311 ratings | 295 reviews | avg rating:3.93

Rob’s Year In Books

Rob’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Rob’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Rob’s 2025 Year in Books

Rob J. Hayes’s Followers (1,922)

Rob’s Bookshelves

to-read (31)
currently-reading (2)
read (383)
dnf (0)

Rob’s Friends (562)

Crystal Frost

852 books | 108 friends

G.R. Matthews

635 books | 450 friends

Cameron Johnston

456 books | 141 friends

Kathy Pineda

1,731 books | 260 friends

Paul

866 books | 151 friends

Jordan Short

491 books | 109 friends

L.L. MacRae

941 books | 304 friends

Uhtred

961 books | 1,674 friends

More friends…

Rob J. Hayes

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United Kingdom

Website

http://www.robjhayes.co.uk/default.htm

Twitter

RoboftheHayes

Genre

Fantasy, Science Fiction

Member Since

January 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/robjhayes

edit data

Winner of Mark Lawrence's 3rd Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO) with Where Loyalties Lie

Rob J. Hayes has been a student, a banker, a marine research assistant, a chef, and a keyboard monkey more times than he cares to count. But eventually his love of fantasy and reading drew him to the life of a writer. He’s the author of the Amazon Best Selling The Heresy Within, the SPFBO-winning piratical swashbuckler Where Loyalties Lie, and the critically acclaimed Never Die. ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Rob J. Hayes questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Rob J. Hayes’s books

Average rating: 4.06 · 29,846 ratings · 4,098 reviews · 45 distinct works • Similar authors

	Never Die by Rob J. Hayes (Goodreads Author), Felix Ortiz (Illustrator) 3.88 avg rating — 4,608 ratings — published 2019 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Along the Razor's Edge (The War Eternal, #1) 3.83 avg rating — 3,471 ratings — published 2020 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Heresy Within (The Ties that Bind, #1) 3.92 avg rating — 3,029 ratings — published 2014 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Colour of Vengeance (The Ties that Bind, #2) 4.10 avg rating — 1,724 ratings — published 2013 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lessons Never Learned (The War Eternal, #2) 4.09 avg rating — 1,604 ratings — published 2020 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Price of Faith (The Ties that Bind, #3) 4.07 avg rating — 1,481 ratings — published 2013 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pawn's Gambit 4.18 avg rating — 1,393 ratings — published 2021 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	From Cold Ashes Risen (The War Eternal, #3) 4.26 avg rating — 1,329 ratings — published 2020 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Titan Hoppers 4.11 avg rating — 1,274 ratings — published 2022 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Where Loyalties Lie (Best Laid Plans, #1) 3.98 avg rating — 1,059 ratings — published 2017 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Rob J. Hayes…

243 posts
Rob J. Hayes's Blog

Self Published Fantasy Releases – November 2025

View more on Rob J. Hayes's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 04, 2025 02:07

View all 243 posts »

Series by Rob J. Hayes

The War Eternal (5 books)
by

Rob J. Hayes (Goodreads Author)

4.05 avg rating — 7,609 ratings

The Mortal Techniques (5 books)
by

Rob J. Hayes (Goodreads Author)

4.00 avg rating — 7,630 ratings

The Ties That Bind (3 books)
by

Rob J. Hayes (Goodreads Author)

4.02 avg rating — 6,466 ratings

Titan Hoppers (4 books)
by

Rob J. Hayes (Goodreads Author)

4.23 avg rating — 2,802 ratings

The God Eater Saga (3 books)
by

Rob J. Hayes (Goodreads Author)

4.32 avg rating — 2,005 ratings

More series by Rob J. Hayes…

Rob is Currently Reading

Rob Hayes is currently reading

A Threat of Shadows (The Keeper Chronicles, #1)

by J.A. Andrews (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jan 07, 2026 12:35AM

Rob Hayes is currently reading

Aching God (Iconoclasts, #1)

by Mike Shel (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

read in February 2019

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Rob Hayes said: " This book was an odd one for me. I'm gonna start with a bit of a glaring issue for me. The narrator. I love Simon Vance's narration on most books, but he just didn't feel quite right for this one. It gave the book such a weary feel, that I never felt This book was an odd one for me. I'm gonna start with a bit of a glaring issue for me. The narrator. I love Simon Vance's narration on most books, but he just didn't feel quite right for this one. It gave the book such a weary feel, that I never felt excited to pick it back up. I think it actually hurt my enjoyment a little.

