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Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Heresy Within
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Colour Of Vengeance

Rob J. Hayes was an author that I took a chance with and the read proved to be exhilarating. I feel that he has been the Indie find of 2013 for me (so far). I loved his debut trilogy and so wanted to get to know him better. So read ahead to see what makes him tick, what he thinks about his books and why you should absolutely read them if you love/like Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch and David Dalglish.

Q] Welcome to Fantasy Book Critic. For starters, could you please introduce yourself, tell us what inspired you to write in the first place, and describe your journey to becoming a published author.

RJH: My name is Rob J. Hayes, I’m an independent fantasy author from the UK and The Heresy Within is my debut novel.

It’s a hard question to answer, what inspired me to write. I’ve always loved literature and stories and fantasy but I think the thing that first inspired me to pick up a pen (keyboard) and try it myself was reading The Artefacts of Power series by Maggie Furey. I remember being so invested in her characters and their plight, caring so much about them and the world they inhabited that I wanted to emulate that with others, I wanted other people to care about the characters that I create.

I spent a few years writing fan fiction and short stories, most of it revolving around the supernatural, and forced my unfortunate family to read them but eventually came back to the fantasy worlds I love so much. About 4 years ago I started writing my first book, finished it, threw it in the bin and started The Heresy Within. Now, roughly 14 years after first picking up that pen I have a full trilogy to show to the world. Here’s hoping the world likes it.

Q] Could you explain how the genesis of the Ties That Bind trilogy occurred? How long have you been working on it and whether it has evolved from its original idea (if any)?

RJH: I’ve been working on the trilogy for about 3 years now. I created the main characters long before the story, back when I was writing the book I subsequently threw away. When I decided to put all 3 of them in their own story it was originally intended to be a stand-alone novel but about half way through writing The Heresy Within, I realised there would have to be another two books to tie them into the rest of the world.

Q] So for someone who hasn't read any of your novels, how would you describe the type of stories that you write, what would be your pitch for The Ties That Bind trilogy?

RJH: Shiny, happy fun-books for children of all ages… Either that or fantasy set in a grim world with plenty of death, pain, dark humour and characters that are so psychologically flawed you can’t help but hate them and fall in love with them both at the same time, often within the same sentence.

Q] Nowadays there has been a heady discussion involving self-publishing and many of my favorites such as Anthony Ryan, Blake Crouch and David Dalglish have also espoused e-books and self-releases, What was your reasoning in going the Kindle way for your trilogy, did you make an attempt for the traditional publishing?

RJH: I applied to a number of agents and received a number of rejections (all of which are hanging on my wall like blood-stained trophies) and decided to look into alternative methods of publication. Nowadays e-book publication is big business so I thought I’d give it a shot. I have to admit I’m quite impressed with it so far but it’s still early days.

Q] When you started out did you have an overall plan for the books, did you have a set number of books to be written in this series? How much of the plot do you plan out earlier, or to quote George R.R. Martin “are you a Gardner or an Architect” when it comes to your writing?

RJH: I’m very much a gardener. I have the utmost respect for the architects of the business but it just doesn’t work for me. I usually have a good idea of where the story is going, all the main plot points mapped out in my head, and a rough idea of what is going to happen in each chapter as I come to it, but most of it appears as I write it. There are actually a couple of major characters in The Ties that Bind that didn’t even exist in my head until the chapters they appear in.

Q] The settings and characters of the Ties That Bind trilogy are very gritty and dark. When you started writing your books, what was it that particularly made you mold this world to be such a grim one?

RJH: Probably my natural cynicism. I wanted to create a world where the heroes could be bad and villains could be good, where even the bad guys could believe they were good because they were doing bad things for good reasons.

If you create a world with light and dark as absolutes then the characters naturally polarise into paragons of their respective qualities. The more realistic you make the world, and make no mistake the real world can be a very dark place, the deeper (and more interesting) you can make your characters.

Q] Can you tell us more about the world that Ties That Bind trilogy is set in and some of the series’ major characters?

RJH: Hard question to answer without spoilers…

The world take a lot from traditional fantasy but also leaves a lot out. There are mythical creatures, such as dragons, but not many of them and those there are tend to be very rare. Similarly, magic certainly does exist within the world, and is practiced by both the Inquisition and those it hunts, but the story doesn’t focus on the magic and nor is it ever used as a crutch to justify the inexplicable.

As for the characters, I’ve tried to make them all as three dimensional as possible each with their own depths, some of those depths are explored as the story progresses and others aren’t. For example, early on you discover Thanquil Darkheart has fairly severe kleptomania; the reasons for it are hinted at but never blatantly stated. As you read it you may find that some characters you dislike early on become much more palatable as you discover the reasons for them being as they are.

Q] Now that you have completed the trilogy, and with the trilogy ending the way they did. What are your plans for the future, will you be writing further stories set in this world or will you be inventing newer worlds?

RJH: Quick answer to that one is both. Without giving too much away there are definitely more stories to be told in this world and the next series may or may not center around a certain pirate who has already been introduced.

Q] What did you think was the most challenging part about writing your debut trilogy? What about the easiest or most rewarding parts?

RJH: I think the most challenging part was keeping going. I work a full-time job as well as writing so I’ve had to write the trilogy around that job. There were times doing that was extremely hard but I forced myself to come home and write something every day and I’m glad that I did.

The most rewarding part (other than really nailing a chapter then sitting back with a congratulatory beer) is giving other people the chance to read that which I have written and knowing that they enjoy it. When people email me asking me questions about the characters and the world… well that brings a tear to my eye despite my bitter, blackened heart.

Q] You have written three short stories that seem to be set in the same world. Could you tell us a bit about all of them and whether reading them before would be pertinent in the understanding of the overall story?

RJH: I have written some short stories (and am planning to write more), all of which are and will continue to be available to download free from my website. They’re certainly not crucial to the understanding of the story but each one provides a little bit of back story for some of the characters that pop up during the books (read for FREE from the links below).

The Kid - Life is hard growing up in the wilds and the Kid's friends don't make it any easier. Might be this time they've gone too far.

The Sword of the North - Derran Fowl is the world renowned Blademaster, the Sword of the North. Before he earned that name he had to witness the tragic downfall of his own family.

The Merchant of Truridge - The Tell family is one of the richest and most prominent merchant families in Truridge and, with the death of his father, Sirion Tell is now the sole heir to everything, including the family debts.

Q] I believe all your book covers have been done by the same artist, how did you approach him. Or was it the other way around? What was the clinching factor in this partnership? Could you give the readers a brief overview in to the process of making one of the covers?

RJH: Yes. All 3 covers were done by Julio Real, an art student from Argentina I found over the website deviantART. After seeing his previous works I just shot him an email asking if he would be up for doing three book covers but the real clinching factor, I’m not afraid to admit, was his very competitive rates.

I gave Julio descriptions of the characters and a brief overview of the world and let his imagination have its wicked way with them. He sent me pictures of the characters at various stages so that minor adjustments could be made and that was pretty much that.

Q] What types of books do you like to read, and who are your favorite authors in the genres which you read?

RJH: I’m a big fan of fantasy… and sci-fi. Some of my favourite authors would be the legendary George R.R. Martin, Robin Hobb, Scott Lynch, James P. Blaylock, Arthur C. Clarke, William Gibson. The list could go on and on so I won’t. Every now and then I do read outside my favourite genres though by asking friends to lend me books of their choice. Usually it works out well but every now and then they hand me something they know I’ll hate just to watch me struggle.

Q] After finishing your respective series, whenever that might be, what do you hope to write next? Do you see yourself trying out different genres? Different formats?

RJH: I’m a very big fan of the Steampunk genre so I’d love to give that a go at some point.

Q] In closing, do you have any last thoughts or comments you’d like to share with our readers?

