That’s right, 2026 sees the return of RJ Barker with a brand new series!

The first book of The Trials of Irody Hasp – MORTEDANT’S PERIL – is due for release on 21st May. Nils and Beth were super fortunate to get an early copy, and couldn’t wait to dive in. Before we find out what they thought, here’s the blurb:

Mortedant’s Peril is an epic historical fantasy of murder, mystery and unlikely alliances from RJ Barker, award-winning author of The Bone Ships. Perfect for fans of Six of Crows and City of Last Chances.
‘An engrossing, ingenious story in a beautifully crafted world’ – Adrian Tchaikovsky
Irody can speak to the dead. But the living want him silenced.
Mortedants can speak to the dead – and Irody Hasp is the greatest of them. Not that they’ll admit it. And not that anyone actually likes the Mortedants, or Irody in particular. Nonetheless, Elbay is a city of tradition, and tradition calls for Mortedants to attend a death.
But when Irody reads the corpse of a low-level record-keeper, he’s dragged into a conspiracy that will see someone close to him murdered and Irody framed for the crime, the eyes of the city’s guilds, nobles and villains all fixed on him. With only days to prove his innocence before he is executed, Irody is forced to work with unlikely and unwanted allies: a street urchin and a hulking, inhuman mercenary from the sea people’s city of Oknusoka.
With danger and death lurking around every corner, and trust a luxury, Irody is running out of time. He must save himself and his friends, as well as Elbay – the magnificent, terrifying, complicated city that he loves. Or darkness will fall on them all.

Mortedant’s Peril is due for release on 21st May 2026 from Tor. You can pre-order your copy on Bookshop.org

What were your first impressions?

Beth: From the very first page, I felt myself drawn into this story by the writing. I’m already a big fan of Barker’s, and as well known as he is for his worldbuilding, I’ve always loved his narrative voice. There’s a lot going on in the prologue as Barker sets up his mystery, and as much as I was intrigued by that, it’s definitely his writing that wowed me the most to begin with. Lines like:

‘She was a hard-bitten-looking piece with a face that might have frightened off death had it looked her way.’

There’s a real Dickensian feel to Mortedant’s Peril, from the tone of the writing and the descriptions of the characters, to the kind of sly sardonic way some of them have of talking to each other and their very names. There’s also, of course, the city in which they live; gritty and riddled with social injustice, a character in of itself just like a Dickens London. Safe to say, the book made a very strong and favourable first impression!

Nils I know you were really drawn in by the murder in the prologue?

Nils: I mean what a way to hook a reader in! Barker had my interest immediately because I wanted to know who this person was that had been murdered and what secrets did he hold? 

Beth: It’s clear straightaway that there were going to be an awful lot of secrets involved in this story, wasn’t it!

Nils: Having loved Barker’s The Wounded Kingdom trilogy, when I first began reading Mortedant’s Peril I was reminded heavily of that. Mortedant Hasp and his assistant are first on the scene of the murder and with Hasp’s abilities he can see/read the deceased’s last thoughts and moments before their death which I loved seeing played out. So much like the opening of Age of Assassins, there’s a compelling mystery, an intriguing magic system, a class hierarchy and plenty more for us to uncover. Naturally my first impressions were very favourable.

Beth: That’s actually such a good point, Irody Hasp and Malkin reminded me a lot of Merela and (oh) Girton.

Nils: I’m so glad you thought so too! 

I also agree with you Beth, there is a Dickensian feel to the novel but I noticed that more when we started to explore the different parts of Elbay city, which was fascinating! 

Upon first meeting Hasp, what did you make of him? And how did you find his character growth throughout the novel?

Beth: Irody Hasp is Barker’s protagonist, and we get a very strong impression of him and his character very early on. Hasp is a Mortedant, a person who can read the last thoughts of the dead. Unfortunately, he is not well-liked within his organisation; a Mortedant earns their living through visiting the dead but if you’re unpopular then you’re not sent on many visits… which is the predicament we find Hasp in at the start of the book. His apprentice, Malkin, has found a job for him, but it is amongst the poor, which is why it was overlooked by the Mortedant Priory. 

Hasp is very much a product of his environment, prejudiced against those below him and yet painfully aware of his own social standing and bitter about those who in turn look down upon him. He is incredibly proud, knowing that he is a good Mortedant, and this pride is what sets his peers against him. 