So Aching God is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure. We follow along in the head of Auric Manteo, a retired adventurer whose seen some shit! Suffering from a touch of PTSD, Auric wishes nothing more but to live out his life in luxury. Until his daughter gets caught up in a mysterious plague and he's roped into escorting a party of (mostly) young adventurers into the haunted Barrowlands in order to return some ancient loot to the decrepit temple from whence it came.

From checking out Goodreads I can see that Mike Shel is apparently an RPG adventure designer and it shows. The books reads like a D&D romp at times and that sways between being a good and a bad thing. The world he's created is clearly rich in lore and steeped in history. We get some tantalising glimpses into the world underneath the story, and it almost always begs more questions to be asked. I'm guessing the author will be expanding upon the scope of the story in future installments of the series, and that can only be a good thing as it will give him so much more to explore.

The main character, Auric, is intensely well developed. He comes across as a world-weary, PTSD-suffering man on the older side of life, who has tempered his anger with wisdom, and his impulsiveness with experience. He feels alive and real. Unfortunately, many of the other characters don't. They suffer from the extensive and focused time we spend with Auric.

I have a couple of gripes with the book. First off was the info-dumps. I don't mind a nice info-dump, but some of them here were beyond extensive and seeming quite far off point. They stood out, and made me wonder where it was going. Turns out quite a few of them didn't go anywhere but to add flavour. I'd have liked them to be a bit more natural so I wasn't pulled out of the narrative so harshly.

My other issue is the healing. The world features D&D style healing where literally any wound can be healed within (seemingly) moments, unless it is instantly fatal. It robbed a lot of the tension from the story and made some of the fights seem a bit silly. And honestly, the swordsman of the group, is such a liability he spends more time being healed than actually doing anything.

And there we go. I enjoyed Aching God, and I'll probably be picking up the sequel, Sin Eater, when it releases. 3.5 stars and rounding up to 4. ...more "

Feb 19, 2019 08:39AM · see review

rss
Rob’s Recent Updates

Rob Hayes is 5% done with A Threat of Shadows: My current audiobook. A Threat of Shadows (The Keeper Chronicles, #1) by J.A. Andrews (Goodreads Author) progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 07, 2026 12:35AM · 5 likes · like · see status
Rob Hayes started reading A Threat of Shadows (The Keeper Chronicles, #1) by J.A. Andrews (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 07, 2026 12:35AM · 1 like · like
Rob Hayes made a comment on his review of King Sorrow " Holly wrote: "Try his NOS4R2 if you fancy a little more from Joe Hill. This was a late 5star read for me last year." How are the fantasy elements in th ...more "
Jan 06, 2026 12:37AM · see review
Rob Hayes rated a book it was amazing King Sorrow by Joe Hill (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
My first finished book of 2026. What a ride. I will admit, I was entirely unaware of Joe Hill before picking up this book, but I'm glad I gave it a go. It's somewhere between IT, Death Note, and a modernisation of King Arthur myths. A weird combinatio ...more
Jan 05, 2026 07:35AM · 23 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of King Sorrow by Joe Hill. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — King Sorrow by Joe Hill <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rob Hayes started reading Aching God (Iconoclasts, #1) by Mike Shel (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 04, 2026 02:20AM · 1 like · like
Jan 02, 2026 12:47AM · 4 likes · like · view books
Rob Hayes rated a book really liked it Gunmetal Gods (Gunmetal Gods, #1) by Zamil Akhtar (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
An excellent grimdark story with biblical angels and a love story at the heart of it all. It was a slow start, but when it finally got up to speed it didn't let off. The best praise I can give is that I will definitely be picking up book 2 in the new ...more
Dec 30, 2025 12:55AM · 17 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Gunmetal Gods by Zamil Akhtar. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Gunmetal Gods by Zamil Akhtar <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rob Hayes made a comment on his status in King Sorrow " D.M. wrote: "I'm about halfway through and having a hard time putting it down every night." I can see why. It's very moreish. ...more "
Dec 22, 2025 12:57AM
Rob Hayes made a comment on his status in Gunmetal Gods (Gunmetal Gods, #1) " LambchoP wrote: "I'm starting this soon too:)" I'm now about 40% in and it's hitting its stride. Very enjoyable. ...more "
Dec 18, 2025 12:31AM
Rob Hayes is 5% done with King Sorrow: I have never read a Joe Hill book. But a lot of folk I know are raving about this one, so lets check it out. King Sorrow by Joe Hill (Goodreads Author) progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 17, 2025 12:34AM · 35 likes · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of King Sorrow by Joe Hill. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — King Sorrow by Joe Hill <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Rob's books…

Quotes by Rob J. Hayes (?)

“Ever killed anyone with a spoon?" she asked him.
"Uhhh..."
"Me neither, but I'm thinking of trying.”
― Rob J. Hayes, The Heresy Within

10 likes

“It takes a lifetime of evil to be a villain, and only one moment of good to be a hero.”
― Rob J. Hayes, Never Die

7 likes

“Good orders should always be questioned,” Stillwater said. “Bad orders should always be ignored.”
― Rob J. Hayes, The Fifth Empire of Man

7 likes

See all Rob J. Hayes's quotes »

Polls

November/December '17 'Pirates, tavern wenches, and army' Poll

Where Loyalties Lie by Rob J. Hayes

26 votes, 66.7%

Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding

8 votes, 20.5%

Hope and Red by Jon Skovron

5 votes, 12.8%

39 total votes

comments and details

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Fantasy Book Club: What are you reading in August '13?	85	149	Sep 01, 2013 12:35AM
Fantasy Book Club: June 2014 nominations	77	225	Apr 17, 2014 06:25AM
The Not a Book Cl...: I'm in a funk..	82	106	Mar 19, 2015 05:34PM
The Sword and Laser: Looking for more firearms in "High" Fantasy	33	641	Jan 24, 2016 06:32PM
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2016: Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS THREAD	2596	493	Aug 31, 2016 09:00PM
Fantasy Buddy Reads: Bill Kicks Ass At Destroying Series so Suck It Everyone Neener Neener	511	167	Oct 05, 2017 03:30PM

More…

Rob’s Quotes

“You say glory, necessity, pride; I say barbarity, greed, arrogance. War is a search for glory, for that particular sense of joy and satisfaction that comes from staking one's life on the outcome of a gamble. The search for a cheap thrill, with a cost too dear for Midas, and on a pretext that, more or less, amounts to 'My neighbour has a thing. I want it.”
― Laura M. Hughes, Art of War

tags: war

8 likes

“Power ain’t what ya reckon it’ll be. Don’t mean ya get ta do what ya want all the time; means ya gotta do what every other fucker wants. Much better bein’ the knife in the darkness than waitin’ fer it ta come for you.”
― Rob J. Hayes, The Fifth Empire of Man

7 likes

“Jezzet there isn't a man in this room who hasn't spent at least some time staring at you and you're without doubt the most graceful person I've ever seen. I'm sure you can find some way to distract them. Failing that just start ... you know ... killing people."
"Killing people?" [...]
"Yes. with a spoon if you like.”
― Rob J. Hayes, The Heresy Within

5 likes

“We teach girls shame. “Close your legs. Cover yourself.” We make them feel as though being born female they’re already guilty of something. And so, girls grow up to be women who cannot say they have desire. They grow up to be women who silence themselves. They grow up to be women who cannot say what they truly think. And they grow up — and this is the worst thing we do to girls — they grow up to be women who have turned pretense into an art form.”
― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists

317 likes