Along the Razor’s Edge- Review

Intro

Along the Razor’s Edge by Rob J. Hayes is one of those dark fantasy novels that often threatens to tumble head over heels into grimdark. The signs are all there, from the protagonist, whose obsessive hatred for everyone to the needless cruelty of everyone. However, I think Along the Razor’s Edge is less in line with something like Godblind and more akin to Berserk, a hard-as-nails world but with some humanity.

Writing

If there is one emotion that sums up the entire Eskara Helsene character, it is hate and resentment. Not a single paragraph goes by without her at least saying once how much she hates everyone or everything around her, how she wants to kill those who wronged her, or simply yearns to beat them up. These are pretty violent emotions for a fifteen-year-old, but not entirely unexpected. Considering her tragic backstory and how she spends most of her time in the prison slave labor camp known as the pit, however, unlike other dark fantasy protagonists, who are evil people for no reason asides from the edge. Eskara seems fully aware of her many flaws, as the narrative is her retelling the story from the beginning to whatever point in the present.

This leads to some human explanations, as Rob J. Hayes has Eskara essentially reminisce about all the cringy stuff she did as a teenager. It also helps that she is a teenager; your hormones are higher than space, and the stresses of seeing your country crash, your best friend seemingly betraying you and being stuck in a slave camp. Understandably, she would be brimming with self-destructive hate. Hate that hurts and alienates her from everyone. Hate that sabotages her from getting what she wants because of her stubbornness. Hate that nearly results in her death because she can’t help but insult her allies. Along the Razor’s Edge has a self-awareness that a lot of dark/grimdark fantasy doesn’t have, which shows the consequences of the asshole protagonist backfiring on them. It feels so good for the asshole protagonist to realize that they are fundamentally flawed and violent, explaining why nobody ever comes to their birthday parties.

The biggest issue with this book is that the flash-forwards and backward are not communicated clearly. Eskara could start a chapter remembering a particular point of her tragic backstory before smoothly and effortlessly into the present without much warning. I was often left feeling confused and disoriented. I wish Rob Hyes had a better method of coherently weaving the past, present, and future. I get what Hayes was going for, an organic story told from memory with the little interruptions as one remembers things or adds clarity that comes from age-old wisdom. But the execution could have been done better.

Conclusion

I think I will give the next book in the series a go; Rob Hayes has an eye for the human element of self-destruction. He understands the importance of consequences and actions in a cruel world. And the significance of some kindness and humanity in dark times. His flashbacks and forwards could be better integrated, but Along the Razor’s Edge is a good book.