Nils: It was so refreshing to have such an obviously prejudiced and flawed character but still find him likeable and endearing. Hasp isn’t cruel nor mean spirited, he may look down upon others of lower status, he may fear disease from them, or may think of them as corrupt, but that has not stopped him from taking on an apprentice from a poor family who he actually cares for a great deal too.

His talents as a Mortedant is underappreciated and he’s always given the jobs that no one else will take all because of some past discrepancy involving his family. Essentially he is ridiculed by his peers and that makes him a sympathetic character to root for. 

Beth: I completely agree with you, it was very easy to sympathise with him and find him endearing as you say (perfect description for him), despite his very obvious flaws and unlikeability. I have absolutely no idea how Barker has written a character who is, on paper, so unlikeable and yet isn’t.

Irody Hasp’s character growth is hands down one of the best I’ve read in some time. The Hasp we leave at the end of the novel is markedly different from the one we first meet at the start, but his changes come on with such subtlety, I’d argue that if you asked Hasp himself, he wouldn’t think he’s changed at all. It’s so naturally portrayed which makes it believable and we were left even feeling quite proud of him, weren’t we Nils? I’d never cried from character growth before, but Hasp’s choices at the end of the book moved me so much!

Nils: I wholeheartedly agree with you here too, Beth! Hasp’s growth is phenomenally crafted. There’s a subtle gradual change in him, his views of others alter as he learns more about them and as his knowledge and experiences broaden. He begins to treat those closest to him with more respect and care, and by the end he even puts others before himself, which was something he would never have done at the beginning of the novel. Like Beth, there was also a scene at the end that made me cry because Hasp put himself in harm’s way, even when he had no skills to fight, just to save a friend.

Hasp’s growth just felt so realistic because do we not also change as we gain further knowledge and understanding? 

And what did you think of Whisper and Mirial who accompany Hasp as he tries to solve a murder? 

Beth: Oh Nils we loved Whisper and Mirial, didn’t we! 

Nils: We really did and I particularly loved that Whisper was non-human! 

Beth: Whisper is a little difficult to describe, she is from a nation outside of the city, and isn’t human. She is humanoid in shape, but her head is whale-like? I was picturing her features as being like those of an orca, but reversed in colour? There are a number of people like her residing in the city, they are a warrior-people and so are hired as body guards. I loved her quiet fortitude, her unflinching loyalty, her strength in never backing down from what she believed was right and wrong and the positive impact that has on Hasp.

Nils: Beth, it would be great to see some illustrations of Whisper’s race of Osters, wouldn’t it? Because they sound quite unnerving to look upon. Yet when we get to know Whisper, we see them in a completely different light. 

Beth: That’s actually such a great shout, this book would be incredible illustrated. Barker’s descriptions are so vivid and unique, we need a book of illustrations from the Worlds of RJ Barker like Kidby’s done for Pratchett.

Nils: What I loved about Whispers race, or her clan, was that they seemed quite spiritual and in tune with the sea and nature. Her native language was quite melodic and had such beautiful meaning behind it. There was even a scene where Whisper could communicate with the land for answers that she needed and I absolutely loved that. I hope this is something that will get explored more in future books.

Whisper is also a bit of a tragic character, having been shunned by her clan. She is lonely and feels unworthy but I think Whisper was the first person to believe that Hasp actually wanted to do the right thing. He wasn’t trying to solve a murder to save his own skin, he actually cared about finding justice, and in turn her belief in him is part of what makes him grow. That’s what I loved about Whisper, despite everybody’s trepidation of her, she could see the good in people and readily gave them her loyalty. 

Beth: I think Whisper could see it in Hasp before he actually could, he learns so much about himself through her. These two characters come into Hasp’s life very much against his will but they are instrumental in shaping him, in showing us, and importantly himself, his humanity buried deeply under his life experiences and prejudices and bringing it to the fore. 

Nils: Good point Beth, Mirial too shapes Hasp. She goes from being an inconvenience and annoyance to being somebody that he actually deeply cares for and worries over. Mirial had the capability of being a defiant immature street urchin, but Barker shapes her much more clever than that, he makes her perceptive and strong willed but also eager to learn. Together they all formed such a fantastic friendship. 