RJH: Just thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy or already have enjoyed my books.

Official Author Website

Order the book HERE (Amazon US) and HERE (Amazon UK)

Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Heresy Within

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Rob J. Hayes was born and brought up in Basingstoke, UK. As a child he was fascinated with Lego, Star Wars and Transformers that fueled his imagination and he spent quite a bit of his growing up years playing around with such. He began writing at the age of fourteen however soon discovered the fallacies of his work. After four years at University studying Zoology and three years working for a string of high street banks as a desk jockey/keyboard monkey Rob lived on a desert island in Fiji for three months. It was there he re-discovered his love of writing and, more specifically, of writing fantasy. 

OFFICIAL BLURB: The Colour of Vengeance is the second book of the debut trilogy, The Ties that Bind by Rob J. Hayes. 

Beaten, battered and damned near broken with a bounty on his head so large he’s tempted to turn himself in, the Black Thorn finds himself on trial for the crime of being him. Despite the impending probability of death he has but one thought on his mind; taking revenge against the Arbiter who took his eye. 

In order to carry out his vengeance Thorn must first escape Sarth and recruit a new crew, each one with their own designs on revenge. 

FORMAT/INFO: The Colour of Vengeance is divided into three sections with forty-three POV chapters and an epilogue. The narration is in third person via Betrim Thorn aka The Black Thorn, Henry, Joshua the Templar, Pern Suzku the Haarin, and Anders. This is the second book of the Ties That Bind trilogy. 

April 14, 2013 marked the US and UK e-book publication of The Colour of Vengeance and was self-published by the author. Cover art is provided by Julio Real. 

CLASSIFICATION: The Ties that Bind is a dark fantasy trilogy with terrific characterization and a twisted plotline that is very reminiscent of the works by Joe Abercrombie, David Dalglish and Scott Lynch. 

ANALYSIS: After finishing The Heresy Within, I couldn’t wait to see what happens next and immediately bought the second book and began reading. To my delight I read the blurb and saw that it focussed on the Black Thorn who along with Jezzet was my favorite character so far. A warning though before I begin my review, the start of the book is spoierlish for the climax of The Heresy Within so if you haven’t read it or don’t mind a minor spoiler, then read on. 

At the ending of The Heresy Within, we are presented with an ending that is shocking to say the least and so with The Color Of Vengeance, we begin with Betrim Thorn who has been imprisoned after his failed attack on the Arbiter Kessick. Awakening in a dank corner he recalls his failed fight and the vital organ he lost. He manages to find his way out his most recent impediment and goes back to the wilds wherein he knows what to expect. Pern Suzku is a Haarin, warriors who take contracts to guard people who can afford their services. Among the Haarin, he is considered to be one of the best if not the best one. His newest client however might be one to force Pern to reconsider what it means to be a Haarin. With the Black Thorn’s escape, the inquisition decides to send a new type of person to deliver their verdict. Jacob Lee is the person chosen for the task and he’s a Templar with a penchant for dancing and seeing through lies. Lastly all these characters are heading towards Solantis wherein he’ll meet up with some of his past and a reckoning for the future. 

There are a few other characters from the preceding volume who make their appearances as well but I’m hoping that the readers RAFO about them. But to put it mildly, The Colour of Vengeance simply blows away The Heresy Within and is safe to say the better book of the two. Once again the main reason is the characterization and as with the last book, it’s the POV characters that make it such fun to read. Beginning with the Black Thorn, Suzku, Jacob, Henry and the non-POV characters, mostly everyone is a two-faced killer and even harder to judge. The author marvels in creating a volatile situation in the city of Solantis and to add to that are all these hot-headed killers and deadly warriors that are headed towards a violent finish. While this does seem a bit generic in the sense that cool characters come together and fight, what differentiates this book from the riff-raff is that the author creates a fantastic storyline wherein every new chapter adds to the tension and keeps the plot simmering all the way to its action-packed climax.  

