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The Ties That Bind #3.5
The Bound Folio
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 Rob J. Hayes' The Ties That Bind trilogy.
This anthology collects together eight dark stories of swords, sorcery, and seduction from First Earth, the setting of Rob J. Hayes' The Ties That Bind trilogy.
ebook
First published January 1, 2012
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About the author
Rob J. Hayes
45 books1,885 followersWinner of Mark Lawrence's 3rd Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO) with Where Loyalties Lie
Rob J. Hayes has been a student, a banker, a marine research assistant, a chef, and a keyboard monkey more times than he cares to count. But eventually his love of fantasy and reading drew him to the life of a writer. He’s the author of the Amazon Best Selling The Heresy Within, the SPFBO-winning piratical swashbuckler Where Loyalties Lie, and the critically acclaimed Never Die.
Rob J. Hayes has been a student, a banker, a marine research assistant, a chef, and a keyboard monkey more times than he cares to count. But eventually his love of fantasy and reading drew him to the life of a writer. He’s the author of the Amazon Best Selling The Heresy Within, the SPFBO-winning piratical swashbuckler Where Loyalties Lie, and the critically acclaimed Never Die.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 8, 2016
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
The Bound Folio returns (or introduces) readers to Rob J. Hayes’ First Earth fantasy world, and like his first trilogy, The Ties That Bind, this collection of short stories is not for the faint of heart. Rather, these tales are grimdark to the core, filled with execution, rape, revenge, cynicism, and brutality.
To my mind, all the stories in this collection fit into two very nice categories: the unexpected twist and the shock-fest. The former generally consisting of a straight ahead narrative which concludes in a surprising way, while the latter is all about the death, mayhem, and gore. “The Night Blade”, “The Battle of Underbridge”, “The Twins”, and “The Mistress of the West” are the examples of what I consider twist stories. “The Sword of the North”, “The Kid”, “The Merchant of Truridge”, and “Beck” are the tales which felt like shock-fests to me. None of these shorts are connected in any way, other than they take place in the same world as The Ties That Bind trilogy and showcase some of the characters which appear therein.
What Folio does extremely well is deliver a heaping dose of bloody, brutal grimdark for fans of the genre. The scenes of children burning at the stake, men being fed their best friends, husbands watching their wives gang raped and killed, and all the other memorable moments favorably compares to the most hardcore grimdark out there, so those who love that type of dark and gloomy fantasy should be pleased beyond belief.
The main problem I had with the collection was more than a few of the stories seemed rather pointless. There would be a lot of buildup, a great deal of foreshadowing of big events to come, but then the story would end abruptly. Usually, the narrative would be wrapped up by a few brief sentences or a couple of concise paragraphs, which did not really deliver the exciting ending which I personally had been anticipating.
Not being a true follower of Rob J. Hayes, I picked up The Bound Folio to experience more of his grimdark world and his storytelling style. Both things this collection certainly showed me. After reflecting on my time with these stories, I’ve actually discovered that even as a grimdark fan I still have a level of utter despair that I’d rather not sink to. As ashamed as I am to admit it, I still prefer to have a little bit of light in all my grimdark-ness to keep me motivated to continue reading, and Rob J. Hayes world was a little too realistic and a little too harsh for my tastes, though others might find it to their liking.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
The Bound Folio returns (or introduces) readers to Rob J. Hayes’ First Earth fantasy world, and like his first trilogy, The Ties That Bind, this collection of short stories is not for the faint of heart. Rather, these tales are grimdark to the core, filled with execution, rape, revenge, cynicism, and brutality.
To my mind, all the stories in this collection fit into two very nice categories: the unexpected twist and the shock-fest. The former generally consisting of a straight ahead narrative which concludes in a surprising way, while the latter is all about the death, mayhem, and gore. “The Night Blade”, “The Battle of Underbridge”, “The Twins”, and “The Mistress of the West” are the examples of what I consider twist stories. “The Sword of the North”, “The Kid”, “The Merchant of Truridge”, and “Beck” are the tales which felt like shock-fests to me. None of these shorts are connected in any way, other than they take place in the same world as The Ties That Bind trilogy and showcase some of the characters which appear therein.
What Folio does extremely well is deliver a heaping dose of bloody, brutal grimdark for fans of the genre. The scenes of children burning at the stake, men being fed their best friends, husbands watching their wives gang raped and killed, and all the other memorable moments favorably compares to the most hardcore grimdark out there, so those who love that type of dark and gloomy fantasy should be pleased beyond belief.
The main problem I had with the collection was more than a few of the stories seemed rather pointless. There would be a lot of buildup, a great deal of foreshadowing of big events to come, but then the story would end abruptly. Usually, the narrative would be wrapped up by a few brief sentences or a couple of concise paragraphs, which did not really deliver the exciting ending which I personally had been anticipating.
Not being a true follower of Rob J. Hayes, I picked up The Bound Folio to experience more of his grimdark world and his storytelling style. Both things this collection certainly showed me. After reflecting on my time with these stories, I’ve actually discovered that even as a grimdark fan I still have a level of utter despair that I’d rather not sink to. As ashamed as I am to admit it, I still prefer to have a little bit of light in all my grimdark-ness to keep me motivated to continue reading, and Rob J. Hayes world was a little too realistic and a little too harsh for my tastes, though others might find it to their liking.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
July 5, 2016
Full review at: http://thequeenofblades.blogspot.co.u...
3.5 Stars
I wanted to read this series since I first heard about it. Only I am terrible at sticking to a reading schedule. I normally have a plan of what to read next, but I'm just shitty at following these plans through. I was slightly concerned that I would heave to read the entire series to avoid spoilers, but that's not the case at all. This installment is completely stand-alone.
