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The Mortal Techniques
هرگز نمیر
جایی در شرق دور، امپراطور ده پادشاه در هوسا باعث قحطی و فقر شده و خدایان را خشمگین کرده است. دوران امپراطور به سر رسیده و حالا پسربچهای به نام آین مأموریت دارد تا او را به سزای اعمالش برساند. بدیهی است که او نمیتواند به تنهایی این کار را انجام دهد؛ اما جهان پر از قهرمانان دورهگرد است. فقط نکتهای وجود دارد: برای اینکه قهرمانان بتوانند به خدمت آین دربیایند، باید ابتدا بمیرند. هرگز نمیر داستانی در جهان مبارزان افسانهای چین و ژاپن است که بیشباهت به انیمهها نیست. فضای خیالی داستان با شینیگامی، ارواح انتقامجو، فنون و قدرتهای فوقبشری در مبارزه و… ما را وارد ماجرایی میکند که تداعیکنندۀ آثار سینمایی است. راب جِی. هِیز، نویسندۀ انگلیسی این کتاب، پس از آزمودن مشاغل مختلف، تصمیم گرفت که به دنبال علاقهاش برود و دنیای ذهنیاش را روی کاغذ بیاورد. علاقۀ او به فضاهای تخیلی و داستانهای ماجراجویانه او را به خلق داستانهای گوناگون در این زمینه واداشته است. کتابهای او علاقهمندان بسیاری دارد. در سال ۲۰۱۷ جایزۀ اسپیافبیاُ را کسب کرد و هرگز نمیر نیز تقدیر منتقدان را به همراه داشته است.
339 pages, Paperback
First published January 29, 2019
664 people are currently reading
15292 people want to read
About the author
Rob J. Hayes
45 books1,914 followersWinner of Mark Lawrence's 3rd Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO) with Where Loyalties Lie
Rob J. Hayes has been a student, a banker, a marine research assistant, a chef, and a keyboard monkey more times than he cares to count. But eventually his love of fantasy and reading drew him to the life of a writer. He’s the author of the Amazon Best Selling The Heresy Within, the SPFBO-winning piratical swashbuckler Where Loyalties Lie, and the critically acclaimed Never Die.
Rob J. Hayes has been a student, a banker, a marine research assistant, a chef, and a keyboard monkey more times than he cares to count. But eventually his love of fantasy and reading drew him to the life of a writer. He’s the author of the Amazon Best Selling The Heresy Within, the SPFBO-winning piratical swashbuckler Where Loyalties Lie, and the critically acclaimed Never Die.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 951 reviews
December 31, 2018
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This review is quite long but the short version is this: Never Die is currently one of the three best self-published books I’ve ever read. If you still need more convincing, read further.
Joining The Mirror’s Truth by Michael R. Fletcher and We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson, Never Die is the third self-published book that currently holds a full 5-star rating from me. If you’re familiar with Hayes’s Where Loyalties Lie, which I assume is where most of you know about Rob Hayes, the first thing you should know about Never Die is that it’s completely a different kind of book from his Best Laid Plans duology. There was far less swearing, there was no romance, no rape, no sex scenes, no pirates, and no naval battles; other than the action sequences being bloody, there’s little similarity between the two works. Never Die is more like Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold infused with Samurai, Shinigami, Japanese lore and mythology, Wuxia, and anime-inspired battles in an ancient Japanese setting. It’s a book heavily influenced by anime like Sword of the Stranger, Japanese manga that involved yokai, and Eastern martial arts movies. Honestly speaking, Hayes has been talking about this book to me for almost a year now. My expectations were high because this sounded like a book that would definitely work for me and even then, Never Die was still able to fulfill that high level of expectation; the last 20% of the book even exceeded my hopes, but I’ll talk more about that later in the review. Suffice it to say that it was almost as if Never Die was written specifically for me so that I could embrace my love for SFF novels and Japanese manga/anime at once. Just like The Fifth Empire of Man, this book ended up becoming another book written by Hayes that I finished in a day, specifically in two sittings; it was that thoroughly captivating.
Ein is on a quest given by a shinigami. He’s tasked with killing the Emperor of Ten Kings, the ruler of Hosa. In order to do that, he has to find and bind four legendary heroes; the problem with this is that the four legendary heroes have to be dead first so that Ein can revive them and bind them to his will. From the blurb alone, I think you should be able to guess that Never Die is a quest-oriented story. I honestly thought the plot was going to be predictable, a simple recruitment and assassination kind of story. Although this was mostly true, I was still blindsided by how well-crafted the last 20% of the book was which, again, I’ll get into later. However, even though most of the plot progression was simple, there was so much more meaning and depth to the narrative. Never Die wonderfully tells a story that encompasses justice, friendship, retribution, honor, and oaths; there were plenty of meaningful and hopeful moments in a story about life and death that’s supposed to be dark, and I personally couldn’t be more pleased with it.
The strong execution of the plot was only possible because the main characters were so distinctive from each other and each POV was compelling to read. Itami Cho, Ein, Zhihao, Chen Lu, Bingwei Ma, and Roi Astara were a group of misfits and unlikely heroes that shouldn’t even be able to work together but somehow, in these characters, I found heartwarming friendship and inspiring heroism. It didn’t take long for me to warm up to them. Each character's personality really came to life and every new character’s introduction immediately made me care about them and curious to learn more about them. Seeing the gradual bonding of the main characters was unexpected and quite wholesome to read. I also loved how the relationship between Cho and Ein reminded me of Nanashi and Kotaro from Sword of the Stranger. Plus, same as Nanashi, Cho has also vowed to never unsheathe her other katana—War—and in my opinion, her conviction greatly enhanced the compelling narrative of her character. My personal favorite characters from the book were definitely Itami Cho and Zhihao. Cho’s determination to uphold her Oath was so honorable; she really tried her best to do what’s right even though she has regrets regarding her unfulfilled oath in her past. As for Zhihao, out of all the characters, he fits the unlikely and reluctant hero bill the best. Out of every character he created, Hayes developed these two characters the most and he did a spectacular job with it.
As far as I know, Hayes is not an Asian but I, as an Asian reader and a self-proclaimed anime/manga enthusiast, genuinely think that Hayes captured the essence of Japanese anime and Eastern martial arts with swift justice. The Japanese and anime inspirations in this book are abundant and they filled me with so much joy. I loved the portrayal of scenery in the book: the deep orange color of sunset evoked to paint the characters’ surroundings; the bamboo forest that reminded me of Arashiyama in Kyoto; a world full of spirits and yokai like Hone-onna, mokumokuren, Jikininki, or even Oni; the usage of weaponry and techniques, such as Kanata and Eastern martial arts like Wushu that Hayes chose to implement. Gratification is the only word I can use to describe my feelings towards the world-building of this novel. Never Die is a standalone book that really concluded brilliantly, but should Hayes ever decide to revisit this setting there is a lot of room for another story in the same world, as readers will see hinted at in the world-building. Also, there were a few nice nods to Chinese history, such as The Romance of the Three Ages (obviously inspired by The Romance of the Three Kingdoms) and a genius tactician that goes by the name Art of War (Inspired by Sun Tzu’s Art of War.) to name a few.
Hayes’s prose has always flowed smoothly; it’s simple, engaging, vivid, and immensely accessible. Never Die was no exception, but it was even better, clearly showing that Hayes’s prose has improved even further. Surprisingly, the book was also philosophical and sometimes even poetic, something I didn’t get at all from reading his Best Laid Plans duology. I barely highlighted any passages in Best Laid Plans, but here? There were a lot of well-written sentences that spoke volumes with few words so that even the mere act of unsheathing a katana held incredible weight. Although Hayes’s prose may not be beautiful like that of Brian Staveley or Patrick Rothfuss, it was still written effectively with brutal efficiency, and the words in Never Die disintegrated into imagery with ease. The settings and situations both frantic and calm were vividly described so that every scene was completely immersive. To me, that is a sign of a great storytelling.
Even after all these praises, I still must say that the one way in which Hayes has clearly improved is in his writing of action scenes. Never Die displayed a different sort of combat than Hayes’s previous works; most of the battles in this book feature close-quarter combat, and there was also plenty of incredible magic/yokai on savage display. Personally, I think these scenes were superbly written and even better than the battles in The Fifth Empire of Man, which were already great. Up until the 80% mark of the book, his story was a 4-star read for me; however, the last 20% instantaneously catapulted it to a 5-star rating with ease. Hayes unsheathed his blade to unleash fatal Battōjutsu in all the action sequences in this book; the results were swift, precise, and deadly. But the climax sequences in this book was the section that really put Rob Hayes’s skill as an author into the spotlight. By invoking elation in the thrill of the final battles, Hayes orchestrated an Ougi that delivered a crimson requiem to conclude the Reaper’s war with finesse. The buildup of the cinematic set pieces was felt, the roar of battles was seen, and the clashing of steel was heard. In less than 300 pages, Hayes was able to include plenty of engaging duel scenes, exhilarating big battles against yokai, and pulse-pounding large-scale war with a myriad of blood-spattered scenes; and he did it all without neglecting crucial characterizations. To sum it up quickly, the effectiveness of the devastation and destruction unleashed in the final 20% of the novel were like watching the type of breathtaking final battle scene found in my favorite kind of anime; truly a relentless barrage of palpable tension and emotions.
I don’t know what else I need to say to convince you to read this incredible book. Just pre-order this and be pleasantly surprised when it arrives at your doorstep or on your e-reader; I honestly can’t wait to hold and reread this book in its resplendent physical form. For a relatively short book, it’s unbelievable how much gravitas is packed within it; almost everything about this novel just worked for me. Glorious, heroic, inspiring, brutal, at times hilarious, but most of all incredibly unforgettable; Never Die currently holds the crown for being one of the three best self-published novels I’ve ever read and I am grateful to have read it.
Sidenote:
If you love wonderful artworks, please check out the talented and underrated Felix Ortiz’s portfolio (www.artstation.com/felixortiz). Not only he’s responsible for this gorgeous cover art, (as well as the current header image for my blog, Novel Notions) he’s also overall a really great dude. Lastly, I’d like to point out the awesome typography and cover design by Shawn T. King (www.stkkreations.com). Shinigami bless you for your great works and for not sticking to the all too common and overly used Cinzel font.
Official release date: January 29th, 2019
You can pre-order this book by clicking this link!
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
This review is quite long but the short version is this: Never Die is currently one of the three best self-published books I’ve ever read. If you still need more convincing, read further.
Joining The Mirror’s Truth by Michael R. Fletcher and We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson, Never Die is the third self-published book that currently holds a full 5-star rating from me. If you’re familiar with Hayes’s Where Loyalties Lie, which I assume is where most of you know about Rob Hayes, the first thing you should know about Never Die is that it’s completely a different kind of book from his Best Laid Plans duology. There was far less swearing, there was no romance, no rape, no sex scenes, no pirates, and no naval battles; other than the action sequences being bloody, there’s little similarity between the two works. Never Die is more like Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold infused with Samurai, Shinigami, Japanese lore and mythology, Wuxia, and anime-inspired battles in an ancient Japanese setting. It’s a book heavily influenced by anime like Sword of the Stranger, Japanese manga that involved yokai, and Eastern martial arts movies. Honestly speaking, Hayes has been talking about this book to me for almost a year now. My expectations were high because this sounded like a book that would definitely work for me and even then, Never Die was still able to fulfill that high level of expectation; the last 20% of the book even exceeded my hopes, but I’ll talk more about that later in the review. Suffice it to say that it was almost as if Never Die was written specifically for me so that I could embrace my love for SFF novels and Japanese manga/anime at once. Just like The Fifth Empire of Man, this book ended up becoming another book written by Hayes that I finished in a day, specifically in two sittings; it was that thoroughly captivating.
