Rob J. Hayes's Blog, page 13
January 30, 2019
Review Blog – Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is a man with a formula. Luckily for us all, he knows the formula so damned well that he can use it to tell a compelling story in almost any genre.
Skyward is the story of Spensa (which sounds far less pretentious when you just pronounce is Spencer), a young girl facing the adversity of an entire community’s distrust. Set against a backdrop of humanity on the ropes, trapped on a planet, surrounded by enemies who come from space determined to wipe them out, Spensa must join Top Gun, and learn to fly.
I feel the need. The need for speed.
I wasn’t sure about this book. I picked it up on a BookTuber’s recommendation (Thanks KittyG), because she was so damned enthusiastic about it… But it’s YA. And it’s Sanderson, who I like and respect to hell, but don’t love. Turns out, it’s fantastic book full of edge of your seat action, heartfelt friendships and the loss of the goodbyes, quirky characters (that’s kind of Sanderson’s thing), and a slightly buried message about heritage being a prison.
I loved it.
There were bits that annoyed me, an obnoxious AI that never quite crosses the line into charming, story threads that seemed like they had to go somewhere and then didn’t. But overall, every time I put the book down, I was raring to pick it back up again. That’s the sign of a good book to me.
I kind of want to break my own rating rules and give it 5 stars because I loved it so much. But I won’t. The reason I’m not breaking my rules is because it falls back on the old chosen one trope a bit, relying less on teamwork in the end, and more on Spensa’s hidden power. But hey, it’s YA.
One other thing I have to note is that I listened to the audio of this one and the narrator, Sophie Aldred was AMAZING. She brought the entire cast, especially Spensa, to life in a way that felt natural. Looks like I have another favourite narrator to check out more books from.
4 out of 5 stars for Skyward. Spensa can be my wingwoman anytime… sorry, had to get another Top Gun reference in there.
January 25, 2019
Review Blog – Chasing Graves by Ben Galley
Dark, dangerous, and full of humour.
This is how I like my grimdark. Chasing Graves is a dark book, where the world is a shit place, and it only gets shittier once you die. But there is humour to offset the oppression, and glimmers of something shiny underneath all the muck.
This book is set in a world where death is only the beginning, and life is the shorter portion of a person’s existence. Ghosts rise not long after the body expires, and those ghosts can be bound into service with a coin, a little bit of ritual, and some Nyxwater. Unfortunately for these newly risen shades, they are now immortality dead, and treated, at best, as second class citizens, and, at worst, slaves. Sound like an interesting concept to you? Then stop reading my review and pick up the book. You won’t be disappointed.
This is my first Ben Galley book, but certainly won’t be my last. He has a descriptive way, laying on the similes and bringing them down to earth… only to cover them in shit and humour. It makes for an easily digestible, and thoroughly engaging style of writing.
The plot seems pretty straight forward at first. Caltro Basalt is killed in the first chapter (no spoiler, it’s right there in the book’s blurb), and is then bound as a slave and sold to the highest bidder. Much of the book follows his trials and tribulations as he comes to terms with his new half-life, and tries to find a way to garner some justice.
By far the more engaging part of the story though, for me, was Nilith. We know very little about Nilith, except that she’s killed her husband, and is determined to drag his corpse all the way across the desert to bind his ghost in the grand Nyxwell. I liked Nilith. In a world full of murderous curs and folk, both living and dead, all out for themselves, she was a breath of fresh air. She has a sot of Karmic way of looking at the world.
As the story progresses, we soon realise the plot is not nearly as straight forward as we are first led to believe.
But I can’t give the book a perfect rating, and that’s unfortunately because of the ending. I believe Ben wrote all 3 books of the trilogy in one go, and that kind of shows. Book 1 doesn’t so much end, as just leaves off at a suitable junction. There’s no real climax, so the book never led me up to a big “WOW!” moment.
Chasing Graves gets a solid 4 stars from me, and I believe the sequel, Grim Solace, has just released… so I’ll be jumping on that pretty sharpish!
January 21, 2019
Self Published Fantasy Releases – February
A couple of months ago I wrote a blog listing the upcoming Self Published Fantasy Releases for December and January. It went well. A lot of people contacted me with the hope that I would turn it into a series of blogs. So, I will. This list will contain a few of the remaining books to be published in January, along with February’s releases. It is far from a comprehensive list, but instead contains all the titles I have found/heard about so far. If you have a fantasy novel you are self publishing in February, let me know either in the comments, or by emailing me, and I shall add it to the page. There are but 3 requirements:
1) It must be a self published fantasy novel (no short stories or anthologies).
2) It must have a Goodreads page.
3) It must have a cover.
On to the list!
January 24th – Grim Solace (The Chasing Graves Trilogy #2) by Ben Galley
Nothing is certain in Araxes. Not even death.
Stolen from the widow’s clutches, master thief and ghost Caltro Basalt must learn new ways to survive the cutthroat society of the Arctian Empire. His one hope for freedom and justice? A gift from the dead gods, who continue to beg for a saviour.
Breaking a soul takes time, and Caltro’s spirit is far from broken. Many try to weave him into their plots, but he is set on salvation by no means but his own.
As Caltro finds himself ever ensnared in Araxes’ cruel games, Nilith fights to survive the Dune Plains in her quest for redemption, Sisine continues her game of claiming ruler, and Temsa works toward his reign of chaos, one noble at a time
The board is set. The players chosen. Who will win the great game of Araxes?
January 25th – Rocks Fall. Everyone Dies by Eddie Skelson
The Wizard is broke, the Cleric is bored, the Warrior and the Rogue are on the run and the Ranger just wants to do the right thing.
