The Weight of Loyalty

by Robert C. Laymon

Loyalty is not freely given.

Bulder chose war, Camoria answered, and now, the Bulderian city of Hvall is set to be seized.

The city, by all accounts, is just that, a city. Orders are to take it, but is that worth the cost of innocent lives?

War is not black and white, it’s ever-shifting shades of gray. And in the end, what weighs more, broken loyalty or shattered morals?

Genres: Fantasy

Unknown Binding

About the author

Robert C. Laymon is an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction, and at a young age, he told himself that one day his name would be on a book cover. When he's not reading or writing, he enjoys cooking, baking bread with his daughter, making mead, and playing video games. Robert was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, where he still resides today with his wife and three children.

Reviews

[Carina_inkdrinker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arc Review 

The Weight of Loyalty is the prequel novella to the Bathed in ink and Blood. Set with 80 pages, you will find a squad that is more like a family currently in the middle of a war. That will make you question if all orders are worth the pain and risk. 

I had a fun time discovering Robert's world, and by the end of it, it had me eager to read the main novel to the series. If I had the ability, I would probably have gone back to time and read that one first. As I feel I would have gotten an even bigger understanding of the world and the powers hidden in it. Overall I did have a fantastic time in this novella, and it will be free through his newsletter the 14th of May.  

[Stacey Markle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I liked this!
We open on a group of soldiers doing reconnaissance and gathering Intel on a fortified enemy target, Hvall. It's clear that orders will be to attack but our characters question whether it wouldn't be wiser to send in a small team to see what's around the bend. The leader of the unit refuses and the battle ensues. 
This is when we get a look at the very cool magic system of Brands and Inks. Inks powered by founts stored in tattoos, inkwalls, inkwaves and other Ink powered tools help our main character Brist lead his small squad against the Bulderarians. On that team is Dineji, a Brand and Brist's best friend. Brands have incredible enhanced strength and abilities. 
During the battle, Brist gets separated from his crew and experiences a situation with disastrous impact. 

This is a study in honour and holding on to humanity in the face of war. 
I thought this prequel novella sets up the world and magic very well. I'm excited to continue on!
"The weight of loyalty can hold together the whole but break the individual."

Thank you to the author for the opportunity tobread and reciew this story. My thoughts are my own.  

[E. P. Soulless · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've picked up this novella at Bookmatch.

Gritty tale about soldiering, its perils, and vices as a battalion prepares for a siege. Plenty of action, a bit of pontificating, and good ol' fashioned underlings questioning the righteousness of the cause. The story knows its lane and stays in it. It doesn’t overreach or pretend to be a sweeping epic. Instead, it gives you precisely the right amount of information to stay immersed and intrigued. Character work and dialog suffer a bit, but the action scenes and depiction of military life alone make it worth delving into. As a novella/teaser/funnel, this works very well and has me curious about the larger world. Also, ink and branding magic? Sign me up!

3.50 / 5.00

[Will Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bathed in Ink and Blood’s main character has many dimensions. In this book we get another deeper look into what truly built his persona that you saw in the original novel. This book is loaded with action which makes it a very quick and easy read. The creativity in this series is out of this world with so many spinoff possibilities. I’m really excited to see what comes next and can’t wait for the next release!

[JoesFantasyBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last night I wrapped up the eARC for The Weight of Loyalty, a prequel novella in the Ink, Brand and Knife series by @robertclaymonauthor . First, thank you Robert, for asking me to read and review your book.

The novella was a short, but impactful glimpse into the world of Ink, Brand & Knife and I was quickly wrapped up in the story. The comradery and banter between the core group of characters felt real, as did the battle scenes. The physical and emotional impact the intense events had on the individuals seemed so realistic and relatable. As for the magic system, it was unique, which I liked, and reminded me a lot of David Farland's Runelords series, Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunters series, or even Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series; all of which I found fascinating.

When I finished, last night, I was left wanting more of the story and characters, so I definitely recommend this prequel novella. I will absolutely be picking up Bathed in Ink and Blood (Book 1 in the Ink, Brand, and Knife series) which is already out.

[Kaitlin Bartan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It’s packed with action and introduced some characters that are in book 1, which I really liked learning more about some of their history. I can’t wait for more books to come out and read more of Brist’s story!

[Matthew Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully gritty fantasy read, a prequel to Robert's debut (Bathed in Ink and Blood) but works perfectly well as a standalone. And by perfectly well, I mean it packs an incredible amount into a short read. First off, a magic system revolving around tattoos is awesome. Secondly, I am an absolute sucker for 'night before battle' campfire scenes and Robert nails it SO hard. Even without the blood-pounding action that follows, I would have really enjoyed the book. It all feels so natural and the characters so well done. What really impressed me was how even though it's a novella, all the characters have a nice little arc, the end is really satisfying and well executed. If you like your fantasy dark and your action brutal, give this a read!

[Shattered Anthologies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This prequel novella by Robert C. Laymon turned out to be a really engaging introduction to the series. It drops you straight into a tense military situation, with a group of soldiers preparing to face a fortified enemy, and from the very start, you can feel that things won’t go as planned.

