"Herald, or the entire God Eater Saga by Rob J. Hayes, is my pick for the best self-published fantasy books of 2024.

"Books, I have long since learned, can enslave or liberate a person as surely can a sword. But often, with a book, the subject won't know the difference."

First, I will repeat what I said in my review of Demon and Deathless. The God Eater Saga by Rob J. Hayes is a big series divided into three trilogies. Herald is the first book in Age of the God Eater trilogy. Deathless is the first book in Annals of the God Eater trilogy, and it takes place a thousand years before the events of Herald. Finally, Demon is the first book in Archive of the God Eater trilogy, and the story begins three thousand years before the events of Herald. These three surmised the first phase of The God Eater Saga by Rob J. Hayes. Hayes wrote the three first volumes concurrently, and he’s currently writing the second phase of The God Eater Saga, the respective sequel to these three books.

I would see built again all which was torn down, made grander than before. The villages lost will rise into something greater. The people killed will give their names to a new generation of humans free from the shackles of thralldom. I would unite mankind into a single nation. An empire where human and angel can live together in peace and prosperity. —SAINT DIEN HOSTAIN. TALES FROM THE FIRST AGE

Although I am not following the recommended reading order of The God Eater Saga, which is to read Herald, Deathless, and Demon in that order, I must say� Rob J. Hayes has done a superb job in making sure each first book in a series worked as a standalone or a suitable starting point. If you read Herald first before reading Demon and Deathless, I am confident your reading experience of this 235,000 words long novel will differ from mine. But in my case, I read Demon and Deathless first. Yes, I did the reverse reading order. It is impossible to tell how I'd feel about Herald if I read it first before Demon and Deathless, but from my experience in this realm and reality, reading Demon and Deathless first enormously boost my enjoyment of Herald. I believe I have made the right decision when it comes to the reading order of the first phase of The God Eater Saga, and my instinct said I would give Herald a 4-star rating instead of 5 stars if I had read it first before the other two books.

Honours only value is in keeping weak men in line by making them believe themselves strong. —ERTIDE HOSTAIN

A thousand years ago, humanity’s greatest heroes killed God.

Now, under the brutal rule of warrior-kings, the land of Helesia has fallen to chaos. Demons stalk the deep forests, monsters roam free of their prisons beneath the World Vein, and ancient terrors rise again. Renira Washer lives the dreary life of a laundry girl, dreaming of adventure. When a stranger from her mother’s past appears with a dire warning, Renira’s peaceful life is shattered, and she’s thrown headfirst into millennia old war between Heaven and Earth. In Renira’s blood, hides a secret: the angels are not all gone. Only the Herald can ring in the Fifth Age. Only the Herald can bring God back to life.

"It will soon be forgotten. The weak always forget their failings and rely too heavily on their successes. The strong learn from every failure and make pains not to repeat them."

Picture: Orphus, The Archangel by Andrew Maleski



History is written in blood, but the future will be forged in holy fire. Demon is the survival and origin story of the now legendary Dien Hostain, Deathless is a political epic fantasy story that depicts the genesis of the Godless Kings who took their way to Heaven, and Herald is the coming of age epic fantasy story about Renira and her entanglement with deadly prophecy and surviving figures from Annals of the God Eater and Archive of the God Eater. It visits a lot of familiar fantasy tropes with the standard Rob J. Hayes� twists. I don’t know about you, but for me, one of my favorite things about reading Hayes� novels is the great characterizations and the over-the-top action sequences in his novels. And I mean really over-the-top battles reminiscent of reading manga or watching anime. This isn’t to say Herald is an anime-inspired novel like The Mortal Techniques series. It has angels, monsters, fantastical clashes of magic, and prophecies, but those factors are not exclusive to anime per se. That said, from the prologue and my past experiences with Hayes' books, I knew already what kind of epic-scale battles I would get from reading Herald, and I certainly got what I wanted in the middle and ending portion of the novel.

“The First Age was an era of darkness. Humanity was a broken people, hiding in caves and forests. Demons roamed the world with savage impunity and made thralls of any they could capture. There was no belief. There was no faith. There was only fear and pain. —THE DIVINE TRUTH, AUTHOR UNKNOWN�

Before I talk about the action sequences, there’s one important element to be clear about first. Herald is not an action-packed novel, and the book is better for it. It has its fair share of skirmishes and small battles, but most of Herald is a slow-burn novel. Hayes took his time to develop Renira’s character development with the unlikely companion she met in her journey to fulfill her mission. As I mentioned, Herald is the main novel in the first phase of The God Eater Saga. As a book, the word count of Herald is bigger than Deathless and Demon combined. And I must repeat this statement again for several reasons: I wouldn’t have rated Herald this highly without reading Demon and Deathless first.