Through this you get a tiny window into the lives of these strange and wonderful characters. Those that are familiar with the series will better understand their motivations, and those that aren't will want to. I certainly do.
There were two tales in particular that stood out for me, namely, You Never Forget Your First Time and Black Blood. The former featuring a young woman who learns the true cost of revenge. The latter features an Arbiter, charged with rooting out all heresy in the kingdom, who finds herself tangled up in some pirate business. Both were great in their own ways, but totally different in style. Shows great versatility.
The Bound Folio is an outstanding intro into the First Earth, after you read this you will simply have to read the rest in the series. That's the point of anthologies. Introduce the readers to something they have not tried before. And try it you should.
3.5 Stars
I wanted to read this series since I first heard about it. Only I am terrible at sticking to a reading schedule. I normally have a plan of what to read next, but I'm just shitty at following these plans through. I was slightly concerned that I would heave to read the entire series to avoid spoilers, but that's not the case at all. This installment is completely stand-alone.
Through this you get a tiny window into the lives of these strange and wonderful characters. Those that are familiar with the series will better understand their motivations, and those that aren't will want to. I certainly do.
There were two tales in particular that stood out for me, namely, You Never Forget Your First Time and Black Blood. The former featuring a young woman who learns the true cost of revenge. The latter features an Arbiter, charged with rooting out all heresy in the kingdom, who finds herself tangled up in some pirate business. Both were great in their own ways, but totally different in style. Shows great versatility.
The Bound Folio is an outstanding intro into the First Earth, after you read this you will simply have to read the rest in the series. That's the point of anthologies. Introduce the readers to something they have not tried before. And try it you should.
January 20, 2016
Finished editing the first draft, now in Rob's hands for final review. This is going to be one hell of a great collection for Hayes fans as they await his Best Laid Plans duology. TBF contains some truly powerful stories in his First Earth setting.
June 18, 2016
* I received a digital copy of this collection of short stories from the publisher in return for an honest review.
I original did not know that this is considered book 3.5 in the Ties That Bind trilogy, otherwise I probably would have read them first. Fortunately, reading the trilogy is not required to enjoy this.
First things first... wow! How have I missed Hayes' work long enough for him to have finished an entire trilogy? I have seen his books in bookstores, but the covers have always put me off. Usually, when the covers are big closeups of warrior-like characters, the story and character development just isn't there. That is certainly not the case here.
While the stories are short, they give me the impression that a full length novel would feel something like a Michael J Sullivan book. Great characters, great dialogue and banter between characters, great settings and great twists. Seeing as Sullivan is one of my favorite authors, it is easy to see why I loved this short story collection.
Rating anthologies and short story collections as a whole is sort of difficult, since the quality of each story can vary greatly. Because of this, I usually rate each story separately and then average out the rating for the whole thing.
"The Sword of the North" 5 Stars. Occurs 15 years before Ties That Bind. Introduces Derran, a character I immediately loved and hope to read more about in Hayes' work.
"A Game of Poisons" 5 Stars. Occurs 1 year before Ties That Bind. Introduces an older, retired assassin, now called Alfer Boharn. Another character I wold love to read an entire trilogy about. (After reading this, I immediately went and purchased the entire Ties That Bind trilogy.)
"The Kid" 4 Stars. Occurs 5 years before Ties That Bind. I just could not stand the fact that the main character spent 99% of the story referred to, even to himself, as the Kid. Later becomes known as Green.
"The Battle of Underbridge" 4 Stars. Occurs 51 years before Ties That Bind. Introduces Tristan Southland. Not a good sign that this happens so early before the trilogy. I really liked Tristan as a young squire and the chances of him living 51 years as a knight, and continuing to be a character I enjoy, are not too likely...
"The Merchant of Trubridge" 5 Stars. Occurs 8 years before Ties That Bind. Introduces Sirion Tell and Captain Drake, who I assume will be a big part of the trilogy even though he is never on scene here. I love the story, just not sure where it would go from here. Great reason to read the trilogy and find out.
"By My Life and My Bloodline" 2 Stars. Occurs 3 years before Ties That Bind. The only story in the collection that didn't draw me in and make me care about the characters. Not because of the author, it's just not the type of story I enjoy. Centering around a family of half-breeds being hunted by both sides for being born different.
"You Never Forget Your First Time" 5 Stars. Occurs 9 years before Ties That Bind. Centered around Shain Crowfeather, a young girl taken to a school of the flesh to be taught the ways to catch a noble's eye and marry well. I loved this story and the twist. The ending left me wanting more and hoping that Shain somehow works her way into a main role in the trilogy.
"Black Blood" 5 Stars. Occurs 1 year after Ties That Bind. The only story set after the original trilogy and, I am hoping, before the duology Best Laid Plans. I certainly hope the characters introduced here are in the trilogy. If not, Hayes needs to pump out Best Laid Plans as soon as possible to fill my hunger. Introduces Beck, and Arbiter, and Captain Elaina Black, a pirate.
In my opinion, the point of a collection of short stories is meant to give readers a taste of the worlds the author has created and make them want to go out and purchase the author's other works. I did this after reading only the first two tales and now the trilogy, The Ties That Bind, has jumped to the head of my to read pile. (Immediately to be started as soon as I finish this review.)
5 Star collection. Rob J Hayes should be in everyone's to read list.
I original did not know that this is considered book 3.5 in the Ties That Bind trilogy, otherwise I probably would have read them first. Fortunately, reading the trilogy is not required to enjoy this.
First things first... wow! How have I missed Hayes' work long enough for him to have finished an entire trilogy? I have seen his books in bookstores, but the covers have always put me off. Usually, when the covers are big closeups of warrior-like characters, the story and character development just isn't there. That is certainly not the case here.
