Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: RJ Barker is a critically acclaimed and award-winning author of fantasy fiction. He won the 2020 British Fantasy Society (BFS) Robert Holdstock award for Best Novel for his fourth novel, The Bone Ships. 

His debut trilogy The Wounded Kingdom (Age of Assassins, Blood of Assassins and King of Assassins) was nominated for the David Gemmel Award, the Kitschie Golden Tentacle, The Compton Crook and the BFS Best Debut and Best Novel awards. It was called ‘Thoroughly entertaining and constantly impressive’ by the Fantasy Hive, ‘One of the best fantasy series you will ever read’ by the BFS, and ‘A singular sensational new voice in epic fantasy’ by Kings of the Wyld author Nicholas Eames.

He followed this with the award-winning Tide Child Trilogy: The Bone Ships, Call of the Bone Ships and The Bone Ship's Wake. These books have been hailed as “One of the most interesting and original fantasy worlds I’ve seen in years” by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and “Brilliant” by Robin Hobb, alongside rave reviews in Starburst, SFX, and a starred review in Booklist: ‘A unique and memorable world – harsh and brutal and full of fully realized, powerful female characters. Barker has managed to craft a story inspired by Moby Dick, Game of Thrones, and pirate lore, and readers will be drawn in and fascinated.’ 

RJ lives in Leeds with his wife, son and a collection of questionable taxidermy, odd art, scary music and more books than they have room for. He grew up reading whatever he could get his hands on, and has always been 'that one with the book in his pocket'. Having played in rock bands before deciding he was a rubbish musician, RJ returned to his first love, fiction.

Website: www.rjbarker.co.uk

Twitter: @dedbutdrmng

Publisher: Tor Books (May 19, 2026) Page count: 432 Formats: audio, ebook, pp

Mortedant's Peril is part fantasy mystery, part political thriller, and it's carried almost entirely by its narrator. Irody Hasp is a Mortedant, someone who can read the final thoughts of the dead. He's arrogant, sarcastic, constantly worried about money, and convinced the world refuses to appreciate his talents.

I appreciated the setting. Elbay feels like a real city with its own history, politics, religion, and strange traditions. The world isn't dumped on the reader through endless explanations either. You pick things up naturally as Hasp moves through it, which makes the setting feel much more alive.

I liked the murder mystery, too. It starts with a seemingly ordinary death before growing into something much bigger. The twists are done well, and the magic system helps the investigation without becoming a convenient shortcut. That's not always easy to pull off.

Hasp himself is easily the best part of the book. He's funny without trying too hard, and his confidence is often undercut by reality. He's far from perfect, but that's exactly why he's enjoyable to follow.

The book isn't without problems, though. The opening throws a lot of names, factions, and unfamiliar terms at the reader, and it can be difficult to keep up. Some supporting characters also fade into the background because Hasp's personality dominates almost every scene.

The middle of the novel slows down as the investigation branches into more politics and worldbuilding. None of it is bad, but there are places where the story could have moved faster. Likewise, Hasp sometimes spends a bit too long commenting on everything around him. His narration is entertaining, but not every observation needs to stay on the page.

Even with those issues, Mortedant's Peril is a solid book. It has a memorable setting, a clever central mystery, and an engaging narrator. If you like character-driven mysteries with rich worldbuilding and dry humor, this is well worth your time. Readers looking for nonstop action may find it too slow, but anyone willing to settle into Elbay will likely appreciate it.