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Along the Razor's Edge

(The War Eternal #1)

Rob J. Hayes (Goodreads Author)

3.89 · Rating details · 993 ratings · 175 reviews

No one escapes the Pit.

At just fifteen Eskara Helsene fought in the greatest war mankind has ever known. Fought and lost. There is only one place her enemies would send a Sourcerer as powerful as her, the Pit, a prison sunk so deep into the earth the sun is a distant memory. Now she finds herself stripped of her magic; a young girl surrounded by thieves, murderers, and w ...more

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Kindle Edition, 281 pages

Published March 30th 2020

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Apr 02, 2020 Holly (Holly Hearts Books) rated it it was amazing

"If there's one thing you remember from my story, one lesson you take from it, let it be this: Gods are fucking arseholes. All of them."

Why didn’t anyone tell me that Rob J Hayes’s writing was some of the most fluid string of words that’s ever graced my eyeballs?

Most of the story is being told to us from the main character. Retelling what happened while she was in The Pit. A brutal prison deep underground where inmates (also known as scabs) reside in the dark, mining tunnels, being tortured, eat ...more

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Feb 12, 2020 Hamad rated it it was amazing

Shelves: e-books, adult-books, arcs, 2020-reads, good-covers, fantasy, favorites

This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷

“Are we all just monsters waiting for the opportunity to show it?”

Late in 2018, I saw the cover of Never Die on Twitter as the author wanted some readers for the ARC, I did not know who the author is, what is the book about, I just had a feeling that I would love it and I did. It ended up being my last five stars book of 2018. Last month, when Rob was asking again for people to read the ARC of this book, I jumped again for the opportunity a ...more

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Feb 06, 2020 Nick Borrelli rated it it was amazing

I've been reading Rob J. Hayes' books for a couple of years now. Whether it was his Ties That Bind series, Best Laid Plans series, It Takes a Thief series, or his stand-alone gems like City of Kings and Never Die, there seems to be one consistent theme. I pretty much universally enjoy everything he writes, which is a testament to how talented he is as a storyteller. So when I heard that he was releasing a brand new series called The War Eternal, and that the entire series will be published in 20 I've been reading Rob J. Hayes' books for a couple of years now. Whether it was his Ties That Bind series, Best Laid Plans series, It Takes a Thief series, or his stand-alone gems like City of Kings and Never Die, there seems to be one consistent theme. I pretty much universally enjoy everything he writes, which is a testament to how talented he is as a storyteller. So when I heard that he was releasing a brand new series called The War Eternal, and that the entire series will be published in 2020, well I couldn't contain my excitement. Rob was gracious enough to provide me with an advance copy of the first book in the series, ALONG THE RAZOR'S EDGE in exchange for an honest review. So here goes...

Eskara Helsene has endured more pain and misery in her young life than most her age. Not too long after she learned to walk, she was trained in the art of Sourcery by the Orran Empire to use as a lethal weapon in its war against the hated Terrelans. Eskara learned almost too well the dark skills of Sourcery, most-notably a brand called impomancy that brings with it the ability to summon murderous monsters from the Other World. No child her age should have been educated in dark arts such as these. Yet the Orrans selfishly use her budding talent as a mere tool to try and defeat the enemy. The one thing that the Orran Empire didn't count on however, was losing that war that they had so arrogantly waged.

The story then fast forwards to Eskara, now a girl of 15, having been imprisoned and put to work in The Pit along with the many Orran prisoners of war captured by the Terrelans following their sweeping victory. Cut off from her Sourcery, Eskara now toils every day digging 20 levels deep within this subterranean prison carved from the rocky landscape. She's been underground for so long that she has almost forgotten what the sun and sky look like and all hope of escape seems a dismal pipe dream. It also doesn't help that The Pit foreman Prig is a cruel bastard who takes the utmost pleasure in dispensing the most painful punishments imaginable for any scab who gets out of line or crosses him.

