The Heresy Within

The Ties That Bind #1

by Rob J. Hayes

As any warrior will tell you; even the best swordsman is one bad day away from a corpse. It's a lesson Blademaster Jezzet Vel'urn isn't keen to learn. Chased into the Wilds by a vengeful warlord, Jezzet makes it to the free city of Chade. But instead of sanctuary all she finds is more enemies from her past.Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart is a witch hunter for the Inquisition on a holy crusade to rid the world of heresy. He's also something else; expendable. When the God Emperor himself gives Thanquil an impossible task, he knows he has no choice but to venture deep into the Wilds to hunt down a fallen Arbiter.The Black Thorn is a cheat, a thief, a murderer and worse. He's best known for the killing of several Arbiters and every town in the Wilds has a WANTED poster with his name on it. Thorn knows it's often best to lie low and let the dust settle, but some jobs pay too well to pass up.As their fates converge, Jezzet, Thanquil, and the Black Thorn will need to forge an uneasy alliance in order to face their common enemy.

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Magic, Science Fiction Fantasy

418 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2014

About the author

Winner 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.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.38246895 stars. More or less.

Okay, so this book was my murderous offspring’s bedtime story for July, and I have to say it was appropriately gritty and violent, and featured enough dead bodies to ensure my homicidal children a peaceful, nightmare-free sleep (the poor babies can’t fall into a deep slumber unless there are at least 227 a couple of casualties per chapter, you see). Albert, my eldest, just provided me with a list of what his homicidal siblings and his little self liked and disliked about this Heresy business, so I’ll just do the Lazy as Fish Thing (LaFT™) copy and paste their fascinating thoughts below. Here goes and stuff.

✔ Why the murderous crustaceans approve of this book:
➘ It’s dark. Not scrumptiously so, mind you, but grim enough to please the Pincer-Clad Horde.
➘ Its main characters are a delightful bunch of anti-heroes.
➘ One of said main character (a witch hunter named Thanquil Darkheart) is more ancient than I am but still manages to have High Security Harem potential. The crustaceans therefore requested I do the Pre-Emptive Poof Gone Harem Thing (PEPGHT™) before anyone else thought of snatching him up, and I most graciously complied. I’m a kind, understanding father like that.
➘ It features a great ensemble cast of criminals, liars, assholes and homicidal maniacs. All of them with a beautifully fucked-up moral compass. And some of them with a bone fetish (don’t ask). Yum, the bloodthirsty decapods say.
➘ The story alternates between three POVs, which keeps things fresh and interesting and stuff.
➘ The ending is pretty cool and stuff.



This is Gustav the Axolotl—the coolest piano player and greatest entertainer this side of the Mariana Trench—doing his thing at the little party the crustaceans put together to celebrate the stuff they liked about this story. Just so you know.

✘ Why the murderous crustaceans are NOT supercalifragilisticexpialidociously excited about this book:
➘ The main female character, one Jezzet Vel’urn, is highly slightly unlikable. As you may know, my children are, as a result of the exceptional breeding program I submitted them to, quite irrationally hypersensitive about female representation in books. Ergo, dear Jezzet’s “I’m a super gifted blademaster and could fight my way out of all tricky situations, but spreading my legs works just as well for me because I have no pride or self-respect, yay” attitude didn’t sit fantastically well with them. So much so that they ended up clicking their pincers with savagely ferocious fury whenever Jezzet mentioned her “let’s fuck my way out of this” strategy. Not what you would call a good sign, methinks.
➘ The Piss Shit Fuck Cunt Festival (PSFCF™) was a bit too distasteful for their liking. My murderous babies are no prudes and do love their offensive, obscene words as much as any self-respecting instrument of evil debauchery would. Even so, they thought Mr Hayes overdid the PSFCF™ quite a bit. My children attended the Nefarious School of Rehashing Never Hurts, and are therefore aware that repeating things over and over again (so that Clueless Barnacles will finally get the point one is desperately trying to make) has its merit. They were taught well, however (go me and stuff), and thus realize that said repetitions tend to get old very fast and serve no bloody shrimping purpose.



Say hi to cousin Bert, Maniacal Children Mine!

♦ Why there is a slight chance the murderous crustaceans might possibly maybe read the next book:
➘ The plot isn’t scrumptiously original but it’s still enjoyable and entertaining and stuff.
➘ Dear Jezzet of I Badly Need to Grow Some Self Respect Post Haste (JoIBNtGSSRPH™) kinda sorta improves as the story develops. Okay, so the crustaceans didn’t exactly end up falling in utter and total 💕lurve💕 with her, but at least they are no longer talking about hacking her to tiny little pieces with their cute little pincers. So. Progress and stuff.
➘ The cliffhangerish ending is cunningly cliffhangerish. Ergo, my homicidal children are a little anxious somewhat interested in finding out what the bloody stinking fish happens next. Machiavellian Mr Hayes is slightly Machiavellian.
➘ Confirmation as to whether pre-emptively kidnapping adopting Mr Darkheart the Ancient Yet Possibly Appetizing One (MDtAYPAO™) was a wise decision is urgently needed.



➽ And the Moral of this It’s a Good Thing the Slaughterous Kids Shared their Fascinating Notes About this Book with their Most Debilitated Father Otherwise this Crappy Non Review Might Never Have Existed and that Would Have Been a Shame Indeed Crappy Non Review (IaGTtSKStFNAtBwtMDFOtCNRMNHEatWHBaSICNR™) is: thou shalt know better than to judge a book by its scary cover, my Little Barnacles. Yes thou shalt. Trust the crustaceans on this one. They have read the Hidden Legacy series. They know.

• Book 2: The Colour of Vengeance ★★



[Pre-review nonsense]

This book could have easily been a 5-star read, but it wasn't, so it wasn't. Ha.



Don't ask.

➽ Full My Dear Jezzet Vel’urn Fucking One's Way Out of Dire Situations is Absolutely Not Sanctioned by the Self-Respecting Murderous Crustacean Survival Guide I Think We Need to Talk and Stuff Crappy Non Review (JVFOWOoDSiANSbtSRMCSGITWNtTaSCNR™) to come.

[Bookwraiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths Reviews

The other day I bumped into a friend of mine while Christmas shopping. (Actually, our wives were shopping; we were relegated to bag duty.) So to pass some time – and get out of the way of crazed shoppers – we found a coffee shop and had a short conversation about life, including what books we’d recommended the other give a try. And during those few minutes of relative safety, The Heresy Within was discussed. A Question and Answer session that went something like this.