“A man can be neither born to the blade nor led to it. It is a calling, one that cries out to man's soul. —RIKKAN HOSTAIN�

From my own experience and recommendation, the best way to enjoy Herald is to read this after you read Demon and Deathless first. Some readers will disagree with that suggestion, and I accept that. But this is my review and recommendation. There were more than many symbolisms, characters, dialogues, and world-building that were heightened because I had read the other two books in the first phase of The God Eater Saga. To give some examples, let’s begin with the deep, rich, and twisted history of the Hostain family. Dien Hostain, Ertide Hostain, Rikkan Hostain, or Emrik Hostain, and more. Meeting or hearing about these characters for the first time would not mean much to me if I hadn’t read Demon and Deathless first. The same also can be applied to the angels: Orphus, Armstar, Eleseth, Mathanial, and more. Once again, I am not saying you do not get to learn about them at all here. You will. But being familiar with them instantly since their first appearance in Herald enhanced a lot of their dialogues and actions for me.

Picture: Eleseth, The Light Bearer by Andrew Maleski



I will refrain from mentioning other character’s names in this review because I am unsure which one will be counted as spoilers due to the nature of the saga. I can, however, say this is a tale of sacrifice, bravery, knowledge, faith, and trust. The conundrum of which side to believe is a strong driving factor of the narrative, and once again, this point is strongly enriched after you read Demon and Deathless. Hayes is doing something special with The God Eater Saga, especially world-building-wise. Reading the first book of three series in the same world three times felt like it shouldn’t work, but it did. When I read Demon, I craved the sequel when I was done. The same situation happened with Deathless as well. But when I was reading Herald, not only did I want to read the sequel of Herald, but it also made me excited even further to read the continuation of Demon and Deathless. I’m so curious to find out all the details of the events in the time gap leading to the events of Herald.

"A typical human appreciation for art. You think the word only applies to depictions on canvas. It is far more expansive than that. It is the expression of imagination to inspire emotion. Whether it take the form of a painting, or music, or a play, or a building. It is art. And if my tower had been completed it would have inspired such emotion that none who looked upon it would not be awed. Even Emrik understood that once. Perhaps more so than any other."

If you’re a reader who demands satisfying and destructive action sequences to end your epic fantasy book, then you do not need to worry. Hayes has prepared a vividly devastating to close the last pulse-pounding chapters of Herald. Brimming with fire and blood, the over-the-top anime battles where magic, angels, humans, and weapons violently clash were breathtaking. Fire, blood, and lightning rampaged through every scene in the climax sequence. Plus, Hayes added a time limit to the stakes. I think this is a great storytelling decision. In the first book of a series, it is rare to see many protagonists get killed off. And I am not saying that happened in Herald. You have to find out for yourself. But my point is this. There is the argument in the first book of a series that the climax sequences can feel safer because we know the main characters will survive. Hayes has implemented a time limit to the mission Renira and her friends took, and it flared the tension in the final chapters. I loved it. When the build-up and the denotation are executed properly, like Herald did, this is a good way to revitalize the intensity that the climax sequence of the first book needed. Hayes accomplished that. And in this tale, while it may feel predictable at times, I do believe Hayes has prepared some surprises for us readers.

“Sometimes bravery is naught but desperation wearing a fine mask. But true courage lies in the hearts of all men if they have but the opportunity to look for it. —SAINT DIEN HOSTAIN, FROM ROOK’S COMPENDIUM�

Herald and The God Eater Saga is definitively the incredible start of an ambitious and epic fantasy series. Rob J. Hayes is in the middle of crafting his magnum opus. I am genuinely anticipating the future of both The Mortal Techniques series and The God Eater Saga. I strongly believe when the three phases of The God Eater Sagas are completed, this will be one of those series readers can read over and over again and find something new. Connecting the mazes of histories, lore, and dynasties will be one incredible reading experience. Bring on the second phase of The God Eater Saga.

"I was created to kill� But I have long since discovered a passion for learning. There is something about books that makes apparent the fragility of wisdom. Wise words are urgent, unburdened by the need to sound prolific. The meaning is far more important than the delivery. But written wisdom can be structured, designed to stick with the mind. It contains within it the possibility of existing long beyond the lives of those it touches."

Picture: Herald by Felix Ortiz



You can order this book from: |

You can find and the rest of my reviews at | I also have a

Special thanks to my Patrons on for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

My Patrons: 406Raider, Andrew. S, Andrew. W, Arik, Arliss, Barbara, Bearded Book Beast, Ben, Benjamin, Biskit, Cade, Chris, Christopher, Crystal, Cullen, Dan, Dylan, Edward, Elias, Erich, Feanor, Francesca, Frank, Gary, Gregory, Hamad, James, Jason, Jeff, Jenn, Johnny, Joie, Jonathan, Katrina, Kim, Kristina, Lara, Lourdes, Melinda, Michael. S, Michael. T, Mike, Mike S, Miracle, Mordie, Nicholas, Radiah, Rando, RCT, Redmischief, Sally, Samiadji, Samuel, Sarah, Scott, Sean, Shawn, Shawna, Stephanie, Trish, Tyler, TS, Wendy, Wick, Xero, Yuri, Zachary, Zammar."