I can't stress how terrific these characters are but think of all the bad-ass, grey characters we know from ASOIAF, the First Law trilogy, the works of David Gemmell and David Dalglish, simply put we get similar bad-ass rogues here and they will absolutely keep you riveted. Secondly the dialogue and action sequences are top-notch, with the variety of characters that fill in the pages, dialogue becomes crucial and the author doesn’t disappoint with his gems from time to time. The action is also considerably amped up and for those who can’t get enough of it; this book should very well fulfill all your cravings. Also this book introduces a bit more of the secondary characters including a certain pirate who becomes a monumental figure in the overall happenings as well gives a clue about the overall world and therefore expands the story from its simple trapping of being a revenge saga. 

Negative points about this book are almost next to none, perhaps the reappearance of all the characters from the previous book can be thought of more than simply coincidental as the story makes it out to be. The author could have smoothened this bit of the story but the way it all happens I didn’t mind it. I didn’t have any other complaints about this book and it’s safe to say that this is a dark fascinating gem of a sequel. 

CONCLUSION: The Color Of Vengeance is not simply a revenge saga, no more than The Lies of Locke Lamora is simply a story of thieves. It’s much more than that and possibly the best fantasy book I've read so far in 2013. Don’t take my word for it and start reading this series to see why I think Rob J. Hayes is the next fantastic Brit addition to the field of dark, gritty fantasy and another Indie gem after last year's Anthony Ryan.

Official Author Website
Order the book HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Colonel's Mistake

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Leveling by Dan Mayland is the 2nd book of the Mark Sava series and the sequel to The Colonel’s Mistake that was released last year. The story is set nearly an year after the events of the first book. Mark is back in Azerbaijan trying to do a favor and teach a colleague’s son about the subjects that he will have to take a test for. He however doesn’t plan on assassins coming to kill him and while that plot goes awry. He soon finds himself termed persona non-grata in his adopted country and has to find out why and who are behind these recent turn of events.

This book is distinctly different from its predecessor, while the first one was more of a spy thriller that focused on locales that have almost never been touched upon. This one works a bit differently. It also features John Decker who had a tiny role in the first book however is in quite a tough spot due to certain events that occur. There’s also Daria but her role is much different from the last book as well. The readers also get a further bit of light shined upon Mark’s past and there are quite some revelations. The story is more of a thriller and has twin story threads that often run in tandem and keep the reader hooked into discovering as to how they are tied together.

Like the last book, the main mystery thread is well handled and keeps the readers engaged till the very end. In fact I would say with this book has a better mystery thread than the first one. It involves a whole lot of stuff that creeps up in headlines as well as the usual geopolitical alliances that are very hard to discern. I very much enjoyed how the author explores the central Asian region that is the basis of the new Great Game, I don’t think there’s quite any new books that are focusing on this vital conflict and that adds to the unique-ish USP of this series. There's also the action sequences which are a bit restrained than the last one however are no less intense as the author brngs to the fore the various torture techniques that come to the fore with regards to spies that are caught. The author doesn't really take sides in the torture debate but simply shows how viscerally disturbing it can be.

Another thing about this book is that it serves as a standalone while the past events are referred to, the readers who are new to this series will not feel left out. The standalone nature of the story is a good thing as it becomes easy for newer readers to jump in and for older readers its not difficult to pick up from wherein the story ended last. The time gap is about eight-ten months between both the books and the author provides enough clues about what has occurred since then for the current relations between characters to be so. With this book, I believe the author is marking out an ending of sorts to the various character arcs and hopefully the next book will showcase newer aspects of the characters's lives and even newer locales.

While The Leveling is a good book, there’s one factor that really didn’t gel with the overall goodness of the book. In the previous book, there was quite a bit of tension between Sava and Daria and that kept the narrative pretty interesting. In this book however due to the certain events orchestrated by the author, that tension isn’t entirely present and thus makes the book the lesser of the two in the series so far. The ending however brings and end to aan important phase in Mark Sava's life and heralds the beginning of a slightly new direction in the series which will only makes the wait for the next book that much more beguiling.

