This is the second book in a series. For book 1, check out our review of Along The Razor’s Edge.
I have a theory. Stick with me. I don’t know if this is the author’s intent, or if I just don’t read enough grimdark fantasy to fully embrace the ‘morally gray’ hero trope, but I think I’ve figured out Eska, the main character of The War Eternal.
She’s a villain.
Don’t get me wrong, she’s definitely fighting other villains, but she, herself, is no hero. With every new development, I feel increasingly like I’m reading the origin story of a character who, from another perspective, would be the Big Bad Evil Guy (tm).
That said, her journey is a heart-pounding emotional roller-coaster of an epic action-adventure. Let’s talk about it.
The Basics:
Title: The Lessons Never Learned (The War Eternal #2)
Author: Rob J. Hayes
Genre: Fantasy, Grimdark, Epic Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Coming-of-Age
Published: Rob J. Hayes, 2022
Spoiler-Free Summary:
The story resumes with the sorcerer Eska and allies having just escaped The Pit, the worst high-security prison in the Terriland Empire. They look like dangerous bandits, and must do desperate things to survive. With soldiers dogging their trail and a bounty on their heads, they take a bold risk and seek shelter in the floating city of Roshan, beyond the empire’s jurisdiction. In the beginning of the tale, Eska is no more capable of fulfiling her vow to destroy the empire than she is sprouting wings and flying. She can’t win a simple street brawl, much less command armies or do battle with otherworldly forces.
By the end of this book, she does both.
The narrative falls into a rhythm: Eska realizes she lacks a certain skill. She trains, risks, and sacrifices greatly to overcome that deficiency. She applies these new skills to increasingly intense life-threatening situations.
Eska meets rulers, magicians, monsters, and, yes, small-“g” gods in her quest for vengeance. She can survive monsters and armies, but can she overcome millenia-old demi-god politics? Is so, who will she be on the other side? Her quest crashes violently against new lessons in the meaning of love, family, and friendship.
Why This Book Is For You:
I’ve reviewed several Hayes books in this space, and true to form, The Lessons Never Learned delivers the action-packed maximalism I’ve come to love and appreciate from his writing. Epic things happen with a capital “E”… which is interesting from a sub-genre perspective. In Fantasy, usually we find that a book is either high fantasy or grimdark, rarely both. Stories of gritty quests, visceral violence, and gut-wrenching moral dilemmas typically feature low-or-no magic, to emphasize the helplessness of the characters and the desperation of their circumstances. The War Eternal features grim and gritty action featuring high-powered superhero-like characters who keep pushing the boundries of what’s possible.
This series is written in deep first-person POV with a witty, sarchastic, unreliable narrator. You will likely know long before you pick up this book if that voice works for you as a reader.
If you’re into a fast-paced, gritty, action-packed epic, look no further. You’ve found it.
Where Can You Learn More?
Hayes is truly a prolific author. Keep up with his work at his web site.
Happy reading, folks.
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