While the stories are short, they give me the impression that a full length novel would feel something like a Michael J Sullivan book. Great characters, great dialogue and banter between characters, great settings and great twists. Seeing as Sullivan is one of my favorite authors, it is easy to see why I loved this short story collection.
Rating anthologies and short story collections as a whole is sort of difficult, since the quality of each story can vary greatly. Because of this, I usually rate each story separately and then average out the rating for the whole thing.
"The Sword of the North" 5 Stars. Occurs 15 years before Ties That Bind. Introduces Derran, a character I immediately loved and hope to read more about in Hayes' work.
"A Game of Poisons" 5 Stars. Occurs 1 year before Ties That Bind. Introduces an older, retired assassin, now called Alfer Boharn. Another character I wold love to read an entire trilogy about. (After reading this, I immediately went and purchased the entire Ties That Bind trilogy.)
"The Kid" 4 Stars. Occurs 5 years before Ties That Bind. I just could not stand the fact that the main character spent 99% of the story referred to, even to himself, as the Kid. Later becomes known as Green.
"The Battle of Underbridge" 4 Stars. Occurs 51 years before Ties That Bind. Introduces Tristan Southland. Not a good sign that this happens so early before the trilogy. I really liked Tristan as a young squire and the chances of him living 51 years as a knight, and continuing to be a character I enjoy, are not too likely...
"The Merchant of Trubridge" 5 Stars. Occurs 8 years before Ties That Bind. Introduces Sirion Tell and Captain Drake, who I assume will be a big part of the trilogy even though he is never on scene here. I love the story, just not sure where it would go from here. Great reason to read the trilogy and find out.
"By My Life and My Bloodline" 2 Stars. Occurs 3 years before Ties That Bind. The only story in the collection that didn't draw me in and make me care about the characters. Not because of the author, it's just not the type of story I enjoy. Centering around a family of half-breeds being hunted by both sides for being born different.
"You Never Forget Your First Time" 5 Stars. Occurs 9 years before Ties That Bind. Centered around Shain Crowfeather, a young girl taken to a school of the flesh to be taught the ways to catch a noble's eye and marry well. I loved this story and the twist. The ending left me wanting more and hoping that Shain somehow works her way into a main role in the trilogy.
"Black Blood" 5 Stars. Occurs 1 year after Ties That Bind. The only story set after the original trilogy and, I am hoping, before the duology Best Laid Plans. I certainly hope the characters introduced here are in the trilogy. If not, Hayes needs to pump out Best Laid Plans as soon as possible to fill my hunger. Introduces Beck, and Arbiter, and Captain Elaina Black, a pirate.
In my opinion, the point of a collection of short stories is meant to give readers a taste of the worlds the author has created and make them want to go out and purchase the author's other works. I did this after reading only the first two tales and now the trilogy, The Ties That Bind, has jumped to the head of my to read pile. (Immediately to be started as soon as I finish this review.)
5 Star collection. Rob J Hayes should be in everyone's to read list.
June 18, 2016
I received this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. I have not read the author's series, and understand that some of the short stories provide information on the pasts of characters in the full-length books, as well as something of an introduction to characters in some upcoming books. Despite not knowing the world of the stories, I did not feel lost. So, the stories do stand alone, though they might be more meaningful to someone who has seen the characters in another setting.
The stories all share the same universe and are dark fantasy. Some very grim things occur to some, and many have painful pasts. This seems to be a pretty unforgiving world. Despite being standalone, there was no info-dump. There were occasional mentions of background information, but just enough to have a broad understanding. In many ways this is a fairly standard fantasy world, with some twists of religion, etc. However, for the most part how the magical and religious side of things work is not relevant. Mostly these are stories of people, relationships, and horrible events that shape their lives. Trigger warning for child and sexual abuse and violence. This is dark fantasy, after all. And the abuse and violence help to explain how certain characters have become so driven or dark themselves.
These are short stories, and they don't try to say much, but they so provide little windows into certain peoples' lives. They may explain later personalities, or provide some background to later events. However, they aren't designed for deep introspection. I suspect that knowing characters from the books the stories will be more meaningful as each story is fairly short and most tell only about the activities leading up to one particular event. Several end on cliff-hangers, or have equivocal endings. Overall, I thought it was well-done, and the writing kept me interested and engaged the entire time. I had little confusion and when I did it was quickly cleared up through action or dialogue.
The stories all share the same universe and are dark fantasy. Some very grim things occur to some, and many have painful pasts. This seems to be a pretty unforgiving world. Despite being standalone, there was no info-dump. There were occasional mentions of background information, but just enough to have a broad understanding. In many ways this is a fairly standard fantasy world, with some twists of religion, etc. However, for the most part how the magical and religious side of things work is not relevant. Mostly these are stories of people, relationships, and horrible events that shape their lives. Trigger warning for child and sexual abuse and violence. This is dark fantasy, after all. And the abuse and violence help to explain how certain characters have become so driven or dark themselves.
These are short stories, and they don't try to say much, but they so provide little windows into certain peoples' lives. They may explain later personalities, or provide some background to later events. However, they aren't designed for deep introspection. I suspect that knowing characters from the books the stories will be more meaningful as each story is fairly short and most tell only about the activities leading up to one particular event. Several end on cliff-hangers, or have equivocal endings. Overall, I thought it was well-done, and the writing kept me interested and engaged the entire time. I had little confusion and when I did it was quickly cleared up through action or dialogue.
June 30, 2016
Rob J. Hayes was my introduction to grimdark fiction. Well, actually, no, it was George R.R. Martin but saying, "He's the guy I first read that I realized was grimdark fiction after I read the books everyone else read and loved" is not a very good opening for a review. Hayes wrote The Ties That Bind trilogy which is best described as what you get if you combined Quentin Tarantino with Conan the Barbarian.
Rob J. Hayes style is to get a bunch of foul-mouthed quirky oddball murderers, criminals, and complete scum with a couple of sympathetic qualities then set them loose on something very similar to the Hyborian Age.Much like Quentin Tarantino himself, Rob J. Hayes' work isn't for everyone as the majority of characters are irredeemable but they're entertainingly irredeemable. The good will suffer, the bad profit, but the truly evil will probably get themselves killed in a dreadfully grand guginol fashion. This is the embodiment of grimdark to me so I was eager to plow into an anthology collecting the stories of minor characters from his trilogy.
So, what did I think?
The Bound Folio is everything I expected it to be with a dozen short stories chronciling characters both virtuous and heinous. You can always tell which are the most moral of the cast as they're the ones who are going to suffer most. Some of the stories are prequels to characters from his upcoming Best Laid Plans series which leaves their tales open-ended but most of them, thankfully, have a coherent beginning, middle, and end.
Fair warning: horrible stuff happens in this book with no apologies, remorse, and a maniacal glee from the author like some sort of evil god but it's usually to the greater service of the story. This is hard R fantasy and that's what you should expect when reading this man's works.
"The Sword of the North"
Master swordsman and aristocrat Derran Fowl has a sickly sister who often makes pointed observations about her family. When she makes one too many notes about her father, he summons the Inquisition to investigate her for witchcraft. There is no good ending for the Sword of the North as he makes a bold but fool-hardly plan to rescue her.
This is probably my favorite short story of the bunch as the characters are realistic and the situation gradually goes from a generic seeming fantasy tale to one of a nightmare. The ending was particularly powerful as while it promised future stories, it also served as an excellent critique of heroic narratives.
"A Game of Poisons"
Two fabled assassins are hired to kill one another as part of a test by a rich client. Unfortunately, for him, the two have more in common with each other as seasoned professionals than they do with the fool who hired them.
This is probably the most Tarantino-esque of the stories with two hardened criminals taking a moment out of their day to shoot the breeze before getting down to the old-fashioned ultraviolence. I liked both of the characters and felt the ending was appropriate in a set up which could have gone either way.
"The Kid"
An urchin living at the bottom of the social ladder finds himself in a position to better his fortunes, if he's capable of casting aside any lingering humanity or loyalties in the process. This is a story which I enjoyed even if I had mixed feelings about it. It does a great job, however, of showing you just what a dog-eat-dog setting this place is.
"The Battle of Underbridge"
A pair of squires are just trying to get drunk and laid one evening when they find themselves on the wrong end of an invasion by the undead. I liked this story because it's from the perspective of people just trying to survive a fantasy battle against utter evil than actually doing anything about it. It also reminded me just how bad and twisted magic was in this setting.
"The Merchant of Truridge"
An old fashioned vengeance narrative. Sirion Tell finds out his father has been fencing goods for pirates and when he tries to get out of the business, finds himself and his wife hideously wronged by the pirate Drake Morass. A warning that this story contains sexual assault, albeit nothing graphic.
I really liked this story as Sirion Tell finds his vengeance disgusting and horrifying rather than satisfying but still tries to get it because it's the closest thing to justice which exists in this world. Watching him try to play the part of the cold-blooded badass while being just a man mourning his wife is entertaining yet moving.
Interesting, Drake Morass is the protagonist of the upcoming Where Loyalties Lie, despite this and the third book of The Ties That Bind establishing him as he's a less redeemable character than Swift.
"By My Life and My Bloodline"
A pair of half-human children try to live normal lives in a world where both sides of their race want to destroy them. This is a story which, sadly, only seems to be getting started when it ends. I am, however, intrigued by the mythology which is talked about and look forward to reading more about it in the main story.
"You Never Forget Your First Time"
Shian is training at the school of mistresses to become a high class courtesan. Hating her teacher and wanting revenge, she decides to seduce her husband in order to gain some measure of revenge. Unfortunately, this runs into some cultural taboos the girl from the desert is unaware of. This is very different from the other stories in the book and yet the ending makes it all the better.
"Black Blood"
A straightforward adventure where an Arbiter of the Inquisition finds themselves captured by pirates then recruited to recover an ancient book. This doesn't have the twists or turns of previous stories but is still very entertaining. I also love both characters who will show up in Where Loyalties Lie.
In conclusion, if you're a fan of Rob J. Hayes' work or this will be your introduction to it, I strongly recommend this anthology. It's not the best fantasy anthology I've ever read (that's Blackguards) but it's still damned good and a good appetizer for the upcoming Where Loyalties Lie.
9/10
Rob J. Hayes style is to get a bunch of foul-mouthed quirky oddball murderers, criminals, and complete scum with a couple of sympathetic qualities then set them loose on something very similar to the Hyborian Age.Much like Quentin Tarantino himself, Rob J. Hayes' work isn't for everyone as the majority of characters are irredeemable but they're entertainingly irredeemable. The good will suffer, the bad profit, but the truly evil will probably get themselves killed in a dreadfully grand guginol fashion. This is the embodiment of grimdark to me so I was eager to plow into an anthology collecting the stories of minor characters from his trilogy.
So, what did I think?
The Bound Folio is everything I expected it to be with a dozen short stories chronciling characters both virtuous and heinous. You can always tell which are the most moral of the cast as they're the ones who are going to suffer most. Some of the stories are prequels to characters from his upcoming Best Laid Plans series which leaves their tales open-ended but most of them, thankfully, have a coherent beginning, middle, and end.
Fair warning: horrible stuff happens in this book with no apologies, remorse, and a maniacal glee from the author like some sort of evil god but it's usually to the greater service of the story. This is hard R fantasy and that's what you should expect when reading this man's works.
