Review: Herald by Rob J. Hayes

Blurb:

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.

History is written in blood, but the future will be forged in holy fire…

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 a 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 the God back to life.

Review:

I’ll cut right to the chase: Herald is a bloody masterpiece. In crafting his largest-scale work to date, Rob J. Hayes has successfully laid the groundwork for what will be held to the same heights as modern classics like John Gwynne’s Faithful and the Fallen series.

The first in the main series of the God Eater Saga, Herald picks up a thousand years after the events of Deathless and the rest of the Archive of the God Eater, when God has long since been killed, all but ten angels have been slain over the last millennia, and Emrik Hostain, grandson of the earlier series’ monarchial protagonist Ertide Hostain, rules over the land of Helesia with an immortal and bloody grip, mercilessly hunting the remaining angels and killing any who still cling to their faith in the long-dead God. 

Meanwhile, in the backwater village of Riverden, Renira Washer, a mere laundry girl, receives an unexpected visitor from her mother’s past, one who will not only lift her from her mundane life and venture into the outside world, but who will also irrevocably change her life forever.

And not for the better. All semblance of Renira’s peaceful life soon becomes a distant memory, and the path before her is one swathed in blood and engulfed in fear, betrayal, and a destiny she did not ask for.

I’ve sung the praises of Hayes’ God Eater Saga over the course of the previous “book ones,” and as great a read both entries were, they were mere stepping stones to what Hayes has built in Herald. This is an immaculate work, featuring wonderfully developed and multi-dimensional characters, heavy emotions, pulse-pounding action, and elaborate twists. This is a story carved from the heaven-and-earth or angels-versus-demons tropes of classic fantasy, but given a modern coat of paint that allows it to shine even brighter than the stories which preceded it.

While at its core, this is a classic coming-of-age tale, it is set against a backdrop of a world beset by war, paranoia, censorship, and outright fascism. These themes are explored beautifully in a way that makes you absolutely detest the villains and root for the heroes, while at the same time fully understanding their motivations. There is no black-and-white dichotomy in place here, and each character has their own flaws that make them feel entirely real. There is a hopelessness and resigned despair permeating through the pages that gives it heavy emotional weight, even in the halcyon days of the opening chapters, whether from Renira’s life being turned upside down from the beginning of the novel, or the millennium of anguish experienced by the angels who are struggling to endure Emrik’s ongoing crusade.

The twist with the God Eater revolves around humanity being able to gain the abilities of angels by consuming them, and that presents an interesting approach to divine power – immortality, inhuman strength, enhanced healing, and supernatural inclinations have long been within grasp, but held only by the Hostain dynasty. Having access to this cache of divine power allows Hayes to explore the depths of the human condition to varying extremes: on one hand, it displays the extent to which one can desire to hold onto power while also exploring the personal pitfalls of immortality; and on the other hand, he shows the lengths someone would be willing to go just to help those dear to them, even if it means outright betraying others to whom they are close. It’s a concept that, on paper, sounded cool enough, and in execution, was downright fantastic.

And all of this is lifted up by memorable characters who explode off the page. No motivation felt forced, each interaction felt meaningful, and not a moment was wasted with these characters, whether during the bloody action sequences or during the more subdued conversations. When it comes to strong character work, Hayes is in a league of his own, and this is his craft honed to absolute perfection.

Herald is epic fantasy distilled into its most “reading one more chapter before bed until you realize it’s 2 in the morning.” I absolutely loved my time with this, and I cannot wait for the collection of “book twos” to release. I’m going to be thinking about this one for a while, and I can say with certainty that Herald will be standing tall amongst my favorite reads at year’s end.