“Some fight for honour, and some for reward.
Some for glory, and others for a cause.
Some fight for freedom, from tyranny and hate.
And some fight for love, not for a person but a name.
With death as their guide, their companion and goal.
They cross all Hosa, spirit, flesh, and soul.
Hounded by demons, from the pages of lore.
What starts with a whisper, must end with a roar.”
Ein is on a quest given by a shinigami. He’s tasked with killing the Emperor of Ten Kings, the ruler of Hosa. In order to do that, he has to find and bind four legendary heroes; the problem with this is that the four legendary heroes have to be dead first so that Ein can revive them and bind them to his will. From the blurb alone, I think you should be able to guess that Never Die is a quest-oriented story. I honestly thought the plot was going to be predictable, a simple recruitment and assassination kind of story. Although this was mostly true, I was still blindsided by how well-crafted the last 20% of the book was which, again, I’ll get into later. However, even though most of the plot progression was simple, there was so much more meaning and depth to the narrative. Never Die wonderfully tells a story that encompasses justice, friendship, retribution, honor, and oaths; there were plenty of meaningful and hopeful moments in a story about life and death that’s supposed to be dark, and I personally couldn’t be more pleased with it.
“The difference between the rich and the powerful was always made so much clearer by walls. The rich hid behind them, the powerful tore them down.”
The strong execution of the plot was only possible because the main characters were so distinctive from each other and each POV was compelling to read. Itami Cho, Ein, Zhihao, Chen Lu, Bingwei Ma, and Roi Astara were a group of misfits and unlikely heroes that shouldn’t even be able to work together but somehow, in these characters, I found heartwarming friendship and inspiring heroism. It didn’t take long for me to warm up to them. Each character's personality really came to life and every new character’s introduction immediately made me care about them and curious to learn more about them. Seeing the gradual bonding of the main characters was unexpected and quite wholesome to read. I also loved how the relationship between Cho and Ein reminded me of Nanashi and Kotaro from Sword of the Stranger. Plus, same as Nanashi, Cho has also vowed to never unsheathe her other katana—War—and in my opinion, her conviction greatly enhanced the compelling narrative of her character. My personal favorite characters from the book were definitely Itami Cho and Zhihao. Cho’s determination to uphold her Oath was so honorable; she really tried her best to do what’s right even though she has regrets regarding her unfulfilled oath in her past. As for Zhihao, out of all the characters, he fits the unlikely and reluctant hero bill the best. Out of every character he created, Hayes developed these two characters the most and he did a spectacular job with it.
“It takes a lifetime of evil to be a villain, and only one moment of good to be a hero.”
As far as I know, Hayes is not an Asian but I, as an Asian reader and a self-proclaimed anime/manga enthusiast, genuinely think that Hayes captured the essence of Japanese anime and Eastern martial arts with swift justice. The Japanese and anime inspirations in this book are abundant and they filled me with so much joy. I loved the portrayal of scenery in the book: the deep orange color of sunset evoked to paint the characters’ surroundings; the bamboo forest that reminded me of Arashiyama in Kyoto; a world full of spirits and yokai like Hone-onna, mokumokuren, Jikininki, or even Oni; the usage of weaponry and techniques, such as Kanata and Eastern martial arts like Wushu that Hayes chose to implement. Gratification is the only word I can use to describe my feelings towards the world-building of this novel. Never Die is a standalone book that really concluded brilliantly, but should Hayes ever decide to revisit this setting there is a lot of room for another story in the same world, as readers will see hinted at in the world-building. Also, there were a few nice nods to Chinese history, such as The Romance of the Three Ages (obviously inspired by The Romance of the Three Kingdoms) and a genius tactician that goes by the name Art of War (Inspired by Sun Tzu’s Art of War.) to name a few.
Hayes’s prose has always flowed smoothly; it’s simple, engaging, vivid, and immensely accessible. Never Die was no exception, but it was even better, clearly showing that Hayes’s prose has improved even further. Surprisingly, the book was also philosophical and sometimes even poetic, something I didn’t get at all from reading his Best Laid Plans duology. I barely highlighted any passages in Best Laid Plans, but here? There were a lot of well-written sentences that spoke volumes with few words so that even the mere act of unsheathing a katana held incredible weight. Although Hayes’s prose may not be beautiful like that of Brian Staveley or Patrick Rothfuss, it was still written effectively with brutal efficiency, and the words in Never Die disintegrated into imagery with ease. The settings and situations both frantic and calm were vividly described so that every scene was completely immersive. To me, that is a sign of a great storytelling.
“One can either let their losses define them, or define those losses by what is left to them.”
Even after all these praises, I still must say that the one way in which Hayes has clearly improved is in his writing of action scenes. Never Die displayed a different sort of combat than Hayes’s previous works; most of the battles in this book feature close-quarter combat, and there was also plenty of incredible magic/yokai on savage display. Personally, I think these scenes were superbly written and even better than the battles in The Fifth Empire of Man, which were already great. Up until the 80% mark of the book, his story was a 4-star read for me; however, the last 20% instantaneously catapulted it to a 5-star rating with ease. Hayes unsheathed his blade to unleash fatal Battōjutsu in all the action sequences in this book; the results were swift, precise, and deadly. But the climax sequences in this book was the section that really put Rob Hayes’s skill as an author into the spotlight. By invoking elation in the thrill of the final battles, Hayes orchestrated an Ougi that delivered a crimson requiem to conclude the Reaper’s war with finesse. The buildup of the cinematic set pieces was felt, the roar of battles was seen, and the clashing of steel was heard. In less than 300 pages, Hayes was able to include plenty of engaging duel scenes, exhilarating big battles against yokai, and pulse-pounding large-scale war with a myriad of blood-spattered scenes; and he did it all without neglecting crucial characterizations. To sum it up quickly, the effectiveness of the devastation and destruction unleashed in the final 20% of the novel were like watching the type of breathtaking final battle scene found in my favorite kind of anime; truly a relentless barrage of palpable tension and emotions.
“For some, a sword is an extension of themselves, and thus any sword will do. For others the sword and wielder are one, two halves of one soul, and neither will ever be complete without the other.”
I don’t know what else I need to say to convince you to read this incredible book. Just pre-order this and be pleasantly surprised when it arrives at your doorstep or on your e-reader; I honestly can’t wait to hold and reread this book in its resplendent physical form. For a relatively short book, it’s unbelievable how much gravitas is packed within it; almost everything about this novel just worked for me. Glorious, heroic, inspiring, brutal, at times hilarious, but most of all incredibly unforgettable; Never Die currently holds the crown for being one of the three best self-published novels I’ve ever read and I am grateful to have read it.
Sidenote:
If you love wonderful artworks, please check out the talented and underrated Felix Ortiz’s portfolio (www.artstation.com/felixortiz). Not only he’s responsible for this gorgeous cover art, (as well as the current header image for my blog, Novel Notions) he’s also overall a really great dude. Lastly, I’d like to point out the awesome typography and cover design by Shawn T. King (www.stkkreations.com). Shinigami bless you for your great works and for not sticking to the all too common and overly used Cinzel font.
Official release date: January 29th, 2019
You can pre-order this book by clicking this link!
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
Read
January 22, 2023The best way to describe this book is if a reverse Suicide Squad took place in feudal Japan. And that’s a good thing. This book was everything I wanted Cradle by Will Wight and Poppy War by RF Kuang to be.
A swashbuckling adventure with incredibly unique characters, insane abilities, and a creepy land with surprisingly good lore for such a short book. Hayes gives each character just enough backstory that you want to know more about each character.
I had a blast with this one and will certainly check out the next book in the Mortal Techniques universe.
A swashbuckling adventure with incredibly unique characters, insane abilities, and a creepy land with surprisingly good lore for such a short book. Hayes gives each character just enough backstory that you want to know more about each character.
I had a blast with this one and will certainly check out the next book in the Mortal Techniques universe.
December 22, 2018
To people that don’t read much self-published fiction, Rob J. Hayes is here to prove exactly why you should!
This is a great price of fantasy writing. It reminds me of mortal combat, as the characters duel to prove who is the best warrior. And they are quite a memorable cast, pulled together to serve the whims of an undead boy. Cho, the Whispering Blade, is as quiet as she is deadly. Zhihao Cheng, the Emerald Wind, can project images of himself and sneak up behind his opponent to deadly effect. Iron Gut Chem has impenetrable skin, Ghost Echo is a fiercely accurate leprosy riddled sniper and Bingwei Ma is a master of unarmed combat. They are a motley band, but they are all great heroes forced to fight for a cause not their own.
As such, the characters really drove this story forward. It’s Asian inspired and captures a warrior culture based on honour and reputation against a backdrop of feuding warlords. And because of how much reputation these five have, they have been bound together to fight for the little boy’s desires. He wants to see the Emperor dead, and they must oblige. He has brought them all back from the dead with necromantic magic, and if they stray away from him, they will perish. The price of freedom, a new life, must be bought with the blood he desires. It’s quite an interestingly awkward dynamic, legendary heroes being ordered around by an eight-year-old undead boy.
There are many funny moments as characters that clearly don’t belong together in the same band, clash and bang heads together. At one point, I thought a big fight would irrupt and they’d all just kill each other (again.) But somehow, yes somehow, they manage to crush their differences and work together. And it’s quite compelling. They all have completely different motives, values and outlooks on life, but they were able to come together to get the job done. And considering how volatile a few of them are, that’s a real achievement. It was hilarious at times, but it was also very tense with a plot that explodes into a dramatic conclusion that delivers everything it promises.
I would even go as far as to say that the book had a certain cinematic quality to it. I would genuinely love to watch an anime movie about these characters and this plot; it would be fantastic because it’s such a slick piece of writing, with katanas flying everywhere and monsters making things difficult. It would work so well on the screen. The cover really captures the feel of it all. It’s a real strong piece of awesomeness that will appeal directly to your inner geek. There’s some brilliantly described combat scenes and the action is constant. There’s never a dull moment. The story was immediate and engaging, I read it in one sitting. Real good stuff, I can’t fault it whatsoever.
So, I really do recommend this one; it’s quite a quick read but it’s lots of fun! Many thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a great price of fantasy writing. It reminds me of mortal combat, as the characters duel to prove who is the best warrior. And they are quite a memorable cast, pulled together to serve the whims of an undead boy. Cho, the Whispering Blade, is as quiet as she is deadly. Zhihao Cheng, the Emerald Wind, can project images of himself and sneak up behind his opponent to deadly effect. Iron Gut Chem has impenetrable skin, Ghost Echo is a fiercely accurate leprosy riddled sniper and Bingwei Ma is a master of unarmed combat. They are a motley band, but they are all great heroes forced to fight for a cause not their own.
As such, the characters really drove this story forward. It’s Asian inspired and captures a warrior culture based on honour and reputation against a backdrop of feuding warlords. And because of how much reputation these five have, they have been bound together to fight for the little boy’s desires. He wants to see the Emperor dead, and they must oblige. He has brought them all back from the dead with necromantic magic, and if they stray away from him, they will perish. The price of freedom, a new life, must be bought with the blood he desires. It’s quite an interestingly awkward dynamic, legendary heroes being ordered around by an eight-year-old undead boy.
