Book Review: Along the Razor’s Edge (The War Eternal #1)

I love when a book takes what might at first appear to be a pretty standard setup and twists it into something new, or, at least, less common. ATRE is a grimdark fantasy action-adventure with several familiar tropes: Dead family. Evil Empire. Coming-of-Age. Brash young protagonist. Heck, although there isn’t a prophecy, the special treatment Eskara receives during her training as a sorcerer could qualify her as a Chosen One, viewed from a certain angle.

Hayes puts a spin on this setup by giving the narrator a strong voice as the protagonist at a later age, looking back on her choices with a mixture of defensiveness and regeret. A typical adult reader (it’s me, I’m “reader”) might read the choices of a cocky young protagonist with more confidence than sense and roll their eyes… but the author hangs a lantern on this challenge by having the older, wiser voice of the same character roll her eyes right along with you. It creates almost two parallel narratives – what happened, told with imperfect recollection, and the present-day commentary.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Mortal Techniques series by the same author, and was excited to dive into a new universe.

The Basics:

Title: Along the Razor’s Edge (The War Eternal Book 1)
Author: Rob J. Hayes
Genre: Fantasy, Epic, Grimdark, Action, Adventure
Published: Independent, 2020

Spoiler-Free Summary:

The story begins with the final battle of a long, terrible war. Eskara is a precocious teenage sorcerer, who unfortunately finds herself on the losing side. Because of her abilities, she is taken prisoner, confined to break rocks in an endless underground labyrinth called The Pit for the rest of her life. You may well wonder, if she is such a powerful mage, why couldn’t she use magic to escape? The well-crafted magic system explains: Sorcerers get their magic from sources (shout-out to Larian, developers of the excellent Divinity: Original Sin cRPG video games for making the same connection). They literally eat magical material. All sources are fatally toxic, but sorcerers attuned to a given souece die more slowly, allowing them precious minutes to work their magic. Holding a source without a powerful drug called spiceweed – which causes instant vomiting – is always deadly.

In the pit, she and her fellow prisoners are treated like vermin by the prison elite – who are actually their fellow prisoners. The guards camp out at the mine exit and leave the imprisoned to the mercy of their fellow prisoners. The results are predictable, as the strongest and meanest lord over the rest.

It’s a dark settings, filled with cruelty. Against this bloody backdrop, Eskara knows how to hold a grudge. She will not accept the warden’s offer of freedom in exchange for serivce to the empire who destroyed her home. Her reaction contrasts sharply with her lifelong best friend and fellow sorcerer Joseph, who viewed their upbrininging at the mage’s academy very differently. The tension between these two worldviews is the emotional heart of this reverse-heist prison-escape adventure.

Why You Will Love This Book:

ATRE pulls no punches. This is a heavy, dark story where bad people do bad things, early, often, and with increasing malice. Every character is interestingly flawed. There are no clear good/evil lines, only choices.

It has a fun, voice-y tone with the dueling perspectives I mentioned in the introduction. This setup also makes the novel the unofficial posterchild for foreshadowing. Every time Eskara makes a hard choice, Old Eskara is right there to tell us this definitely does not end well. On top of this, ATRE has the addictive over-the-top maximalism I’ve personally come to love and expect from a Hayes novel. The combination produces a gripping, fast-paced thriller well worth your time.

Where Can You Learn More?

I’ve previously reviewed other books by this author, here, here, and here. If a prison heist doesn’t tickle your fancy but wu-xia does, check those out. You can keep up with the latest releases over at the author’s website.

Happy reading, folks, and happy new year!