Along the Razor’s Edge is Rob J. Hayes’ latest Fantasy novel, and the first book in The War Eternal series. For readers who like to devour past works, Hayes has plenty to be getting on with during our self-isolation.
The Blurb:
No one escapes the Pit.
At just fifteen Eskara Helsene fought in the greatest war mankind has ever known. Fought and lost. There is only one place her enemies would send a Sourcerer as powerful as her, the Pit, a prison sunk so deep into the earth the sun is a distant memory. Now she finds herself stripped of her magic; a young girl surrounded by thieves, murderers, and worse. In order to survive she will need to find new allies, play the inmates against each other, and find a way out. Her enemies will soon find Eskara is not so easily broken.
Rob is an award winning author, and it shows. He easily captures the oppressive nature of living in an underground prison pit, while still keeping you hooked. He kindly agreed to stop writing and answer a few questions for SFFWorld.
I hate to point out the obvious, but you’re very much not a fifteen year old girl. You’ve unleashed a lesbian driven Fantasy novel into the world. Nonetheless, you’ve dodged some of the usual tropes male authors accidentally fall foul of. What challenges did you come up against while getting the tone as sharp as you have?
Maybe it’s a benefit of having grown up with 2 older sisters, but I honestly found that Eska just flowed really well. I rarely had any trouble writing her. I think the biggest challenge I had with book 1 was resisting the urge to write so many flashbacks that her time in the Academy of Magic developed into its own book. I was fairly adamant I didn’t want to do that style of prequel.
Book 2, on the other hand, I struggled with a lot. My first attempt ended up thrown in the bin and I had to rewrite it from scratch.
Along the Razor’s Edge has echoes of Glass Throne but is in no way a YA read even though your protagonist Eskara Helsene fits the age group. What was your inspiration for your main character?
I must admit, I’ve not read Glass Throne. I actually just had to look it up on Goodreads to see what it was. In Eska, I wanted to create a character who does not give up no matter what is thrown at her, who has an unrelenting drive, and is defiant to a fault. Someone who is completely unashamed to be herself and damn anyone who doesn’t like it. So I think I put a lot of my mother into her. ?
Which of the characters in Along the Razor’s Edge did you find hardest to connect with, and why?
Probably Isen. He’s a character with some pretty big and unhealthy flaws. It’s always harder to connect to characters with extremely differing world views and Isen’s views are, in many ways, about as different to mine as can be. Luckily, on the flip side, there was Tamura. He’s a crazy old man and I can certainly relate to a lot of that.
Hardt often tries to slow Eskra’s implusive behaviour while overseeing his brother’s training for Pit fights. If you were to pitch Prig and Deko in a fight, who’d come out alive?
Hardt is definitely one of the more stabilising forces in Eska’s life, which is something she very much needs given her turbulent nature.
I would probably give that fight to Deko. The kingpin didn’t climb to the top on his looks. He’s a monster and probably the dirtiest fighter down in the Pit. Which is saying something considering it’s full of the very worst scum and villainy the world has to offer.
Eskra is a Sourcerer. To enable her magic she must consume a Source. If fish and chips was to be the power of your magic, what would it enable?
That’s a tough one, partly because… brace yourself… I hate seafood. But I reckon it would give the power to summon a variety of fish from any source of water. Imagine it, it’s raining, and suddenly there’s piranhas leaping out of every drop that falls from the sky. You could even combine with Meteomancy (the magic of controlling the weather) to create some form of vortex with fish at its centre. It could be called a Fishnado… though I imagine there must be a more catchy name.
Fear is a core element of Along the Razor’s Edge; does this theme continue throughout The War Eternal series?
It certainly does. Fear and anxiety play a large part in Eska’s life, both in what she experiences herself, and in the way she inflicts it upon others. It’s actually a major theme I wanted to explore with the series as a whole. Without giving too much away, Eska suffers from some pretty hefty anxieties. The types of fear definitely change as the setting does, but it’s something that Eska deals with at every step of her journey. Also, a certain horror gets an expanding part as the series progresses.
You take great pride in your cover art, and as a self-published author you have full control working with artists directly. How does it feel when you see the final cover art?
I do have full control, but honestly, I have no idea what I really want half the time. That why I love working with Felix Ortiz. He listens to my mad ramblings, then goes away and produces something absolutely amazing that fits the book far better than any cover I had in my head. Honestly, when emails from Felix pop up, I’m usually bouncing off the walls to see what he’s produced. And seeing my characters brought to life in art is such a wonderful feeling!
You won Mark Lawrence’s Self Published Fantasy Blog Off in 2017 with Where Loyalties Lie; how have things changed for you since then?
As related to the SPFBO, the changes have been quite subtle. Winning it in no way guarantees any sort of publishing deal, or even interstellar success. What it has done is helped build my reputation and get my name known in wider circles, and that has been an absolute boon. It has opened a few doors and given me plenty of new contacts. Also, I can now introduce myself as Rob Hayes, Winner of SPFBOs.
You’re a big fan of Robin Hobb (understandably!), but what are you reading right now?
I am! So much so I’m hoping to do a re-read of the whole Realm of the Elderlings saga soon. Especially after getting hold of the illustrated hard back edition of Assassin’s Apprentice. I’m just not sure I’m emotionally ready to handle Fitz’s journey a 2nd time.
Currently I’m listening to Blight Marked (book 3 of Ethereal Earth) by Josh Erikson. I’m not usually a fan of Urban Fantasy, but Josh had written quite the epic. He’s also narrated the whole series himself and has done an amazing job of bringing the characters to glorious, snarky life.
And I’ve just finished reading The Shadow Saint by Gareth Hanrahan. It’s a brilliant sequel to the Gutter Prayer and such a showcase for his imagination. I loved it. So much so I’ve not been able to pick my next book yet. But I’m thinking of continuing the Impossible Times by Mark Lawrence. I’ve got Limited Wish just waiting for me.
You’ve always got a schedule of books in the works, so what can readers expect from you next?
Immediately, I’m releasing the whole The War Eternal trilogy in the next 2 months. All 3 books will be available by May 26th. I thought I’d give rapid releasing a go… and so far it’s utterly exhausting. After that, I’ll be releasing the sequel (not a sequel) to Never Die late this year.
Thank you for sharing your time with us, good luck with the launch!
Along the Razor’s Edge is available for pre-order now, and is published March 30th
You can find out more about Rob J. Hayes and his work over on his site http://www.robjhayes.co.uk/ or follow him on Twitter here.
Review by Shellie Horst © 2020 SFFWorld