Official Author Website
Order the book HERE

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Generation V is a new urban fantasy debut from Ace-Roc books and was a debut that Anne Sowards had said out to watch for. The series cleverly plays on its title and features Fortitude Scott as its primary protagonist. I was intrigued enough to request a review copy and so dug in as soon as I got one. I enjoyed this book a lot for a couple of reasons first the author has given a very reasonable explanation in regards to the existence and propagation of the vampire race. Plus the addition of Japanese mythology was a cool touch and further refreshed this tale for me.

The story begins with Fortitude who has a degree in cinematic theory that is obsolete in the current market and so he works a crappy job in a coffee shop, while also having trouble with his roommate, who is refusing his rent share. He's not a slacker but lives a life, which doesn't offer him much motivation. He's had difficulties with his family because of an incident involving his elder sister Prudence and his foster parents. Fortitude also is a vampire in the making and doesn’t quite share the enthusiasm for turning into something other than human. His elder siblings Prudence and Chivalry however are at times perturbed by his behavior but react to it in completely different ways. Then there’s their mother Madeline Scott who’s the matriarch and the head vampire of the clan and the surrounding states. The trouble begins when a European vampire comes visiting and certain aspects of his life rankle Fortitude enough to potentially disobey his mother’s commands. He also acquires the help of Suzume, a kitsune who chaperones Fortitude in a way and thus begins Fort’s odyssey to reclaim his heritage.

This book while seeming full of tropes offers its own spins while delivering a very good story. Primarily what I liked about this story is the small but unique touches that the author put on the story. Beginning with the vampire mythos, the author smartly inserts a horror edge to the proceedings and makes the entire mythos a different one from what is prevalent in the urban fantasy subgenre. I thoroughly enjoyed this move and then moving onto the characterization, which is aced beginning with our protagonist, but truly comes to the fore with the secondary characters such as Suzume, Madeline Scott, Chivalry and others. I very much enjoyed the extended secondary cast and I look forward to see how the author develops them. There are also a lot of secrets that are hinted about almost all the characters and therefore I’m very excited to read the sequel to see what all is revealed.

One thing that I must point out about the book is that while Fortitude is an intriguing protagonist, during the middle chunk of the book, he becomes nigh unbearable with his attitude. For some time I felt as if he was refusing to grow up and accept what he truly was or will be and that really struck me as a bit odd. However once things began to change, I enjoyed how he accepted his destiny and how quickly the story moved along since then. Lastly the ending really brings the story full circle in terms of the plot as well as the chapter of Fortitude’s evolution. It also reveals quite a bit about what might have happened and possibly might in the future.

All in all this quite a good debut and makes very eager to get my hands on Iron Night the second book in the American Vampire series as I can’t wait to read more of Suzume, Fortitude and the rest of the characters.

What’s the appeal of Halloween? Why do we—in some parts of the world—make a holiday out of the dark and mysterious, the sinister, the creepy? Why is dark magic such a popular concept in fiction of all kinds—and ghosts, and vampires, and the undead?

I can’t answer these questions, nor can I tell you precisely why Halloween has always been my favourite holiday of the year. I can’t even tell you why, a little over a year ago, I turned away from the colourful fairytale novella I had in mind and started writing something infinitely darker and creepier instead. It was a week or two after Halloween when I started writing. A dense fog had come rolling in the night before, the sort of dark, dripping fog through which the world can be seen only in silhouette. It stayed for almost a week. I spent the time writing about a dark, cold city called Ekamet, surrounded by a vast, sinister, fog-drenched forest known colloquially as the Bones.

This wasn’t anywhere near enough creepy, so I created Konrad Savast: an idle gentleman of wealth by day, a murder detective and authorised vigilante by night. In this secret life, he is the Malykant: chief mortal servant of the high spirit of Death (a kind of god). During that foggy week, the Malykant Mysteries was born: a series of dark and creepy mystery novellas which stand quite distinct from any of my other work.

