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The New World #6
The Razor's Edge
Gordon Van Zandt is a man accustomed to adversity and hardship, but now he is left with dwindling options. With his fledgling republic teetering on the verge of collapse, he must find a way to seize an unlikely victory from what appears to be certain defeat.
President Cruz is no stranger to the position he holds, having served in Conner's absence before; however; this time the job is proving to be difficult and downright impossible. The remnants of the United States are being held together by a patchwork of governors and bureaucrats, some using his weakness as a means to enrich themselves. With the war against Cascadia at a standstill, he must make a decision to either negotiate peace or continue the war that has done nothing but damage each side and left his military scattered and weakened.
Both men are in precarious positions and riding the razor's edge towards an uncertain future.
President Cruz is no stranger to the position he holds, having served in Conner's absence before; however; this time the job is proving to be difficult and downright impossible. The remnants of the United States are being held together by a patchwork of governors and bureaucrats, some using his weakness as a means to enrich themselves. With the war against Cascadia at a standstill, he must make a decision to either negotiate peace or continue the war that has done nothing but damage each side and left his military scattered and weakened.
Both men are in precarious positions and riding the razor's edge towards an uncertain future.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2016
110 people are currently reading
231 people want to read
About the author
G. Michael Hopf
48 books255 followersG. Michael Hopf is a USA Today bestselling author of almost forty books including the international bestselling post-apocalyptic series, THE NEW WORLD. He has made a prominent name for himself in both the post-apocalyptic and western genres. To date he has sold over one million copies of his books worldwide and many of his works have been translated into German, French and Spanish. He is a combat veteran of the United States Marine Corps and currently is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Beyond The Fray Publishing, where he oversees the daily operations of the company.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 16, 2016
Dull Shave
I have read all six of Hopf's books in this series and this one was rather disappointing. The first half was mostly politics, which is one reason I'm reading in the first place was to escape the daily bombardment of the USA's election process. The second half picked up some, but not classic Hopf work. If your looking for action and excitement, maybe his 2017 book will do the trick. Because this edge was dull.
I have read all six of Hopf's books in this series and this one was rather disappointing. The first half was mostly politics, which is one reason I'm reading in the first place was to escape the daily bombardment of the USA's election process. The second half picked up some, but not classic Hopf work. If your looking for action and excitement, maybe his 2017 book will do the trick. Because this edge was dull.
November 28, 2024
Having followed Michael Hopf’s The New World series to its sixth installment, The Razor’s Edge, I find myself conflicted. On one hand, the series has always been a quick, action-packed read, with a pace that keeps you turning pages. On the other hand, this latest entry feels like a stumbling point for a story that once had me fully engaged.
The hallmark of the series—fast pacing and dialogue-driven storytelling—is still present. I finished this book in two days, just as I did the others. However, it’s becoming apparent that the author is struggling to tie together the sprawling storylines he’s developed. At times, the narrative feels like it’s being steered by convenience rather than creativity. For instance, when Gordon and Cruz are kidnapped, the resolution feels too contrived to maintain any suspense. Similarly, Gordon’s entire arc in this book feels like filler—kidnapped, rescued, and back to square one without meaningful development.
Annalise and Lexi’s storylines, which once seemed promising, now feel like distractions. They neither advance the main plot nor hold any emotional weight. Lexi’s interactions, especially with Nicholas, come off as cringeworthy, and her storyline seems more like a setup for the spin-off series Nemesis than an integral part of this one. This is disappointing because I’ve grown to care about the world Hopf created, but now some threads feel more like filler than vital components.
One of the biggest letdowns for me is the lack of imagination in wrapping up certain story arcs. Annalise and Paolo’s plotline, for example, ends in such a dull, uninspired way that I’m left questioning why it was included at all. Even moments that should be suspenseful or surprising are predictable, as if the author is rushing to finish without much thought for the payoff.
The portrayal of characters, especially women, is another sticking point. While Lexi is supposed to be a tough, independent character, she still falls into predictable stereotypes. Meanwhile, the men are often variations of the same macho archetype. It’s starting to feel one-dimensional.
Hopf’s detailed descriptions of equipment, guns, and survival gear, now feel like a distraction from more meaningful elements of the story. It’s almost comical how much space is given to these details compared to character or plot development.
Despite my frustrations, I’ve invested so much time into this series that I’ll see it through to the end. I love post-apocalyptic themes, and the earlier books in the series earned solid four- or five-star ratings from me. Unfortunately, The Razor’s Edge falls short. While it’s not bad enough to abandon entirely, it’s a noticeable dip in quality.
For me, this book is a three-star read. It’s still fast and engaging enough to finish, but the lack of focus, uninspired storylines, and reliance on convenience over creativity make it the weakest installment so far. I can only hope the final book redeems the series—though given its size, I’m bracing for another disappointment.