During the time that Eskara has been imprisoned, whispers of hideous creatures located within some of the deepest levels and passages have been spoken about among the prisoners in The Pit. Many believe that the digging that they have been tasked with doing every day is just pointless menial labor that is solely meant to break their spirit and will. Yet there is also a small segment who think there is a specific reason for why they are digging. When the Overseer of The Pit takes a special interest in Eskara, she immediately wonders what the motives behind it are. Could her past history as a Sourcerer have anything to do with it?

Eskara isn't really interested in helping her oppressors and when she feels a breath of wind against her cheek one day while standing in a certain area of The Pit, she sees this as the only opportunity to possibly escape her situation. For where there is wind, there is air, and where there is air, there may be a crack, and where there is a crack there could be a WAY OUT.....

Yep, this book had me from the opening pages and just continued to keep me fixated throughout. There are a number of things that made ALONG THE RAZOR'S EDGE an amazing read for me. First, the way the story is relayed is absolutely brilliant. The main character Eskara is the narrator of the story, but it is obvious that she is doing so as an older woman. So you know going in that whatever takes place, she has survived and lived to tell the tale. This didn't take away from my enjoyment though because there is still that mystery of what Eskara has become. Who is the woman now telling the story of her past life?

Also, there are a number of flashbacks to Eskara's childhood and her intense training as a Sourcerer. By the way, that spelling is intentional as the magic system involves the person using a "Source" material that is ingested to manifest whatever power they wish to unleash. It's actually a very interesting and cool vehicle through which to dispense magic. It's also a form of magic that requires that the Source be immediately purged from the body if the user is not sufficiently attuned to it, or else risk a horrible and excruciating death.

Now let's get to the world-building which is where I believe this story really excels. I love books like this where there is a captivating fantasy story but also an inherent mystery at its core. There are a lot of questions that arise about the purpose of The Pit. Are there really creatures lurking within its depths? What is outside The Pit and is their a way to escape? Why is The Overseer interested in Eskara? I mean, I kept turning the pages wanting (no, needing!) to know the answers to all of these questions. The world that Eskara finds herself in is a total mystery and Rob Hayes does an excellent job of keeping the reader invested in what is going on based on that extreme desire to find out what the heck is the meaning behind it all?! He feeds you a little at a time and then lowers the boom in the final few chapters.

I just want to finish up by saying if you love great fantasy, then you should be reading Rob J. Hayes because he is one of the best in the business. ALONG THE RAZOR'S EDGE is just a continuation in a long string of wonderful successes. It intrigued me the way that very few books can. The guy is just a master talent that I can't say enough good things about. So pick up this book as soon as it becomes available on March 30th and enjoy some awesome storytelling. ...more

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Jan 09, 2020 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2020, epic-fantasy, dark, books-i-ve-edited, favorites

Hi.

So I edited this book and it was... well, it was AMAZING. Far different than whatever I'd been expecting. The world is dark, and our protagonist and secondary characters are just as dark and brutal as the world they inhabit. The plot is relentless and unforgiving. Hayes starts things out with a bang, and he doesn't let up. Everything in this book is supposed to be there, from all the aspects of the world, to the conflicts, character development and more. I never felt like there was a wasted Hi.

So I edited this book and it was... well, it was AMAZING. Far different than whatever I'd been expecting. The world is dark, and our protagonist and secondary characters are just as dark and brutal as the world they inhabit. The plot is relentless and unforgiving. Hayes starts things out with a bang, and he doesn't let up. Everything in this book is supposed to be there, from all the aspects of the world, to the conflicts, character development and more. I never felt like there was a wasted word in the entire book.

I really want to touch on some things, especially the worldbuilding, but first, I need to take a brief detour.

I love editing, for a whole bunch of reasons, but two of the main reasons are:

1. I selfishly love to read amazing books before just about anyone else does, and I love seeing how they evolve.
2. I learn something from everyone I edit for.

This last point is important because Hayes has measured everything in this book perfectly, from developments, to revelations, to conflicts, to the widening world itself, and he makes it look so effortless. It's impossible *not* to learn from him, because it's just so perfectly planned and executed. There's a lot of emotion here, a lot of love and hate, a lot of intensity, and a whole lot of darkness, but he somehow manages to balance all that with a sense of exploration and determination that makes all this feel like its an adventure.