So another self published fantasy. Aren’t you tired of getting burned by those things yet.

Yeah, lots of them are pretty bad, but usually I can find something to like about them. But The Heresy Within was actually pretty good. Definitely, something right up any fantasy fans alley. Plus, the series has been picked up by a publisher, re-edited and revised, and has a sequel coming out next year. You should pick it up. It has witch hunters, man!

Witch hunters? I didn’t know this was a Warhammer novel.

It’s not. And, yeah, the author did say in some interviews that he was a HUGE witch hunter fan and definitely tried to emulate the “cool” factor of what Warhammer did with those guys, but this is his own interpretation of them, in a world he created from scratch. Plus, they are called Arbiters, not witch hunters.

So why should I read Mr. Hayes version of witch hunt . . . I mean, Arbiters when I already love the Warhammer witch hunters.

First, these witch hunters are more than a little different. Sure, they wear a long, leather jacket and hunt down witches with their magic, but they don’t have the hats. Nope, no cool pilgrim hats. Yeah, that does actually suck immensely. All joking aside though, they have a great back story about their origin, who they work for, how they are trained, and how they practice their magic.

OMFG, please don’t tell me you’ve become a fan of those books with the cool, quirky magic system. I love Sanderson, but I can’t take another one of those things.

Naw. You know I generally stay away from those. Here the magic system is not the star, by any means. The story is the focus, but the magic system, with its curses and blessings and enchantment of objects, really livens things up, making the Arbiters pretty awesome in a fight without being overpowered or feeling quirky.

So what is the story about anyway?

Actually, there are three interlocking stories about three very unique people who accidently bump into one another, get entangled, do something pretty exciting, then move apart again later on. And, no, “It was destined” to happen stuff or anything like that. They really just accidentally get involved.

Okay, I’ll bite. Who are the three people?

First, we have Jezzet Vel’urn, a swordswoman, whose mantra in life is that a woman has to either fight or f**k her way out of most hostile situations, and she generally finds the later option more enjoyable – though it can be distasteful at times. Then there is the Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart, who spends his time hunting down and burning heretics for the Inquisition but now has been given the even less savory task of uncovering a conspiracy within his own order. A job that he desperately doesn’t want to do but can’t get out of, because the orders came from the God Emperor of Sarth himself. Finally, there is the outlaw, murderer, and thief called the Black Thorn; a criminal who is renown for killing Arbiters. And somehow, these three come together in the Free City of Chade and find themselves working toward the same goal of uncovering The Heresy Within.

Lol. That was funny how you put the name of the book in your answer. I see being a reviewer hasn’t really improved your comedy routine any.

* Please note that the next few minutes of the conversation have been omitted due to extensive use of foul language, threats of blackmail due to things each party knows about the other, and somewhat pathetic attempts at smack talking by middle aged white men *

Well, it all sounds good, but I know you, there are things you didn’t like about the book. Go ahead and tell me now. I want to know everything about it before I actually buy it.

Well, if I had to criticize . . .

God, you always criticize everything. Spit it out already. What didn’t you like?

After the three characters get together, they have to journey somewhere, and the book absolutely crawled at that point. That might be okay if the events or character revelations or world building focused on were important later on, but here nothing that happened added much to the ongoing story, so it read like filler material. It was really more like “Oh, there has to be a journey because it is a fantasy” thing so many books include, and I can’t stand that. Filler material really annoys me.

So I’m assuming the writer stuck the ending? (For those who are wondering, “stuck the ending” is my friends way of asking if the ending was good.)

Yeah, it was a great ending. Some epic fights, betrayal, sex, and even a few surprise decisions by our three stars. Good stuff. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

At this point, the conversation turned to sports, how our wives were spending all our money, and the weather. Middle age dudes always mention the weather, you know. 8)

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a buddy read with my grimdark co-conspirator Samir. We managed to make it through The Wilds and past the Inquisition, but not entirely unscathed. We still have all of our limbs attached, and that is a blessing after this adventure.

What a brutal, bloodthirsty, and violent expedition of a read this was. Rob J. Hayes' The Heresy Within is a world immersed in murderers, witches, demons, and all kinds of foul things with bad intentions. The three main characters, along with the side characters, were all very well written. It's easy to see Rob put a lot of time and energy into creating these characters and their dialogue. He doesn't waist an time with long, drawn out descriptions. You get a taste of each characters personality a little at a time as the story flows back and forth between the storylines.

Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart - A witch hunter that travels the known world destroying those convicted or heresy. He is sent on a mission to The Wilds in search of a traitor to the Inquisition.

Jezzet Vel'urn - A blademaster known for her skill with a sword. She is running from her past in the hopes it doesn't catch up with her and even the score.

Betrim Thorn (Black Thorn) - One the most famous sell swords and murderers in The Wilds. The crew the Black Thorn travels with is almost as nasty as he is. Their most recent job could make them rich beyond their wildest dreams, but there is one catch. They have to survive the job first.

The Black Thorn's crew get their fair share of page time as well. The Boss, Bones, Swift, Henry, and Green are all great side characters that have their own vices and personal definitions of morality. Which usually means they're trying to figure out the best way to kill someone. You never know if they are going to help one another get out of a jam, or try to stab each other in the back.

The story is pretty straight-forward. I enjoyed the second half of the book a little more than the first half. The first half was good, but once I got familiar with the characters and the storylines converged, it just seemed to take on a new energy for me. There was some added tension due to the history of the main characters as well. This, along with the dark and foreboding world Rob has created made this a fun read. I'm already over halfway through book 2, and it is even better.

Overall, The Heresy Within was a wonderful introduction into Rob J. Hayes' The First Earth Saga. If you didn't know, Rob's other series, Best Laid Plans, is set in the same world, and I plan to start that not long after finishing this one. If your looking for a fantasy world that is dark and unforgiving, with out of control characters, and a polished storyline, then look no further than The Ties that Bind series.

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars ***

[SVETLANA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book of The Ties that Bind series And for me, it is the first book that I have read by this author.

I liked the world that it created. The story is told by the three main characters: Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart, Blademaster Jezzet Vel’urn and Black Thorn.

Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart's job is to hunt down and burn heretics for the Inquisition. The God Emperor of Sarth gives him a special mission to find heretics inside the Inquisition order.

Blademaster Jezzet Vel’urn is a professional fighter who has a lot of enemies in her life.

The Black Thorn is a most wanted criminal who killed six arbiters.

The story brings them together in a quest to find and destroy The Heresy Within Inquisition.

