*Full story spoilers ahead*
A note before starting the summary
The God Eater series by Rob J. Hayes is an enthralling fantasy trilogy of trilogies, and Herald serves as the main story of this universe. This Age of the God Eater – Herald summary delves deep into the current events of the story and its characters.
Before diving into the plot of Herald, note that the God Eater series consists of three trilogies—Herald (present-day) is the first book of the Age of the God Eater trilogy; Deathless (1,000 years in the past) is the first book of the Annals of the God Eater trilogy, and Demon (3,000 years in the past) the first book in the Archive of the God Eater trilogy. Although you can read the trilogies in any order, I chose to begin with Demon in order to avoid being “spoiled” by Herald and Deathless.
Age of the God Eater – Herald Summary
In Age of the God Eater – Herald, the story begins with King Emrik pursuing one of the last surviving angels. The God is dead, and fewer than ten angels remain. King Emrik’s family is immortal, having consumed the body parts of these angels. The angel’s blood grants them years of life, the flesh gives them strength, feathers make arrows fly true over vast distances, the brain turns one into a seer, and the tongue makes their songs enchanting. Bones are crafted into weapons capable of killing angels, and consuming the heart gives one the angel’s power. King Emrik finds Mathanial, the Rider, who refuses to run. Emrik’s son, Borik, challenges Mathanial to a duel. Despite Mathanial’s prowess, Borik wins the battle, and King Emrik kills the angel by shooting an arrow through his eye.
Renira’s World and the Revelation
The first chapter introduces Renira, the protagonist, who battles a monstrous creature. After a fierce battle, her companions are injured, and she must save them from the monster. In a sudden shift, the monster licks itself, and Renira is back in her barn in Riverden with her cat. Renira, the daughter of a washerwoman, wants to visit the town, eager to see her friends and King Emrik, who is scheduled to arrive. She eventually convinces her mother to let her go and heads into town.
In town, Renira reunites with her friends Aesie, Elsa, and Merebeth. They spend time playing games, including a toy archery contest, where Renira is the only one to hit the bullseye. As they await King Emrik, Renira notices the Truth Seekers, scouts who can uncover secrets simply by brushing their hands against a person. Her mother had warned her about avoiding their attention. When Renira briefly loses track of the Truth Seekers, she makes a suspicious remark, which she tries to pass off as being drunk. Concerned about the weather and Elsa, Renira leaves, believing it’s best for Elsa to return home alone rather than stay out with her friends and get into trouble.
A Mysterious Stranger and a Deadly Storm
Near her home, Renira notices the laundry left outside despite the approaching storm. Rushing inside with the clothes, she finds the house eerily silent and eventually encounters a stranger with burnt-off wings talking to her mother, Lusa.
Meanwhile, King Emrik listens to town officials, including Magistrate Kul, who gets roped into setting up a large ice room to preserve angel parts. Afterward, Aesie and her father request a meeting with the king to see Borik. Emrik is dismissive of their request, causing Aesie to leave in tears. Kul then informs Borik of an angel sympathizer in Riverden, thanks to information from one of Renira’s friends. Emrik, Borik, his daughter, Perel, and part of his guard head there immediately, braving the storm.
Escaping with Armstar
Renira discovers that angels are real, realizing that her mother had raised her to believe in the God and angels as saviors of humankind, contrary to the teachings of the Godless King. She meets Armstar, the Builder, and hears a brief backstory from her mother. To protect Armstar, Renira volunteers to guide him through the deadly Whistle Wood Forest in her mother’s stead. Her mother had already prepared winter clothing, food, and water for the journey. Before Renira leaves, Lusa gives her her amulet as comfort. Renira and Armstar leave during the storm, hoping to cover their tracks.