And, getting back to point two, I learned SO MUCH from Hayes, not just regarding all stuff I've already mentioned, but THE WORLDBUILDING IS SO FREAKING AMAZING I CANNOT EVEN HANDLE HOW AWESOME IT IS. It's not just that he's created this incredible world, but he so subtly reveals the layers of it. It's not all in-your-face, but just a slow unfolding, and a subtle broadening of scope that really works for me. Before you know it, the world is just HUGE and there are things in, and cultures, and religions, and it's all just THERE like it's been there all along. The fact that he's managed to create this amazing setting, but he does it in a way that just feels natural, really needs to be admired.

Rob Hayes is a master of fantasy. He has a unique vision, brilliant ideas, and the finesse to make it captivating. Furthermore, this is one of those stories that will sink into your skin, and stay there for a while.

This book has been delayed for release, but I wanted to put my two cents out there, and maybe help get this sucker on the map for some people. It should be on your list of Must Read books. It's different than his other stuff, but it's really resonated with me. I think it will make a huge, absolutely massive tsunami of a splash in the speculative fiction genre. This entire trilogy is really something special, and, quite honestly, I'm pretty honored that I got to edit it. ...more

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Dec 28, 2019 Lukasz rated it liked it

Shelves: dark-fantasy, self-published

3.5/5

Along the Razor’s Edge, a darkly engrossing opening of Hayes’ The War Eternal series, sets the tone for the entire novel in the first few pages. It likely won’t be for everyone: it’s bleak, brutal, and focused on the loathsome, self-centered protagonist. If you stick with it—and you should—Along the Razor’s Edge offers smart, streamlined storytelling, and no shortage of genuinely thrilling moments.

It’s hard to describe the plot of the novel without giving away too many of the story’s twist ...more

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Jan 22, 2020 Adam rated it it was amazing

"Are we all just monsters waiting for the opportunity to show it?"

This book is going to make you mad. And that’s a good thing.

Meet Eskara Helsene. Ripped from her family as a toddler, educated through torture, conscripted for war, and forced to murder, all before the age of fifteen. And then the real horrors begin. Because Eska becomes a prisoner of war when her kingdom ends up on the losing side of a battle, and so is sent into The Pit, an underground mining prison, buried under thousands of fe ...more

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Apr 22, 2020 Derf H rated it it was amazing

Outstanding!!! There was something uniquely fresh about this book and I can’t put my finger on it! I really liked the story telling and the world building, can’t wait to start to second book.

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Apr 19, 2020 Emma rated it really liked it

Shelves: magic, fantasy, ya

This was good! Lots of action and a fierce protagonist, an interesting cast of characters, great world building and a unique magic system. I didn’t really like the foreshadowing voice, telling of future events- I found it bumped me out of the story, hence missing one star. Otherwise a fabulous read and I’m hoping to learn more about the world it takes place in.

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Jun 18, 2020 Chris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copy-for-author, review-copy-grimdark-magazine

Review now live at Grimdark Magazine

“Handshakes are a dangerous business in some parts of the world.” This quote from Along the Razor’s Edge stuck with me, though Hayes meant it in a different light than how it pertains to most of us in this Covidic world right now. Still, it was no less deadly, as it turns out.

Our protagonist in this novel, Eskara Helsene, is quite the anti-heroine. She’s one of the world’s most powerful battle sorcerers, yet as our story gets underway, she’s as helpless as a b Review now live at Grimdark Magazine

“Handshakes are a dangerous business in some parts of the world.” This quote from Along the Razor’s Edge stuck with me, though Hayes meant it in a different light than how it pertains to most of us in this Covidic world right now. Still, it was no less deadly, as it turns out.

Our protagonist in this novel, Eskara Helsene, is quite the anti-heroine. She’s one of the world’s most powerful battle sorcerers, yet as our story gets underway, she’s as helpless as a baby mouse, and not much bigger.