"The Sword of the North"
Master swordsman and aristocrat Derran Fowl has a sickly sister who often makes pointed observations about her family. When she makes one too many notes about her father, he summons the Inquisition to investigate her for witchcraft. There is no good ending for the Sword of the North as he makes a bold but fool-hardly plan to rescue her.
This is probably my favorite short story of the bunch as the characters are realistic and the situation gradually goes from a generic seeming fantasy tale to one of a nightmare. The ending was particularly powerful as while it promised future stories, it also served as an excellent critique of heroic narratives.
"A Game of Poisons"
Two fabled assassins are hired to kill one another as part of a test by a rich client. Unfortunately, for him, the two have more in common with each other as seasoned professionals than they do with the fool who hired them.
This is probably the most Tarantino-esque of the stories with two hardened criminals taking a moment out of their day to shoot the breeze before getting down to the old-fashioned ultraviolence. I liked both of the characters and felt the ending was appropriate in a set up which could have gone either way.
"The Kid"
An urchin living at the bottom of the social ladder finds himself in a position to better his fortunes, if he's capable of casting aside any lingering humanity or loyalties in the process. This is a story which I enjoyed even if I had mixed feelings about it. It does a great job, however, of showing you just what a dog-eat-dog setting this place is.
"The Battle of Underbridge"
A pair of squires are just trying to get drunk and laid one evening when they find themselves on the wrong end of an invasion by the undead. I liked this story because it's from the perspective of people just trying to survive a fantasy battle against utter evil than actually doing anything about it. It also reminded me just how bad and twisted magic was in this setting.
"The Merchant of Truridge"
An old fashioned vengeance narrative. Sirion Tell finds out his father has been fencing goods for pirates and when he tries to get out of the business, finds himself and his wife hideously wronged by the pirate Drake Morass. A warning that this story contains sexual assault, albeit nothing graphic.
I really liked this story as Sirion Tell finds his vengeance disgusting and horrifying rather than satisfying but still tries to get it because it's the closest thing to justice which exists in this world. Watching him try to play the part of the cold-blooded badass while being just a man mourning his wife is entertaining yet moving.
Interesting, Drake Morass is the protagonist of the upcoming Where Loyalties Lie, despite this and the third book of The Ties That Bind establishing him as he's a less redeemable character than Swift.
"By My Life and My Bloodline"
A pair of half-human children try to live normal lives in a world where both sides of their race want to destroy them. This is a story which, sadly, only seems to be getting started when it ends. I am, however, intrigued by the mythology which is talked about and look forward to reading more about it in the main story.
"You Never Forget Your First Time"
Shian is training at the school of mistresses to become a high class courtesan. Hating her teacher and wanting revenge, she decides to seduce her husband in order to gain some measure of revenge. Unfortunately, this runs into some cultural taboos the girl from the desert is unaware of. This is very different from the other stories in the book and yet the ending makes it all the better.
"Black Blood"
A straightforward adventure where an Arbiter of the Inquisition finds themselves captured by pirates then recruited to recover an ancient book. This doesn't have the twists or turns of previous stories but is still very entertaining. I also love both characters who will show up in Where Loyalties Lie.
In conclusion, if you're a fan of Rob J. Hayes' work or this will be your introduction to it, I strongly recommend this anthology. It's not the best fantasy anthology I've ever read (that's Blackguards) but it's still damned good and a good appetizer for the upcoming Where Loyalties Lie.
9/10
August 8, 2016
A great collection of sword and sorcery tales. Hayes writes beyond his years, and if you're a fan of his previous work you adore this book.
May 25, 2018
A super collection of stories from Rob J. Hayes First Earth world.
June 29, 2016
https://koeur.wordpress.com/2016/06/2...
Publisher: Ragnarok
Publishing Date: June 2016
ISBN:9781941987605
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.4/5
Publishers Description: 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.
Review: I usually am not in to short stories due to the truncated effect yet may have turned a new leaf after reading The Bound Folio. Really well done. Each story was compelling and quickly binds the reader with a depth of characterization tied to compressed movement within an incredible story line. Really makes you want to read all that this author has to offer.
“SO WHY YOU NO GIVE 5 STAR!!!” Short stories are too abrupt to give novel length review ratings. In this case I can almost guarantee that his other work will bury you deep into the night.
Publisher: Ragnarok
Publishing Date: June 2016
ISBN:9781941987605
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.4/5
Publishers Description: 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.
Review: I usually am not in to short stories due to the truncated effect yet may have turned a new leaf after reading The Bound Folio. Really well done. Each story was compelling and quickly binds the reader with a depth of characterization tied to compressed movement within an incredible story line. Really makes you want to read all that this author has to offer.
“SO WHY YOU NO GIVE 5 STAR!!!” Short stories are too abrupt to give novel length review ratings. In this case I can almost guarantee that his other work will bury you deep into the night.
August 19, 2017
I liked the majority of these short stories by Rob J Hayes. I say, 'the majority' because there was one that didn't appeal to me, and one that didn't give quite enough information about the race of the characters involved, but otherwise I enjoyed them.
If the stories here in this free collection are anything to go by, then I shall be looking up Rob J Hayes for future reading. I like the way he's set the scene for a number of different characters, it leaves a great deal of scope for future tales, which I assume was the general idea.
I say give these a try while they're free, you never know, you could discover your next favorite writer of Fantasy right here!
If the stories here in this free collection are anything to go by, then I shall be looking up Rob J Hayes for future reading. I like the way he's set the scene for a number of different characters, it leaves a great deal of scope for future tales, which I assume was the general idea.
I say give these a try while they're free, you never know, you could discover your next favorite writer of Fantasy right here!
May 7, 2022
What would happen if the worlds of ASOIAF and First Law were to collide? Well, you’d get this beautifully nasty creation from the mind of Rob J Hayes.