Konrad’s job is somewhat controversial. As the Malykant, his role is not only to identify the perpetrator of the ultimate crime, but also to dispatch that person for judgement by The Malykt—by killing them. It’s a brutal, eye-for-an-eye kind of justice, and bearing sole responsibility for carrying it out naturally creates a range of difficulties for Konrad. It’s a lonely, isolated life, a horrific job—and what if he gets it wrong? Fortunately for him, he has a regular friend and confidante in Irinanda Falenia, a local apothecary. She has a number of secrets of her own, which she flatly refuses to share; but she helps Konrad solve the mysteries, keeps him company, and helps to keep him sane (and humble!) while he does it.

These stories are structured more like a television series than a novel. Each “episode” is relatively short and self-contained, with a new mystery to solve and a new killer to identify in each one. But there are a number of over-arching mysteries surrounding Konrad’s past, and Irinanda’s present, which continue through each title, and I’m gradually revealing more information with each book. Nanda isn’t just an apothecary: who does she really work for? How did Konrad end up as the Malykant anyway? Why did he accept such an appalling job? Where does he really come from? And what happens if, someday, he kills the wrong person?

In terms of genre, they are very dark indeed—not just because of the subject matter, but also because of the setting. They take place in the great city of Ekamet, which is located in the fictional realm of Assevan. The climate and elements of the culture are Russian-inspired (as evidenced by titles such as The Rostikov Legacy and The Ivanov Diamond). The weather is usually cold, frequently bitterly so; the days quickly grow dark, and Konrad does a great deal of his work at night. The surrounding Bone Forest is named for its craggy, pale, bare trees. It is often covered in snow and ice; in better weather it turns wet and marshy. Most of the people of Ekamet avoid it, but Konrad possesses a hut out there—raised on stilts to avoid the wet and the ice—and over the course of the series, the forest is revealed to possess rather more secret presences than even he suspected.

Irinanda comes from a different country, however: the neighbouring realm of Marja, which is loosely based on Finland. It, too, is cold and dark, so Nanda wouldn’t have felt too uncomfortable on relocating to Ekamet. She owns a shop in Konrad’s home city, and she’s settled there; but her family remains in Marja, and we briefly meet her mysterious and mystical mother in one of the early Malykant titles. Nanda rarely returns home, but she and Konrad will be visiting Marja in an upcoming story.

I almost always include some kind of animal companions in my books, and these are no exception—though given the dark atmosphere of these titles, it couldn’t be anything too cute, right? Okay, there’s an element of cute in Irinanda’s golden-furred (and strangely intelligent) monkey companion, Weveroth. But Konrad’s helpmates are snakes—dead ones. Eetapi and Ootapi are ghosts sent by Konrad’s Master to assist him in his work. Being shades, they are stealthy and sneaky—and also sarcastic, at times. Neither one is remotely cuddly.

As of the time of writing, there are three titles finished: The Rostikov Legacy, The Ivanov Diamond and Myrrolen’s Ghost Circus. These first titles are focused mostly on Konrad’s life and past; a fourth title in this sequence is scheduled to appear sometime around the end of the summer, and I’ll be publishing a compendium edition in paperback around that time. After that, it’s Irinanda’s turn for the spotlight. She’ll finally have to share some of those secrets she’s been sitting on (sorry, Nanda).

I envision this to be a long-running series, as there is plenty of room for more stories; and someday, if I run out of things to say about Konrad and Irinanda, I’ll let poor Konrad retire to his chicken-legged hut in the Bone Forest and we’ll have a new Malykant. I still don’t quite know why I write these stories, but one way or another I enjoy them. They feel like holidays in between long novels, which is a little disturbing—why would I choose to take a holiday in such a cold, dark world? The mind is a strange place.

Read On Machines And Talking Birds (A guest post by Charlotte E. English)