In general, it was a good reading: lots of fights, journeys, adventures, magic, even sex. It is a good fantasy book and I am planning to start the next book The Colour of Vengeance.

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic.

CLASSIFICATION: The Heresy Within is a dark fantasy debut with terrific characterization and a twisted plotline that is very reminiscent of the works by Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence and Scott Lynch.

ANALYSIS: This book was originally self-published by the author in 2013 and it completely blew my mind. When I first read it, I had no clue about this book but the blurb suggested a dark story and the excerpt that I read had me salivating as soon as I finished it. The story safe to say was far from a disappointment. This book has been re-released by the author after he got his rights back from Ragnarok Publications and readers can read more about that in this interview and over on the author's site. I'm reposting my review with a few edits and to espouse the new(ish) cover and re-release of the entire trilogy.

The story begins with Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart who is a member of the Inquisition that seeks to root out demons and those who practice the dark arts in the lands in and around the holy city of Sarth. They are an organization who based on the teachings of Volmar, and have dedicated their lives trying to burn heretics and forever stamp out the dark arts. Such dedication has given them the street title of “witch hunters” and it’s one that is actively discouraged as well. Thanquil however is not a typical arbiter and is just returning from a distant mission before he gets shanghaied into an even more dangerous one.

Jezzet Vel’urn is a blademaster, she’s also a person who thinks more of day-to-day survival than anything else. Her troubles stem from a past friendship gone sour and before long she has to decide whether she will “fight or fuck her way” out of the troubles heading her way. Lastly there’s Betrim the Black Thorn, mercenary, rogue and all round deadly murderer. His name echoes throughout the wilds as a name to be feared. Having lost a few digits on his hands and feet have made the Black Thorn extremely cautious in trusting folk even those among his crew but come long he will have to decide whether he wants to remembered as just a vile mercenary or something more.

That’s the basic gist of all the POV characters however there are other characters as well and all of them crazier and scarier than these POV ones. If I had to pinpoint the one single strength of this book, I would say it’s the characterization. Very few authors manage to write such terrific characters in their debut, only a few such as Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie and Anthony Ryan come to mind but now I believe we have another addition to this list. Rob J. Hayes who has written about lowlifes and scoundrels but writes with such wonderful application that these very characters seem fascinating gems and before long have you hooked onto their antics. This is the best part of the story, and very reminiscent of Blake Crouch and J. A. Konrath’s serial killer thrillers wherein they explored the darker side of human depravity and power.

Similarly the author herein focuses on people who frankly would be villains in most fantasy books however gives them three dimensional personas for the readers to enjoy reading about. Betrim, Thanquil and Jezzet are the main characters and they shine brightly through their chapters but it's also the side character cast such as Henry, Bones, Swift, etc that make the story so much more intriguing. The POV characters Thanquil, Jezzet and Betrim are all psychologically broken people however the way they cope with their problems is fascinating to read. Plus amid all the savagery, their semi-honorable actions seem even brighter as compared to the muck around them. Sure enough some of them are still reprobates, act crazy, commit violence in a wild manner upon each other and normal folk, however many of them become so interesting that the readers will be forced to turn the pages to get to know them better as well as their sides of the story. This was what I loved so much about this debut, the terrific characterization, the unpredictable plot-line with all the action and bleakness.

There are plot twists galore as the story hardly moves in the direction that the readers would expect and in the end the author makes sure that the rules of the world are obeyed in the sense that no character is truly safe. The author also subverts several fantasy tropes by not following conventional storylines Case in point the God Emperor of Sarth was a farm boy who was revealed to be a human incarnation of Volmar. However the author doesn't focus on this and mentions it and moves on to the juicy parts. There are quite a few deaths and so I would recommend that readers not read the blurb of the sequel books so as to not spoil their reads. The ending is very Abercrombie-esque wherein situations are resolved but the characters are put through a psychological and physical grinder of sorts. All in all this is a kind of debut that you definitely don’t want to miss because as soon as you finish this book, you’ll want to start the next one and then the one after that. The nice news is that both the sequels are already out and therefore ready to be devoured. Lastly the cover art is also very apt and details a particularly fascinating scene from the book itself.

Now moving onto the parts of the book that seem to be a bit deficient, namely the worldbuilding front. Sure enough there is enough history and geography provided to make it seem three dimensional but because the story focuses so much on characters and action, some readers who might want to know more of the surrounding world might not be satisfied. This book is without a map and so for cartophiles (like me) it’s a bit of a negative. However the author has posted a world map on his website for those interested Lastly those who don’t like dark fantasy or grey characters please, please avoid this book at all costs as you definitely will not be able to stomach it for all its brutality, gore and graphic nature. There's also quite a few situations and characters that come on to the main stage without any explanation and so I hope their status and back-stories will be explained in the succeeding volumes.

CONCLUSION: The Heresy Within is an amazingly dark debut and like 2012’s Blood Song is an absolute gem. If you like Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch or Mark Lawrence, make sure this is your next book. If you want a dark journey filled with action, betrayals and truly magnificent bastards of characters then The Heresy Within is the book that you should seek. DO NOT MISS IT!

[Carl Bluesy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun fantasy adventure that played the ball as well between the tropes of the genre and being unique and original. The characters were fun and interesting to follow, and I never felt bored while reading. A great start too. I hope to be a great trilogy.

[Julia Sarene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one!

I liked all the characters, and I could not tell you which one is my favorite... They are no nice, shining heroes though, so if you're looking for a happy feel good story with normally sound heroes, this is not for you. If you on the other hand are looking for something a bit more realistic, gritty, and different, look no further! They were all perfectly individual, with different personalities and strengths and weaknesses, no cardboard cutouts.

The pacing was just right to always keep me engaged in the book - and the plot was really interesting and also kept me hooked. It starts of with different POVs who slowly start running together in the course of the story - and they take some paths you would not expect! I like books who are not predictable, so that was a big plus on my side.

I will definitely read more from Hayes in the future!

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

People have a very strange view of fantasy.

The vast majority of people have a blind spot in their understanding of the genre. They think it started with mythology, moved on to King Arthur and Robin Hood, got revived with Tolkien and everything after was a product of J.R.R's vision with the exception of C.S. Lewis. Sometimes, they remember Conan. However, one of the big things George R.R. Martin gets credit for is adding grit and darkness to the genre. Stuff which was always there and Professor Tolkien removed.