Emrik’s Pursuit and Renira’s Escape Through Whistle Wood
Emrik and his entourage, including his daughter, her wolf Tesh, and her group of followers called Dogs, and Borik follow the scent to Renira’s home. They capture Renira’s mother, who declares that the Herald of the Fifth Age has arrived and the God will return. She inadvertently reveals that the God hasn’t yet been reborn and is still dead. Emrik kills her and finds tracks leading to the forest. His children are tasked with finding and killing Armstar to prevent him from reaching Celesgarde and ringing the bell that would bring about the Fifth Age. Emrik heads back and gathers an army to intercept them.
While navigating the forest, Renira and Armstar encounter spider-like creatures and a venomous demon holding a boy and a man in cocoons. They save the boy, but the demon devours the man. Renira loses most of her supplies fighting the demon, but they manage to escape with the boy. Armstar, resentful of humans, refuses to help carry the boy. They reach the edge of the forest with Borik and Perel close behind. Armstar’s sister conjures a blizzard to cover their escape. Tesh gets close to the party, but Armstar frightens the wolf away.
Arrival at Los Hold and Borik’s Visit
Upon reaching Los Hold, a refuge for angels and their supporters, Renira meets Eleseth, a healer known as The Light Bringer and a herald of the Second Age. After recovering, the boy, named Sun, attempts to attack the angels. Sun despises angels, especially after Armstar’s disregard for his life. Renira calms him down, and they share a meal. Soon after, Orphus, the first angel, summons Renira, Armstar, Eleseth, and Sun to reveal that Renira is the herald of the Fifth Age.
Borik arrives at Los Hold, forcing his way in. He speaks with Orphus, announcing that Mathanial is dead and discussing his allegiance to the angels, warning them of Emrik and Perel’s pursuit. Before leaving, Orphus gives Borik a book, believing it could be useful. Borik also visits Renira, encouraging her in her new role.
The Attack on Los Hold & Escape to New Gurrund
After Borik departs, Perel attacks Los Hold with the Dogs and her wolf. Many humans are slaughtered. Upon finding Armstar, Renira, and Sun, Mihiriel, an angel Renira met, saves them from Perel, allowing them to flee. Perel kills Mihiriel and eats his heart while Renira, Armstar, and Sun escape through Orphus’ library to use a secret passage, and Armstar pleads with Orphus to kill Perel. Though Orphus defeats Perel, he refuses to kill, risking his own breaking. Perel, bloodied and broken, cannot continue the fight, allowing the group to escape.
Emrik questions Perel about the attack, and Borik joins them while they wonder who the new herald could be. Perel suggests that Armstar’s child could be the herald since he is no longer fully angelic, potentially making this possible. The book Orphus gave Borik seems to support this theory.
Eleseth joins Renira and the others after injuring Emrik’s hawk, and the group proceeds to New Gurrund, a mining town, to meet Dusor, another friend of the angels. After resting, Renira and Sun slip out to explore the town’s night market. They meet a woman offering ear piercings, and Dusor, who runs into them, pays for Renira’s piercing and buys Sun a spear.
Danger in New Gurrund
Perel and Tesh arrive in New Gurrund, cutting a scene and making inquiries about Renira’s whereabouts. They meet an informant, led by a twelve-year-old, and strike a deal to locate Renira for payment of Armstar’s body, though Perel secretly plans to kill the informant after Armstar and the group are dead.
While preparing to head through the mines to get to Celesgarde, Renira bumps into Aesie. After a brief conversation, they part ways, but Aesie has been following Renira since she left Riverden. Renira and the group, meet two more followers before entering the mines, Terrel and Gemp. They all head into the mines to escape Perel, but Aesie follows them, leaving marks in the mines to keep track and give Perel a path to follow. Dusor discovers her and after a confrontation, she is reluctantly allowed to join the group.
The Descent into the Mines
They come upon a stunning tower inside the mines, Armstar’s greatest project. As they ascend, Renira slips and falls into icy waters. Eleseth dives in to rescue her, and both nearly die due to the icy water. They awaken near a fire. They share a moment, and Armstar reflects on his relationship with Emrik and their history of working on the tower together. Soon after, Tesh’s howl warns them of Perel’s presence, and they must make their escape.
Perel and Tesh catch up, and Dusor and Terrel are killed after a surprise attack. Renira has Sun collapse the tower’s walls, and she and Aesie plunge into darkness, only to be found by The Grey, a demon previously seen in New Gurrund.
The Grey leads them to a chamber, revealing Moon, the Seer, with black wings, chained as punishment for betraying the God and being the reason Ertide knew to eat angel flesh to become immortal. He talks to Renira about prophecies and the future, calling Aesie the Viper. After talking, Moon warns Renira and Aesie to flee before she arrives. They take some of Moon’s feathers as light sources and escape.
Perel wakes up being crushed to death. She switches to Tesh’s vision, and finds her wolf is gravely injured. Perel switches back to her vision and, through willpower, is able to dig herself out. She tries to get Tesh out but sees Tesh losing her life away. Full of emotion, Perel switches to Tesh’s vision to force her to want to live. When she switches, Tesh’s heart stops. Perel’s vision is stuck in a dead wolf, leaving Perel blind. Through frustration and heartbreak, Perel gouges her eyes out.
Escape from the Mines
Aesie and Renira make their way out of the mines with the help of the Grey. They come across a secluded village, where they find an inn to rest, eat, and bathe. Aesie pays for their stay with a fake story about their companions being eaten by wolves and a silver ring on her finger. After eating, they take turns bathing, and Renira decides to cut her hair. The innkeeper assists her and comments on Renira’s odd amulet on the way out.
The Revelation of Aesie’s Betrayal
Upon leaving the inn, Renira sees someone labeled a “heretic” strung up in a lake. An altercation follows, and a Truth Seeker reveals Renira as the Herald. It is also uncovered that Aesie is a traitor working for the king, unaware of Renira’s true identity. As Renira faces execution, Armstar arrives, wielding Perel’s God-slaying halberd. Alongside Gemp, Sun, and Eleseth, Armstar defends her, killing several guards despite Renira’s pleas to stop the violence.
Armstar captures the Truth Seeker and interrogates him. He reveals that Truth Seekers are created by severing their hands and replacing them with angel hands—hence the mismatched sizes and skin tones. After the confession, Armstar kills the Truth Seeker, and the group moves on.
Tension in the Camp
They make camp in a tense atmosphere. Renira learns more about the previous heralds from Eleseth, and Aesie questions Armstar about the nature of angels and Truth Seekers. Armstar explains that the God grants powers to angels, and humans can mimic all of these powers by consuming angel flesh, whereas the God chooses what powers an angel gets. After an intense moment in which Armstar questions Aesie’s motives, Renira steps in but remains wary of Aesie. After resting, they proceed towards Celesgarde.
Sun’s Struggle and Emrik’s Strategy
On the way to Celesgarde, Sun feels guilt over the soldier he helped Gemp kill, and Gemp attempts to cheer him up, eventually offering to teach him the spear. Sun reveals to Renira that the people he was with were his kidnappers, hinting that Karna, a fallen angel and the creator of God-slaying weapons, maybe his mother.
Meanwhile, Emrik and Borik arrive in Celesgarde, greeted by Emrik’s eldest son, Arik. They discuss plans to guard the bell that would bring about the Fifth Age. Borik suggests creating a vanguard of trusted individuals who have fed on angel flesh for strength but remain mortal by not drinking the blood. After the meeting, Arik and Borik spend time drinking while Emrik rests.
Entering Celesgarde and Armstar’s Departure
Renira and her group reach Celesgarde. Aesie devises a plan to get inside, using a pass that Emrik has given her. She proposes that Renira poses as her handmaiden while Sun and Gemp act as bodyguards, although Eleseth and Armstar are too inconspicuous to get in with Aesie. Armstar tells Eleseth that his role doesn’t include entering Celesgarde and leaves the group. After a discussion, Renira chases after Armstar.
Renira questions Armstar, and he reveals more about his past with Lusa. They once encountered Karna and ended up saving each other, escaping with amulets from her vault. To save Lusa, Armstar gave her angel blood, burning off his wings and becoming a fallen angel. Throughout the journey, Armstar has tried to teach Renira that she cannot save everyone—sacrifices are inevitable. Armstar reveals he has the other half of Renira has amulet and gives it to her, telling her it will protect her. Armstar leaves, and Renira returns to the group.
Splitting Up in Celesgarde
Inside Celesgarde, Aesie, Renira, Sun, and Gemp split up. Sun and Gemp meet with allies of the angels, while Renira tells Aesie they should part ways as she no longer trusts her friend. Aesie leaves Renira with a gold ring for her expenses, then goes to meet the king for payment and to secure angel blood, betraying Renira once again. Aesie persuades the king to grant her a contract for angel blood to heal her father’s lung rot, revealing the heretics’ plan to start fires in the town the following day while Eleseth and Renira make their way to ring in the fifth age.
A Chance Encounter with Sky
Renira tries to find accommodation at an inn but is accused of theft and has to sleep in a horse stall. A woman named Sky from Ashvold finds her and wants to hear her story. Sky buys Renira a meal in payment for her story and introduces her companions, Rock, Little Rock, and Shadow. Renira fabricates a story about their journey and gives Sky Aesie’s ring as a thank-you for the meal and for delivering a message to her mother when they pass by her town on their journey.
Betrayal and the Fires in Celesgarde
Sun and Gemp meet with the council of heretics, trying to gain their support. Despite Sun’s best efforts, the council decides to side with the immortal king instead and attempts to capture them. Sun and Gemp manage to escape but are forced to start the fires that very night to start the plan before they’re caught. They’re able to start burning the south side of the town, but this results in their capture by guards and the former heretics.
Eleseth sees the fires and assumes the plan must happen immediately. Transforming into her angelic form with wings of fire, she moves to light additional fires on the north side of town. Eleseth finds Renira, and together, they head to ring the bell of the Fifth Age.
The Battle of the Immortals
Emrik and his sons Borik and Arik see the fires and assume that Aesie misled them about the timing. Arik lends his armor to Emrik, and Emrik races towards the herald while his sons catch up when they can. Emrik finds the Eleseth and the herald, but before he can stop them Orphus teleports in because of his power. Emrik fights with Orphus, and Orphus beats him brutally. Orphus destroys Emrik’s God-slaying sword, and he pleads with Emrik that it’s not too late to change his mind. Borik and Arik give chase to the herald. While they chase, Borik cuts Arik with a knife dipped in a paralyzer and reveals his plan to Arik; he wants the herald to succeed. If they bring back God, Borik and Arik can become truly immortal. Arik knows this isn’t what their father wants and begins fighting his brother despite the paralyzer. Arik ends up besting Borik and tells his brother he won’t tell their father but will go stop the Herald. Borik runs after Arik with his sword poised. Emrik realizes that Orphus won’t kill him, and Emrik baits Orphus, then pulls out a God-slaying dagger and slices Orphus’ throat. He eats his heart to get his teleportation power and throws his dagger towards the overlook.
The Battle for the Bell
Eleseth and Renira reach the bell’s tower, where Eleseth fights the angel flesh-fed guards. Eleseth’s invincibility shield breaks, causing an explosion that kills all the guards and destroys the tower, leaving Renira unscathed for some reason.
Emrik reaches the site, and Eleseth apologetically holds Renira in front of the bell. Emrik uses Mathanial’s power to summon a lightning spear, stabbing Renira through the chest and ringing the bell, turning the sky blue and having the God reborn. Eleseth immediately begins to heal Renira, revealing that Renira was never the herald—Emrik was. Emrik had unknowingly fulfilled Orphus’ plan. Renira grabs the dagger from the ground while Emrik strangles Eleseth and plunges it into his neck. Emrik teleports away, claiming he will not die here.
Borik’s Consequences
The day after the Fifth Age begins, Borik attends Arik’s funeral, feeling guilt over his role in his brother’s death. Despite his remorse, Borik is determined to become an all-powerful immortal. He meets with Emrik, who is alive but gravely injured, to plot against the God. Emrik plans to conquer Dien and Ashvold, overthrowing Arandon, his brother, and Karna. Emrik puts Borik in charge of Celesgarde in Arik’s absence.
Renira’s Decision and the Epilogue
Renira stays in Celesgarde for several days, waiting for Gemp and Sun, but they do not return. She decides to leave to go back to Riverden and see her mother. Sky, who is also leaving, offers Renira a spare horse. Though suspicious that Sky already had a spare horse saddled, Renira accepts.
The epilogue flashes back to the last night of the Fourth Age, where Armstar waiting outside of a cabin. A woman is in labor, and Armstar walks into the cabin while the bell rings. The father of the new child tries to attack Armstar and Armstar forces him to calm down. After the fifth ring of the bell, the woman gives birth, and Armstar takes the child from the midwife. He tells them to be at peace, but Armstar will be keeping the baby, as the woman has just given birth to the God.
Character Index
King Emrik – The ruler hunting down the last remaining angels. Emrik is powerful and determined, having been one of the Godless Kings who killed the God and hunted angels for their unique powers, which he and his family have consumed to gain strength, longevity, and various abilities.
Borik – King Emrik’s son plays a complicated role by secretly assisting the angels, acting as a spy against his father’s interests and eventually reveals his true intentions are to help his father kill the God to become truly immortal.
Perel – Emrik’s daughter, who is part of his pursuit of the angels and Renira. Perel has a group of followers called the “Dogs” and is ruthless, relentless, and a formidable threat. She is eventually blinded and presumed dead after a traumatic encounter involving her wolf, Tesh.
Renira – The protagonist, a young girl raised with a belief in the God and angels as saviors of humanity. She becomes caught up in a larger conflict after agreeing to help Armstar, an angel, escape through the dangerous Whistle Wood. Later, she learns she is the new Herald of the Fifth Age.
Lusa – Renira’s mother, living in Riverden. Emrik chases Armstar to their town, and ends up murdering Lusa for being a heretic.
Armstar – An angel with burnt-off wings who needs Renira’s help to escape Emrik’s pursuit. Armstar dislikes humans, the exception being Renira’s mother, Lusa, but must rely on Renira to navigate the forest. He also has a history with Emrik.
Sun – A young boy saved by Renira and Armstar from a venomous demon in their journey through the Whistle Woods. He harbors resentment towards the angels and initially distrusts them but vows to protect Renira eventually becoming her Exemplar.
Eleseth (The Light Bringer) – An angel healer and one of the few remaining angels, also known as the herald of the Second Age. Eleseth helps Renira and her group by healing their wounds and providing support during their journey.
Orphus (The Archangel) – The first angel and a significant leader among the angels. He has a library throne room where he speaks with Renira, ultimately revealing that she is the new Herald. Orphus is reluctant to kill, despite the dangers they face, and is killed by Emrik as part of his overall plan to bring in the fifth age.
Mihiriel – An angel who loves riddles and helps Renira, Sun, and Armstar escape when Perel attacks Los Hold. Mihiriel fights against Perel but is ultimately killed after being distracted by Perel’s wolf, Tesh.
Aesie – One of Renira’s friends from the village. She follows Renira and the group, eventually revealing knowledge of Renira’s mother being a heretic. Aesie betrays Renira and her group multiple times due to the promise of angel blood for her father, who is dying of incurable lung rot.
Dusor – A friend of the angels who runs an inn in New Gurrund. He helps Renira and her group during their stay but is later killed by Perel in the mines.
Kerrel – A companion who joins Renira and the group on their journey through the mines. She also falls victim to Perel’s attack.
Gemp – Joined the group at the same time as Kerrel, but is an ex-soldier for the King, and becomes a supporter of the angels. Eventually teaches Sun to use a spear, and helps start the fires as a distraction for Renira and Eleseth.