See, Eskara was on the losing side in a great war and through her defeat by treachery, she has lost access to her power Sources and has been cast into the Pit, where thousands of “scabs” toil alongside her in their unending task of digging. Digging deeper and farther, and to what end no one knows.

Of course, it’s not that simple. There are politics and power plays amongst the prisoners. The strong rise to the top of the weak and the downtrodden. Simple things such as food and snuff and favors are bartered and stolen between the prisoners. There is no hope of release or redemption, just the day to day hell underground of digging and surviving.

Until Eska meets a “crazy” old man that has strange ideas and an ear for whistling wind. A plot is hatched, and through the first-person account from Eska herself we see how that all progresses. And more often than not, ends in shit.

Hayes uses a brilliant method of telling Eska’s tale. While we’re set in her first-person narrative at her age of 15 to 16, we are getting constant snippets of her story from other times. Flashbacks to her childhood and training at the Academy, along with her friendship with friend and companion Josef, and their actions during the war give us lots of backstory intrigue to build on.

“It’s just as important to tailor a truth to the audience, as it is a lie.”

We also get a good bit of foreshadowing, where the “old” Eska is throwing little intrigues and hints of what’s to come many years from our main story. It’s clear that Eska is telling this story from a perspective of an older woman looking back at her youth, both her mistakes and her triumphs. She gives us great insight on her own regrets and understanding of how she became what she is in later life. These little hints entice the reader by showing that Eska won’t be in this Pit hell forever, and she has quite the climb to power ahead of her, and perhaps some setbacks along the way. This isn’t a spoiler in the context of her story – it’s obvious she survives the Pit as she’s telling us about it. But these little tidbits give us a real teaser for the next two books in the trilogy.

Along the Razor’s Edge isn’t the first book I’ve read by Rob J. Hayes, and it certainly won’t be the last. Without giving anything away, I will say that this book is satisfying in the fact that it completes a story arc in Eska’s life, but the way Hayes brings it all about makes me want to rush out and get the next one. ...more

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Feb 27, 2020 Lee Conley rated it it was amazing

A review of
Along the Razor's Edge
By
Rob J. Hayes

Along the Razor's Edge is the first book of Rob J. Hayes’ new series, The War Eternal. It follows the story of a young girl called Eska. A child Sourcerer (yes, I spelt that right), who fights on the losing side of a great war between empires. She is captured, stripped of her magic and imprisoned deep within an underground prison known as The Pit. A prison mine, full of murders and scum, where they toil their lives away digging, doomed never to see A review of
Along the Razor's Edge
By
Rob J. Hayes

Along the Razor's Edge is the first book of Rob J. Hayes’ new series, The War Eternal. It follows the story of a young girl called Eska. A child Sourcerer (yes, I spelt that right), who fights on the losing side of a great war between empires. She is captured, stripped of her magic and imprisoned deep within an underground prison known as The Pit. A prison mine, full of murders and scum, where they toil their lives away digging, doomed never to see the light of day.

Eska is quite a grim, but badass young woman. Eska burns through her friends as quickly as she does her enemies. A great character, and she just doesn’t know when to quit. I quickly found myself invested in her character, and situation, very quickly.
This book is dark (literally dark, they are underground) and Hayes does a great job of capturing the hopelessness of the subterranean gloom. This book is also violent, the Pit is not a nice or particularly safe place for a young lady – or anybody for that matter. Yet, she meets allies, you could even call them friends at a push, and together they must find some way to survive life in The Pit.

This book is a master class in foreshadowing. Hayes literally tells us major events from the later in the series, perhaps even how it will end, within the first couple of pages. We constantly get drip fed glimpses of Eska’s future exploits as she recounts her youth and time in The Pit. The timeline skips between Eska’s past as a child and trainee at a magic academy to her present day narrative in The Pit.
That reminds me, the magic system of Sourcerers and the sources which Hayes has created here is quite something in itself, refreshingly different, yet brutal to those able to wield it. Liked it!
Despite the choice to reveal those glimpses of the future story, I found myself totally wrapped up in finding out how those mentioned events come about, as I say, a master class in foreshadowing. This book is excellently written, and I particularly enjoyed some of the more creative and colourful language used in this book, some of the curses made me chuckle as I read them.