I discovered Rob J Hayes only because Never Die has such a cool cover and title. I ended up following him because I love his writing style and everything he does on social media. I wanted to read his work outside of Mortal Techniques but didn’t know where to start. Then I found this Folio, which I thought might be a good entry point. Short stories, no commitment.
So, I’m committed I guess. Because holy fucking hell this was EPIC. Every story is rich with character, and Rob J Haye’s style just keeps you hooked from start to finish. I don’t think there was ever a dull moment in this collection. Of course, if you’ve read a lot of fantasy (and I’m a slow reader so I consider I haven’t), you’ll probably guess many of the twists or endings. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy the journey.
The stories felt as if they were set in distinct worlds, but that could be because of all the many POVs. I can’t believe how diverse the roster of characters is. Makes me want to pick up the Ties That Bind asap.
For individual stories:
- The Sword of the North - Felt a little cliched, but was enjoyable nonetheless. I genuinely felt the anger and frustration Derran felt.
- A Game of Poisons - LOVED IT. Loved everything about it. Maybe the ending could’ve been better, but I don’t think I’m gonna complain. Probably my favourite of the lot.
- The Kid - Damn, that one was a punch in the gut. The ending was so satisfying, I wonder what happens to the MC.
- The Battle of Underbridge - Loved how distinct the characters were. Some of the banter felt forced but overall was a great read. This one felt closest to ASOIAF. Really abrupt ending though.
- The Merchant of Truridge - Another punch in the gut. The ending felt a little anticlimactic, but that’s probably to set the stage for the actual story. Can’t wait to see what happens there. (Is this the unlikeable character Rob mentioned in his Author’s Note?)
- By My Life and Bloodline - Loved how kids were depicted here. But that’s about it. This one was my least favourite. Didn’t exactly like the characters, or the setting. The backstory of the Drurr was interesting, but overall I found this one to be the weakest.
- The Mistress of the West - I found the setting a little weird and off-putting. But damn, the MC was such a bitch. I absolutely loved her character and want to read more of her.
- Black Blood - This one was absolutely fun. Probably the craziest of the 8 stories included here.
TL;DR: WHAT I LIKED: Yes
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: some cliched plot points, some very minor editing issues
I discovered Rob J Hayes only because Never Die has such a cool cover and title. I ended up following him because I love his writing style and everything he does on social media. I wanted to read his work outside of Mortal Techniques but didn’t know where to start. Then I found this Folio, which I thought might be a good entry point. Short stories, no commitment.
So, I’m committed I guess. Because holy fucking hell this was EPIC. Every story is rich with character, and Rob J Haye’s style just keeps you hooked from start to finish. I don’t think there was ever a dull moment in this collection. Of course, if you’ve read a lot of fantasy (and I’m a slow reader so I consider I haven’t), you’ll probably guess many of the twists or endings. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy the journey.
The stories felt as if they were set in distinct worlds, but that could be because of all the many POVs. I can’t believe how diverse the roster of characters is. Makes me want to pick up the Ties That Bind asap.
For individual stories:
- The Sword of the North - Felt a little cliched, but was enjoyable nonetheless. I genuinely felt the anger and frustration Derran felt.
- A Game of Poisons - LOVED IT. Loved everything about it. Maybe the ending could’ve been better, but I don’t think I’m gonna complain. Probably my favourite of the lot.
- The Kid - Damn, that one was a punch in the gut. The ending was so satisfying, I wonder what happens to the MC.
- The Battle of Underbridge - Loved how distinct the characters were. Some of the banter felt forced but overall was a great read. This one felt closest to ASOIAF. Really abrupt ending though.
- The Merchant of Truridge - Another punch in the gut. The ending felt a little anticlimactic, but that’s probably to set the stage for the actual story. Can’t wait to see what happens there. (Is this the unlikeable character Rob mentioned in his Author’s Note?)
- By My Life and Bloodline - Loved how kids were depicted here. But that’s about it. This one was my least favourite. Didn’t exactly like the characters, or the setting. The backstory of the Drurr was interesting, but overall I found this one to be the weakest.
- The Mistress of the West - I found the setting a little weird and off-putting. But damn, the MC was such a bitch. I absolutely loved her character and want to read more of her.
- Black Blood - This one was absolutely fun. Probably the craziest of the 8 stories included here.
TL;DR: WHAT I LIKED: Yes
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: some cliched plot points, some very minor editing issues
July 26, 2016
Dark fantasy tales that show the best, the worst and those in between: A fantastic introduction into First Earth
If you haven’t discovered Rob J. Hayes, this may be a good place to start as The Bound Folio provides short incites in to his dark fantasy world. The book begins with an overview of each story and how it fits into the timeline of First Earth; some are set before Hayes’ debut trilogy The Ties That Bind, some are set after it and just before his pirate duology, Best Laid Plans (Fans of Hayes will no doubt recognise a few of the characters from The Ties That Bind trilogy), which is a fantastic addition to the beginning as it gives context to how everything fits in to Hayes’ world. Similarly the addition at the end of an explanation about the God’s of First Earth was a brilliant look into the world and a teaser of what is to come.
The Sword of the North
A good origin story for a character that is only briefly mentioned in The Ties That Bind, but you get the impression is somewhat of a legend in First Earth. This tale introduces us to Arbiters (if you have not previously read The Ties That Bind trilogy) and the aftermath of their judgment, which in this case creates an infamous Blademaster. I’d love to read another story about Derran Fowl (the Sword of the North) to find out what exactly went on for him to gain his formidable reputation.
A Game of Poisons
This story answers the question what happens when assassins; one an old legend, the other a younger, confident highly skilled individual, face off. You find yourself empathising with the old assassin, Alfer, as he is dragged back into a world he’d gladly leave behind. Hayes creates fantastic tension centering on Alfer not knowing if he is about be killed and, more specifically, the humiliation of being a technique he once used. I particularly enjoyed the humour of the two assassins reminiscing about previous kills during the build up to the story’s climax.