"Watch him announce an additional 17 books that he wrote in the time it took us to read these four.

"

"As a writer I'm a harsh critic (and participate in critique groups where the intention is to make a book better by pointing out its flaws) so I don't leave many reviews as they will tend to have a negative slant.

When I see a negative review of my own books they sometimes start out with a comment such as... "I don't normally write a bad review but this book is just so horrific that I had to balance all the good reviews.

I fully realize that I'm in the VAST minority about my opinons on The Road...and as a writer I probably shouldn't speak out so strongly on something that others love. But I am moved so strongly by the Road that I will indeed make an exception for this one book.

Now while I'm often critical, I generally don't hate a book and I'm fully aware of the differences in subjective tastes and that what really apeals to one person is exactly what another person hates. I get that. But I'd like to take a moment to share my experience with "The Road."

I came across it when I was joining a face2face club. As part of signing up they asked which book I disliked the most - and I had no answer. But that soon changed. The monthly read for that particular club was indeed the Road and as I was going to the first meeting I didn't have a chance to read the book. Someone there offered me their copy and I thanked Sue and told her I would return it the next week. "No," she said. "I don't want this book in my house. You can keep it or burn it...your choice." I thought that was a strange comment...until I read the book.

Having heard the buzz about this book and having seen the plethora of positive reviews, I felt compelled to write my own if only to be that voice of reason in a wilderness of pretentious insanity.

Cormac’s McCarthy’s The Road, I can honestly say, is the worst book I have ever read. I am stunned to find such a critical following for a novel that is so clearly bad that I have yet to meet a flesh and blood person who does not hate it, or cannot, even after the most mild inquires, explain its appeal beyond the latent thought that they “ought� to like it. To do otherwise would mark them as uncultured and ignorant. Modern art had Duchamp's toilet, and now literature has its own case of the emperor’s new clothes in, The Road.

What sets this novel apart from all others in its genre of ill-conception, is the totality of its failure. There is nothing good that can be said of it. Some virtue can be found in every book, as in the old adage—“…but she has a nice personality.� The Road breaks this rule, and soundly. From the plot and characters to the writing style and even the cover design, the book is abysmally uninspired and a black hole of skill.

Much has been made of the writing quality. Alan Cheuse, of the Chicago Tribune, and book commentator for NPR calls it “…his huge gift for language.� Let’s look at that for a moment. It is universally accepted that the first few sentences of any novel are the most crucial—the words which a writer labors over the most to get them just right. Here are the first two sentences of The Road:

“When he woke in the woods in the dark and the cold of the night he’d reach out to touch the child sleeping beside him. Nights dark beyond darkness and the days more gray each one than what had gone before.�

I once presented these two sentences to an amateur writer’s forum and asked their opinion. Several members politely replied that the sentences were badly in need of work. Not only were they not grammatically correct, but they were awkward, confusing, used several unnecessary words and had all the rhythm and pacing of a dog with four broken legs. Nights dark beyond darkness, has got to rank up there with, it was a dark and stormy night. This is not at all an isolated example. It is merely the beginning—literally. Other laudable narrative sentences include: “The Hour.� “Of a sudden he seemed to wilt even further.� “A lake down there.�

Lest you think I am selectively picking the worst, here is the passage Mr. Cheuse used in his own review as an example of genius: “tottering in that cold autistic dark with his arms outheld for balance while the vestibular calculations in his skull cranked out their reckonings. An old chronicle. To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his return.� What McCormac is describing here is that it is dark and the man can’t see where he is going. The author is clearly a master of communication.

Let’s also pause to consider his brilliance of dialog, and his mastery of the monosyllable conversation that make the screenplay dialog of Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger on par with Shakespeare. Nearly every conversation has the word “Okay,� which appears so often I began to think it was a pun, like a ventriloquist routine. One might conclude McCarthy is attempting to reflect a realistic vernacular into his work, except that the conversations are so stilted and robotic, as to lack even the faintest aroma of realism. There is no slang, no halted speech, no rambling. It is Dragnet.

First dialog in the book:

Can I ask you something?

Yes. Of course.

Are we going to die?

Sometime. Not now.

And we’re still going south.

Yes.

So we’ll be warm.

Yes.

Okay.

Okay what?

Nothing. Just okay.

Go to sleep.

Okay.

You’ll note that I did not use quotes in the above excerpt. That is because neither does McCarthy. There are no quotes anywhere in the book, nor are there any tags designating the speaker, which manages to successfully make determining who is speaking quite a dilemma at times. Moreover, McCarthy never provides names to his characters this forces him to use the pronoun “he� frequently which very often leaves the reader bewildered as to whether he is referring to the father or the boy.