There are many funny moments as characters that clearly don’t belong together in the same band, clash and bang heads together. At one point, I thought a big fight would irrupt and they’d all just kill each other (again.) But somehow, yes somehow, they manage to crush their differences and work together. And it’s quite compelling. They all have completely different motives, values and outlooks on life, but they were able to come together to get the job done. And considering how volatile a few of them are, that’s a real achievement. It was hilarious at times, but it was also very tense with a plot that explodes into a dramatic conclusion that delivers everything it promises.
I would even go as far as to say that the book had a certain cinematic quality to it. I would genuinely love to watch an anime movie about these characters and this plot; it would be fantastic because it’s such a slick piece of writing, with katanas flying everywhere and monsters making things difficult. It would work so well on the screen. The cover really captures the feel of it all. It’s a real strong piece of awesomeness that will appeal directly to your inner geek. There’s some brilliantly described combat scenes and the action is constant. There’s never a dull moment. The story was immediate and engaging, I read it in one sitting. Real good stuff, I can’t fault it whatsoever.
So, I really do recommend this one; it’s quite a quick read but it’s lots of fun! Many thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 9, 2019
I received an uncorrected proof copy of Never Die in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Rob J. Hayes for the opportunity. Contains minor spoilers.
The tale begins with an assault on Kaishi City. The notorious bandit Flaming Fist is searching for his missing daughter and will literally burn, and his accompanying rebel army will destroy anyone in his path until he has found her. On the opposite side of this deadly and bloody ruckus, we are introduced to Whispering Blade (Itami Cho) who has taken an oath amongst her comrades to protect the city. She is one of the finest warriors in Hosa, and she carries two swords, one of which she is forbidden to draw. After certain complications, the character who seems like she will be the book's main protagonist from the beginning is brutally murdered in typical Hayes fashion. Nothing but darkness remains for her now... Unless there happened to be a creepy ten-year-old, scarf-wearing, dark-eyed child around who is somehow able to return heroes from death. As long as they agree to help him on an assassination mission that has been assigned to him by a God of Death, of course.
Never Die was an interesting read and is unique in the dark fantasy scene. Hayes, a British author, has created an expansive, impressive and engrossing fantasy world which is inspired by Japanese/ Oriental history and folklore. It features a whole plethora of creatures and otherworldly beings such as yokai, jikininki, oni, etc... The descriptions of these monstrosities are colourful and heightened by Hayes' prose but I did take to Google occasionally to review what they were recorded as originally in Oriental mythology and it did add layers to my experience. This mid-length novel features some elements of Hayes' tinged grimdark but it is closer to the wire-fu movies (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) oriental history cinema (Red Cliff, Once Upon a Time in China) in tone, mixed with an almost perfect mix of humour, likeable main characters and camaraderie. These players include a bandit, a leper, a wushu master, and a gentleman who would never lose at sumo-wrestling.
I had a genuinely positive time throughout the majority of this book, however, for about 20% I was worried if it was going to be too formulaic with the team walking, fighting a demon, meeting someone to have a dual with, repeat - which did happen a couple of times. A few of the set-pieces are as if they've been taken from a level of Mortal Kombat, an end of act fight from Streets of Rage, a boss fight from The Legend of Zelda, and colourful fight scenes straight out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It is an interesting mix. Although all of the above are frequent throughout, Hayes doesn't forget how to write battles, sieges, and final confrontations.
Hayes writes stunning culminations when all the weaved threads combine and the final piece is presented. I do not believe that anything written in his books is by coincidence. The ending was intense and great. The pinnacles of the showdowns were presented during this period. The characters were deep for a book of sub 300 pages and the relationships they created and their banter was marvellous. Hayes often has twists in his tales and in Never Die there were two big reveals. I guessed the first one at about 60% - the second I had no idea about and it staggered me like a punch from the Master of the Sun Valley's would. Hayes is releasing books at a remarkable rate and I've yet to find a book of his that I haven't enjoyed. Keep it up, Sir.
The tale begins with an assault on Kaishi City. The notorious bandit Flaming Fist is searching for his missing daughter and will literally burn, and his accompanying rebel army will destroy anyone in his path until he has found her. On the opposite side of this deadly and bloody ruckus, we are introduced to Whispering Blade (Itami Cho) who has taken an oath amongst her comrades to protect the city. She is one of the finest warriors in Hosa, and she carries two swords, one of which she is forbidden to draw. After certain complications, the character who seems like she will be the book's main protagonist from the beginning is brutally murdered in typical Hayes fashion. Nothing but darkness remains for her now... Unless there happened to be a creepy ten-year-old, scarf-wearing, dark-eyed child around who is somehow able to return heroes from death. As long as they agree to help him on an assassination mission that has been assigned to him by a God of Death, of course.
Never Die was an interesting read and is unique in the dark fantasy scene. Hayes, a British author, has created an expansive, impressive and engrossing fantasy world which is inspired by Japanese/ Oriental history and folklore. It features a whole plethora of creatures and otherworldly beings such as yokai, jikininki, oni, etc... The descriptions of these monstrosities are colourful and heightened by Hayes' prose but I did take to Google occasionally to review what they were recorded as originally in Oriental mythology and it did add layers to my experience. This mid-length novel features some elements of Hayes' tinged grimdark but it is closer to the wire-fu movies (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) oriental history cinema (Red Cliff, Once Upon a Time in China) in tone, mixed with an almost perfect mix of humour, likeable main characters and camaraderie. These players include a bandit, a leper, a wushu master, and a gentleman who would never lose at sumo-wrestling.
I had a genuinely positive time throughout the majority of this book, however, for about 20% I was worried if it was going to be too formulaic with the team walking, fighting a demon, meeting someone to have a dual with, repeat - which did happen a couple of times. A few of the set-pieces are as if they've been taken from a level of Mortal Kombat, an end of act fight from Streets of Rage, a boss fight from The Legend of Zelda, and colourful fight scenes straight out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It is an interesting mix. Although all of the above are frequent throughout, Hayes doesn't forget how to write battles, sieges, and final confrontations.
Hayes writes stunning culminations when all the weaved threads combine and the final piece is presented. I do not believe that anything written in his books is by coincidence. The ending was intense and great. The pinnacles of the showdowns were presented during this period. The characters were deep for a book of sub 300 pages and the relationships they created and their banter was marvellous. Hayes often has twists in his tales and in Never Die there were two big reveals. I guessed the first one at about 60% - the second I had no idea about and it staggered me like a punch from the Master of the Sun Valley's would. Hayes is releasing books at a remarkable rate and I've yet to find a book of his that I haven't enjoyed. Keep it up, Sir.
December 23, 2018
This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription
“Honour can be lost a dozen times, and regained. Life can only be lost once, and never regained.”
🌟 After 3 years of reviewing books, I developed a hunch for the books I will like. It is like the clinical sense in medicine, something that is gained with experience and trial. I sometimes try to give books chances even if I feel I won’t like them. They mostly end up being disappointing so I learned to follow my gut even more.
🌟 A couple of weeks ago, I was scrolling through Twitter when I saw the cover of this book and I had a strange feeling. I felt that I NEEDED to read this book ASAP! The post was a chance to get an ARC and review this book. It looks like the stars aligned that moment and everything went perfect, the second day I had my E-ARC waiting in my inbox.
🌟 Another fact about me; I take a glimpse on the first few pages and read the prologue whenever I get a new book. I was intrigued super quickly! I fell in love with the writing style by reading a few lines.
🌟 When I finally started the book, I didn’t know what to expect. If it was going to be as good as the first page then I was on a wild ride and I was so ready for it. But I haven’t read anything by the author previously and so I lowered my expectations.
🌟 The writing style did not disappoint and it was everything I wanted and more! It was funny, emotional, deep, relatable and easy to follow.
“Some fight for honour, and some for reward.
Some for glory, and others for a cause.
Some fight for freedom, from tyranny and hate.
And some fight for love, not for a person but a name.
With death as their guide, their companion and goal.
They cross all Hosa, spirit, flesh, and soul.
Hounded by demons, from the pages of lore.
What starts with a whisper, must end with a roar.”
🌟 The characters were so fleshed out and I was thinking about my favorite and the answer was Itami Cho, Iron Gut Chen Lu, Zhihao, Bingwei Ma, and Roi Astara. In another language, this was one of the very few books were I like all the characters without exceptions! The characters are introduced gradually and there is time for development for all of them, I did not like all of them immediately but they certainly grow on you as you progress through the book. The characters are so diverse too and they have different personalities and characteristics that make them unique. I felt that this was a more mature version of Six of Crows –Character wise-!!!!
🌟 The world building is awesome, I mean the Asian setting, with its mythologies and the fantastic fantasy world all come together to make it an atmospheric read that is hard to forget!
🌟 Plot wise it was perfect, the thing that I did after I saw the cover was checking the synopsis and it was so cool and new. I have never read anything like this before and thus it has bonus points for creativity!
The heroes are working for a second chance to live under a SHINIGAMI!! HOW COOL IS THAT!!!
The pacing was just excellent for the story, the last few chapters in the book were literally the end of me. I felt that it was illogical to name a book “Never Die” when it made me die. There was no romance (Which is a change from the clichéd romance in 90% of books), there was just action and drama and important themes, all packed in less than 300 pages! And it is a standalone which is way too perfect for me!
🌟 Summary: It is always hard to review good books because there is not much to say about them. But this book had perfect characters, perfect pacing and world building and perfect plot twists! This all made it deserve a place as my 8th 5 stars rating this year among 145 other books that I read this year. Once again, my hunch was true!
Another fact: apparently this is self published which blows my mind and I certainly will check the author’s other works!
🌟 Prescription: Do yourself a favor and read this book if you like fantasy! I can guarantee that it won’t disappoint.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
“Honour can be lost a dozen times, and regained. Life can only be lost once, and never regained.”
🌟 After 3 years of reviewing books, I developed a hunch for the books I will like. It is like the clinical sense in medicine, something that is gained with experience and trial. I sometimes try to give books chances even if I feel I won’t like them. They mostly end up being disappointing so I learned to follow my gut even more.
🌟 A couple of weeks ago, I was scrolling through Twitter when I saw the cover of this book and I had a strange feeling. I felt that I NEEDED to read this book ASAP! The post was a chance to get an ARC and review this book. It looks like the stars aligned that moment and everything went perfect, the second day I had my E-ARC waiting in my inbox.
🌟 Another fact about me; I take a glimpse on the first few pages and read the prologue whenever I get a new book. I was intrigued super quickly! I fell in love with the writing style by reading a few lines.
🌟 When I finally started the book, I didn’t know what to expect. If it was going to be as good as the first page then I was on a wild ride and I was so ready for it. But I haven’t read anything by the author previously and so I lowered my expectations.
🌟 The writing style did not disappoint and it was everything I wanted and more! It was funny, emotional, deep, relatable and easy to follow.
“Some fight for honour, and some for reward.
Some for glory, and others for a cause.
Some fight for freedom, from tyranny and hate.
And some fight for love, not for a person but a name.
With death as their guide, their companion and goal.
They cross all Hosa, spirit, flesh, and soul.
Hounded by demons, from the pages of lore.
What starts with a whisper, must end with a roar.”
🌟 The characters were so fleshed out and I was thinking about my favorite and the answer was Itami Cho, Iron Gut Chen Lu, Zhihao, Bingwei Ma, and Roi Astara. In another language, this was one of the very few books were I like all the characters without exceptions! The characters are introduced gradually and there is time for development for all of them, I did not like all of them immediately but they certainly grow on you as you progress through the book. The characters are so diverse too and they have different personalities and characteristics that make them unique. I felt that this was a more mature version of Six of Crows –Character wise-!!!!
