Book Review: Herald (Age of the God Eater, #1) by Rob J. Hayes
Cover art illustrated by Eshpur
Herald by Rob J. Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Age of the God Eater (Book #1 of 3), The God Eater Saga
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 720 pages (Hardcover edition)
Word Count: 235,000 words
Publish date: 23rd of July 2024 by Rob J. Hayes (Self-Published)
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
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