Fate conspires to bring Corbett, Valeran, Andreton, Donalt and Dorian together as a uniquely unsuitable group to achieve anything without almost killing each other in the process. Set in a fantasy world just like every other and one with characters straight out of the Peter and Jane Book of RPGs, prepare to be mildly amused as hopeless pessimism struggles to defeat the oppression of misguided hope, as man, woman and cow contend with Demons, Orcs, Wargs and absolutely no Dragons.
January 29th – Never Die by Rob J. Hayes
Ein is on a mission from God. A God of Death.
Time is up for the Emperor of Ten Kings and it falls to a murdered eight year old boy to render the judgement of a God. Ein knows he can’t do it alone, but the empire is rife with heroes. The only problem; in order to serve, they must first die.
Ein has four legendary heroes in mind, names from story books read to him by his father. Now he must find them and kill them, so he can bring them back to fight the Reaper’s war.
January 29th – Mother of Rebellion (The Leyumin Divided Saga #1) by B.K. Boes
The breaking was only the beginning…
The Schism, a war that raged a thousand years ago, left the continent of Leyumin broken. Nearly constant war and destruction define the millennium afterwards, but the heavens have promised reunification, and with it, peace. Now, two nations vie for dominance and the title of Unitor. One nation does so through politics and manipulation, the other through brute force and self-proclaimed pure blood.
Five unlikely people will shape the things to come: a slave-wife, a warrior, a guardian of history, a disciple, and a young nobleman. As they embark upon their journeys, their decisions will sow the beginnings of change, and the consequences they reap will prove to be more than they’re prepared to handle.
Rebellion brews as nations struggle for power. Survival is pitted against compassion, duty against faith, and loyalties against love.
All wait in anticipation for the Unitor to emerge.
The future looms uncertain.
January 29th – Starheart (The Vale of Stars #1) by Hailey Griffiths
When the Mistwall falls, evil invades.
Elle was born for one purpose — to protect her people from an ancient enemy. The last of the Graces, she’s destined to inherit the power of the Godstars. There’s just one problem. Their magic is fading. And everyone blames her.
With her grand destiny little more than a joke, Elle’s not surprised when her warnings of invaders is ignored. That is, until she meets Kaiserian. As one of the invaders, he knows exactly what the Fire Mages have planned. Her worst fears confirmed, Elle must find a way to heal the Godstars and bring back magic.
Disgraced, and hunted by her own her people, she’s running out of time. And she’ll have to decide whether trusting Kaiserian means saving her people — or dooming them.
January 31st – The Nightmare’s Truth by Luke Dalton
In the veiled shadows of the world we presumed to know, lurks a terrible secret.
Lost in the forgotten memories of a soul reborn rests the key to the future.
Tormented by vivid nightmares drenched in blood, desperate for answers and driven by purpose to seize a future beyond exceptional, Tyler Onorare’s life is forever changed by the sudden arrival of a beautiful, enigmatic woman.
A woman with a startling claim. An unimaginable truth which shatters his reality and perceptions of possibility with a single stroke.
Ensnared in an urgent race against an ancient, foreboding prophecy, Ty’s quest leads him down a shadowed path of supernatural intrigue. A path which will force him to challenge all he ever believed about the nature of humanity, the immutable currents of destiny, and his own self and soul.
February 1st – Faycalibur by Liam Perrin
Legend tells of an impostor-sword crafted by a witch-queen, destined to destroy a king. The whole story has never been told. Until now.
Recently appointed to the Table of Less Valued Knights, Sir Thomas the Hesitant doesn’t mind that the credit always goes to celebrity-knights. He tells himself this frequently. He doesn’t truly believe it. The truth is, he thinks it’s rubbish.
When five armies attack England, everyone on the Round Table is too busy to track down the missing court wizard. Seizing the opportunity to shine a light on the Less Valued, Thomas vows to rescue Merlin and sets himself on a collision course with a talented but overconfident rookie sorceress, a lizard with delusions of grandeur, and one rather unfortunate pigeon.
Only one thing is certain – things are not as they seem. They seldom are.
February 5th – Crucible of Fortune (Heirs of Destiny #2) by Andy Peloquin
Five young warriors, one mission. Will they stand together or die alone?
Kodyn and Aisha are losing the battle to save the City of the Dead.
Stripped of rank and wealth, they must use all their wits, skill, and courage to survive the cruel streets of Shalandra and bring justice for their murdered protector.
Kodyn’s cunning and Aisha’s growing power over the dead are all that stands between them and an untimely end. New allies emerge to join their quest: a thief, an elite warrior-in-training, and a boy with ancient magical abilities
They face a desperate clash against death cultists, bloodthirsty criminal gangs, and the most powerful politicians in the kingdom. But will their bonds of unity triumph against greed and cruelty, or will the kingdom crumble around them?
February 6th – The Glass Dagger (Sol’s Harvest #3) by M.D. Presley
Some Monsters Secure Our Safety.
Everyone fears a Render, those chosen by Sol to sever the bonds of life with their glass blades. And no Render is more feared than Graff, who single-handedly held the line at Stone Cleaver. Hundreds died by his hand during the Grand War, and hundreds more in the intervening years, despite Graff not spilling a single drop of blood. A relentless monster, Graff has set his sights on the child Caddie, and not even Marta can stop him.
And now Luca doubts if she even should.
Their band shattered and original mission scattered to the winds, Marta must ally with old enemies as new friends betray her. Worse still, Marta now suspects something dark dwells deep in the child she now considers her own.
February 7th – Fate Lashed (Ethereal Earth #2) by Josh Erikson
Some heroes are born, some are made, and some are willing to fake it for the right pay.