The Sword and Sorcery genre is the predecessor to Dark Fantasy. People remember Conan but it's a much wider and diverse collection of stories than one barbarian. There's Elric, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, plus countless other heroes who are, in a word, bastards. They live in worlds where antiheroism prevails and the reward for being a noble hero is unknown because none exist. Every city is a Bronze Age Mos Eisley, a wretched hive of scum and villainy. So what does that have to do with The Heresy Within?

This is a return to that sort of uncompromising storytelling. Indeed, Rob J. Hayes manages to one-up the originals in terms of dark and gritty content. This isn't always for the better as the book's casual use of sexual violence as a background element, thankfully never on-camera, was a real turn-off. Those who are squeamish about such things should be cautious because the author frequently references rape and sexual slavery as an element to establishing his world is an utter ****hole. Like George R.R. Martin's Westeros, however, depicting misogyny is not condoning it and I gradually warmed to the way heroine Jezzet Vel'urn dealt with it.

The premise is three ruthless anti-heroes: Blademaster Jezzet, Inquisitor Thanquil Darkheart, and a bandit called the Blackthorn are all individuals struggling to survive on an unnamed demon-haunted Sword and Sorcery world. There's implications this is, like Howard's Hyboria, a "lost age" of our own world but there's knights and churches alongside God-Emperors ruling over city-states.

Each of them has their own wants and needs: Jezzet wants to escape the vengeance of old partner-in-crime Constance (now a warlord's general), Darkheart wants to uncover a conspiracy in the Inquisition, and the Blackthorn wants to get rich. They're all ruthless and jaded with the Blackthorn (real name: Betrim) being outright evil but all three are willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals. There's one shocking moment, involving a witness to a demon summoning, where I actually had to put the book down.

I found the starkness to be refreshing after I got over my initial shock. Betrim's gang may be scumbags but they're honest scumbags. Watching the characters interact, grow, befriend and betray each other is always entertaining. The book is meaty, too, with over four hundred pages of content. You really get a sense of what this world is all about, its politics, and environments by the end. One of the hardest parts of fantasy writing is so much effort has to be devoted to world-building the characterization sometimes suffers but that's not the case here. Everyone just leaps off the page, even if it's to stab you and steal your wallet.

The actual plot is full of twists and turns with the characters' larger goals occasionally being lost. This is not because I lost interest but because everyone has a different agenda which they try and reach by manipulating the others. The characters lie to each other, lie to themselves, and lie to the authorities. This works to the book's benefit as much of it is framed in a series of short-story-esque mini-adventures where they go from one loosely-connected caper to the next. It all comes together in the end but this is the sort of book which can be read in multiple sittings.

I even liked the romance, which is the last thing I expected in a book like this.

Go pick this up and let the author tell you a tale of high adventure. Just keep one hand on your purse and another on your sword at all times.

Hehe.

[Carrie Mansfield · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let's just checklist this baby, shall we?

No consistency to the naming scheme. We have multiple inspirations:
Lord of the Rings (Thanquil)
Nordic (Freya)
Modern English (Catherine)
????? (Jezzert or Jez depending on the given sentence)

A general lack of editing. This could have used another one or two passes with a red pen. There is a sloppiness to the text, from over-descriptions to metaphors that don't work (i.e. "as out of place as a cat underwater.")

Modern vernacular coming from the mouths of these characters. The God-Emperor says "heh." A guy calls a woman a "cunt-sucking bitch."

Jezzet, who despite being an awesome sword fighter is showing capitulating to men and opening her legs because they tell her to. She has a sword. She knows how to use it. Why isn't these people with it? And then the author gives us a sex scene with her. And she likes it. "Jeszzet would have hated herself if she had any pride left." That's a powerful female character, isn't it?

Our hero is willing to just abandon a 10 year girl in the middle of a large city, and treats it like he's doing her a favor (even though he knows it won't end well). He was the one who agreed to take her along in the first place.

This whole book is just one big level of no. I don't know where these good reviews are coming from. This book needs more work. Period.

[Paul Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Heresy Within is the debut novel of Rob J Hayes The Ties That bind trilogy, first heard of this via a review from Mihir at Fantasy Book Critic and after flying through the first half of the book I was so impressed I bought the rest of the trilogy.

The story follows three main POV characters, the first being Thanquil Darkheart who is an Arbiter of the Inquisition tasking with purging the land of heretics, witches and sorcerers.
The Arbiters are trained in the use of magic, runes written on paper and wood, spells that enhance strength and speed, compulsion to aid in questioning. Thanquil is set to task by the God-Emperor himself and he must travel to the Wilds, where the Inquisition have no power and question a man about a traitor high up in the ranks of the Inquisition. Why Thanquil? simply because he is expendable.

Jezzet Vel'urn is a blademaster, a woman of extreme skill with any blade and with an incredibly chequered past, who has learned through experience that when it comes down to the wire, the only choice is whether to fight or fuck. Jezzet is pursued across the Wilds by Constance a very angry woman with an army at her back hell-bent on revenge, after all Jezzet took her eye, and her sister.

The third POV character is Betrim Thorn, better known as the Black Thorn, who admittedly is not to intelligent but he is an unsurpassed killer, a violent man with very little honour who, it turns out is pretty much impossible to kill no matter what's thrown at him. The Black Thorn's outlook on life has led him to trust no one and he has a reputation that few can match after killing six Arbiters. He bears many scars and a burn down his face, testament to a vicious life as a sell-sword. He works with a murderous group of similarly like minded individuals, these secondary characters are extremely interesting and colorful but the Black Thorn grabs all the attention he's either burying his axe into someone's head or taking a moment whilst at sea to reflect on not killing anyone for seven weeks, gotta be a record that.

The magic system and the world building were adequate, the plot is strong with excellent action sequences but the strengths of this novel are the characters and the more often than not gutter level interaction between them, and when the three deeply flawed characters finally come together the well orchestrated plot moves up another ten notch's. Bad though they are you can't help but care what happens to these three amidst the violent and sordid lives they lead.

This is dark fantasy in the vein of Joe Abercrombie, there's plenty of violence, sex that certainly wasn't out of place, alot of colourful language and a dose of wicked humour. All the ingredients for the type of fantasy that appeals to my tastes although it could have done with a good proof reading but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of a cracking read.
Highly recommend this I'd go as far as to say its one of the best books I've read this year, definitely a page turner and I'm straight on with The Colour of Vengeance to see what happens next to the Black Thorn.

[Kitty G Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up on audiobook as I was looking for something a bit gritty and dark, and this book definitely delivered. This is Rob J Hayes' debut, so I didn't think I would enjoy it quite as much as I have some of his later books, but I did still really rate it and there is a lot to like here.

We follow three main characters, Jezzet who is a Blademaster, The Black Thorn who is a thief and murderer, and Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart who is on a secret mission to root out the heresy within his order. These three characters are all uniquely interesting to the reader because they all feel realistic, and tainted, funny and witty and each is kind of morally grey. I found that of the three I think I liked reading most about the Black Thorn because he was pretty amusing, although a typical womanizer and drunk, but the other two had some good moments too.

I have to admit, Jez is a character I find a little bizarre because she is so far removed from anyone I've ever met. Jez is a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it, and is not against laying down her blades in favour of sex when the occasion is right. She's mouthy, cocky, full of confidence, and quite a tom-boy. Her wiles and cunning help her to escape many dark situations, but she's also super grimdark and not your classic heroine. I definitely found her intriguing to read about, very different from most female PoVs and I liked that.

Thanquil is a little bit of a wet blanket at first, he was the one I found least interesting for the first half, and it was only when he met up with the others that his true personality came through. I definitely liked the mission he was on and following how he was investigating, but there was a lot of action in some of the other characters before him so he slipped a little into the background until about the halfway point.

The world here is pretty dark. The Inquisition is made up of a God Emperor, the Inquisitors and the Arbiters. Inquisitors are the ones who are on the council, Arbiters are essentially witch-hunters and they have to hunt down and cleanse any heresy and evil within people in the world.

Overall, this is a grimdark read with a lot of good moments and it has the potential to be a strong series. The plot is fast and easy to get through and I do recommend the audiobooks too as they are pretty entertaining. I think I would give this a solid 3.5*s and I would probably read the rest of the series at some point too.

[Shaad Zaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to start??? First off this was just an amazing book.. I would highly recommend it to all Joe Abercrombie fans. This book was quite a ride, it was filled some amazing characters, and quite a few plot twists. Its just one GREAT book! I m looking forward to reading the next two books in this trilogy! The great thing is all the books are out so no waiting. Again this highly recommend to fans of Gritty Fantasy, it has tons of deaths, sex, violence and much more ugliness. Lastly I forgot to mention, I heard about this book from Mihir at Fantasy Book Critic, here is the link to his in depth review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....

4.75 Stars

[Al Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the good guys can't be trusted, who do you call? Well, the bad guys, of course.The Heresy Within follows three main characters, a witch-hunter, a thief and a blademaster, each of whom has their flaws and is under no illusion about who they are.

The tale takes them all across the land they live in, seeking answers for their "quest" and running into old friends and foes. The book is relatively long, but never gets boring or drops in pace. The characters, even the secondary ones, are interesting and likable in true grimdark fashion, and the story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, urging the reader to read the sequel.

Well, this reader anyway.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was between 3.5 and 4 stars for me, certainly enough to round up to 4 for goodreads. I saw lots of reviews that said this was gritty, but entertaining, and I would agree with that. It’s dark fantasy, so lots of grey characters and blood/guts to go around, and I had fun. The main characters were all unlikable and likable which led to lots of crazy stuff happening. I like the story, and am certainly intrigued enough to continue on with the series, and am looking forward to more fun to be had. Rob Hayes is definitely an author worth checking out if dark fantasy is something you enjoy.

[Miriam Michalak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sell-sword with a quick temper, a fascination with teeth and a love of whores & ale, a blade-master who can fight or fuck her way out of any situation & a rebel Arbiter of the Inquisition team up...... what could possibly go wrong? A well paced & plotted and a decidedly fun read. Loved all the characters: Despite their lack of redeeming qualities, I was rooting for them all!

Looking forward to more adventuring with this crew.

[Esme · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book, I prefer WLL but this is a good grimdark series

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Heresy Within is a deliciously dark and gloriously grim fantasy novel full of broken and morally gray characters, murky settings, violent action, colourful language, and jaw-dropping plot twists that will keep you turning the pages long into the night.

This is the story of an Arbiter (think, witch hunter), a Blademaster, and an honourless mercenary who are all desperately trying to survive in a world where danger, deceit, and death are lurking around every corner. By some odd coincidental circumstances, their paths end up crossing, and so an unexpected and uneasy alliance is born.

Now, I will have to admit that for the first 40-50% of this story, the plot felt a bit chaotic and almost purposeless. However, because the character work was so incredibly strong from the very first page, I was utterly captivated and could not stop reading. Each character is just dripping with personality and they all have their own intriguing backstories and motivations, which makes them just come to life off the page.

My personal favourite was probably Jezzet, because who wouldn’t love a foul-mouthed and cocky Blademaster who is not afraid to grab life (and men) by the balls?! Though Arbiter Darkheart and The Black Thorn both also really got their time to shine and were equally compelling to follow. What’s more, they are also surrounded by a cast of oddly fascinating side characters, each of them only more unhinged and scary than the next.

This world is unforgivingly brutal and I loved how Hayes just didn’t hold back on the violence, crudeness, and horror. Yet even so, I loved letting myself get fully immersed in this intriguing world. There’s a surprising amount of richness and depth to the history and lore of these lands, and I was captivated by the concept of the Inquisition hunting down any heresy and evil within the world. From what I can tell, we have only barely scratched the surface and I am just about dying for this world to fully blow open in future instalments.

After loving The War Eternal series so much, I was a bit nervous to go all the way back to this debut novel, but it did not disappoint in the slightest. With all the travelling, there were some moments where the pacing felt a bit rocky and where I had a hard time gauging the passage of time, but aside from that this book was exactly what I would have expected from (young) Hayes. It already shows the seeds of talent that have so beautifully bloomed over the years, which only makes me more excited to read anything Hayes has ever written.

In tone and vibe, this book very much reminded me of Abercrombie’s First Law series and Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire series. So, whenever you are looking for your next moody and dark fantasy novel that is equal parts dreadful and entertaining, you have to check out The Heresy Within.

[A.M. Justice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific work of grimdark fiction featuring three main characters who are sympathetic despite committing reprehensible crimes. The story's hero is Thanquil Darkheart, a witch hunter who is recruited by his nation's emperor to root out and destroy a subversive element within his own religious order. Thanquil, like the other two protagonists, has let fate rule his life and while he does not like killing and tries to exercise tolerance and mercy where and when he can, he doesn't shy away from doing his duty, even when that means killing innocents. Jezzet is a master swordswoman who uses her sex appeal and deadly fighting abilities in equal measure to survive, and Betrim Thorn is a brutish murderer who, despite killing his own parents for unexplained reasons, seems to have a soft heart buried under years of blood-stained scar tissue. The three fall in with a band of cut-throats and embark on a quest that leaves an awful lot of bodies in its wake.