The Kid
I have to say this is my least favourite of all the stories to feature purely because I dislike the main protagonist, the ‘Kid’ so much as he also features in The Ties That Bind trilogy and is such a nasty little piece of work in it. It, however, was nice to have a back-story for him and to see what made him in to some an annoying and heartless person. This tale definitely highlights the grim reality of life if you are not lucky enough to be one of the Blooded.
The Battle of Underbridge
Fighting an army of the undead is a plot often found in dark fantasy, but Hayes still manages to inject a unique perspective on this regular feature. The story is seen from the perspective of squire type characters who, when not trying to avoid their Knight masters at the local inn, are winding each other up. They are forced into the classic ‘fight of their lives’ as they face off against a formidable foe and in this we see Hayes’ talent for writing a good battle, whilst injecting interesting character and camaraderie development and, giving the raw view of the brutality of it all.
The Merchant of Truridge
This is a story goes from a happy idyllic scene of a rich newly marriage couple who have inherited what appears to be a simple merchants business, to the darkness of blood, gore and a tale of vengeance. We see the main character, Sirion, find out that his father was not as clean as he first thought and through inheriting his business, he’s opened himself up to a world full of violence and death. Again we see a brilliant evolution of a character and a change in personality, as Sirion learns the way of thieves and begins his murderous rampage and quest for revenge.
By My Life By My Bloodline
This tale focuses on the ‘not quite human’ Drurr who we were previously led to believe were one of the evil races in First Earth, but actually turns out they are just as civilized and have their own unique society just like the humans. This story focuses on two half breed twins and ties into the lore of First Earth as there is the telling of a story to the twins from the warrior tasked with getting them to safety; I really enjoyed this ‘story within a story’ aspect due to that extra incite aspect. Again, Hayes writes a fantastic, strong female lead to this story and injects his usual humour into dark situations.
You Never Forget Your First Time
One of the things I absolutely love about this story is the evolution of the main character, Shian, from being scared and inexperienced in all aspects of the world (she grew up in the desert so has a culture shock at the School for Mistresses) to becoming a confident, intelligent woman, who knows exactly how to get what she wants. Hayes deals with the subject of female sexual experience, specifically the learning of how to be skilled to the level of being a mistress, well without it becoming uncomfortable reading. A fitting introduction to the Queen of Five Kingdoms.
Black Blood
This was one of my, if not my favourite story in the whole anthology; a good old fashioned swashbuckling tale with the twist of a bit of necromancy chucked in there for good measure. I loved the humour Hayes injects into this tale and the exchanges between Beck and Elaina, yet another example of Hayes’ skill for writing strong female characters, are brilliant. I’m looking forward to more from these characters, especially Elaina; a female pirate who isn’t afraid to show she just as strong, if not stronger than the men, in Best Laid Plans.
I absolutely adored this book and all of the individual stories and I’m looking forward to meeting (and re-meeting) these characters in Hayes' future works in First Earth.
If you haven’t discovered Rob J. Hayes, this may be a good place to start as The Bound Folio provides short incites in to his dark fantasy world. The book begins with an overview of each story and how it fits into the timeline of First Earth; some are set before Hayes’ debut trilogy The Ties That Bind, some are set after it and just before his pirate duology, Best Laid Plans (Fans of Hayes will no doubt recognise a few of the characters from The Ties That Bind trilogy), which is a fantastic addition to the beginning as it gives context to how everything fits in to Hayes’ world. Similarly the addition at the end of an explanation about the God’s of First Earth was a brilliant look into the world and a teaser of what is to come.
The Sword of the North
A good origin story for a character that is only briefly mentioned in The Ties That Bind, but you get the impression is somewhat of a legend in First Earth. This tale introduces us to Arbiters (if you have not previously read The Ties That Bind trilogy) and the aftermath of their judgment, which in this case creates an infamous Blademaster. I’d love to read another story about Derran Fowl (the Sword of the North) to find out what exactly went on for him to gain his formidable reputation.
A Game of Poisons
This story answers the question what happens when assassins; one an old legend, the other a younger, confident highly skilled individual, face off. You find yourself empathising with the old assassin, Alfer, as he is dragged back into a world he’d gladly leave behind. Hayes creates fantastic tension centering on Alfer not knowing if he is about be killed and, more specifically, the humiliation of being a technique he once used. I particularly enjoyed the humour of the two assassins reminiscing about previous kills during the build up to the story’s climax.
The Kid
I have to say this is my least favourite of all the stories to feature purely because I dislike the main protagonist, the ‘Kid’ so much as he also features in The Ties That Bind trilogy and is such a nasty little piece of work in it. It, however, was nice to have a back-story for him and to see what made him in to some an annoying and heartless person. This tale definitely highlights the grim reality of life if you are not lucky enough to be one of the Blooded.
The Battle of Underbridge
Fighting an army of the undead is a plot often found in dark fantasy, but Hayes still manages to inject a unique perspective on this regular feature. The story is seen from the perspective of squire type characters who, when not trying to avoid their Knight masters at the local inn, are winding each other up. They are forced into the classic ‘fight of their lives’ as they face off against a formidable foe and in this we see Hayes’ talent for writing a good battle, whilst injecting interesting character and camaraderie development and, giving the raw view of the brutality of it all.
The Merchant of Truridge
This is a story goes from a happy idyllic scene of a rich newly marriage couple who have inherited what appears to be a simple merchants business, to the darkness of blood, gore and a tale of vengeance. We see the main character, Sirion, find out that his father was not as clean as he first thought and through inheriting his business, he’s opened himself up to a world full of violence and death. Again we see a brilliant evolution of a character and a change in personality, as Sirion learns the way of thieves and begins his murderous rampage and quest for revenge.