Gabe abandoned life as a conman after the disasters in Lincoln, and he managed to carve out a bit of peace with the scraps he had left. Unfortunately, bad guys suck at respecting personal boundaries. So together with Heather and a group of weird new companions, he finds himself shackled to a horrifying cosmic game with sky-high stakes, inscrutable goals, and rules that seem to change every five minutes. And when old gods and monsters resurface to make things so much worse, he’s finally forced to admit that he might not be talking his way past any of it.
Fate itself rises to force-feed Gabe a cliché quest, leaving him only to find the artifact, get paid the fortune, and try to make it out alive… And, if there’s enough time, maybe save the whole stupid world.
February 8th – Djinn Tamer: Starter by Derek Alan Siddoway
Jackson Hunt wants nothing more than to be a professional monster tamer — skilled trainers who raise and battle magical creatures called djinn. He longs for the day when he comes of age and can leave home to pursue his dreams of taming djinn. Unfortunately for Jackson, dreams and reality don’t always coincide.
To help his grandmother make ends meet, Jackson spends his days doing manual labor on a breeder’s ranch — just about as far removed from the bright lights and roaring crowds of the (Djinn Fighting League) as it gets. But no matter how hard Jackson and his grandma try, it’s never enough. Facing bank foreclosure, Jackson is desperate to save his home but has no idea how… until he discovers a young, untrained djinn left behind for him by his dead mother.
As time runs out, Jackson works tirelessly to raise and develop a bond with his djinn. But monster taming isn’t as easy as the pros make it look. Along the way, Jackson and his friends will delve into the shady world of underground fighting, experience the agony of defeat and learn what it takes to be a true monster tamer. Will Jackson and his djinn level up fast enough or is his dream destined to die before it even truly begins?
February 19th – The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
A mother struggling to repress her violent past. A son struggling to grasp his violent future. A father blind to the danger that threatens them all. When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?
High on a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire’s enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name ‘The Sword of Kaigen.’
Born into Kusanagi’s legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family’s fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen’s alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.
Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.
February 19th – Seraphina’s Lament (The Bloodlands #1) by Sarah Chorn
The world is dying.
The Sunset Lands are broken, torn apart by a war of ideology paid for with the lives of the peasants. Drought holds the east as famine ravages the farmlands. In the west, borders slam shut in the face of waves of refugees, dooming all of those trying to flee to slow starvation, or a future in forced labor camps. There is no salvation.
In the city of Lord’s Reach, Seraphina, a slave with unique talents, sets in motion a series of events that will change everything. In a fight for the soul of the nation, everyone is a player. But something ominous is calling people to Lord’s Reach and the very nature of magic itself is changing. Paths will converge, the battle for the Sunset Lands has shifted, and now humanity itself is at stake.
First, you must break before you can become.
February 19th – Storm of Chaos (Heirs of Destiny #3) by Andy Peloquin
Against a rising tide of violence, heroes must risk everything for justice and peace.
Rumblings of discord echo through the City of the Dead…
Kodyn hunts the assassin that thwarted his efforts to bring down the most corrupt and powerful politicians in the city.
Elite warrior-in-training Issa is thrust into a desperate battle to quell spreading riots.
Cunning street thief Evren plots to eradicate the ruthless crime syndicate profiting from the violence.
Aisha finds herself drawn deeper into the world of the spirits. Her growing powers could lead to madness—or the salvation of everyone in Shalandra.
Together, the four young heroes and their allies must fight to bring peace and justice before their enemies unleash a storm of chaos, bloodshed, and death.
February 24th – The Sleeping Dragon by Jonny Nexus
On a fantasy world Tolkienesque to the point of cliché, the five greatest adventurers of the age discover that in five hundred years, the Sleeping Dragon will awake and destroy civilisation.
But prologue aside, this is not their story.
This is a story from a half millennium later, in a world now so utterly transformed by mass-produced magic that it seems heroism itself is rendered obsolete, in which five misfits find themselves tasked with preventing the plague, war, famine, and destruction that the Sleeping Dragon will bring forth.
From the towering spires of Empire City to the wild and bleak Eastern Territories, and from the decadence and glamour of Upabove to a final confrontation upon which rests the fate of their world, this is their story.
February 25th – Lost Souls (Soul Charmer #3) by Chelsea Mueller
Get out of Hell free card? Not for Callie Delgado, Gem City’s newest soul charmer. Sin and salvation collide in this gritty and action-packed urban fantasy.
Callie’s magic is finally her own. She and Derek dispatched Ford. They should have been able to breathe, but layers of sin run deep beneath Gem City. Another mob boss quickly rises, and his sights are firmly set on Callie—and her family.
Mobile soul rental shops begin to bite at the Soul Charmer’s business. His retribution is wicked, but the blowback threatens to crush Callie. If she can’t maintain the tenuous balance of souls in Gem City, more lives will be lost.
Only the more magic she uses, the more danger finds her. A break-in, pools of blood, and bare shelves at the Soul Charmer’s store force Callie to choose the fates of others. But which can she live with? Losing her city, her love, her family …or her very soul?
February 26th – Augur of Shadows: The Destined Series by Jacob Rundle
PROPHECY. ADVENTURE. APOCALYPTIC.
Grief-stricken seventeen-year-old Henri moves to New York City after he loses his father. He starts having vivid dreams that tell of things to come, and his visions lead him to meet a wise young man, Siméon, and to reconnect with an old friend, Etlina.
Henri and his friends, Siméon and Etlina, venture on adventures required to fulfill their intertwined destinies in order to bring forth a cataclysmic event to aid against the Primordial Evil.
With the guidance from otherworldly beings, Henri and his friends will do what is needed to ensure their success.