The hallmark of the series—fast pacing and dialogue-driven storytelling—is still present. I finished this book in two days, just as I did the others. However, it’s becoming apparent that the author is struggling to tie together the sprawling storylines he’s developed. At times, the narrative feels like it’s being steered by convenience rather than creativity. For instance, when Gordon and Cruz are kidnapped, the resolution feels too contrived to maintain any suspense. Similarly, Gordon’s entire arc in this book feels like filler—kidnapped, rescued, and back to square one without meaningful development.
Annalise and Lexi’s storylines, which once seemed promising, now feel like distractions. They neither advance the main plot nor hold any emotional weight. Lexi’s interactions, especially with Nicholas, come off as cringeworthy, and her storyline seems more like a setup for the spin-off series Nemesis than an integral part of this one. This is disappointing because I’ve grown to care about the world Hopf created, but now some threads feel more like filler than vital components.
One of the biggest letdowns for me is the lack of imagination in wrapping up certain story arcs. Annalise and Paolo’s plotline, for example, ends in such a dull, uninspired way that I’m left questioning why it was included at all. Even moments that should be suspenseful or surprising are predictable, as if the author is rushing to finish without much thought for the payoff.
The portrayal of characters, especially women, is another sticking point. While Lexi is supposed to be a tough, independent character, she still falls into predictable stereotypes. Meanwhile, the men are often variations of the same macho archetype. It’s starting to feel one-dimensional.
Hopf’s detailed descriptions of equipment, guns, and survival gear, now feel like a distraction from more meaningful elements of the story. It’s almost comical how much space is given to these details compared to character or plot development.
Despite my frustrations, I’ve invested so much time into this series that I’ll see it through to the end. I love post-apocalyptic themes, and the earlier books in the series earned solid four- or five-star ratings from me. Unfortunately, The Razor’s Edge falls short. While it’s not bad enough to abandon entirely, it’s a noticeable dip in quality.
For me, this book is a three-star read. It’s still fast and engaging enough to finish, but the lack of focus, uninspired storylines, and reliance on convenience over creativity make it the weakest installment so far. I can only hope the final book redeems the series—though given its size, I’m bracing for another disappointment.
August 31, 2017
I do love the framing the device employed in this series. The unfolding story in the present day has been just as exciting as many of the intrigues of the reflections themselves. Only reason I didn't give this one five stars was that it was still missing a bit more to main storyline. The meeting, the kidnapping, coercion, escape; all of that was great. It just seemed like the events taking place down in Mexico were wasted space, which didn't really pan out to anything important in the long term. With it being so short, I just wished the side-story would have been a little better. Call it 4-1/2 stars.
July 28, 2025
I feel like I bought a rough draft. There is absolutely no reason there should be this many errors, incorrect words, and terrible sentence structure in any published book yet alone for something that has been out this long. It almost seems like Hopf was dictating this into a very poor speech to text engine and never bothered to go back and read what it wrote. At one point in the story when talking about Autry, here is a direct quote "They found his wife, name, and youngest, name, alone. Name fought...blah blah." He literally wrote this with a placeholder for a wife and kids name and then never bothered to go back and actually give the character names. It's just shoddy lazy writing and I guess as long as people keep buying this low effort writing he has no incentive to do better. I honestly wish I never started this series but now I have to finish it. And for the record, Gordon is one of the most unlikeable main character supposed to be heroes I have ever read. I'd give this zero stars if I could. If you found this series because of the quote from book 7 that Rogan used, that's the best part of the series. The rest feels half done and rushed with little character development.
September 7, 2016
I really enjoyed this continuation of the story. It really focuses on how people react to living in a post-apocalyptic word. And does not get involved in excessive details about what kind of guns, how to prep for disaster, etc. Looking forward to the finale book in this story line that is coming soon.
August 3, 2016
Another page turner!
Another page turner, and as always keeps you wanting more. So looking forward to the final book in the series, but with a heavy heart. It will be a sad day when it ends.
A must read in the series!!!
Another page turner, and as always keeps you wanting more. So looking forward to the final book in the series, but with a heavy heart. It will be a sad day when it ends.
A must read in the series!!!
September 7, 2016
I just binge read all 6 of these books in a matter of days. I loved all of them, I can't wait until 2017 when the final book comes out, I'm so sad it isn't out already, and that my library doesn't have the chronical books.
October 12, 2016
Another great addition to an already phenomenal series! Once again, I could not put it down until it was done. I truly do not want this series to END!
August 23, 2016
Still a great series, but this book isn't quite as riveting as the previous books in the series. Maybe the formula is getting old...
October 4, 2016
Sounds like the next book will be the last, that will be a sad day :( The Razor's Edge continued to deliver exactly what I am looking for from G. Keep up the good work!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews