Heshayol

The Blood of Dragons #2

by Joshua Robertson, JC Boyd, Shen Fei (Illustrator)

Over a millennium ago, at their father's command, Tyran and Drast sent the Horned God to the Netherworld in hopes of gaining everlasting life. Instead, they sparked a chain of events that led to the near destruction of the Ash Tree and the liberation of the old gods. Now, with the world waning, the two brothers are freed from Anaerfell to travel to the frozen realm of the dead and resurrect their enemy with hopes of restoring balance. Tyran and Drast journey between time and space with limitless magic at their fingertips to face demon legions, forsaken immortals, and the realization that the malevolence of their father is not yet done.

Genres: Fantasy

276 pages, Paperback

First published February 22, 2018

About the author

You may recognize him as the dude whose dragons were said to destroy George R.R. Martin's and Christopher Paolini's dragons in a very biased Twitter poll. His first novel, Melkorka, was released in 2015, and he has been writing fantasy fiction like clockwork ever since. Known most for his Thrice Nine Legends Saga, Robertson enjoys an ever-expanding and extremely loyal following of readers.

Joshua Robertson is the CEO of Crimson Edge Press, the Goblin King from the Goblin Horde on YouTube, and a bestselling author in dark fantasy. Robertson is a Licensed Master Social Worker, who received his degree from Wichita State University. He has worked with children and families for the past fifteen years in a variety of unique venues: a residential behavior school, a psychiatric treatment facility, and the child welfare system. He has functioned as a supervisor, an educator, a behavior specialist, and a therapist during his career. Mr. Robertson has presented trainings for hundreds of professionals and military personnel on topics that include child abuse and neglect, human trafficking, strengthening the parent and child relationships, and the neurobiological impact of trauma.

He currently lives in North Carolina with his better half and his horde of goblins.

Reviews

[Caitlin Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over a thousand years have passed since Erzebeth imprisoned the brothers Drast and Tyran Kaligula at Anaerfell for killing the god Wolos. Now, they must right their wrongs by retrieving Wolos from the Netherworld in this exciting conclusion to Joshua W. Robertson and J.C. Boyd’s Blood of Dragons duology and the Thrice Nine Legends series. Incarceration and age have weakened the brothers physically and driven Drast to insanity, but they accept their charge to resurrect the slain god and travel through the perilous Netherworld with Kam, one of the last of the shape-shifting Vucari Wardens, and Erzebeth’s ghost.

Epic fantasy fans will adore the depth of Robertson and Boyd’s astounding world-building and mythology as Drast and Tyran trek across the Netherworld towards Heshayol. Drast’s snarky attitude toward his companions and the voice in his head provide plenty of humorous dialogue between the party’s battles against the Netherworld’s demons while Tyran’s introspective personality adds balance to the narrative. It’s important to note that Heshayol is not a standalone novel and The Thrice Nine Legends books are best enjoyed by reading Anaerfell, the first Blood of Dragons book, followed by the Kaelandur trilogy before concluding with Heshayol. Solid plot momentum coupled with interesting twists makes Heshayol tough to put down as the Kaligula brothers face their inner demons and the elder god Kowin’s determination to delay them on their quest. Robertson and Boyd’s Thrice Nine Legends is one of the few epic fantasy sagas that can equal Tolkien's Middle-Earth, and Heshayol ends this series with an intriguing yet satisfyingly bittersweet conclusion.

Reviewed for Reader's Favorite

[Ryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Villians after 1000 years of imprisonment journey through 'hell' to right the wrongs they committed I didn't care for Heshayol quite as much as Anaerfell. I would have liked to see more of the world after 1000 years of change. It's written somewhat like a redemption tale but tinged with that whole 'main characters are villians' bit.

[M.L.S. Weech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is action packed. I'm not such a big fan of the cliffhanger ending, but I liked seeing the characters. I think the first book was better, but this was fun to read. A full review to appear on my blog in time.