January 3, 2019
Review Blog – Paternus: Wrath of Gods by Dyrk Ashton
Paternus: Wrath of Gods is book 2 in Dyrk Ashton’s Paternus trilogy, and to review it I first need to say a little something about book 1. In Paternus, Dyrk broke all the rules. He wrote in present tense, gave us an omnipotent perspective that head hops at an impressive rate, and exposits all over the reader with infodumps. But somehow (I really don’t know how he did it) he made it work. Not only was the book a thrilling read about Gods (all of them) existing and getting into scrapes with each other, it was also a surprisingly human book that gave us likeable characters and ever increasing stakes. Right… that being said I can move onto book 2.
In Wrath of Gods Dyrk continues his blatant flaunting of the rules. We have the same tense, the same PoV, and the same expositional infodumps (though a fair amount fewer than in book 1), but he makes it bigger. WoG is bigger, badder, grander, more epic. It’s a book that hits the ground running and never stops in a mad dash for the finish line. The pace is relentless, though never feels forced, and Dyrk weaves tension into it with a fluid grace (which is impressive considering one of the major characters is literally indestructible). This time around the cast is larger, the stakes grow greater once more, and Dyrk happily flexes his knowledge muscles of religion, folklore, and mythology to the point where his clothing is obviously ripping at the seams.
This won’t be a long review, because I struggle saying much beyond the abstract when reviewing book 2s. If you’ve read Paternus (book 1), move straight onto Wrath of Gods and you will not be disappointed. If you’ve yet to give Dyrk’s insane series a go, get on it and prepare to leave your jaw rooted to the floor.
Expositernus: Wrath of ALL THE Gods gets 5 stars from me. In fact, it’s my first 5 star review of 2019! Also, my first review of 2019.
December 31, 2018
What to expect from ol’ Bobby Jo in 2019
It’s the last day of 2018, and what a year it’s been. Honestly there are days I wonder how we all made it through this shit storm… But that’s not what this post is about. It’s about the future! And that’s why instead of the usual Gatsby meme to welcome in the new year, I’ve gone with Crix Madine jumping us to hyperspace (we just have to ignore the fact that Star Wars is set in the past, not the future). I’ve gone off the rails already, haven’t I?
So the future! What’s to come in 2019 for Rob J. Hayes?
To start off I intend to release just 2 books in 2019. The First will be dropping on January 29th and is called Never Die. It’s a quest focused sword and sorcery stand alone that follows a young boy who is on a mission from a shinigami to kill the emperor. And because I never get tired of sharing Felix Ortiz’s artwork, here’s the cover…
The second book I’ll be release is called Along the Razor’s Edge and it’s a high fantasy, slightly YA kinda thing set entirely in an underground prison. It’s the start of a new trilogy, and you can expect more details to be coming early on in the new year.
But new releases are not all I have planned for 2019. With the audio rights back in my grubby little hands, it’s finally time to get the First Earth Saga back in people’s earholes. City of Kings will be the first audio release (because starting with book 6 is the way to go), and I already have a narrator lined up. And I fully intend to have all 6 First Earth books, and Never Die released in audio by the end of 2019.
AND… plans for this one are still in the infancy stage, but fans of The Ties that Bind may want to keep an eye out for something special happening next year.
Along with all these releases and plans, I am also currently writing the first book in another entirely new trilogy. It will be my first true foray into the realm of Epic Fantasy, with a grotesque word count. 
December 24, 2018
Self Published Fantasy on Sale this Holidays
After the success of the upcoming release list, I thought I would do another. So here’s a collection of Self Published Fantasy Books on Sale over the Holidays. And yes, I’m gonna start with one of my own.
The Heresy Within by Rob J. Hayes
When there are no heroes left, it’s up to the villains to save the world.
Even the best swordsman is one bad day away from a corpse. It’s a lesson Blademaster Jezzet Vel’urn isn’t keen to learn. Chased into the Wilds by a vengeful warlord, Jezzet makes it to the free city of Chade. But instead of sanctuary all she finds are more enemies from her past.
Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart is a witch hunter for the Inquisition, on a holy crusade to rid the world of heresy. He’s also something else: expendable. When the God Emperor gives Thanquil an impossible task, he knows he has no choice but to venture deep into the Wilds to hunt down a fallen Arbiter.
The Black Thorn is a cheat, a thief, a murderer and worse. He’s best known for the killing of several Arbiters and every town in the Wilds has a WANTED poster with his name on it. Thorn knows it’s often best to lie low and let the dust settle, but some jobs pay too well to pass up.
As their fates converge, Jezzet, Thanquil, and the Black Thorn will need to forge an uneasy alliance in order to face their common enemy.
Pick it up on Amazon for just 99p/99c.
The Heart of Stone by Ben Galley
Merciless. Murderer. Monster. He has been called many names in his time.
Built for war and nothing else, he has witnessed every shade of violence humans know, and he has wrought his own masterpieces with their colours. He cared once, perhaps, but far too long ago. He is bound to his task, dead to the chaos he wreaks for his masters.
Now, he has a new master to serve and a new war to endure. In the far reaches of the Realm, Hartlund tears itself in two over coin and crown. This time he will fight for a boy king and a general bent on victory.
Beneath it all he longs for change. For something to surprise him. For an end to this cycle of warfare.
Every fighter has a last fight. Even one made of stone.
Pick it up on Amazon for just 99p/99c.
The Complete Rhenwars Saga by M.L. Spencer
There Is No Mercy for the Merciless.
The Well of Tears was created to harness the power of the Netherworld to prevent a magical apocalypse. Now Darien Lauchlin is the last surviving mage capable of reversing the destruction the Well unleashed. Darien will be forced to sacrifice everything of himself and everyone around him—all to preserve a nation of people who despise him.