By My Life By My Bloodline
This tale focuses on the ‘not quite human’ Drurr who we were previously led to believe were one of the evil races in First Earth, but actually turns out they are just as civilized and have their own unique society just like the humans. This story focuses on two half breed twins and ties into the lore of First Earth as there is the telling of a story to the twins from the warrior tasked with getting them to safety; I really enjoyed this ‘story within a story’ aspect due to that extra incite aspect. Again, Hayes writes a fantastic, strong female lead to this story and injects his usual humour into dark situations.
You Never Forget Your First Time
One of the things I absolutely love about this story is the evolution of the main character, Shian, from being scared and inexperienced in all aspects of the world (she grew up in the desert so has a culture shock at the School for Mistresses) to becoming a confident, intelligent woman, who knows exactly how to get what she wants. Hayes deals with the subject of female sexual experience, specifically the learning of how to be skilled to the level of being a mistress, well without it becoming uncomfortable reading. A fitting introduction to the Queen of Five Kingdoms.
Black Blood
This was one of my, if not my favourite story in the whole anthology; a good old fashioned swashbuckling tale with the twist of a bit of necromancy chucked in there for good measure. I loved the humour Hayes injects into this tale and the exchanges between Beck and Elaina, yet another example of Hayes’ skill for writing strong female characters, are brilliant. I’m looking forward to more from these characters, especially Elaina; a female pirate who isn’t afraid to show she just as strong, if not stronger than the men, in Best Laid Plans.
I absolutely adored this book and all of the individual stories and I’m looking forward to meeting (and re-meeting) these characters in Hayes' future works in First Earth.
October 26, 2018
First of all, this is a collection and not an anthology because all 'stories' are by the same author.
Second, a fair few of those are obviously 'outtakes', scenes cut from a longer narrative that do not even form a complete story.
I absolutely love Hayes' excellent 'Ties That Bind'-trilogy and recently also gave five well-deserved stars to his grimdark novel 'City of Kings', but this collection is scraping the barrel. There are a few morsels, some promising characters I have not encountered yet, but overall this book is - sadly - not recommended.
Second, a fair few of those are obviously 'outtakes', scenes cut from a longer narrative that do not even form a complete story.
I absolutely love Hayes' excellent 'Ties That Bind'-trilogy and recently also gave five well-deserved stars to his grimdark novel 'City of Kings', but this collection is scraping the barrel. There are a few morsels, some promising characters I have not encountered yet, but overall this book is - sadly - not recommended.
January 25, 2019
It's been several years since I read the Ties that Bind trilogy and maybe if my memory of the books had been fresher I could have better connected to the characters. The only story I really liked was the last one, seeing Elana Black and Arbiter Beck interact is always a good time but there just wasn't enough there.
March 31, 2019
Nice collection of highly enjoyable short stories in the author's world. Nothing I'd call grimdark but one scene in one story was particularly brutal and difficult to read through but pretty tame. Tales deal wth lots of typical western fantasy tropes. Lots of fun with magic, pirates, assassins and such.
July 6, 2016
Awesome author
I remember reading The Ties That Bind trilogy after first seeing it on a "best" list. Not on any massive poll conducted by who knows but one based on public opinion. It was amazingly good and I became an instant addict concerning this author. This one was really good too, just some of the stories didn't really seem to have much of a point. But for the most part it was really enjoyable. Could be better for some, as my attention span is a bit frazzled. Either way I would recommend this book.
I remember reading The Ties That Bind trilogy after first seeing it on a "best" list. Not on any massive poll conducted by who knows but one based on public opinion. It was amazingly good and I became an instant addict concerning this author. This one was really good too, just some of the stories didn't really seem to have much of a point. But for the most part it was really enjoyable. Could be better for some, as my attention span is a bit frazzled. Either way I would recommend this book.
July 29, 2016
Rob Hayes is awesome.
January 17, 2016
Excellent read. Takeaway lesson: karma is truly a b***h. Rob has done a wonderful job of painting this environment in my head and it makes the story that much more believable and, at times, I can picture myself amidst the crowd watching some of these cruel events take place. And the set-up for the protagonist to reappear in a later story has me giddy.
Merged review:
Another good, quick read from Mr. Hayes. A story of what a particular girl can go through and how she reacts to a forced life in an unbelievably harsh environment. The subject matter was a bit out of my wheelhouse, but everything was well worth it in the end.
Merged review:
Very good read. Fast-paced action, suspense, and some gut-wrenching moments made this story of vengeance a very enjoyable read. Certain scenes felt so real that they will not leave my memory any time soon, but that's completely okay with me.
This was my first read of Rob's work, and he has just been added to my favorite author list.
Merged review:
A nice, quick read. Hayes does a wonderful job of creating a visual in my mind without spending pages of set-up -- I love details and it's nice sometimes to allow the reader to fill in the fine points for themselves.
My only complaint with this story is, I want to know what happens next!!
Merged review:
Another good, quick read from Mr. Hayes. A story of what a particular girl can go through and how she reacts to a forced life in an unbelievably harsh environment. The subject matter was a bit out of my wheelhouse, but everything was well worth it in the end.
Merged review:
Very good read. Fast-paced action, suspense, and some gut-wrenching moments made this story of vengeance a very enjoyable read. Certain scenes felt so real that they will not leave my memory any time soon, but that's completely okay with me.
This was my first read of Rob's work, and he has just been added to my favorite author list.
Merged review:
A nice, quick read. Hayes does a wonderful job of creating a visual in my mind without spending pages of set-up -- I love details and it's nice sometimes to allow the reader to fill in the fine points for themselves.
My only complaint with this story is, I want to know what happens next!!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews