Reviews
Praise for Mortedant's Peril:
"Mortedant’s Peril is a fabulous fantasy mystery set in a fresh, imaginative world and featuring a trio of underdog characters with nothing in common except an unfolding sense of justice that propels them into one engrossing caper after another. Long live Irody, Mirial and Whisper!" —Sebastien De Castell
"Mortedant’s Peril is like a fantastic dream I didn’t want to wake up from! Characters I adore follow a twisty mystery that winds through a weird and wonderful city, in a story full of action and humor and stakes that cut straight to your heart. More, please!!!"—Melissa Caruso
"RJ Barker does it again! Mortedant's Peril is the perfect blend of humour, darkness, and puzzle box mystery."—Sunyi Dean
"[A] perfect mix of the wit of Pratchett, the city building of Scott Lynch and the unexpected emotional gut punches of Robin Hobb. Barker takes that most common of fantasy tropes, a magic city with a conspiracy at it heart and, fittingly for a tale of a man who reads the dead, breathes new life into it. A deeply wonderful fantasy that made me fall in love with the genre all over again." —Grimdark Magazine
"With plots and mysteries, unexpected friends and foes alike, strap in for a baroque romp of squalor and grandeur, horror and humour. Fabulous, frantic and moving."—Daily Mail
"For Hasp, and for Barker, easy is not the same as right, and there is nothing atavistic about insisting that humanity cannot be optimized into obsolescence. Elbay’s survival depends on Hasp and his allies’ intransigent belief that, in fact, people matter. Perhaps, Barker implies, ours does as well."—Bookpage (starred review)
"A fascinating world that readers of fantasy will thoroughly enjoy, and mystery and thriller readers will be drawn to the tension of the time crunch in solving the crime. A seamless mixture of genres."—Booklist
Praise for RJ Barker:
"Brilliant." —Robin Hobb, author of the Farseer Trilogy
"A viciously exciting adventure. I loved every second of it." —Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne
"Wouldn’t let me go . . . a pleasure to read. I can’t wait for more!" —Melissa Caruso, author of The Last Hour Between Worlds
"Often poignant and always intriguing . . . A gifted storyteller."—Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld
"A triple-threat of world-building, character and plot, Gods of the Wyrdwood represents the work of an experienced novelist at the top of his game." —SFX Magazine
"A vividly realized high-seas epic that pulls you deep into its world and keeps you tangled there until the very last word." —Evan Winter, author of The Rage of Dragons on The Bone Ships
"The Bone Ships is excellent. Aside from the standout writing, it's one of the most interesting and original fantasy worlds I've seen in years." —Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author
"I absolutely loved it. A whole lot of swashbuckling awesomeness by RJ Barker. He has crafted a fascinating world and a twisty plot, both rooted in characters I came to care about. A definite winner for me." —John Gwynne, author of The Shadow of the Gods on The Bone Ships
"Blood of Assassins is a brilliant and often beautiful piece of literature from one of the most talented writers out there." —Fantasy Faction
"Outstanding. Beautifully written, perfectly paced and assured. Kept me reading well into the early hours of the morning. A wonderful first book—a wonderful book, period—that should be at the very top of your to-read list." —James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost on Age of Assassins