🌟 The world building is awesome, I mean the Asian setting, with its mythologies and the fantastic fantasy world all come together to make it an atmospheric read that is hard to forget!
🌟 Plot wise it was perfect, the thing that I did after I saw the cover was checking the synopsis and it was so cool and new. I have never read anything like this before and thus it has bonus points for creativity!
The heroes are working for a second chance to live under a SHINIGAMI!! HOW COOL IS THAT!!!
The pacing was just excellent for the story, the last few chapters in the book were literally the end of me. I felt that it was illogical to name a book “Never Die” when it made me die. There was no romance (Which is a change from the clichéd romance in 90% of books), there was just action and drama and important themes, all packed in less than 300 pages! And it is a standalone which is way too perfect for me!
🌟 Summary: It is always hard to review good books because there is not much to say about them. But this book had perfect characters, perfect pacing and world building and perfect plot twists! This all made it deserve a place as my 8th 5 stars rating this year among 145 other books that I read this year. Once again, my hunch was true!
Another fact: apparently this is self published which blows my mind and I certainly will check the author’s other works!
🌟 Prescription: Do yourself a favor and read this book if you like fantasy! I can guarantee that it won’t disappoint.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
January 28, 2019
You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.
Never Die is hands down the best book Rob Hayes has written to date, and this is coming from someone who has really enjoyed everything I’ve read from him. It’s been a while since a book was so addictive that it kept me up late into the night because I needed to read just one more chapter, and it was an experience I relished with this book. It’s undoubtedly one of the best Asian-inspired fantasies I’ve read, as well as one of the best self-published works I’ve come across. His title as winner of SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) 2017 is well deserved.
Admittedly, I haven’t read loads of Asian-inspired fantasy, but some of those I have read felt a bit gangly, as though the author wanted a different setting from your run-of-the-mill medieval European fantasy, but failed to put in the research to make the story feel natural. That was so not the case with Never Die. I could tell as I was reading that Rob had spent so much time and put so much research into making this story a believable one within its setting. The dress, the mannerisms, the names, and the mythology were all lovingly rendered and (in my humble opinion) very credible.
One of the stand-out elements for me was the mythological aspect. I’ve always been fascinated by mythology, but have had little exposure to any ancient mythology outside of the commonly presented Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, and Celtic mythologies. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Japanese mythology as I read this book. (Side note: How cool are electronic books? The ability to highlight a term and dig into its meaning without actually putting said book down to do so is so insanely convenient.) Not only did I get to experience a very enjoyable story, I actually came away from it knowing more about a particular topic. That’s an amazing bonus. One additional thing I’d like to recognize Hayes for is his utilization of short chapters. Again, this is something more noticeable when reading the book in electronic format, but there’s something about finishing a chapter and then seeing that the next is only a few minutes long that makes it almost impossible to stop reading. He takes the theory of “just one more chapter” and really runs with it.
While I really love Hayes’ Best Laid Plans pirate duology, and enjoyed his most recent standalone, City of Kings, set in the same world, all three of these books went to very dark places that made me a bit uncomfortable. Again, I very much enjoyed them, but I had to distance myself from them a bit in my mind because of their content. Not so with Never Die. While still very much in keeping with Hayes’ signature violent action scenes that I came to love in Where Loyalties Lie, this book was remarkably clean in other respects. There was no real romance, which resulted in no sex scenes. There was very little vulgarity as compared to the other work I’ve read from Hayes. And best of all, there was no rape! Yay!
Also, while I loved the pirate-riddled world I first visited in the Best Laid Plans duology, I found this new Japanese-inspired world of Never Die a refreshing change. As I stated above, it was impeccably researched. This mixed with Hayes’ laid back prose to create a world that I could see and hear and smell as if the book was a portal to an enticing foreign land. It’s a world I would love to revisit. Also, there was an important addition made to this world not present in Best Laid Plans: honor. There was this respectable vein of honor running through this motley group of characters, even those who don’t view themselves as heroes. It was a refreshing change.
Speaking of characters, Hayes did a phenomenal job crafting this ragtag crew. We introduced to these heroes one by one, as they are unwillingly drafted into a seemingly impossible quest. As they don’t really know each other, we learn about them as they reveal things to the group. Very rarely is a team assembled like this where there are no core relationships already developed that are brought to the table, so I thought it was an interesting decision. I enjoyed how varied these characters were, in personality and physicality and fighting style. And the names! I love the titles awarded to each character based on some tactical strength they had developed and were famous for harnessing. We have characters with names like The Whispering Blade and The Emerald Breeze and Iron Gut and Death’s Echo. They’re such rich, evocative titles, and say such deep things about those who carry them. While I found all of the characters enjoyable, my absolute favorite was Itami Cho, the Whispering Blade. She was stoic but caring, badass but kind, and you could tell that she knew or suspected far more than she let on about their mission, their physical state, and the boy who had drafted them for this endeavor. She’s an incredibly strong female character and in my opinion was the shining star of the story.
In case you haven’t noticed by now, I have nothing negative to say about this book. Never Die is the most compelling, addictive blaze-of-glory story I have ever had the pleasure of reading. If you’re a fan of anime and/or manga, you’re going to love this story. If you want more Asian fantasy in your life, you definitely won’t be disappointed if you pick this one up. If you love motley crews and epic action scenes, you’ll find fantastic examples of both here. And if you’re just looking for something absorbing and hard to put down, you’ll enjoy Never Die until the very last page.
Never Die is hands down the best book Rob Hayes has written to date, and this is coming from someone who has really enjoyed everything I’ve read from him. It’s been a while since a book was so addictive that it kept me up late into the night because I needed to read just one more chapter, and it was an experience I relished with this book. It’s undoubtedly one of the best Asian-inspired fantasies I’ve read, as well as one of the best self-published works I’ve come across. His title as winner of SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) 2017 is well deserved.
“Sometimes peace is no more than oppression in disguise.”
Admittedly, I haven’t read loads of Asian-inspired fantasy, but some of those I have read felt a bit gangly, as though the author wanted a different setting from your run-of-the-mill medieval European fantasy, but failed to put in the research to make the story feel natural. That was so not the case with Never Die. I could tell as I was reading that Rob had spent so much time and put so much research into making this story a believable one within its setting. The dress, the mannerisms, the names, and the mythology were all lovingly rendered and (in my humble opinion) very credible.
One of the stand-out elements for me was the mythological aspect. I’ve always been fascinated by mythology, but have had little exposure to any ancient mythology outside of the commonly presented Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, and Celtic mythologies. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Japanese mythology as I read this book. (Side note: How cool are electronic books? The ability to highlight a term and dig into its meaning without actually putting said book down to do so is so insanely convenient.) Not only did I get to experience a very enjoyable story, I actually came away from it knowing more about a particular topic. That’s an amazing bonus. One additional thing I’d like to recognize Hayes for is his utilization of short chapters. Again, this is something more noticeable when reading the book in electronic format, but there’s something about finishing a chapter and then seeing that the next is only a few minutes long that makes it almost impossible to stop reading. He takes the theory of “just one more chapter” and really runs with it.
While I really love Hayes’ Best Laid Plans pirate duology, and enjoyed his most recent standalone, City of Kings, set in the same world, all three of these books went to very dark places that made me a bit uncomfortable. Again, I very much enjoyed them, but I had to distance myself from them a bit in my mind because of their content. Not so with Never Die. While still very much in keeping with Hayes’ signature violent action scenes that I came to love in Where Loyalties Lie, this book was remarkably clean in other respects. There was no real romance, which resulted in no sex scenes. There was very little vulgarity as compared to the other work I’ve read from Hayes. And best of all, there was no rape! Yay!
You saved yourself, woman. All I did was pass you a sword.
Also, while I loved the pirate-riddled world I first visited in the Best Laid Plans duology, I found this new Japanese-inspired world of Never Die a refreshing change. As I stated above, it was impeccably researched. This mixed with Hayes’ laid back prose to create a world that I could see and hear and smell as if the book was a portal to an enticing foreign land. It’s a world I would love to revisit. Also, there was an important addition made to this world not present in Best Laid Plans: honor. There was this respectable vein of honor running through this motley group of characters, even those who don’t view themselves as heroes. It was a refreshing change.
“Immortality is subjective. Your stories will always be told. Your legend will never die. But your body can.”
Speaking of characters, Hayes did a phenomenal job crafting this ragtag crew. We introduced to these heroes one by one, as they are unwillingly drafted into a seemingly impossible quest. As they don’t really know each other, we learn about them as they reveal things to the group. Very rarely is a team assembled like this where there are no core relationships already developed that are brought to the table, so I thought it was an interesting decision. I enjoyed how varied these characters were, in personality and physicality and fighting style. And the names! I love the titles awarded to each character based on some tactical strength they had developed and were famous for harnessing. We have characters with names like The Whispering Blade and The Emerald Breeze and Iron Gut and Death’s Echo. They’re such rich, evocative titles, and say such deep things about those who carry them. While I found all of the characters enjoyable, my absolute favorite was Itami Cho, the Whispering Blade. She was stoic but caring, badass but kind, and you could tell that she knew or suspected far more than she let on about their mission, their physical state, and the boy who had drafted them for this endeavor. She’s an incredibly strong female character and in my opinion was the shining star of the story.
What starts with a whisper, must end with a roar.
In case you haven’t noticed by now, I have nothing negative to say about this book. Never Die is the most compelling, addictive blaze-of-glory story I have ever had the pleasure of reading. If you’re a fan of anime and/or manga, you’re going to love this story. If you want more Asian fantasy in your life, you definitely won’t be disappointed if you pick this one up. If you love motley crews and epic action scenes, you’ll find fantastic examples of both here. And if you’re just looking for something absorbing and hard to put down, you’ll enjoy Never Die until the very last page.
April 7, 2020
Never Die was brilliant. It had it all. Fearsome katana action? Tick. Hilarious interactions between bandits and heroes alike? Tick. Instantly likeable characters? Tick. A spooky young boy who can bring heroes back from the dead? Ti- okay maybe not the criteria you seek in every book but Never Die was a completely unique and fun read.
“Justice of the sword is just murder by another name.”
Rob Hayes has crafted a fantastic Samurai and Eastern-inspired fantasy book that subtly pulls the reader into a world that has more depth and originality each page you turn. It has samurai, duels that are reminiscent of the manga Vagabond and mythical creatures. It’s immensely enjoyable and heaps of fun all whilst being a very accessible story.
A small boy called Ein is on a mission to kill the Emperor of Ten Kings. No mean feat and one he simply cannot do - one he needs heroes for. Conveniently Ein also has the immense power of bringing warriors back from the dead. Ein must bind four legendary heroes to himself to assist him on this quest, but here’s the catch - they must first be dead in order to be bound.
“Some swords strike with a growl, some with a roar. Some shake the battle like a rock slide, some bring ruin like a wild flame. But there is one sword that passes with but a whisper, and you shall know it for it says: Death has been here.”
Here we meet heroes that contain their own sub-plots, the majority of the book being told from the viewpoints of Itami Cho (Whispering Blade) and Zhihao (The Emerald Wind). These two are quickly persuaded to assist Ein and set our together to bring other heroes to death, just to be brought back to being ‘mostly alive’. I loved the plot. It engaged me and was to start with simple, but brilliantly turned into something with a lot more substance.
I also loved the characters of the heroes, firstly seeing how different they were, getting to know them as characters, then seeing how they merged together to form Ein’s band. Each was unique and Rob Hayes was able to tackle themes such as honour and friendship, justice and revenge.