Barker is known for his inventive and unique worldbuilding, so how did you find the tiered city of Elbay?

Nils: Our ARC unfortunately didn’t include a map but I’m hoping the final copies will because I think it would be great to see a visual of the city.

Beth: I managed ok without a map, I found Barker’s narrative was clear enough, but as I said above, knowing how stunning visual representations of this world would be – it would be great to have a map just for the aesthetic of it!

Nils: Elbay is divided into ringed tiers with the lower ones being for the poor and the highest being for the rich. But further divisions are included as there are sectors for the Worshippers who follow the creed of the Howling Lord, the Spurriers who bring spiritform to life and the Mortedants. Barker’s prose vividly brings this city to life with all its oddities and wonder. There were spirit carriages, underground tunnels with spirit guards, gallows lights and a strange power system which created a ring of deadly fire which we can’t say too much more about. Every nugget of information we came across built up the world fantastically, didn’t it Beth? It’s not a city I’d ever want to live in, but it was one I enjoyed reading about!

Beth: It was incredibly complex, not just in terms of the factions and the infrastructure, the politics and the faiths – there was a real sense of history there and culture. Elbay is fantastically realised and detailed, and we learn all this so naturally through the narrative without info-dumps; I left like I learned about this city as I was experiencing it. Barker gives you the opportunity to explore it through what he shows you through his characters’ interactions with it, it really is a masterclass in ‘show not tell’.

Where would you like to see the story go next?

Beth: This was something we chatted about quite a lot, wasn’t it Nils, because there seems to be scope for the story to be taken beyond the walls of Elbay, but in a weird, probably selfish, way I’d rather the story doesn’t end up as some big high-stakes epic where Hasp changes the world. There’s clearly a lot that needs to change about Elbay, institutions that need to be torn down. But I kind of want to just see Hasp, Whisper and Mirial investigating murders like a fantasy crime solving team! I can’t see that actually happening, there are too many threads, too many secrets waiting in the wings.

Nils: I too hope that the mystery and crime solving element continues, even if the story shapes up to be outside of Elbay. I would actually love us to visit Whisper’s homeland, to see her clan and learn more of her race too. Other than that I’m not really sure where the story will go, but I’m excited to find out. 

Favourite Quotes 

Beth: 

‘I tried to give him my best withering stare, but street crows like Malkin are, in my experience, very hard to wither’. 

‘His hate was like an anchor around which he held himself. Within it all a single thought: ‘Not my fault!’ So powerful. I knew his entire life and how he had come to this place. I knew his beliefs and I saw a lifetime or unkindness was the field in which grew the black wheat of his enmity.’

Nils:

“In among them were a hundred other sects or splinter groups, each one interpreting the Book of Manol in their own way.

Each one calling for the mercy of the Howling Lord for the poor and the starving, while all at the same time telling the poor and starving they were to blame for their situation.” 

Overall Thoughts

Beth: I’d already considered Barker a brilliant, imaginative writer, but Mortedant’s Peril is a shining demonstration of an author going from strength to strength. It brings together Barker’s character work that we fell in love with in  Age of Assassins and the world building that astounded us in Call of the Boneships and Gods of the Wyrdwood, into an absolute triumph of a page-turning fantasy murder-mystery. There are deep themes of social injustice and prejudice, there’s a great deal of darkness in this violent city, but the heaviness of Barker’s previous trilogy is missing; despite the serious themes, there’s a lightness and warmth to the narrative that balances the tone perfectly and resulted in a story which was a joy to read. I love exploring Barker’s wondrous worlds, his imagination seems boundless and it’s always exciting to see where he’ll take us next, who we’ll meet next. 

Nils: Barker weaves a deft tale of mystery and corruption, set in a strangely wondrous world, where three unlikely heroes band together to unravel a dark plot before it’s too late. The prose is sharp, witty and vividly detailed, Hasp is a character who grows in phenomenal ways and works his way into your heart so that by the end you’re rooting for him all the way, and beneath it all is supernatural suspense that keeps you wanting to discover more. Barker’s signature inventive style and his heartfelt storytelling really shines in this novel. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to discover what’s in store in future installments.

Mortedant’s Peril is due for release on 21st May 2026 from Tor. You can pre-order your copy on Bookshop.org