun · Rating 5 out of 5]

The minute that I got this next volume in the series, I immediately sat down and read it. I fear that reading it though has put me into a reading slump because I can think of nothing besides it, I need the next book like I need air. The Marcus storyline was painful, beautiful, and just what this volume needed as the Kings Row team starts to become even more of a team. The Halverton camp changed these characters and that is obvious in this installment. I love these characters and I can't wait to see what happens next for them.

[GuineaPigFalconer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, I wish these books were longer! Naturally, this installment ends on a cliffhanger…

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

I love this series, but it feels like it takes so long for a new volume and then so little happens.

[Jenna-booklooksbyjenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

i can’t get over this COVERRRRR just for more CRUMBS between these boys

[Jane (whatjanereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

FUCK OFF JESSE!!!

Can’t wait for the next romantic sunset “appointment” 🙂‍↔️

[holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

my beloveds

[Minna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I NEED MORE 😭

[Fny · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are so damn short. You barely have time to start it before it’s over already.

[Sarah Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is going to put me in an early grave

[Eryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you kidding me?! We have to wait ANOTHER year?! There wasn’t even as much flirting in this one!! UGH

[coriolis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a fan of this series is like my own personal circle of hell because I'm socobsessed with every volume, but then I read it in less than an hour and have to wait 100 years for the next one.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The State Championship is underway, and now it's time to whittle 32 teams down to 2. But there are mindgames afoot just as much as there are fencing matches, and that's going to make things even more difficult than usual.

Short and sweet since this is a collection of two one-shots, but still a fun read. I like how easy it is to slide back into the world of Fence even when entries are few and far between these days, and the balance between character dynamics and fencing specifics is well done by this point.

[Erica ♋️✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn’t my favorite I really needed more senji and Nickolas cute scenes I know this is supposed to be slow burn but I really wish we got more scenes with them

[vaishnavi ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠ (readby.vaish)]

i have waited so long omg 😭🥀

[tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

more please 🫴

[Fareeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I HATE the waits in between volumes😭😭😭 I think the turning point is gonna be very interesting tho👀

[Kathyj · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thought this was going to be like Challengers (2024) but fencing version and more gay... anyway i was wrong but this was still good

[Ashley Moncayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I neeeeed the next volume NOW

[Kacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, this cover is *chefs kiss*

[-Anne- · Rating 3 out of 5]

is this series kinda bad? yes. Is there plot? not really. but we are still reading to appease high school me LOL

[Sparrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was rude how short that was.

[Julie Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seji grows emotionally while Nicolas gains skill and Kings Row morphs into an actual team (as compared to Seji and his sidekicks.) Never fear, somethings don’t change at all and Kyle Allen, Jesse Coste’s cousin, remains an ass!

Challengers Long Shot (chapter 25) Arrive at Exton for State Championships. Pressure mounts.

Challengers Sweet 16 (chapter 26) First match of the State Championships. Lots of mind games and tactics. Start of 2nd Match. God Kyle is an arsehole.

So I’m starting to wonder is the game Kings Row winning state championships? Or Nicholas and Seji admitting to a relationship? Because except for their one “appointment” in Vol 6 there wasn’t much relationship growth in this volume. Lots of team growth!!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

still helplessly devoted to an obscure fencing graphic novel series, i’m afraid

[Kanan Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

C.S. Pacat's graphic novel series, Fence, is a heartwarming, queer-inclusive sports comic perfect for fans of Haikyu!! or Yuri!!! On Ice. The story follows Nicholas Cox, an underdog fencer with raw talent, as he earns a scholarship to the elite Kings Row private school. He's a chaotic foil to his reserved, top-ranked rival, Seiji Katayama, who also happens to be his roommate.
The series masterfully blends the high-stakes world of competitive fencing with engaging teen drama and a slow-burn rivals-to-lovers romance. Pacat’s excellent writing, combined with Johanna the Mad's expressive and manga-influenced art, creates an immersive experience. A celebration of friendship, family, and self-discovery, Fence is an addictive and surprisingly heartfelt series that leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

It bums me out that I no longer enjoy this series all that much. It's partly because there's still such a huge gap between volumes and partly because the story itself moves at such a glacial pace.

And partly because each volume now feels incredibly repetitive. Once again the boys at Kings Row are in a fencing competition, once again it's the fight of their lives, once again they need to work together as a team. At least this is the state championship, which I assume is what they've all been working towards... at this point I'm not even sure.

I do still love the artwork, I do still love Nicholas and Seiji's friendship, I just wish there was more development in each book since I bash these out in about an hour.