“Wonderful, a fat man and a leper with a gun.”
There is excellent pacing that also had moments of reflection where we discovered the world and more about the characters. The last third of Never Die really was on full-throttle and the action was glorious. Awesome fight sequences that were fantastical and bloody, intimidating and fascinating creatures, such as the spirit-world yokai.
I also thoroughly enjoyed a few of the Easter eggs to readers who like asian-inspired tales, such as the character Art of War, and the sword maker Mifune (Toshiro Mifune?).
"It takes a lifetime of evil to be a villain, and only one moment of good to be a hero."
5/5 - Never Die is one of the best self-published books I've read. A sword-slashing and heroic tale set in a fantastical world of the East. Mythological creatures, an impossible quest and a brilliant band of heroes are forged in Never Die. I will be sure to read a lot more of Rob Hayes’ books in the future as I enjoyed this massively.
“Justice of the sword is just murder by another name.”
Rob Hayes has crafted a fantastic Samurai and Eastern-inspired fantasy book that subtly pulls the reader into a world that has more depth and originality each page you turn. It has samurai, duels that are reminiscent of the manga Vagabond and mythical creatures. It’s immensely enjoyable and heaps of fun all whilst being a very accessible story.
A small boy called Ein is on a mission to kill the Emperor of Ten Kings. No mean feat and one he simply cannot do - one he needs heroes for. Conveniently Ein also has the immense power of bringing warriors back from the dead. Ein must bind four legendary heroes to himself to assist him on this quest, but here’s the catch - they must first be dead in order to be bound.
“Some swords strike with a growl, some with a roar. Some shake the battle like a rock slide, some bring ruin like a wild flame. But there is one sword that passes with but a whisper, and you shall know it for it says: Death has been here.”
Here we meet heroes that contain their own sub-plots, the majority of the book being told from the viewpoints of Itami Cho (Whispering Blade) and Zhihao (The Emerald Wind). These two are quickly persuaded to assist Ein and set our together to bring other heroes to death, just to be brought back to being ‘mostly alive’. I loved the plot. It engaged me and was to start with simple, but brilliantly turned into something with a lot more substance.
I also loved the characters of the heroes, firstly seeing how different they were, getting to know them as characters, then seeing how they merged together to form Ein’s band. Each was unique and Rob Hayes was able to tackle themes such as honour and friendship, justice and revenge.
“Wonderful, a fat man and a leper with a gun.”
There is excellent pacing that also had moments of reflection where we discovered the world and more about the characters. The last third of Never Die really was on full-throttle and the action was glorious. Awesome fight sequences that were fantastical and bloody, intimidating and fascinating creatures, such as the spirit-world yokai.
I also thoroughly enjoyed a few of the Easter eggs to readers who like asian-inspired tales, such as the character Art of War, and the sword maker Mifune (Toshiro Mifune?).
"It takes a lifetime of evil to be a villain, and only one moment of good to be a hero."
5/5 - Never Die is one of the best self-published books I've read. A sword-slashing and heroic tale set in a fantastical world of the East. Mythological creatures, an impossible quest and a brilliant band of heroes are forged in Never Die. I will be sure to read a lot more of Rob Hayes’ books in the future as I enjoyed this massively.
May 27, 2021
I read this book because I heard it's inspired by anime and it was. However, I realized that reading anime based books is probably not for me, especially if it's mostly fights and duels because I'd rather see them (manga/animated) instead of reading about it. I was never a big fan of fights in books honestly, I do not always rely on exactly what is written and instead create a fight from my own imagination. In addition, skimming through a fight will lead to the result and you won't miss anything significant most of the time.
This book was heavy on fights and duels and I didn't have time to read in ages, bad combination. I wanted some rich fantasy and yes, I'm at fault here, it's less than 300 pages. The story can only be developed so much. Aside from that, the first part was pretty repetitive and predictable, the plot-twist at the end was not. The last part was the best in this book.
I can see why many compared it to anime but it's one of the few books I believe I would've enjoyed more if illustrated or on screen. It was still fun to read and I quite liked the idea behind it.
This book was heavy on fights and duels and I didn't have time to read in ages, bad combination. I wanted some rich fantasy and yes, I'm at fault here, it's less than 300 pages. The story can only be developed so much. Aside from that, the first part was pretty repetitive and predictable, the plot-twist at the end was not. The last part was the best in this book.
I can see why many compared it to anime but it's one of the few books I believe I would've enjoyed more if illustrated or on screen. It was still fun to read and I quite liked the idea behind it.
February 17, 2021
My review is now on BookNest...
Never Die - BookNest
I read Never Die as a judge for the SPFBO finalists. And I LOVED IT. Wonderful characterisation, intriguing plot, masterfully written action sequences and natural dialogue.
“The difference between the rich and the powerful was always made so much clearer by walls. The rich hide behind them, the powerful tore them down.”
Never Die is one of my favourite reads over the last year. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started, but by the end of the first chapter, I was enraptured.
Starting with the prose, Hayes wrote amazing pieces such as…
Some fight for honour, and some for reward.
Some for glory, and others for a cause.
Some fight for freedom, from tyranny and hate.
And some fight for love, not for a person but a name.
With death as their guide, their companion and goal.
They cross all Hosa, spirit, flesh, and soul.
Hounded by demons, from the pages of lore.
What starts with a whisper, must end with a roar.
And the rest of the time it was enchanting. Natural, smooth and fluid. It was so easy to just glide from page to page, as is evident due to the fact I finished this in about 36 hours, with a large chunk of that being when I was asleep.
At the core of this story is the awesome idea to bring heroes back from the dead and fight on your side! It just appeals to my interests and passion so much. How cool would it be to have some of the best warriors and heroes in one band? Well Never Die surpassed my expectations in how EPIC it was to have a group of such people.
The plot was so cool with the growing party of characters who each had a great variety of personalities. There were certainly some huge twists I did not expect that were subtly hinted at, but one of those you only piece together when its already happened.
Now onto the action sequences. Simply, they’re brilliant. Instantly immersive and vivid, with no confusion at all about what is actually happening. In most books I get slightly lost in large-scale conflicts, but once again, Never Die is one of those rare novels that succeeds in this element.
"Sometimes peace is no more than oppression in disguise.”
Overall, I think it’s safe to say that I LOVED this book. Wonderful array of characters, brilliant plot, fantastic core idea and themes. I’m definitely going to read some more Hayes!
I also voted for Never Die in the BookNest 2019 awards for best self-published novel. A declaration of my love for this story.
Never Die - BookNest
I read Never Die as a judge for the SPFBO finalists. And I LOVED IT. Wonderful characterisation, intriguing plot, masterfully written action sequences and natural dialogue.
“The difference between the rich and the powerful was always made so much clearer by walls. The rich hide behind them, the powerful tore them down.”
Never Die is one of my favourite reads over the last year. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started, but by the end of the first chapter, I was enraptured.
Starting with the prose, Hayes wrote amazing pieces such as…
Some fight for honour, and some for reward.
Some for glory, and others for a cause.
Some fight for freedom, from tyranny and hate.
And some fight for love, not for a person but a name.
With death as their guide, their companion and goal.
They cross all Hosa, spirit, flesh, and soul.
Hounded by demons, from the pages of lore.
What starts with a whisper, must end with a roar.
And the rest of the time it was enchanting. Natural, smooth and fluid. It was so easy to just glide from page to page, as is evident due to the fact I finished this in about 36 hours, with a large chunk of that being when I was asleep.
At the core of this story is the awesome idea to bring heroes back from the dead and fight on your side! It just appeals to my interests and passion so much. How cool would it be to have some of the best warriors and heroes in one band? Well Never Die surpassed my expectations in how EPIC it was to have a group of such people.
The plot was so cool with the growing party of characters who each had a great variety of personalities. There were certainly some huge twists I did not expect that were subtly hinted at, but one of those you only piece together when its already happened.
Now onto the action sequences. Simply, they’re brilliant. Instantly immersive and vivid, with no confusion at all about what is actually happening. In most books I get slightly lost in large-scale conflicts, but once again, Never Die is one of those rare novels that succeeds in this element.
"Sometimes peace is no more than oppression in disguise.”
Overall, I think it’s safe to say that I LOVED this book. Wonderful array of characters, brilliant plot, fantastic core idea and themes. I’m definitely going to read some more Hayes!
I also voted for Never Die in the BookNest 2019 awards for best self-published novel. A declaration of my love for this story.
September 10, 2021
شینیگامی، یوکای، مرگ و بقیه متعلقات و مخلفات
این خلاصهی خیلی خیلی کوتاهی بود از این کتاب. کتابی که خیلی وقت بود میخواستم بخونم، اما هی عقب مینداختم. تا اینکه برای بار نمیدونم چندم تریلر بازی سکیرو رو دیدم و این کتاب هم یجورایی در نتیجه برطرف کردن اون خورهای بود که افتاد به جونم.
و اما در مورد خود کتاب. از رو کاورش هم مشخصه که داستان تو ستینگ شرقی، و به طور خاص تو محیطی شبیه ژاپن داره اتفاق میافته. پسری توسط یک شینیگامی عازم ماموریتی میشه که بره و چنتا قهرمان رو جمع کنه و امپراتور ظالم رو از تخت پایین بکشه. پلات خیلی سرراست و واضحی داره. توییستهای خیلی خفنی نداره. فقط در انتها یک توییست به نسبت بزرگ داره که جالب بود. اما اینجوری نیست که بخواین به قصد اون توییست کتابو بخونین. باید از مسیر لذت ببرین.:)
چیزی که من تو این داستان خیلی دوست داشتم همون ستینگ و اتمسفر شرقی داستان بود. دیگه تقریبا بخش زیادی از فانتزیها، مخصوصا فانتزی حماسی، تو فضای قرون وسطایی رخ میده و این قضیه باعث میشه به جسارت نویسنده احترام بذارم. اینکه بیاد و تو فضایی متفاوت و با المانهایی متفاوت داستانش رو روایت کنه. مثلا داستان پره از ارواح انتقامجویی که تو فرهنگ ژاپن معروفند به "یوکای". موجوداتی که به شینیگامیها خدمت میکنن و تنوع بالایی هم دارن. مثلا یکی از خوشگلایی که درون این داستان هم حضور کوتاهی داشت:
از طرفی هم داستان پر اکشن و خین و خینریزیه. خودم طرفدار اکشن نیستم اصلا، اما از صحنههای زد و خورد شخصیتها تو این کتاب لذت میبردم. و باید بگم که راب جی. هیز هم خوب اکشن مینویسه. دیگه اگه یکم اهل انیمه باشین هم خوندن صحنه نبرد با کاتانا و شمشیر قلابدار چیز جذابیه:)
و اینم بگم که کلا کتاب رو هنرهای رزمی شرقی خیلی فوکوس کرده. اگه همچین چیزایی براتون جذابه، خوندنش هم شاید جذاب باشه.
و اما شخصیتها. شخصیتهای داستان به نسبت برای یه داستان مستقل 200 و خوردهی صفحهای زیاد بودن. اما خوب پرداخته شده بودن. نمیگم همشون خوب بودن، اما حداقل دو نفرشون به نسبت بقیه شخصیتپردازی بهتری داشتن. یکی از مشکلاتی هم که با داستان داشتم همین تعدد راوی بود. میتونست با راویهای کمتری هم کار رو پیش ببره. گرچه همون راویهایی که به نظرم اضافه بودن هم خیلی بهشون پرداخته نشد، چون در واقع فرصت زیادی هم براشون نبود.