An excellent and action packed opening novel to his new series. I will be looking forward to continuing Eska’s journey to find out how that foreshadowing works out in the remaining books of The War Eternal series. Check this book out as soon as you can and remember,

No one escapes the Pit!

Thanks for reading,
Lee C. Conley ...more

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Feb 26, 2020 Cameron Johnston rated it it was amazing

Now that's what I call a cover! Dark and dangerous just like the book inside.

Mysteries, magic and monsters (both human and otherwise) are very much my thing, and Along the Razor’s Edge by Rob J. Hayes delivers all of that in spades and heaps even more on top.

Eskara was trained as a weapon, a young sourcerer using her magic to destroy the enemy. The war was lost and all her power was stripped from her before she was thrown into the Pit, a mine ran by sadistic overseers intended to break its occup ...more

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Apr 01, 2020 Charlie - A Reading Machine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

"Grimdark at its finest and filthiest" Review to come ...more

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Mar 30, 2020 Matias rated it it was amazing

Its been a while since I’ve one sitted a book. What a ride.

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Apr 20, 2020 Jason rated it it was ok

Good in theory, real bad in the execution

Have you ever sat through a bad movie while thinking “Hold on, maybe it’ll get better. Let’s give it 5 more minutes,” before getting to the end of the movie and realizing that you’ve just wasted 2 hours of your life? Well this is the book equivalent of that feeling. The author teases you with potential. The main character’s future self narrates the book. You can tell that she’s supposed to be some badass warrior/mage who regularly performs superhuman feat Good in theory, real bad in the execution

Have you ever sat through a bad movie while thinking “Hold on, maybe it’ll get better. Let’s give it 5 more minutes,” before getting to the end of the movie and realizing that you’ve just wasted 2 hours of your life? Well this is the book equivalent of that feeling. The author teases you with potential. The main character’s future self narrates the book. You can tell that she’s supposed to be some badass warrior/mage who regularly performs superhuman feats. She’s telling the story of her beginnings. Unfortunately, her younger self is awful. She has no skills. Literally, in the entire book, she demonstrates no useful skills. Is she smart and manipulative? Nope. Can she fight? Nope. Does she have master thief pickpocketing skills? Nope. What does she do throughout the book you ask? Well she’s stupid and reckless. Literally, that’s it. The whole book is just her failing at impulse control. As an origin story, you spend the whole book hoping that she’ll pick up a useful skill or find someone who will give her some kind of training. Yet the book is full of let down moments. For instance, she meets a new character that’s a wise old man who’s surprisingly strong and that says really insightful things whilst pretending to be crazy. What an interesting character! You wonder if he’s about to teach her how to fight, or how to steal things, or to use some forgotten ancient magic? Nope to all of that - they’re just going to hang out for a bit. There are no news skills learned here. She offers literally nothing to the plot. It’s all driven by deus ex machina. A couple examples...(1) How is she gonna survive this hellhole? Well the warden kinda halfheartedly wants to recruit her for a job, so he offers her long term protection despite her constant refusals. (2) She needs rope, where is she going to find rope? Well, surprise, this one random dude has extra rope and also has a gambling addiction. Luckily for her, she happens to win the bet to get the rope despite the fact that she has an awful track record at gambling and has repeatedly stated that she has zero gambling skills. My final complaint is that none of the characters are likeable. The main character’s primary emotion is hatred. She hates everyone and everything. They’re all stupid or evil or cowardly. She’s genuinely the worst. At one point, her future self literally says, “thinking back on it, I realize I was acting like a total bitch.” Furthermore, she comes off as dumb. The side characters keep trying to give her advice like “Hey, maybe don’t purposefully antagonize that torturer guy. I feel like if you make him mad he’ll torture you again like the last 128 prior times. Keep your head down for a minute.” Her response: “Screw that! He looked at me funny.” Over and over the character says something to the effect of: “So and So tried to give me good advice, but I’m not about that life. Listening is for suckers.”