Pick it up on Amazon for just 99p/99c.
The Crimson Queen by Alec Hutson
Long ago the world fell into twilight, when the great empires of old consumed each other in sorcerous cataclysms. In the south the Star Towers fell, swallowed by the sea, while the black glaciers descended upon the northern holdfasts, entombing the cities of Min-Ceruth in ice and sorcery. Then from the ancient empire of Menekar the paladins of Ama came, putting every surviving sorcerer to the sword and cleansing their taint from the land for the radiant glory of their lord.
The pulse of magic slowed, fading like the heartbeat of a dying man. But after a thousand years it has begun to quicken again. In a small fishing village a boy with strange powers comes of age… A young queen rises in the west, fanning the long-smoldering embers of magic into a blaze once more… Something of great importance is stolen – or freed – from the mysterious Empire of Swords and Flowers… And the immortals who survived the ancient cataclysms bestir themselves, casting about for why the world is suddenly changing…
Pick it up on Amazon for just 99p/99c.
The Written by Ben Galley
His name is Farden.
They whisper that he’s dangerous.
Dangerous is only the half of it.
Something has gone missing from the libraries of Arfell. Something very old, and something very powerful. Five scholars are now dead, a country is once again on the brink of war, and the magick council is running out of time and options.
Entangled in a web of lies and politics and dragged halfway across icy Emaneska and back, Farden must unearth a secret even he doesn’t want to know, a secret that will shake the foundations of his world. Dragons, drugs, magick, death, and the deepest of betrayals await.
Welcome to Emaneska.
Pick it up on Amazon for just 99p/99c.
It Takes a Thief to Catch a Sunrise by Rob J. Hayes
One last job!
Jacques Revou and Isabel de Rosier are at the height of their careers. Of course those careers are as professional charlatans, thieves without peer. With the completion of their final heist, they decide it’s time to retire and settle down. But they have not escaped unnoticed.
The king’s spymaster, Renard Daron, has a job for the thieves, one only they can perform, and he does not take no for an answer. With the threat of destitution and death hanging over their heads, Jaques and Isabel must take on their greatest roles yet, the Baron and Baroness Bonvillain.
Can they ferret out the treasonous elements within the government? Can they escape the clutches of the nefarious Seigneur Daron? Can they regain the fortune so unfairly taken from them?
And, can they finally complete their one last job?
Pick it up on Amazon for just 99p/99c.
A Threat of Shadows by JA Andrews
Alaric betrayed everything he believed to save Evangeline — and failed.
His last chance to save the woman he loves lies in an ancient Wellstone, a repository of power, buried and lost long ago.
Luck—or something more troubling—leads him to a small group searching for the same stone. A disgruntled dwarf, a bumbling wizard, and an elf with an unsettling amount of power. If he can gain their trust, they might help him find the cure. But the Wellstone holds more than he knows, and a terrible evil he’d thought defeated is stirring again, searching for the stone.
Can the companions survive a traitor, a dragon, and their own pasts to reach the stone before time runs out?
Pick it up on Amazon for just 99p/99c.
Bloodrush by Ben Galley
When Prime Lord Hark is found in a pool of his own blood on the steps of his halls, Tonmerion Hark finds his world not only turned upside down, but inside out. His father’s last will and testament forces him west across the Iron Ocean, to the very brink of the Endless Land and all civilisation. They call it Wyoming.
This is a story of murder and family.
In the dusty frontier town of Fell Falls, there is no silverware, no servants, no plush velvet nor towering spires. Only dust, danger, and the railway. Tonmerion has only one friend to help him escape the torturous heat and unravel his father’s murder. A faerie named Rhin. A twelve-inch tall outcast of his own kind.
This is a story of blood and magick.
But there are darker things at work in Fell Falls, and not just the railwraiths or the savages. Secrets lurk in Tonmerion’s bloodline. Secrets that will redefine this young Hark.
This is a story of the edge of the world.
Pick it up on Amazon for just 99p/99c.
Prayers in Steel by Michael McClung
I am a wheel whose edge is death.
This is the mantra that Andines are taught from their first day as novices. Their swords are their souls, and their patron saint, Andos, was the living embodiment of their tenets – Protect the helpless. Obey the emperor in Axumwiste. Pray for guidance in times of peace, and pray with steel in times of strife.
A time of strife has come once more.
Brother Caida is sent on a quest to rescue a princess kidnapped by bandits en route to her wedding. Armed with a great sword and armored in his faith, Caida soon finds both tested beyond endurance – for nothing is as it seems, and it is the world that needs to be rescued from the princess, not the princess from anything or any one. And waiting in the darkness, behind stolen faces, are the skin walkers – an ancient evil long thought banished from the world of men…
Pick it up on Amazon for just 99p/99c.
The Bound Folio by Rob J. Hayes
The world is full of heroes, villains, and all the shades in between. The Bound Folio tells their stories from the tortured childhood of the legendary Blademaster the Sword of the North, to the humble origins of the Queen of the Five Kingdoms, to the death of one of the world’s greatest assassins.
This anthology collects together eight dark stories of swords, sorcery, and seduction from First Earth, the setting of The Ties That Bind trilogy and the forthcoming Best Laid Plans duology.
Pick it up on Amazon for free!
The Blighted City by Scott Kaelen
To challenge the gods is to invite their wrath. So it is written of Lachyla, the Blighted City, in the Codex of the Ages. But who reads codices? And who really believes the tall stories of the Taleweavers?