جدا از پایانی که برای بعضی از شخصیتها رقم زده بود، یه مشکل دیگه هم با داستان داشتم. البته نمیشه خیلی اسمش رو مشکل گذاشت. بیشتر انتظار بیخود داشتم و بهش نرسیدم. همین! اینکه داستان داره تو ستینگ شرقی رخ میده، اما فرم روایت داستان خیلی شرقی نیست. چیزی که تو ژاپنی بهش میگن «کای-شو-تِن-کِتسو». که یجورایی میشه پلات چهار پردهای که تو شرق رایجه؛ برخلاف پلات سه پردهای که تو غرب رایجه و ما هم با همین داستانهای سهپردهای بزرگ شدیم. البته این کایشوتنکتسو فقط مختص پلات نیست و تو شعر و جاهای دیگه هم مورد استفاده قرار میگیره. خلاصه که انتظار داشتم نویسنده این قضیه رو بیاره تو داستان، که نیاورد. یا حداقل من متوجه نشدم.
نمره دقیقم به کتاب 3.5ئه، اما برخلاف حالت معمول، این دفعه به بالا گرد میکنم و چهار میدم:)
خلاصه که کتاب جالب و کوتاهی بود (گرچه خودم خیلی طولش دادم). اگه حوصلتون از شاه و شوالیه و ... سر رفته، یه سر به این کتاب بزنید.
قبلا هم گفتم، اما اگه از این فضاها خوشتون میاد بشینین انیمه سینمایی
Sword of the stranger
رو ببینید.
این خلاصهی خیلی خیلی کوتاهی بود از این کتاب. کتابی که خیلی وقت بود میخواستم بخونم، اما هی عقب مینداختم. تا اینکه برای بار نمیدونم چندم تریلر بازی سکیرو رو دیدم و این کتاب هم یجورایی در نتیجه برطرف کردن اون خورهای بود که افتاد به جونم.
و اما در مورد خود کتاب. از رو کاورش هم مشخصه که داستان تو ستینگ شرقی، و به طور خاص تو محیطی شبیه ژاپن داره اتفاق میافته. پسری توسط یک شینیگامی عازم ماموریتی میشه که بره و چنتا قهرمان رو جمع کنه و امپراتور ظالم رو از تخت پایین بکشه. پلات خیلی سرراست و واضحی داره. توییستهای خیلی خفنی نداره. فقط در انتها یک توییست به نسبت بزرگ داره که جالب بود. اما اینجوری نیست که بخواین به قصد اون توییست کتابو بخونین. باید از مسیر لذت ببرین.:)
چیزی که من تو این داستان خیلی دوست داشتم همون ستینگ و اتمسفر شرقی داستان بود. دیگه تقریبا بخش زیادی از فانتزیها، مخصوصا فانتزی حماسی، تو فضای قرون وسطایی رخ میده و این قضیه باعث میشه به جسارت نویسنده احترام بذارم. اینکه بیاد و تو فضایی متفاوت و با المانهایی متفاوت داستانش رو روایت کنه. مثلا داستان پره از ارواح انتقامجویی که تو فرهنگ ژاپن معروفند به "یوکای". موجوداتی که به شینیگامیها خدمت میکنن و تنوع بالایی هم دارن. مثلا یکی از خوشگلایی که درون این داستان هم حضور کوتاهی داشت:
از طرفی هم داستان پر اکشن و خین و خینریزیه. خودم طرفدار اکشن نیستم اصلا، اما از صحنههای زد و خورد شخصیتها تو این کتاب لذت میبردم. و باید بگم که راب جی. هیز هم خوب اکشن مینویسه. دیگه اگه یکم اهل انیمه باشین هم خوندن صحنه نبرد با کاتانا و شمشیر قلابدار چیز جذابیه:)
و اینم بگم که کلا کتاب رو هنرهای رزمی شرقی خیلی فوکوس کرده. اگه همچین چیزایی براتون جذابه، خوندنش هم شاید جذاب باشه.
و اما شخصیتها. شخصیتهای داستان به نسبت برای یه داستان مستقل 200 و خوردهی صفحهای زیاد بودن. اما خوب پرداخته شده بودن. نمیگم همشون خوب بودن، اما حداقل دو نفرشون به نسبت بقیه شخصیتپردازی بهتری داشتن. یکی از مشکلاتی هم که با داستان داشتم همین تعدد راوی بود. میتونست با راویهای کمتری هم کار رو پیش ببره. گرچه همون راویهایی که به نظرم اضافه بودن هم خیلی بهشون پرداخته نشد، چون در واقع فرصت زیادی هم براشون نبود.
جدا از پایانی که برای بعضی از شخصیتها رقم زده بود، یه مشکل دیگه هم با داستان داشتم. البته نمیشه خیلی اسمش رو مشکل گذاشت. بیشتر انتظار بیخود داشتم و بهش نرسیدم. همین! اینکه داستان داره تو ستینگ شرقی رخ میده، اما فرم روایت داستان خیلی شرقی نیست. چیزی که تو ژاپنی بهش میگن «کای-شو-تِن-کِتسو». که یجورایی میشه پلات چهار پردهای که تو شرق رایجه؛ برخلاف پلات سه پردهای که تو غرب رایجه و ما هم با همین داستانهای سهپردهای بزرگ شدیم. البته این کایشوتنکتسو فقط مختص پلات نیست و تو شعر و جاهای دیگه هم مورد استفاده قرار میگیره. خلاصه که انتظار داشتم نویسنده این قضیه رو بیاره تو داستان، که نیاورد. یا حداقل من متوجه نشدم.
نمره دقیقم به کتاب 3.5ئه، اما برخلاف حالت معمول، این دفعه به بالا گرد میکنم و چهار میدم:)
خلاصه که کتاب جالب و کوتاهی بود (گرچه خودم خیلی طولش دادم). اگه حوصلتون از شاه و شوالیه و ... سر رفته، یه سر به این کتاب بزنید.
قبلا هم گفتم، اما اگه از این فضاها خوشتون میاد بشینین انیمه سینمایی
Sword of the stranger
رو ببینید.
January 11, 2019
This story is pure adrenaline. From the very first line through its twisty conclusion, Never Die showcases Rob Hayes’ talent in creating interesting and memorable characters while placing them in ever-escalating life-or-death situations. This is a story of vengeance and honor, delivered with the style and speed of an expert katana slash. It incorporates elements of Japanese mythology, including various species of yokai (spirit monsters), death gods, masters of qi, and resurrection, to name but a few. It explores what it means to be a warrior, and its tolls on the human psyche. It’s not a long book, yet it packs in an incredible amount of content told at a blistering pace. Simply put, this is one of the most fun and action-packed stand-alone books I’ve read.
One of the more impressive feats that Hayes pulls off is how he was able to flesh out his characters so quickly, using so few pages. I felt like I knew these characters well enough to guess what they would say or how they would react in upcoming situations. The friendships and relationships felt real and earned, and the dialogue was both insightful and humorous. Each character was flawed but had a strong and unique voice in the story: there was the oath-breaking but skilled warrior, a cowardly bandit with confidence issues, an iron-skinned master who drowns his anonymity with wine, an undefeated martial artist who has never left home, an altruistic leper who is knocking on death’s door, and a demonic child on a singular quest of vengeance. The child gathers these great warriors from around the crumbling Empire with a mission to assassinate a man who may be impossible to access, all while being plagued by nightmarish spirits every step of the way.
The story is simple in its nature – the first half of the story is dedicated to gathering the party, and the back half concentrates on the mission of vengeance – yet the book never wavers in its pace or level of excitement. The battles are numerous and increasingly dangerous, and there are plenty of curious mysteries that help drive the story forward. I have little knowledge of Japanese lore, so reading this book on the Kindle app was a great help. The app allowed me to highlight and research many of the Japanese words scattered throughout the story (such as jikininki, inugami, and kiyohime), so I recommend this method to learn more about where these fables originated. Even some of the most bizarre and eccentric occurrences were all rooted in Japanese history, and Hayes did a fine job researching and integrating some truly horrifying adversaries to throw at our cadre of heroes.
There were a couple of quibbles I had after one of the big final twists was revealed, as I questioned some contradictions in the narrative that didn’t sit entirely well with me. If the audience were privy to this knowledge at the beginning of the story, I would wonder why certain events played out as they did. Still, the impact of this reveal resulted in a powerful and surprising ending that outweighed any of its detriments, and I appreciated what the author was aiming for.
Never Die is like an anime video game come to life, in book form. Therefore, it might not be for everyone. But if that description intrigues you in the least, you owe it to yourself to dive in, head-first. I hope to see more stories from Hayes that is set in this fantasy Far East setting, as it feels abundant with fresh storytelling opportunities. As a fan of this story as well as Hayes’ pirate-themed duology “Best Laid Plains,” I can’t wait to see what Hayes has in store for us next.
8.8 / 10
One of the more impressive feats that Hayes pulls off is how he was able to flesh out his characters so quickly, using so few pages. I felt like I knew these characters well enough to guess what they would say or how they would react in upcoming situations. The friendships and relationships felt real and earned, and the dialogue was both insightful and humorous. Each character was flawed but had a strong and unique voice in the story: there was the oath-breaking but skilled warrior, a cowardly bandit with confidence issues, an iron-skinned master who drowns his anonymity with wine, an undefeated martial artist who has never left home, an altruistic leper who is knocking on death’s door, and a demonic child on a singular quest of vengeance. The child gathers these great warriors from around the crumbling Empire with a mission to assassinate a man who may be impossible to access, all while being plagued by nightmarish spirits every step of the way.
The story is simple in its nature – the first half of the story is dedicated to gathering the party, and the back half concentrates on the mission of vengeance – yet the book never wavers in its pace or level of excitement. The battles are numerous and increasingly dangerous, and there are plenty of curious mysteries that help drive the story forward. I have little knowledge of Japanese lore, so reading this book on the Kindle app was a great help. The app allowed me to highlight and research many of the Japanese words scattered throughout the story (such as jikininki, inugami, and kiyohime), so I recommend this method to learn more about where these fables originated. Even some of the most bizarre and eccentric occurrences were all rooted in Japanese history, and Hayes did a fine job researching and integrating some truly horrifying adversaries to throw at our cadre of heroes.
There were a couple of quibbles I had after one of the big final twists was revealed, as I questioned some contradictions in the narrative that didn’t sit entirely well with me. If the audience were privy to this knowledge at the beginning of the story, I would wonder why certain events played out as they did. Still, the impact of this reveal resulted in a powerful and surprising ending that outweighed any of its detriments, and I appreciated what the author was aiming for.
Never Die is like an anime video game come to life, in book form. Therefore, it might not be for everyone. But if that description intrigues you in the least, you owe it to yourself to dive in, head-first. I hope to see more stories from Hayes that is set in this fantasy Far East setting, as it feels abundant with fresh storytelling opportunities. As a fan of this story as well as Hayes’ pirate-themed duology “Best Laid Plains,” I can’t wait to see what Hayes has in store for us next.
8.8 / 10
February 18, 2022
"It takes a lifetime of evil to be a villain, and only one moment of good to be a hero."
Full review to come on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/hollyheartsbooks
Full review to come on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/hollyheartsbooks
July 4, 2023
Kings of the Wyld meets Cradle. Someone said Suicide Squad if it took place in Feudal Japan—that also works. It's fast-paced, beautifully written, full of monsters, mythos, and magic, and so much fun!