What stood out to me most was the magic system. The idea of Inks and Brands, tattoo-based powers fuelled by stored energy, is both creative and visually striking. It adds a fresh layer to the battlefield scenes, making them feel dynamic and different from typical fantasy combat.

The story itself focuses heavily on themes of loyalty, duty, and the cost of war. Through Brist and his squad, you get a strong sense of camaraderie, and the relationships between the characters feel natural and believable. Their banter, trust, and shared history make the emotional moments land well, especially when things start to go wrong.

Despite its short length, the novella manages to deliver impactful action and a clear emotional core. The battle scenes are intense, but it’s the personal consequences that linger the most. You can really feel the weight of decisions made in the heat of war.

If I had one small criticism, it’s that, as a prequel novella, it naturally leaves you wanting more. Some elements feel like a setup rather than a fully complete story. But honestly, that also works in its favour, as it made me genuinely interested in continuing the series.

And this makes me think that I should change the way I approach books. I tend to read series in chronological order, but I’m starting to feel that’s not the best idea when it comes to prequel novellas. They’re usually written after at least one main book, where the world, magic system, and characters are already properly established. Here, there isn’t quite enough space to cover all of that in depth, so as an entry point I felt I was missing some context. Because of that, I probably didn’t enjoy the story as much as I could have.

Verdict: A strong and gripping prequel with a unique magic system, solid character work, and meaningful themes. A great introduction that leaves you wanting more.

A big thank you to the author for reaching out and kindly sending me an eARC to review. I really appreciate it.

[Connor Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the world of Ink, Brand, and Knife, Robert Laymon once again delivers a story with brutally vivid fight scenes fueled by his unique magic system, signamancy.

This prequel novella gives back story to two beloved characters from the novel, as well as a few characters who didn’t get much screen time. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the characters grapple with what to do when taking orders from an incompetent leader.

Fans of the novel will very much enjoy seeing how Laymon orchestrates large-scale battles with signamancy, and the devastating responsibility of those with power.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting and absolutely loved it. I also read the first novel in the series (Bathed in Ink and Blood) before reading this prequel novella so it was especially fun to see more of the backstory for Brist and Dimeji. But it’s also a tight and focused novella in its own right - a story of war and the weight of violence on a soldier. We get one glimpse into a long and winding story at one of its most pivotal moments. I can’t wait for more from this series.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome novella! Super descriptive, loved the development of the characters, has me wanting to reread Bathed in Ink and Blood.

[Joshua Dharmawan · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Really quick read, finished this book in one sitting. A straightforward plot that remains true to the title of the book. There is a topic of fatherhood in this book which gets challenged. For its essence to be captured and presented well in such a short book made me pleasantly surprised.

Lots of fighting, and non-stop action from beginning to the end. It features a pretty interesting ink magic too, but given the length of the book, I found the entire magic system a little muddled.

[Josiah Blizzard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and gritty, full of action and a cool intro to the world that makes me extremely interested in checking out the first book in the series. This novella is short, fast and punchy with tons of actions.

I did struggle with not fully grasping the magic, how it worked or what it might look like. Visually it was difficult to picture for me, but I suspect this is more clearly explained in the first book.

Overall, this was a cool novella and a great place to start in Laymon’s world.

[Corbin Rook · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Weight of Loyalty is an action-packed, VERY fast moving novella that helps explore the military background of some of the characters in Bathed in Ink & Blood, particularly Brist. As a reader, it was fascinating to see this less tortured version of Brist. He's still a dark and violent character, but there is also a sense of innocence to him that is lost before the events of Book 1.

One of the things I particularly enjoyed is how, even during the violence and killing, Brist is never relishing it. He knows he'll be haunted by the faces that he sees and does what he can to spare lives where possible. I really enjoyed this aspect of the story.

If you're a fan of action-packed, violent fantasy stories, you will LOVE this novella. Give it a shot, especially if you're on the fence about reading Bathed in Ink & Blood. It serves as a great introduction to his world and his writing style.

[Luke Beckstrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Weight of Loyalty did a phenomenal job portraying the horrors of war and the hard moral decisions good men have to make when they disagree with their orders. There was lots of fun action, interesting world building and magic, and pretty good character camaraderie in a military squad environment. It’s short but packs a punch. There is vulgarity and some crude humor, so be ware if that’s not your cup of tea. A solid prequel though to Bathed in Ink and Blood!

[SL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, hard to put down, the characterization of each person was distinct and consist throughout the book. I already read the associated novel ‘Bathed in Ink and Blood’ which set up the characters and cleverly seeded the plot. I’ve read a lot of great authors, he’s right there, fun to see a deserving new author break through.

[Jeff Ludwig · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book showing an adventure that adds context to another of the author’s books, “Bathed In Ink and Blood”. Shows a different side of most characters present in the novel and is well written with an enticing cliffhanger. Cant wait for the author to produce more!