Long story short, if you want to read a book about a girl who constantly waxes poetic about how awful everything is, a girl who literally hates everything and everyone, a girl who starts off the book with no skills or talents and ends the book with no skills or talents, then this is the book for you!!! ...more

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May 09, 2020 Yuri rated it really liked it

I finished this during my like quarterly insomnia spells. It's 4:56 AM and I'm not even slightly sleepy, but let's get to the book. Eskara is giving us her memoirs and we start our journey with her when she's 15 years old and in hell, not literally, though the pit might as well be. So the main character is stubborn and let's her emotions pretty much rule her, she's looking for a way out of the pit to get revenge on those who put her there.

This book hints at great worldbuilding, though to see mo ...more

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Feb 26, 2020 Filip rated it it was amazing

Shelves: female-protagonist, fantasy, grimdark, 2020, best-of-2020

This review was originally published over at Booknest.eu!
Release Date: March 30, 2020
Published by: Self-Published
Genre: Fantasy, Grimdark
Pages: 281
Format: ebook
Review Copy: Provided by the author in return for an honest review.

What Rob J. Hayes has done in Along the Razor’s Edge cements his place as one of the masters of grimdark fantasy.

I’ve taken my time getting to the review of this book, the first of an ambitious new trilogy Rob has decided to release over the next few months of 2020, starti ...more

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Mar 11, 2020 S. Naomi Scott rated it it was amazing

Shelves: small-press-and-indie, 2020, favorites

DISCLAIMER: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review. My thanks to Rob J. Hayes for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

At fifteen years old Eskara Helsene has suffered more pain and torture than most people experience in a full life. Taken from her home at the age of six and trained in the arts of Sourcery by the Orran Empire, she is one of the last Orran Sourcerers alive. The only problem is that she, along with DISCLAIMER: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review. My thanks to Rob J. Hayes for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

At fifteen years old Eskara Helsene has suffered more pain and torture than most people experience in a full life. Taken from her home at the age of six and trained in the arts of Sourcery by the Orran Empire, she is one of the last Orran Sourcerers alive. The only problem is that she, along with her best friend and fellow Sourcerer Josef, are prisoners of the Terrelan Empire, captured at the end of a war the Orran’s lost and thrown into an inescapable prison known as The Pit. And without the Sources they need to fuel their magical abilities there appears to be no way for them to escape their predicament.

Rob J. Hayes has written and published a fair few books over the last few years, and picked up a few accolades along the way. His 2017 grimdark novel Where Loyalties Lie won that year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO), and last year’s wuxia-inspired Never Die is currently a finalist in this year’s competition, so it’s fair to say I had some pretty high expectations for this, the first novel of his latest trilogy. I wasn’t disappointed.

Along the Razor’s Edge is a dark novel, even by Hayes’ normal standards. The main protaginist and central point of view character is a fifteen-year-old girl who’s been spend most of her life being tortured by the tutors of the Orran Academy of Sourcery. She’s been exposed to the horrors of the Otherworld and forced to commit atrocities for her nation in what was ultimately a futile war against the neighbouring Terrelan Empire. And that’s before she gets thrown into the Pit to deal with the daily ministrations of the sadistic foreman Prig and the unnamed Overseer who holds her fate in his hands.

Told in the first person, the narrative switches between the ‘present’ of Eska’s time in the Pit and her past coming up through the Academy, though there are occasional flash-forwards to things in Eska’s future. Right from the start we know that she escapes the Pit, but it’s how she escapes that makes this story compelling, the journey she has to take to win her freedom by the end of the novel. That journey isn’t an easy one, and Eska has to make some hard choices along the way, pushing aside friends and making questionable alliances in order to gain even the smallest advantage. This is a journey into a darkness that’s both literal and metaphorical.

Despite the darkness of the story, this is so well written that it’s hard to put down. Hayes has definitely come a long way as writer, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see his name cropping up on more shortlists in the coming years. He has a way of getting under your skin and making you feel what the characters feel, of almost forcing you to empathise with the protagonists, no matter how unpalatable their actions may be. Even when the protagonist herself is telling you how much of a bad guy she’s been, you still want to forgive her for the things she’s done to get to that place.