Never Die follows a motley crew of heroes and would-be heroes (if they weren't so darn villainous) as they first recruit other members of their band and then try to complete a god-given mission to kill a tyrant. The premise is cool, but the story really shines with its characters and action scenes.
I loved every single character in this story. There were elements in the beginning that I didn't love, and I was worried for a while that it wouldn't end in a way that I found satisfying—but I shouldn't have worried! I should've trusted Rob J. Hayes because he delivered!
Also, have you seen that cover?!
Seriously, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and easy standalone fantasy read! I'm already reading the next in the series 😅
Never Die follows a motley crew of heroes and would-be heroes (if they weren't so darn villainous) as they first recruit other members of their band and then try to complete a god-given mission to kill a tyrant. The premise is cool, but the story really shines with its characters and action scenes.
I loved every single character in this story. There were elements in the beginning that I didn't love, and I was worried for a while that it wouldn't end in a way that I found satisfying—but I shouldn't have worried! I should've trusted Rob J. Hayes because he delivered!
Also, have you seen that cover?!
Seriously, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and easy standalone fantasy read! I'm already reading the next in the series 😅
Read
February 15, 2025DNF. Not my style,
April 10, 2024
I finally read my first Rob J. Hayes book and this won't be the last!
I have been wanting to get into Rob J. Hayes for years and I finally got around to it last month. I picked up Never Die, the first standalone in the Mortal Techniques series. This was a solid, fast-paced and action packed quest fantasy with some great characters and was a perfect palate cleanser. I especially loved Ein!
Unfortunately, while I had fun, this novel never really grabbed me. I usually prefer novels with a tad bit slower pacing so it is probably a me thing.
Nonetheless, I am really glad I read this book and I will definitely be reading more from Hayes. I am just trying to figure out if I should Pawn's Gambit Along The Razor's Edge!
3.5 / 5
I have been wanting to get into Rob J. Hayes for years and I finally got around to it last month. I picked up Never Die, the first standalone in the Mortal Techniques series. This was a solid, fast-paced and action packed quest fantasy with some great characters and was a perfect palate cleanser. I especially loved Ein!
Unfortunately, while I had fun, this novel never really grabbed me. I usually prefer novels with a tad bit slower pacing so it is probably a me thing.
Nonetheless, I am really glad I read this book and I will definitely be reading more from Hayes. I am just trying to figure out if I should Pawn's Gambit Along The Razor's Edge!
3.5 / 5
November 20, 2018
Wuxia is violent and anti-Confucian. But also fun.
Hayes delivers a thrilling take on classic principles and conventions of wuxia while casting them in a new light (and in a secondary world based on east-Asian influences). Wandering warriors are mostly, but not fully, alive. Some follow a code of honour, others don’t care about such nonsense.
A mysterious murdered eight-year-old boy - Ein sets on a mission to kill Emperor of Ten Kings. He can’t do it alone. He needs the help of heroes, preferably legendary ones. To serve him, they must first die.
A plot summary barely conveys the extraordinary energy of this book. At first glance, it sounds like a simple story. Ein recruits the team and they confront the bad guy in an explosive final battle. Such a description, while sound, doesn’t do the justice to the characters and their dynamics. Never Die blends reversals, unexpected meetings, betrayals, cliffhangers and lovingly described combat.
Each character has a special skill (in some cases reflected by his/her name - Whispering Blade, Iron Gut) crucial to the success of the team. Each feels distinct and memorable. I especially liked Bingwei-Ma and Itami-Cho, probably two most honourable team members. That said, others were intriguing and likable as well. Iron Gut and Emerald Wind's banter brought life and humor to the pages, while Death's Echo behaviour rose many questions.
I will stop here because Never Die is so full of nail-biting twists and turns that I don’t want to spoil the experience. For me, it’s a fantastically entertaining piece of suspenseful action storytelling with a killer ending.
Hayes delivers a thrilling take on classic principles and conventions of wuxia while casting them in a new light (and in a secondary world based on east-Asian influences). Wandering warriors are mostly, but not fully, alive. Some follow a code of honour, others don’t care about such nonsense.
A mysterious murdered eight-year-old boy - Ein sets on a mission to kill Emperor of Ten Kings. He can’t do it alone. He needs the help of heroes, preferably legendary ones. To serve him, they must first die.
A plot summary barely conveys the extraordinary energy of this book. At first glance, it sounds like a simple story. Ein recruits the team and they confront the bad guy in an explosive final battle. Such a description, while sound, doesn’t do the justice to the characters and their dynamics. Never Die blends reversals, unexpected meetings, betrayals, cliffhangers and lovingly described combat.
Each character has a special skill (in some cases reflected by his/her name - Whispering Blade, Iron Gut) crucial to the success of the team. Each feels distinct and memorable. I especially liked Bingwei-Ma and Itami-Cho, probably two most honourable team members. That said, others were intriguing and likable as well. Iron Gut and Emerald Wind's banter brought life and humor to the pages, while Death's Echo behaviour rose many questions.
I will stop here because Never Die is so full of nail-biting twists and turns that I don’t want to spoil the experience. For me, it’s a fantastically entertaining piece of suspenseful action storytelling with a killer ending.
January 3, 2019
The book surrounds the exploits of an enigmatic boy named Ein who was murdered years ago and is now on a mission from the god of death to kill the Emperor of Ten Kings. We don't know any of the backstory of Ein or why the emperor is his target, but what we do know is that in order to achieve this murderous task, he must recruit four heroes or champions to assist him in defeating this seemingly unconquerable figure. Recruiting these heroes does come with a big catch, you see they have to die first so that they can be bound to him. One by one Ein must create a scenario where each of the heroes he thinks can help him will die and then subsequently be brought back to life by him using the power he has been granted by the god of death. Pretty original plot line for a fantasy story huh? I thought so too. Needless to say some of these heroes don't exactly cooperate when Ein attempts to bring them into the fold of his band of warriors. That whole dying thing kind of puts a huge damper on things it seems. First there is Itami Cho, The Whispering Blade, who is among the quickest sword fighters of the realm and attacks with blinding speed and proficiency. Next is Zhihao Cheng, The Emerald Wind, who can literally transmit images of himself in different locations so as to confuse his enemy and then close in with the fatal blow while his foe is still trying to decipher who the real one is. Then we have Iron Gut Chen, who as his name suggests has impenetrable skin that can withstand virtually any sword thrust or physical attack without being hurt. Bingwei Ma rounds out Ein's dream team and is a master of hand to hand combat, so much so that he has often defeated heavily-armed men with stunning ease just with his bare hands.
These are the warriors that Ein has selected and recruited to attempt the unenviable task of breaching the Emperor's military defenses and hopefully killing him. Ein has a huge problem though because as with any group where there are various egos vying for supremacy, these legendary warriors do not like each other and don't mind saying so at every opportunity. Throughout the journey to try to hunt down the emperor, there are constant skirmishes and quarrels as each believes that their role in the group is more important than the others, leading to some interesting confrontations. Both Cheng and Chen are essentially legends in their own minds at times. That's not to say that they aren't powerful and skilled fighters, but there is definitely a sense that their reputations may be a bit overblown to say the least. Cho and Bingwei Ma on the other hand are obviously not only the deadliest of the crew (at least in my opinion) but are also the level-headed half of the four who are often needed when things get a bit out of control. The question remains however, can this carefully selected band of egotistical warriors meld themselves into the cohesive fighting force needed to take down a powerful emperor? And will we ever know who Ein really is and why exactly he wants the emperor dead in the first place? So many intriguing questions arise that do get answered for the most part, but not first without the heavy price of blood, battle, and death.
I would like to applaud Rob J. Hayes for delivering another brilliant book that is also very different in style from the usual fantasy offerings we see. Here we have a truly unique fantasy world heavily influenced by the "warrior code" of Asian history and culture. Yet even with a refreshingly unique style of voice and setting, I still felt that at its heart this was very much a fantasy book. The fantastical elements were always present even though they were delivered in a non-conventional way. The originality of needing someone to die to recruit them into your team of warriors was so expertly handled and is something that I hadn't seen used before. The whole time I was reading NEVER DIE I kept thinking, what is he going to throw at me next? At no time while I was reading this book could I predict what might occur. I also liked the fact that there were two major dilemmas within the plot. The first was the actual mission to attempt to murder the emperor, but the brilliance comes when you put together four people who absolutely need to work together and who REALLY can't stand one another. So I was constantly guessing whether Ein could even keep the four of them from tearing each other apart long enough to even try to carry out their ultimate goal. Another aspect that I found enjoyable was the incredibly strong female character Cho. She's obviously the brains of the crew and is also a wicked deadly fighter. I was continually blown away by how resilient and brave she was in the face of insurmountable odds. For me this book was so fun to read and a wonderful blend of quest fantasy, ancient Asian folklore, adventure fiction, and a touch of grimdark for good measure. Hayes has just solidified that he as an author who is constantly reinventing himself and writing fantasy that is wholly original while also damned entertaining. NEVER DIE is a book that will take you on a full-throttle ride and then leave you wanting about 200 more pages to read when all is done. It's simply that great and I loved every page. The book is due to be released on January 29, 2019, so put in your preorders now because you are going to want to read it as soon as it becomes available, trust me. This is a can't miss story filled with characters who leap off the page and grab you by the throat.
These are the warriors that Ein has selected and recruited to attempt the unenviable task of breaching the Emperor's military defenses and hopefully killing him. Ein has a huge problem though because as with any group where there are various egos vying for supremacy, these legendary warriors do not like each other and don't mind saying so at every opportunity. Throughout the journey to try to hunt down the emperor, there are constant skirmishes and quarrels as each believes that their role in the group is more important than the others, leading to some interesting confrontations. Both Cheng and Chen are essentially legends in their own minds at times. That's not to say that they aren't powerful and skilled fighters, but there is definitely a sense that their reputations may be a bit overblown to say the least. Cho and Bingwei Ma on the other hand are obviously not only the deadliest of the crew (at least in my opinion) but are also the level-headed half of the four who are often needed when things get a bit out of control. The question remains however, can this carefully selected band of egotistical warriors meld themselves into the cohesive fighting force needed to take down a powerful emperor? And will we ever know who Ein really is and why exactly he wants the emperor dead in the first place? So many intriguing questions arise that do get answered for the most part, but not first without the heavy price of blood, battle, and death.
I would like to applaud Rob J. Hayes for delivering another brilliant book that is also very different in style from the usual fantasy offerings we see. Here we have a truly unique fantasy world heavily influenced by the "warrior code" of Asian history and culture. Yet even with a refreshingly unique style of voice and setting, I still felt that at its heart this was very much a fantasy book. The fantastical elements were always present even though they were delivered in a non-conventional way. The originality of needing someone to die to recruit them into your team of warriors was so expertly handled and is something that I hadn't seen used before. The whole time I was reading NEVER DIE I kept thinking, what is he going to throw at me next? At no time while I was reading this book could I predict what might occur. I also liked the fact that there were two major dilemmas within the plot. The first was the actual mission to attempt to murder the emperor, but the brilliance comes when you put together four people who absolutely need to work together and who REALLY can't stand one another. So I was constantly guessing whether Ein could even keep the four of them from tearing each other apart long enough to even try to carry out their ultimate goal. Another aspect that I found enjoyable was the incredibly strong female character Cho. She's obviously the brains of the crew and is also a wicked deadly fighter. I was continually blown away by how resilient and brave she was in the face of insurmountable odds. For me this book was so fun to read and a wonderful blend of quest fantasy, ancient Asian folklore, adventure fiction, and a touch of grimdark for good measure. Hayes has just solidified that he as an author who is constantly reinventing himself and writing fantasy that is wholly original while also damned entertaining. NEVER DIE is a book that will take you on a full-throttle ride and then leave you wanting about 200 more pages to read when all is done. It's simply that great and I loved every page. The book is due to be released on January 29, 2019, so put in your preorders now because you are going to want to read it as soon as it becomes available, trust me. This is a can't miss story filled with characters who leap off the page and grab you by the throat.