Dagra does. If it’s a story about the gods – even a dead god – he believes every word. When his sellsword team is offered a contract to cross the Deadlands and find a burial jewel in the crypts of the Blighted City, Dagra wants no part of it. His companions are undaunted by the legend; to them, the blurred divide between the living and the dead is superstitious nonsense. Completing the contract would earn their guild’s failing reputation a much-needed boost and secure them the bounty of a lifetime. They’re going, with or without him. Torn between the convictions of his beliefs and the importance of his friendships, Dagra reluctantly journeys into the godless region in search of the fabled city. But the Deadlands are only the first challenge.
The sellswords uncover an age-old deception when they learn that Lachyla’s foul seed is much darker than its legend, that its truth must forever remain untold or risk plunging humanity into an eternal nightmare. Snagged on the barbs of the blight, Dagra faces the toughest choice of his life … and of his death.
December 20, 2018
My Favourite 5 of 2018
I’m not a prolific reader. In fact most years I’m lucky if I make it through 2 books a month. But in 2018 I set myself the goal of reading more books, even if that meant listening to half of them. So as the year’s end draws near I have read 38 books! This might actually be a record for me. Anyways, I’ve whittled them down to my favourite 5, and here we go (in no particular order).
5 – Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
“Holy hell this was a good book!”
I actually read both this and the sequel, Grey Sister, this year, but I chose Red Sister because in all honesty I think I enjoyed it a bit more. It mixes action and drama perfectly, and gives us characters we can root for, twists that wrench the heart, and a world that I can’t wait to hear more from. And it’s all wrapped up in Mark Lawrence’s beautiful prose. You can check out my full review by clicking this link.
4 – Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson
“If you like your fantasy epic and full of boundless depth, this is one you should definitely check out!”
I read all three books of Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives this year to see what all the fuss was about, and I was not disappointed. They are so full of epic world building that I found myself both completely absorbed and blown away.
3 – Paternus by Dyrk Ashton
“There’s action in this book that belongs in a Hollywood blockbuster.”
Dyrk Ashton broke all the rules when writing Paternus. ALL OF THEM. In the hands of 90% of the authors out there, it would be an unreadable mess. But somehow Dyrk manages to make it work. And not just work, but work so well that it flows beautifully. You can read my full review here.
2 – We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson
“And Miko… well the story doesn’t happen to Miko. She damn well happens to the story!”
WRtS was so utterly engrossing that I found something to love on every page (even the ones about the character I didn’t really like). It’s dark, it’s bloody, there’s war and death, and also beauty and power… And more severed heads than a GRRM novel. You can read my full review here.
1 – The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding
“The Ember Blade was a long time coming, and worth the wait.”
Chris Wooding ties the classical epic fantasy quest into the more modern, darker style of fantasy. It reminded me both of the reasons I first fell in love with the genre, and also why I continue to love the genre and how it is evolving. You can read my full review here.
December 11, 2018
The Pressures of Releasing a Book
You’ve written a book. That’s the hard part out of the way, right? All those words mashed up onto a page in some sort of coherent jumble that tells a compelling narrative. Weeks, months, years even of hard work vomited onto into word document and edited and edited and edited until you are so sick of the story, you’ve become certain it’s trash. Hard part over…
Not even close.
I just want to take a minute to talk about releasing a book. It’s tough. Hard work. Terrifying. And I’m not even talking about all the marketing and advertising and social media you need to subject yourself to as a self published author. I’m talking about showing your book to others, and not just a few others, not just friends and family who are likely to tell you it’s a masterpiece no matter how much of a turd it might be. Releasing your book means revealing it to the entire world… at least those who read… and read your genre. It’s actually about as hard as writing the damned thing in the first place.
Why do I bring this up now? Well, I’m gearing up to release my 10th book! Never Die on January 29th in case anyone is interested. And a large part of getting the release ready is getting the book in the hands of reviewers. Be they bloggers or other authors, or even just folk who live on Goodreads, it’s pretty important to get your book to people nice and early so they have time to read it before release. These are people who read tens or even hundreds of books a year. Connoisseurs of literature. And most of them are not afraid to say when they don’t like a thing. So 10 books in and I’m reaching out to reviewers, crafting emails, hovering over the send button and questioning whether the book is really ready for others to see it, whether I’m ready for others to see it. It’s terrifying!
Moving a step forward. I have reviews coming back, and they are mostly favourable. 5 stars here, 4 stars there, even a Best Of… list already. Confidence boosted. Sure. Let’s send that book out to some more reviewers. And still my finger hovers over that send button and I find myself closing my eyes, gritting my teeth, and clicking in a rush like I’m pulling out a nosehair.
And it only gets worse. The closer I get to the date of release, the more I realise that this book is going to meet the world soon. All those people who are responding to the reviews saying Can’t wait. and here I am thinking. Oh dear Gods, what if they don’t like it? What if all the early reviewers are wrong? What if I was wrong?
This is probably where you’re expecting some surprising revelation I’ve come to that somehow makes all that worrying go away. Well drinking heavily works for brief periods of time. But that really isn’t the point of this post.
Writing a book is hard work and everyone who manages it should be damned proud of themselves. I don’t even care if you think it’s a good book or not. If you’ve put enough words down on the page to consider it a book. Well done! Releasing a book is also hard work and everyone who manages that should be doubly proud of themselves.
That’s right, there’s no advice here. It’s a puff piece! A reminder to authors everywhere that you are awesome! You rock! It doesn’t get any easier no matter how many times you do it, so if you’re a debut author, or if you’re getting ready to release book two thousand… Well done! Be proud of yourself! And I raise my glass to you.
November 29, 2018
Self Published Fantasy Releases December – January
I often see lists of upcoming releases for traditionally published books. But what I never see are lists of upcoming self published releases. So I figured I’d change that. The plan is to do one of these a month, but due to Christmas being a thing, I’m starting with a two monther. This will in no way be a complete list of upcoming releases, so if you know of any I’ve missed, feel free to post about them in the comments, and I may even do the updating thing. The only requirements are: 1) It has to be self published. 2) It has to have a Goodread’s page. 3) It has to have a cover.
