In yet another example of Fantasy Novels I read back during my days at University, during the 2014-2018 gap, the book, “Pawn’s Gambit” written by Rob J. Hayes is a direct sequel to the prior book “Never Die”, and though it is written as a standalone story with functionally no need to go back to read the first beforehand, I highly recommend that you do. Pawn’s Gambit follows a character who appears in the first book, though with far greater depth in this sequel, and readers actually learn of what followed the events at the climax of the plot in Never Die. Our new Protagonist’s actual name, Daiyu, is revealed for the first time, as she is a mysterious yet legendary strategist of veteran command, though when we meet her this time, Daiyu is swept up in a struggle to find purpose in the wake of the events of the prequel.
Even in its early stages, the plot of Pawn’s Gambit is a very interesting one as it follows a character I had never expected to see more of, let alone witness her journey materialize as an aspect of her own internal struggle for better and worse. Once again Hayes manages to skillfully wield a complex narrative, though this time the supernatural themes are much more pronounced, with the direct involvement of certain beings, the Heroine gets led along a tale of ever-deepening intrigue. It was fascinating to watch the most dramatic aspects of the story arcs play out, functionally in “the background”, while we slowly collect a new entourage of heroes, each one fulfilling not only a need, but also a sort of manifestation of Daiyu’s history and legacy, centered on her.
Historical References and Impact-
This one is a lot trickier to place in terms of an exact historical period or reference, though as was established above, it is a direct sequel and thus follows the events of the first book, which means it takes place within a time frame not too far removed from the prior novel. The most significant difference between Never Die and Pawn’s Gambit is definitely the entry of the Mortal Techniques series which establishes the most depth in terms of the setting’s supernatural order, and fleshes out what hints readers were given as to the nature of the Pantheon of Deities known to and worshiped by the world’s denizens. In this way, the Author enters a system of structuring the divine order of things in a way I have personally never encountered before reading this book, its methods of conduct and competing interests are more than familiar enough for anyone with a basic understanding of real-world mythology, and is thus easy to follow.
Yet where this sudden shift in which side of the supernatural at the central focus illustrates how Hayes is able to write a cosmic backdrop to the mundane events without setting it up in such a way that the mortal actors are robbed of their agency. As someone who has written within a fantasy context, about the details of pantheons before, it should be obvious as to why and how managing entities at the level of gods in detail, without causing problems for the narrative can be difficult. Though the Author definitely succeeds in this case, Daiyu’s role plays out as a multi-layered scheme, with the book’s title and main plot-line resurfacing in new ways many times throughout its duration. Overall its narrative structure takes the traditional Chinese strategist role and its association with plenty of Feminine traits, and applies them in unique ways, though from cover to cover its primary guide was likely an assortment of references from the Four Chinese Classics, and various mythologies, rather than a specific real-world time frame.
Conclusion-
As the second installment in the Mortal Techniques series, the writing of Rob J. Hayes not only shines through its depictions of heavily culture-specific representations and actual history, but even in this story’s most dire moments, the Author knows just when not to lay certain themes on too thick. Combat is portrayed countless times, and even on the scale of an Army, yet despite that kind of scale, the tension holds and manages to convey hefty stakes, just as it does in respect to the more common battles involving our individual heroes. Perhaps most importantly however, is the fact that the reader can feel a significant escalation of stakes from those in the first book, which in turn escalates into the events of the third book, “Spirits of Vengeance”. As established earlier, each book is a standalone entry, but there are things that the Author cleverly planned out since the first book, which don’t become fully realized until the third, and knowing this, one should expect to see more of such subtle narrative progression as the series goes on.
To manage and maintain cohesion with a multi-book series plot in mind is no small task, but Hayes manages to do it masterfully. The knock-on effects that get their start in the prior books, essentially build a cascade effect that should not only demonstrate continuity as the newer titles release, but also an overall long-term plan. I highly recommend this Novel as well, “Pawn’s Gambit” by Rob J. Hayes is yet another masterfully crafted entry to the Mortal Technique collection, and I look forward to reading book four whenever that comes out. Anyone who finds the general themes of the setting appealing will not come away from reading this title disappointed as the Author most certainly delivers.
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