McCarthy doesn’t stop with quotes. He rarely uses commas or apostrophes. It doesn’t appear as if he is against contractions as he uses the non-word, “dont� quite frequently. Nor is he making the statement that he can write a whole book without punctuation as he does, on rare occasions, use a comma or an apostrophe, (as you can see from the dialog segment I listed above,) as if he is going senile and merely forgot. As the lack of most of the necessary punctuation’s only result is to make it harder to read, I can only conclude that McCarthy, or his editor are the most lazy people I’ve ever heard of—although I am certain no credible editor ever saw this book. If they had I am certain we would have heard about the suicide in the papers.

One might overlook the shortcomings of writing skill if the novel’s foundation was an excellent story. Sadly, this is not the case. Not that it lacks an excellent plot—it lacks a plot. Often times writers anguish over distilling the plot of a novel into a few sentences that might fit on the back of a book cover. It is often impossible to clearly convey all that a book is in such a short span. The Road does not suffer this. Instead I would imagine that if it were possible to put this book in a microwave and evaporate all the extraneous words all you would have left is one sentence: A boy and his father travel south in a post-apocalyptic United States, then the father dies. I wonder if the blurb writer for the, The Road, realized he was also providing a spoiler for the novel so comprehensive, no one need read the book.

What the book lacks in plot it clearly makes up for in even less characterization. The father and the boy—that is about as much characterization as you will get. McCarthy doesn’t even provide names from which readers might glean some associative characteristics. We know the boy is afraid, because he says so approximately every four pages, always with the same robotic level of emotional intensity, backing it up with his many reasons, regrets and concerns as in the passage: I am scared. Likewise, the father is equally a pot bubbling over with emotional angst and frustration so vividly expressed in his response: I know. I’m sorry.

We might as well burn all our copies of Grapes of Wrath now that we have this tour de force.

As amazing as it is, with only an eggshell of plot, McCarthy manages to run afoul of logic. The boy and his father come across shelters packed with food and water, and yet the father insists they move on. Why? Because they must keep moving so as to avoid encountering others. Clearly staying in one place is the best plan to avoid meeting others, hermit do it all the time. Yes, other people might wander into you, but you double that equation if you too are roaming. The only argument for pressing on with the journey is to find others.

I am certain I am being too kind here, but given that this is a Pulitzer Prize winning, Oprah Pick, National Bestseller, I don’t want to ruffle too many feathers. Of course, Duchamp's toilet (Fountain) was once voted "the most influential modern artwork of all time"."

"
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.

On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.

While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).

Back in '89, when Cyteen was winning the Locus Sci-Fi award, I was a precocious five year old chatterbox who was obsessed with dinosaurs and had just learnt how to pronounce 'stegosaurus'.

It wasn't a vintage year for Sci-Fi - a couple of good-looking Bujold stories, Asimov's Prelude to Foundation and Gibson's Mona Lisa Overdrive were the other main contenders.

I can’t think of another book that I whinged about so much while reading and then said at the end, “yeah, that was really good.�

We had a battle of wills, did Cyteen and I, and Cherryh won out.

At the beginning I thought it was slow, impenetrable and quite frankly rather dull.

By the end I still thought Cyteen was slow, but had come to recognise that it was imbued with the same kind of irresistible majesty as a glacier slowly crushing an abandoned Swiss village. What once seemed like an impenetrable tangle of details, keeping me a distant, impartial observer, had morphed (without me noticing) before the story’s conclusion into a snarl of barbed heart-strings that was impossible to escape from without being emotionally flayed. A drop of pond water can, at first glance, seem disinteresting but under a microscope it transforms into a vivid ebb and flow of outlandish and fascinating microlife battling for survival and supremacy. This is Cyteen : dismiss it at your peril.

This a book with depth, complex characters that gradually capture your affections, and no hesitation in striking out with its thematic sledgehammer. Cyteen is hard work, I won’t lie. There’s nothing else to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award with the same kind of scope and density.

I’m trying to think of books to compare it too, and I’m struggling. It’s a little like Robinson’s Red Mars , in that it’s dry, convincing but seems to lack joy in the telling. It’s a touch like Bujold’s Vorkosigan books � in that it’s a female sci-fi writer with a good eye for character and political intrigue. An unusual touchstone � but it reminded me a little of Eco with the flood of minutiae. And there was something Chronicles of Thomas Covenant about the whole experience � a feeling that it was a reading ratio of one-third endurance to two-thirds enjoyment.

But I’m a sucker for a good clone story. I love questions of identity and ethics: the psychoanalysis we all perform over the relative importance of formative events. I ploughed through Cyteen , complaining the whole way, but couldn’t put it down!

Definitely worth checking out if you like a challenging read."