Here goes.
November 24th – Knights of the Frost by Richard A. Knaak
In the chill Northern Wastes, near the ruins of a dead Dragon King’s lair, the last remnants of the empire of the wolf gather at the summons of one of their own long thought slain. Through force of arms, blood magic, and the promise of an evil risen from the grave in the form of a great undead dragon, they intend to remake their realm no matter what the cost.
Knights of the Frost returns longtime readers to the popular world created by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Richard A. Knaak in a tale that will also introduce to new readers the myriad and fascinating characters that have captured an audience for nearly thirty years!
However, even as the threat stirs in the north, the wizard Cabe Bedlam, his family, and their allies become aware of ghostly forces stirring everywhere now that the self-proclaimed Lords of the Dead are no more. The spirits so long held in servitude by the necromancers are free, with some seeking long-withheld vengeance.
War is sweeping over the Dragonrealm…war and far worse…
November 26th – The Prince of Cats by Daniel E. Olesen
To stay alive, Jawad must succeed where all others have failed: he must catch the Prince of Cats. More legend than man, the Prince is draped in rumours. He can steal the silver teeth from your mouth in the blink of a smile. He is a ghost to walls and vaults, he laughs at locks, and Jawad must capture him before powerful people lose their patience and send the young rogue to the scaffold.
Ever the opportunist, Jawad begins his hunt while carrying out his own schemes. He pits the factions of the city against each other, lining his own pockets in the process and using the Prince as a scapegoat. This is made easy as nobody knows when or where the Prince will strike, or even why.
As plots collide, Jawad finds himself pressured from all sides. Aristocrats, cutthroats, and the Prince himself is breathing down his neck. Unless Jawad wants a knife in his back or an appointment with the executioner, he must answer three questions: Who is the Prince of Cats, what is his true purpose, and how can he be stopped?
November 30th – The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King
John Carver has three rules: Don’t drink in the daytime, don’t gamble when the luck has gone, and don’t talk to the dead people who come to visit.
It has been almost five years since the incident in Kabul. Since the magic stirred within him and the stories began. Fleeing the army, running from the whispers, the guilt, and the fear he was losing his mind, Carver fell into addiction, dragging himself through life one day at a time.
Desperation has pulled him back to Afghanistan, back to the heat, the dust, and the truth he worked so hard to avoid. But there are others, obsessed with power and forbidden magics, who will stop at nothing to learn the truth of his gifts. Abducted and chained, Carver must break more than his own rules if he is to harness this power and survive.
December 7th – Chasing Graves by Ben Galley
Meet Caltro Basalt. He’s a master locksmith, a selfish bastard, and as of his first night in Araxes, stone cold dead.
They call it the City of Countless Souls, the colossal jewel of the Arctian Empire, and all it takes to rule it is to own more ghosts than any other. For in Araxes, the dead do not rest in peace in the afterlife, but live on as slaves for the rich.
While Caltro struggles to survive, those around him strive for the emperor’s throne in Araxes’ cutthroat game of power. The dead gods whisper from corpses, a soulstealer seeks to make a name for himself with the help of an ancient cult, a princess plots to purge the emperor from his armoured Sanctuary, and a murderer drags a body across the desert, intent on reaching Araxes no matter the cost.
Only one thing is certain in Araxes: death is only the beginning.
December 15th – Indentured Magic by James A. Eggebeen
When swords come out, magic flees, or so Medea thought.
Her failure to challenge for membership in the Order sends her on a quest to find those who abduct young girls for their magic.
When Medea’s own sister is taken captive, the quest becomes personal. The guilt of abandoning her sister in the hands of an abusive step-father drive Medea to take risks she is ill prepared for.
When she falls into the hands of the people who sell flesh and magic for their own enrichment she learns that her swords alone won’t protect her.
She’ll have to rely on the other captives or share in their fate.
December 26th – The Knight with Two Swords by Edward M. Erdelac
Before Arthur, There was Uther. Before Lancelot, There was Balin The Savage. Before the Holy Grail could be found…it had to be lost.
Balin grows up revering the memory of his father, a storied knight of the High King Uther’s time. He is held back from following in his footsteps by his mother, a priestess of the old religion whose capitol is the Isle of Avalon. When she is burned at the stake as a witch by fanatics, Balin blames the corrupting influence of Avalon and sets himself against all that is pagan.
A new high king arises; Arthur, whose rule must unite pagan and Christian alike. Sir Balin, now known as The Savage for his ferocity in battle, answers the king’s call for champions, but in his heart, questions the presence of the shadowy wizard Merlin beside the throne. When a vengeful enchantress comes to Camelot bearing a cursed sword that will make Balin the greatest knight in all Albion, but doom him to slay his beloved king, Balin sets out on a long quest that will veer between God and glory, love and madness, justice and revenge, and change the land forever.
December 26th – An Imperial Gambit by Jeffrey L. Kohanek
A new Empire has risen to power. Already in control of the east coast, the Imperial Army sets its sights on Issalia’s western kingdoms. Tensions rise as both sides prepare for war.
What deadly weapon will the Empire develop next?
Brandt and Quinn are espions – part spy, part thief, part assassin. Under false identities, these spies find themselves deeply entrenched within Empire headquarters. There, they gather information, seeking a means to foil the Empire’s plans for conquest.
One misstep by either warden could result in death – their own and thousands of others.