Hayes executes a fine balancing act in his portrait of the gang's shared loyalty and friendships amidst internal strife and external murder sprees. You can't help but root for all three protagonists as fate spins them from one killing field to another, and they come up against forces far beyond their ken or abilities to manage. There is plenty of well executed action, and the character development is solid and strong in a well-built, interesting world with a unique and solidly designed magic system. The only faults are that it takes quite a while for the main storyline to get rolling (things don't really get going until about the 1/4 mark of a very long book), and the story pauses too often for a world-building info dump, information I would have like to have seen integrated more smoothly and subtly into the storyline.

[Seth Skorkowsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rob J Hayes' debut novel kicks down the door and takes no prisoners. Its exciting, vulgar, funny, and extremely entertaining.

The story follows three drastically different people in different parts of the world. As we go, their separate threads begin weaving until we have a single narrative. Not all of our unlikely heroes are good people (quite the opposite, actually), though they are all flushed out and enjoyable characters. The side characters are also very fun (Bones is the best).

Dialogue is also very well done. I could be perfectly content just listening to the heroes make small-talk. Though, anyone that might be uncomfortable around crude language might not enjoy it near as much as I did.

One aspect that I really appreciate is that the book has an ending. Several times this past year I've found myself suckered into reading a series opener only to find that it ends on a chapter break/cliffhanger, leaving me feeling completely unfulfilled and just a little duped. Hayes wraps the story well in this first book, sets the stage for the continuing adventure, but allows a good place for readers that might not want to continue, or might have a while before they can continue, to stop and still feel that satisfaction of closure.

My only complaint with the novel is that the three separate narrative threads took me a little while to get in to, since it took me just that little bit longer to get into each of the three heroes. That didn't last long and once I was hooked I sped through the rest of the novel.

The version that I read was the Audible edition narrated by Gerard Doyle. Doyle did an excellent job with voices and with his pacing. He added just the right amount of inflection to Hayes' prose to really bring them to life.

[Ky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was really great with equally great characters, writing, and action scenes.

If you're a fan of Witch Hunters/Inquisitors in fantasy, great action, anti-heroes, and just well written fantasy, you gotta give this a read.

The story is quite complex and follows three separate heroes, all of their paths intertwine in ways you may not imagine, each is equally interesting and well written but my favorite was for sure Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart, a member of an Inquisition who follow a God Emperor. He is given a task to root out heresy within his Inquisition as well as a job over seas by the council of Inquisitors. The other two, the Black Thorn, a notorious sellsword, thug, and killer of Arbiters who is going on a secretive huge final mission with his boss and crew of misfits. And Jezzet Vel'urn, a Blademaster with a dark past and various people who want to kill her, almost equally as roguish as Thorn, but less, well, thorny... Just trying to survive while life deals her a continually shit hand.

If any or all of these characters interest you, try and check this out!

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

A gritty and entertaining dark fantasy story, there was a lot to like mixed with one major complaint that lowered the rating from a 4 to a 3 for me.

The Heresy Within follows three different characters. Jezzet is a blademaster living in the Wilds who is forced to flee from the trouble that has been hunting her for a long time. Thankquil is an Arbiter, a witch hunter, given a task he knows will likely get him killed. The Black Thorn is a mercenary, a killer for hire whose name is infamous throughout the Wilds. Each of their stories starts off separate, though their threads eventually connect.

First off, I have to applaud the pacing. The story never felt slow, aided by the author’s decision to use short chapters and frequent POV rotations. Things really took off once the three main characters came together, and the last 10% of the book was great.

The world in which all these actions take place in is a pretty dark one. This is genuine grimdark, with no real heroes in the conventional sense. The characters were well written and interesting, Jezzet in particular was a standout. Even though her decisions at times frustrated me, she was always entertaining.

The narrative kept things pretty tightly focused on the events taking place, but there was enough worldbuilding shown to make me interested to see more. In particular I liked the Arbiters, their ability to invoke blessings of strength and speed and use of runes was very cool.

So with all the good, there is one significant complaint I have. The sheer volume of vulgarity in the book is overwhelming. It seems as if the author went out of his way to reduce everything to the crudest level possible. And the sexual content. It read like a 12 year old boy was writing some of this with the sheer single minded determination to make SOME kind of sexual reference as frequently as humanly possible. It didn’t add anything to the story, it was repetitive, and, at least for me, off putting.

Despite my issue with the vulgarity, the book was consistently entertaining. The author is a talented storyteller, able to keep the pages turning and create interesting characters. If you’re a fan of Joe Abercrombie, you’ll probably want to give this series a try.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantasy Review Barn

Note: This radio show doesn’t exist, this conversation never happened, I didn’t receive and early copy or advise the author in anyway. Oh, and it occurred (or rather, didn’t) some undetermined time in the past.

Ok welcome back to Grimdark talk *heavy metal music plays,* we have on the line Rob, how you doing Tom?

Good, good, my name is Rob, but thanks for having me Nathan.

Alright, Rob here is looking to put out his new book, ‘The Heresy Within’, and sent me an early copy in order to insure it is appropriately GRIMDARK. *heavy metal music plays*

Have you had a chance to read it Nathan?

Yes I have and let me tell you there is some real potential here. Let me tell you what I like, and then you can chip in with anything you feel I missed and questions you have, that work for you?

Sure thing Nathan.

Ok, good. Look, you have a real good story here. I mean your plotting is exceptional. You kept it to three main points of views, and you mixed them wonderfully so they come together naturally. I really liked that. I was interested throughout; there was some nice action without ever being too over blown, and even the ending fit right in with the rest of the story, plenty dark but with enough “happy” to keep readers from getting too depressed.

Glad you liked it.

Yes. The characters were a bit trope filled, but let’s be honest, it appears all the subversive nature of Grimdark was done by its originators. Most people looking into this book won’t care as long as they stay entertained. You have a member of the inquisition, a renowned barbarian warrior type, and even a female, um, blademaster. You sticking with “blademaster?”

Ya why?

No reason, nothing wrong with a violent Saturday morning cartoon. Hell it fits right in with the over the top nature of this book. There was even a ratty old rope bridge over a croc filled river wasn’t there? Ya, go ahead and keep blademaster as the official name of the impossible to get into secret society. We got a great base to work with here, but we need to polish it. You ready to get to work Tom?