I can’t recommend this book enough. If you’re a fan of grimdark then you really need to wrap your eyes around this one when it comes out at the end of the month. I’ve already got the second book on pre-order, and as soon as the third one becomes available I’ll be ordering that as well. ...more

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Apr 02, 2020 Dustin rated it it was amazing

5⭐️

I really can’t give Along the Razors Edge anything less than 5 stars because I had an absolute blast reading this book even though one thing annoyed me.

Before I expound on that, I’ll say what I loved about this one.

Eskara Helsene( points for that badass name) is a young magic-user, or Sourcerer, who is trained and thrust into a war, just in time to see her side finally defeated. As a war criminal, she is thrown into a type of work camp far underground know as the Pit. The story starts there ...more

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Jan 17, 2021 Rossana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-of-the-best, fantasy

Oh how I loved this book!
The characters, the world building, the story were great, but what I loved the most was the writing. I always enjoy when an author plants seeds of what’s gonna happen in the future! This book is full of them, so now I’m naturally even more excited to read the sequel!
And the magic system? So cool and so savage, I loved it!

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Apr 09, 2020 THE BIBLIOPHILE (Rituranjan) rated it liked it

A decent read with a great promise to more epic and interesting things in the later books to come. The title along with the cover is awesome, and it reflects the spirit of the book. It's grimdark, and reading it reminded me of Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire. There's a very big world hidden in the story, and I feel that Hayes has stored some pretty nasty surprises for the readers.

The world that Rob J. Hayes has created here is fascinating. It mentions about floating cities, magical realms, monster A decent read with a great promise to more epic and interesting things in the later books to come. The title along with the cover is awesome, and it reflects the spirit of the book. It's grimdark, and reading it reminded me of Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire. There's a very big world hidden in the story, and I feel that Hayes has stored some pretty nasty surprises for the readers.

The world that Rob J. Hayes has created here is fascinating. It mentions about floating cities, magical realms, monsters, and war. However, in this first book we are limited to an underground prison called as The Pit. It's claustrophobic, and brutal, and Hayes captured the gloom and doom atmosphere perfectly. Just reading about it made me despair for the characters. The magic system reminded me of Sanderson's Mistborn, and though it doesn't seem inventive at best, it's quite effective regarding the story.

The narrative oscillates between the protagonist's past and her present predicament. It's told in the first person, and most of the time we have to spend in her head, her memories. The backstory helped in developing the world, as well as lending depth to the characterisation, and the grimness of the story that unfolds. It was interesting as we learn a lot about the protagonist, and how she came to be in her current situation. I found the writing a little dense. The dialogues were less. But, despite that, the mood of the story was eloquently conveyed.

The characters aren't likable at all, well except for Hardt, and Tamura. Eskara, our protagonist is a 16 year old young woman, once a powerful sorcerer, now thrown into the Pit to rot for the rest of her life. Hayes captures the angst, fiestyness, vanity, and viciousness of Eskara in a credible manner. I didn't warm up to her, but, I can understand her nature. She doesn't break. She longs for vengeance and that drives her on. Her only relationship is with Josef, and it's sort of simple yet conflicted. She loves him like a brother, but, also hate him at times. She navigates around the cruelty of the Pit, and learns to trust her companions, and she'd do anything to protect them from harm. It's her most enduring nature.

I enjoyed reading it, and would like to know more about this fascinating world Hayes has created. If not for the impact the setting had on me regarding the characters, I would've dnfd it. But, the author skillfully manages to keep the balance. There isn't much action in this book, although a few fights happen, and they're bloody well-done suiting the circumstances of the characters and the plot. I'm eager to read the next book now. ...more

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Feb 11, 2020 Frank Dorrian rated it really liked it

I've been meaning to try some of Rob Hayes' books for a few years, but as I'm both extremely busy with work/gym/home and my own writing, and also a very very slow reader, I've only just got round to it with Along the Razor’s Edge.

I have to say, I'm not disappointed, and also pleasantly surprised. I have a thing for gritty, 1st person narratives, but I'm extremely picky with them, and at first I thought this wasn't going to be for me. I was swiftly proven wrong on that.

Along the Razor’s Edge is s ...more

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Apr 30, 2020 Thomas Weaver rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy-bingo-2020-2021

“I have long since learned that heroes only exist on the pages of books, and the lips of bards. Out in the world there are only choices. Those choices might appear heroic to some and villainous to others. I often wonder how my own people look at my choices, how my daughters look at my choices. I think I have played the villain far more than the hero.”

This is the first self-published novel I’ve ever read. I’m not sure what my expectations were, but whatever expectations I had were surely exceeded ...more

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Jun 25, 2020 Santhiya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: my-favs, swords-and-sorcery-favs

So so good. Extremely good world building and such a tantalising spoiler hinting story line.. Loved it.

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Apr 09, 2020 Vigasia rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, fantasy

Along the Razor's Edge is my kind of a story. I have a soft spot for vengeful protagonists, ready to sacrifice many things to get what they want. Main character in this story is like that. We meet her when she's barely fifteen and she's that age most of the story though we can see flashbacks from her earlier life. She reminded me a little of my favourite protagonists: Sal the Cacophony, Marta Childress or Monza Murcatto. Eskara narrates the story from the future, as she is older woman, so she ha ...more

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Apr 06, 2020 Ky rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, 2020, dark-fantasy, kindle-unlimited

I just finished Along the Razor's Edge a few minutes before writing this and wow, just wow, that was great.

The setting is one I am quite fond of, I've always enjoyed subterranean settings, rather it be the Aspirant mines in Faithless, the Underdark in the Forgotten Realms, Moria in The Lord of the Rings, etc, and the Pit here is a great addition to my love for the setting. A prisoner mining colony with a caste system, arena, and politics.

The idea of Source Magic and the information we get on t ...more

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Jun 17, 2020 Cat rated it it was amazing

Shelves: overdrive, e-book, favourite, read-at-2020

This was awesome. I need more!

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Mar 18, 2020 Mihir rated it really liked it

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: At this point, I’m glad to say that I’m a through and through Rob J. Hayes fan. I’ve read every book of his that’s been released and a few that haven’t (so far). Rob’s books have all of the things that I look out for in fantasy:

- Terrific characterization
- Epic plots
- Thrilling magic systems & world-building

So far he’s written stories in three different worlds, not counting the SF-thriller Drones he released nearly two years ago. With this book, we are introduced to a fourth ...more

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Apr 10, 2020 Lina rated it really liked it

4 stars
Along the Razor’s edge is one of those books where an interesting premise executed masterfully!
It was my first time reading Rob J.Hayes and definitely not the last!

Told in Eska’s own voice, this is a story of a very powerful Sourcerer, who was taken away from her family to become the most powerful weapon of the Orran Empire. But even her extraordinary powers cannot save the girl from being taken captive by the foe and thrown into the jail for the worst of the worst, which happens to be a ...more

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Jun 03, 2020 Jonathan Pembroke rated it it was amazing

Shelves: indie

Of Rob Hayes's books that I've read, this was by far my favorite. Eska is a wonderfully-written, complex protagonist with a strong proud exterior but in the halls of her own mind, is riven with regret and self-criticism. She reminds me of that friend everyone has--the one you love but want to slap at the same time. Secondary characters are varied and developed. I found the pace of the plot pace excellent and I'm anxious to keep reading to see what happens. ATRE hints at an intriguing wider world ...more

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Feb 18, 2021 FanFiAddict rated it really liked it

Going to write up a full trilogy review, so stay tuned.

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About Rob J. Hayes

Rob J. Hayes

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

Rob J. Hayes was born somewhere south of the cockney wastelands in a small town called Basingstoke. He grew up with all the usual boy toys including Lego, Star Wars figures (complete with working lightsaber action) and plenty of Transformers. Playing with these toys inspired his imagination and as soon as ...more