They are joined by a small squad of fellow wardens:
Wildcats – warriors trained to fight while powered by magic Rangers – experts in nature, these archers scout enemy forces Gadgeteers – engineers who invent magic-powered machines and weapons Arcanists – those who can wield Chaos – a destructive, rune-based magic
Driven by the core belief that Chaos magic is evil, the Empire seeks to stamp out this scourge. If victorious, Chaos will be outlawed. Those who can wield it…will be executed.
December 31st – Delphinium, or a Necromancer’s Home by V.M. Jaskiernia
Lady Elizabeth Anne does not know about the dark magic her beloved practices, and he has no intent to tell her. As they travel to his childhood home for the summer, Pierre Salvador attempts to balance his newfound love with his murderous cræft.
After they arrive the future Duc de Piques finds there is much to be done, and duties cannot be put off any longer. A fatal illness is spreading throughout his land, he is being claimed by those of Faery, and someone has already tried to take his life.
But it will take much more to kill a lord of death.
Check it out on Goodreads.
January 16th – Mad Bride of the Ripper by Lucas Thorn
‘The Mad Bride of the Ripper’ takes the Victorian Horror Yarn style of the first book in the series and pushes it deeper into the realm of horror fantasy.
Introducing Lucy and Renfield, the Dracula mythos is expanded in a new and exciting way which attempts to pay homage to the cozy horror movies of Hammer and Universal while indulging in a more modern portrayal of violence and themes.
It is a tale of madness. Of death. Occult obsession.
And blood. So much blood…
January 17th – Kings of Ash by Richard Nell
The much anticipated continuation of the Ash and Sand trilogy…
Follow the long, bloody journey of Ruka, son of Beyla through the islands of Pyu and the frozen wastes of the Ascom; see the return home of Ratama Kale Alaku, the ‘Sorcerer-Prince’, and the terrifying rise of his ‘miracles’. Before the end, a shocking history will unravel, ancient connections unfold, and all will learn the cost of unleashing the Kings of Ash…
January 22nd – Trial of Stone by Andy Peloquin
A kingdom of death. A war for power and profit. Young heroes caught in the crossfire.
Kodyn expected hardships along his journey to return a kidnapped girl to her father. Yet harsh deserts and cutthroat bandits prove far less lethal than the foes that await him in Shalandra, the City of the Dead.
In the shadows of golden spires carved from mountain stone, currents of corruption and vice run deep. Priests of the god of death rule with an iron fist, imposing a rigid caste system that elevates some to a life of privilege and condemns others to miserable squalor.
Together with Aisha, a fierce warrior from the north with the mystical ability to speak to the dead, Kodyn must survive the cesspool of high society deceit and betrayal.
Polite smiles hide sharp knives. Killers, criminals, and bloodthirsty cultists lurk around every corner. Can these youths overcome impossible odds to save the realm?
January 29th – Never Die by Rob J. Hayes
Ein is on a mission from God. A God of Death.
Time is up for the Emperor of Ten Kings and it falls to a murdered eight year old boy to render the judgement of a God. Ein knows he can’t do it alone, but the empire is rife with heroes. The only problem; in order to serve, they must first die.
Ein has four legendary heroes in mind, names from story books read to him by his father. Now he must find them and kill them, so he can bring them back to fight the Reaper’s war.
January – The War God’s Will by Matt Gilbert
The end of the world is nigh! As time grows short, heroes from two disparate cultures race to find clues to thwart the Dead God’s prophecy of doom. But will surviving each other prove to be their greatest challenge?
October 20, 2018
Review Blog – The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding
Look, I’ve been a Chris Wooding fan for years now ever since I unwittingly stumbled across Retribution Falls. It was a fast paced, swashbuckling adventure with a gallery of rogues brought to life by truly excellent characterisation. So I quickly read everything else Chris had written and eagerly awaited more. The Ember Blade was a long time coming, and worth the wait.
We follow Aren and Cade, a couple of boys from the town of Shoal Point. They do usual boy things in a fantasy world; they chase girls, get into trouble, and dream of fighting monsters. Then things go sideways when Aren’s father is accused of treason by the occupying Krodan empire, and both Aren and Cade end up in jail. Then things get worse… a lot worse! There’s deathknights, druids, the Hollow Man, an inquisition, dawnwarders, an abandoned castle full of mystery, and a plot to free Ossia from Krodan occupation. Oh, and a legendary sword: The Ember Blade.
This book is a modern epic fantasy. It takes some of the best elements that are now associated with Grimdark, an unforgiving world, characters who are morally grey, very little plot armour for any of its characters; and it throws them all into an epic fantasy story the likes of which Tolkien or Sanderson might write. In fact, this book homages Fellowship of the Ring so hard it feels like Chris Wooding’s love letter to Tolkien.
So where does it succeed?
Plot? A fantastic fast paced plot that keeps winding up the peril without sacrificing development.
Action? So many adrenaline fueled set pieces you’ll struggle to put it down. Always just one chapter more.
Characterisation? Chris Wooding has always had amazing characterisation and he doesn’t disappoint here. A wonderfully diverse cast of characters, each with their own drive and back story, and demons (both inner and outer).
World building? There’s so much lore and depth to the world, and it all flows effortlessly off the page, and I’m fairly certain there’s still so much left untouched.
Cliffhanger? Oh yeah! Book 2 has so much setup, and there are so many questions left unanswered.
Where does it fail?
I got nothing. I mean, it’s a LONG book and finding time to read it with a new puppy nipping at my heels was tough… That’s probably more of a review of the puppy than the book though.
The Ember Blade is a classic epic fantasy adventure with a modern beat to it. It reminded me both of the reasons I first fell in love with the genre, and also why I continue to love the genre and how it is evolving. 5 stars! (which was probably never in doubt).