Again, it’s Rob.

Ok Rob, let’s do this. You got all the Grimdark credentials, a serial killer, a giant with a heart of gold who goes violent at a moment’s notice, lots of violent people with awesome nicknames. In order to be appropriately Grimdark your just missing one little thing. I know you have a whole lot of sex in the book, even some that is only quasi consensual. But we need to get more rape involved. Can we have a villain’s backstory involve putting a young girl before her army in order to break a siege?

Sure, I think I can add that into a scene where it doesn’t even affect the story, no one will notice.

Great, great. I also notice that you have obviously based the “wild lands” in which most the story takes place after the African Savannah. Yet all your characters are white. In some way we have to make sure we mention other cultures and races, you think you can do that?

Sure thing, I will call them “Black Skins” and reference them living in an unseen Sothern land in some offhand way. OH, and I can make one token character black as well.

Good enough, that should keep the PC police off your back. Well, lastly I guess we just go over the diloge. I actually kind of dig the slang based conversations, especially the use of words like ‘ta” and phrases that start with “jus’ like.” Can I read some of my favorite quotes to our listeners Tom?

My name is, never mind, yes, read away.

Good, good. Here we go.

“After that I rode with them fer a while ‘till the Hangman caught ‘em.”

“Hangman Yril?’ Henry asked.

See, I would have thought that was just a general hangman, but your clever phrasing actually made it the nickname of an unseen character. Very nice.

“My Name is Jezzet Vel’um. Thanquil Darkheart sent me to kill you,” she told the corpse but it was too late.

I wouldn’t have known if the corpse was listening if you hadn’t told me it was too late, again. Telling, not showing is the way to go.

“Then one day both lads had woken up with their throats cut.”

Oh, we are running out of time here, so I guess we will leave it on that note. This has been, GRIMDARK TALK! *Heavy Metal Music plays*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

3 Stars, because despite piling on I really did enjoy the story. It was well plotted and despite some very awkward phrasing the writing style usually worked for me. But I can’t help but think if ever I have read a book that needed a strong editor, I just read it. It could have have been a lot better with a bit of polish. Still, I can see myself grabbing the second book in the future, so base everything else I said off that.

[Blodeuedd Finland]

I tried to read it. I made it to p 50 and I have no idea what happened. A woman did something. A man took a child with him and left it. OMG so BORING!!!!!! I was bored by p 1. That is never good

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I continue my year of reading works by Rob J. Hayes, the next up was The Heresy Within. I didn't know much going into this read other than what I know from the author's other books I've read. I hadn't heard much about this series at all so I decided to give the audiobook narrated by Jaret Ross a try.

I admit that this one took me a bit to connect with. So much so, that I was about 25% in and wasn't feeling it and seemed kind of lost so I started over. I'm glad that I did because I seemed more focus the second time around. This was also my first narration by Jaret Ross as well and sometimes it takes me a bit to settle in with a new narrator. In either case, things seemed to flow much better with me on the second attempt.

I also found out at about the half way mark that this was actually RJH's debut novel. With that knowledge perhaps this story didn't start off in the style I'm used to from this author as well. By the midpoint though, things certainly seemed closer to the storytelling I'm used to.

The pacing was ultimately fine. As previously mentioned it took me a bit to really get settled in with this one which was honestly my fault for not realizing this was RJH's debut novel. Knowing that going it, I might have had a different expectation. But in the end it all worked out. As usual with this author I didn't really have any issues with names of places or characters to trip me up and the story flowed well.

The worldbuilding was solid. This is certainly a darker more brutal world than some of my more recent reads but it was still unique and interesting as it drew me in and unfolded with details.

The felt the character development and the story being told was the strongest aspect of The Heresy Within. There are a lot of characters introduced and to keep up with as book one progresses. But as the characters come and go and paths cross it was interesting to see these characters interact with each other and the world around them. Sometimes we find allies where we least expect it but we still find them when they are needed the most!

As far as recommendations go, I think reading RJH's works in publication order would make much more sense. But at the same time the struggle I had at the beginning of his debut here could also push some readers away. So if you're like myself and you've read his more recent works and want to dip into this one, just have a bit of patience as things get going. You'll get there to the style you're used to before long.

[Felix Zilich · Rating 4 out of 5]

2490 лет назад владыка Вольмар усмирил демонов и заточил их в Бездне, после чего создал Инквизицию и покинул этот бренный мир. С тех пор инквизиторы в людских королевствах установили абсолютную монополию на магию. Всю жизнь они рыскают по миру, выжигая малейшие ростки ереси. Если ты наделен с рождения ведьмовским талантом, но еще не успел хоть раз призвать демона и испить его силы - тогда у тебя останется выбор. Стать еще одним мракоборцем или сдаться и взойти на костёр. Война с Бездной идёт нешуточная. Чуть больше сотни лет назад могучий ведьмовской ковен практически истребил всех инквизиторов, но сила веры арбитра Артура Вэнса спасла человечество. Сила веры в Вольмара.

И вот теперь владыка вернулся. Правитель Сарда, голубоглазый гигант Франциск, объявил себя богом-императором и реинкарнацией Вольмара. Совет Инквизиции его официально признал, но все еще относится с сильнейшим подозрением. Между двух огней предстоит оказаться стареющему арбитру Танкуилу Даркхарту. Вернувшись в штаб-квартиру ордена с отчетом после трех лет странствий и выкупленным на Мертвых Землях клинком бога-императора, Танкуил получает два неожиданных задания. Совет Двенадцати приказывает ему отправиться в Дикие Земли, чтобы допросить в вольном городе Чаде молодую ведьму. Бог-император же сообщает, что в светлый Совет проникла ересь, а единственный человек, который знает имя предателя и отступника - правитель Хостграда.

И Танкуил отправится в путь, не подозревая, что в скором будущем его ждёт встреча с Бетримом Торном, легендарным истребителем арбитров по кличке Чёрный Шип, а также, возможно, с последним Мастером Клинка Джеззет Вель’юрн.

Как вы понимаете, это была только вводная присказка, которую я написал, чтобы самому перечитать её через год или два, когда возьмусь за седьмой или восьмой роман этого книжного цикла (их пока меньше, но нет предела ереси). Роб Хейс - еще одна звезда фэнтезийного гримдарка, к романам которого я пришел с опозданием почти на десять лет. Хейса очень любят сравнивать с Аберкромби (и сравнивать вполне заслуженно), но писателя это люто бесит, ведь ланкаширца он по его словам на тот момент еще не читал, а вот Хобба и Вудинга - наоборот. Говорит, от новой книги Хобба может пустить скупую слезу и сегодня. «И вообще не называйте мой swashbuckling гримдарком».

«Ересь внутри» - роман дебютный, но сей факт - лишь хитрая ловушка для самоуверенного обзорщика. Ты видишь ошибки новичка, выступающий скелет, висящие нитки, но уже к концу первой книги вдруг понимаешь, что больше половины косяков - умелая авторская престидижитация. Например, ты видишь из каких кубиков собирали каждого персонажа, но потом понимаешь, что диалоги героев местами настолько безупречны, будто писатель прожил со своими головорезами лет десять (в интервью, он признаётся, что так и есть). Или ворчишь из-за скупости лора в первой книге, а потом после завершения трилогии вдруг перечитываешь начальные главы «Ереси» и видишь, что тебе о многих вещах говорили прямым текстом с первых страниц. Опять же, для примера, где было первое камео Брековича в «Ереси» - я соображал очень и очень долго. Но я - увы - невнимательный читатель, меня нужно иногда тыкать носом.

[Aria Nocturne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! Loved it, the characters were awesome, an intriguing story with plenty of action. Funny at times as well. Definitely recommend this book.

[Cupcakes & Machetes · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is hard to review a book that was neither good nor bad. As I suspected from the start, the entire endeavor ended with a mediocre rating on my part.



Jezzet: The fight or fuck your way out type of woman. I had big expectations for her but overall I found her somewhat disappointing. I mean, if you're going to be that type of person, fucking own it. She was always embarrassed about being called a whore (or a lady) and ashamed of her scars. If 'fight or fuck' is going to be your mantra for survival, accept judgment from no one. Bitches aren't even on your level. However, looking down on actual whores is hypocritical. They're just fucking for survival too.
Jezzet is also a blademaster. No one can go toe to toe with her one on one besides another blademaster and there are only two left in the world, Jezzet included.

Thanquil: He is an Arbitor for the Inquisition. Basically, he goes around judging and burning all the heretics. Here is where a BIG part of my beef with this book comes in. Generally, people are considered heretics because they don't believe in the right religion. But there really is no specific religion in this entire goddamn thing. Besides the Inquisition (the group of people who keep 'evil' out of the world), there is the God-Emperor, who is supposedly their god reborn. But, there is no mention that anyone worships him or anyone else for that matter. So why the fuck are they burning people? And, in that case, what does it take to be considered a heretic? Those two questions are never answered.

Betrim: AKA the Black Thorn. He's one of the legendary thugs left in the world and traveling with other thugs doing odd jobs here and there. He's missing fingers, teeth and has burn scars up the side of his face. He HATES Arbitors and has made a name for himself by killing six of them. He's probably the best point of view in the book. There is no self loathing here. He is what he is and he does what he does. Sure he's an ugly son of a bitch but that doesn't stop him from getting laid.

There is a traitor within the Inquisition and Thanquil has been sent by the God-Emperor to find out who. Such a task is no easy thing when you're sent to 'the wilds' where you have no real power. So naturally, you hire the biggest, baddest thugs you can find to help you out. Really, that's all you need to know about the plot line. Even the big plot twist part way through is lackluster. I didn't foresee it happening but once it occurred you just really weren't surprised by it either.

So. What we have here is pretty good characters with incomplete world building and an overall general plot line that reads like lots of other fantasy novels. A little more work and it would have gone up another star and I would read the rest of the series.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart is a cleanser of heretics and a man who can pretty much go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants once he gets there. Jezzet Vel'urn is a BladeMaster who seems to run from danger to danger. You'd kinda think a master of the blade would be doing more with her life but there you go. Then we have Betrim Thorn - the Black Thorn: killer of Arbiters (six, everyone always forgets about the first) and general all-round scoundrel. They're all going about their lives, all end up in places they don't want to be, and all end up fighting for their lives against the darkest of enemies.

This story has all the moves for grimdark fantasy but none of the oomph, none of the wallop. I could tell what it was trying to do, but it just didn't have that...grimdark-ness. I don't know what exactly was missing, but there definitely was something not there. Now, the story was by no means bad. I never struggled to keep going with it and there were a couple of interesting twists, but maybe not as many as the author was hoping for, and certainly nothing particularly flooring. You know those books where you're reading them and something is revealed and your mind implodes? Unfortunately nothing as big as that.

So if the story wasn't all that bad, why the low rating? Unfortunately, because of the writing itself. While the grammar was never terrible, it quite often made me uncomfortable. Commas missing led to run-on sentences which were hard to understand, while added-extra commas made the text clumsy and awkward. It never quite made sense to me that both of these problems existed...whether it was a style choice or what I have no idea. On top of this there were a couple of instances of the mixing up of homophones: peak instead of pique, taught instead of taut. Not major things, but not mistakes an author should be making.

Overall, not a bad story by any means but the lack of editor (I'm assuming - as far as I can tell this is self-published) is telling. Some cleaning up would have made the world of difference.

[S A M | The Book in Hand · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually DNF’s for me are a standard one star, while this is a DNF I am giving it two stars because I may, and I say I may with little conviction, try to continue reading this. It is unlikely but I’m feeling a little shady not continuing it. It can be any number of factors why someone drops a book. While I general feel like there is a lack of plot progression and I’m not loving the characters it could be that I have read some amazing books lately and my bar is a little high at the moment. That and my lack of enthusiasm from what I consider a pretty poor 40%+ doesn’t help.

A lot of other GR friends have read and liked this, though all mention it being a little bit of a slog at the start and then a fair amount of filler reading in the middle they end up enjoying the book because they loved the ending. For me though a book isn’t to my tastes if I only like the last 15% it’s just a waste.

Generally, my issue as stated above is that I don’t feel like this book is going anywhere, there was just a massive lack of plot progression. I said I would wait until the characters timelines collided and I did. It still isn’t doing it for me. I will admit it did perk up but just not enough to keep me going.

2 stars.
DNF at 43%

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mihir' review over at Fantasy Book Critic inspired to buy a digital copy of this first book in THE TIES THAT BIND trilogy which is a the same time the debut novel of Rob J. Hayes and it is a strong debut!

After reading a third of the book there was no other way out than to buy the rest of the trilogy which I did.

This is a really dark and gritty fantasy novel with strong and impressive characters. Don't expect heroes in golden armour.

For more information I recommend to read Mihir's review over at Fantasy Book Critic.