January 29, 2019
I received an eARC of this book from the author.
Now, that’s what I’m talking about when I say I love the Grimdark subgenre. This is it exactly.
Many describe Grimdark fantasy as that which is bleak and full of misery, lacking in hope. But to me, that’s not what it is at all. It might have some of these things on the surface, but it’s much more than that. I see it more as the story of grey characters striding the line between being a hero and a villain. It’s a struggle within and the study of the internal conflict that the characters must deal with as they contemplate and live with their choices.
Never Die is full of blood and mayhem and poor odds of survival and success for our characters. But at the heart of that is hope, as each of them looks within and considers the balance between right and wrong.
Ein is a child “gifted” with the ability to bring fallen heroes back from the dead. In exchange, they are bound to him and his quest, with the promise of being returned to full life from their current status as “mostly alive”. We start with the heroic Itami Cho, also known as the Whispering Blade, as she is first killed and then brought back at the end of the battle she’d fallen in. She joins Ein in his quest, swearing an oath as Shintei, bound by her code of honor as much as by his power. Cho helps him find and “recruit” the rest of his team of heroes as they join him with varied amounts of reluctance with the goal of defeating the evil Emperor of Ten Kings.
What seems like a hero’s quest might not be, as the team is assembled. They really have a variety of motivations and intentions, only joined by the fact of being bound to their savior, Ein. This turns into a great character study though as we learn what makes each of them tick through Hayes’s brilliant writing and shifting of point of view from one to another. The reader can’t help but get on board as they learn to work together and interact.
Hayes has two things that really bring color to his dark fantasy: humor and an Asian influence. Much like Joe Abercrombie and Michael R. Fletcher, the grittiness of the violence in this story is offset by humorous interactions between the characters. I found myself laughing as the banter between The Emerald Wind and Iron Gut Chen, in particular. Also, the Asian flavor to the worldbuilding made this one stand out from the rest of the genre.
This book was a pleasure to read from cover to cover, and I offer a high recommendation to any that like the qualities in a story that I’ve pointed out here. It is all of that, and so much more. I strongly urge fans of dark fantasy to join Ein on his quest alongside the likes of Whispering Blade, The Emerald Wind, Iron Gut Chen, Death’s Echo, the Steel Prince, and the Master of Sun Valley.
Now, that’s what I’m talking about when I say I love the Grimdark subgenre. This is it exactly.
Many describe Grimdark fantasy as that which is bleak and full of misery, lacking in hope. But to me, that’s not what it is at all. It might have some of these things on the surface, but it’s much more than that. I see it more as the story of grey characters striding the line between being a hero and a villain. It’s a struggle within and the study of the internal conflict that the characters must deal with as they contemplate and live with their choices.
Never Die is full of blood and mayhem and poor odds of survival and success for our characters. But at the heart of that is hope, as each of them looks within and considers the balance between right and wrong.
Ein is a child “gifted” with the ability to bring fallen heroes back from the dead. In exchange, they are bound to him and his quest, with the promise of being returned to full life from their current status as “mostly alive”. We start with the heroic Itami Cho, also known as the Whispering Blade, as she is first killed and then brought back at the end of the battle she’d fallen in. She joins Ein in his quest, swearing an oath as Shintei, bound by her code of honor as much as by his power. Cho helps him find and “recruit” the rest of his team of heroes as they join him with varied amounts of reluctance with the goal of defeating the evil Emperor of Ten Kings.
What seems like a hero’s quest might not be, as the team is assembled. They really have a variety of motivations and intentions, only joined by the fact of being bound to their savior, Ein. This turns into a great character study though as we learn what makes each of them tick through Hayes’s brilliant writing and shifting of point of view from one to another. The reader can’t help but get on board as they learn to work together and interact.
Hayes has two things that really bring color to his dark fantasy: humor and an Asian influence. Much like Joe Abercrombie and Michael R. Fletcher, the grittiness of the violence in this story is offset by humorous interactions between the characters. I found myself laughing as the banter between The Emerald Wind and Iron Gut Chen, in particular. Also, the Asian flavor to the worldbuilding made this one stand out from the rest of the genre.
This book was a pleasure to read from cover to cover, and I offer a high recommendation to any that like the qualities in a story that I’ve pointed out here. It is all of that, and so much more. I strongly urge fans of dark fantasy to join Ein on his quest alongside the likes of Whispering Blade, The Emerald Wind, Iron Gut Chen, Death’s Echo, the Steel Prince, and the Master of Sun Valley.
July 9, 2020
The only thing that's stopping me from giving this book 5 stars is the plot execution, I dislike it. I struggled through the first half of the book, though this book is action packed it was somehow hard to enjoy.
"The strong should always strive to help the weak. It is the very foundation of a wise society."
Apart from the above compliant I enjoyed every other part of this book. I thank Deathnote for my knowledge of shinigami. Shinigami is the Japanese gods of death, like all old gods they squabble and like to play with humans.
The world building is awesome, I really loved reading this and it's depiction. The writing I don't like, I can't put my finger on what I dislike in it. The book is written in third person multiple POV.
The difference between the rich and the powerful was always made so much clearer by walls. The rich hid behind them, the powerful tore them down.
The characters are amazing. My favourite is Zhihao the bandit. He is very cynical and claims not to care about people but deep down he does.
Itami is another good character, she believes herself a failure which is sad because she is an honourable and good person.
"It takes a lifetime of evil to be a villain, and only one moment of good to be a hero."
Iron gut Chen is another fun character, he is an overweight man who loves food and wine so much. He is also arrogant.
Ein is a mystery, he was eight years old in this book but age is just a number. He is the one in charge of the gang.
Roi Astara is another mystery character, I thought him good at first but with the way this book ended I have to admit I don't know anymore.
"Sometimes peace is no more than oppression in disguise."
"Sometimes the few need to stand against the many, so all can see what is right,"
Bingwei Mei joined the quest about halfway into the book, he is too good. He's one of those people that's too good to be true.
The plot look simple but it isn't. There are lots of twist and revelations. An eight years old boy brought some people he deem heroes back to life to serve him on his mission to kill the emperor. A shinigami gave him the power to bring people back and the mission to kill the emperor. Everything else is a spoiler.
"The strong should always strive to help the weak. It is the very foundation of a wise society."
Apart from the above compliant I enjoyed every other part of this book. I thank Deathnote for my knowledge of shinigami. Shinigami is the Japanese gods of death, like all old gods they squabble and like to play with humans.
The world building is awesome, I really loved reading this and it's depiction. The writing I don't like, I can't put my finger on what I dislike in it. The book is written in third person multiple POV.
The difference between the rich and the powerful was always made so much clearer by walls. The rich hid behind them, the powerful tore them down.
The characters are amazing. My favourite is Zhihao the bandit. He is very cynical and claims not to care about people but deep down he does.
Itami is another good character, she believes herself a failure which is sad because she is an honourable and good person.
"It takes a lifetime of evil to be a villain, and only one moment of good to be a hero."
Iron gut Chen is another fun character, he is an overweight man who loves food and wine so much. He is also arrogant.
Ein is a mystery, he was eight years old in this book but age is just a number. He is the one in charge of the gang.
Roi Astara is another mystery character, I thought him good at first but with the way this book ended I have to admit I don't know anymore.
"Sometimes peace is no more than oppression in disguise."
"Sometimes the few need to stand against the many, so all can see what is right,"
Bingwei Mei joined the quest about halfway into the book, he is too good. He's one of those people that's too good to be true.
The plot look simple but it isn't. There are lots of twist and revelations. An eight years old boy brought some people he deem heroes back to life to serve him on his mission to kill the emperor. A shinigami gave him the power to bring people back and the mission to kill the emperor. Everything else is a spoiler.
November 24, 2019
4.5 stars
Thanx to Iron Brain Hamad for recommending this, you're the best ever! ❤
I did not see that ending coming tbh.
This was really fun to read.
I really loved all the characters in this but I was hoping Zhihao would get a more satisfactory arc, it was really good but I wish for a tiny bit more.
I loved the writing, the plot and the pace was good. There were moments where I wished this story was bigger, more of an Epic Fantasy than it was, I wished for world building and a proper explanation to the powers the characters have but after thinking about it I believe that's just my always unsatisfied human nature that is unhappy with whatever it gets, if this was bigger I would've complained and said I wish it was smaller 🙂
I'm really glad I picked this up I'm always happy when I jump into a book knowing nothing about and it pays off. This really made me more excited to read more books from this author.
I do recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy but If you like Japanese myth or Anime and Manga then I think you'll love this even more.
Thanx to Iron Brain Hamad for recommending this, you're the best ever! ❤
I did not see that ending coming tbh.
This was really fun to read.
I really loved all the characters in this but I was hoping Zhihao would get a more satisfactory arc, it was really good but I wish for a tiny bit more.
I loved the writing, the plot and the pace was good. There were moments where I wished this story was bigger, more of an Epic Fantasy than it was, I wished for world building and a proper explanation to the powers the characters have but after thinking about it I believe that's just my always unsatisfied human nature that is unhappy with whatever it gets, if this was bigger I would've complained and said I wish it was smaller 🙂
I'm really glad I picked this up I'm always happy when I jump into a book knowing nothing about and it pays off. This really made me more excited to read more books from this author.
I do recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy but If you like Japanese myth or Anime and Manga then I think you'll love this even more.
Read
January 29, 2019Never Die has finally been released upon this unwitting world!
mybook.to/NeverDie
mybook.to/NeverDie
November 11, 2018
I was fortunate enough to get an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Never Die is The Seven Samurai meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in an action-packed story, inspired by both Chinese Wuxia and Japanese Manga. Drawing from Japanese folklore and a variety of East Asian martial arts traditions, this is an exciting tale of honor and redemption you don't want to miss. One of my favorite reads of the year.
January 25, 2023
4.5 stars - I really liked this! Always impressive when an author can write memorable characters, a cool story with high stakes, and a banger of an ending that felt really impactful and unique in such a short book!! Low risk for the reader, high reward. Really fun, action packed, and cinematic. If you love a motley crew with cool magic, this is the book for you.
April 27, 2024
*** 3.44 ***
This was actually very entertaining and a fast read. I loved the way the book was structured, it read like a Japanese Myth with all the traditional elements of warriors, demons, Death spirits and folk heroes. However, it was also a bit repetitive and formulaic for the bigger part of the book. The last 3% were really worth waiting for though, so I would say if you are a fan of the 80's Japanese Myth retellings in movie form, this might be something that would appeal to you. I know I used to love them and this definitely sent me back to those times. It could have been better, because the author obviously had a very good idea of how to craft this story, only I think he got a bit lost in the martial arts side of things... And I am a humongous fan of anything martial artsy😃!
This is the first book I have read by this author, so I am definitely going to check out some of his other work!
This was actually very entertaining and a fast read. I loved the way the book was structured, it read like a Japanese Myth with all the traditional elements of warriors, demons, Death spirits and folk heroes. However, it was also a bit repetitive and formulaic for the bigger part of the book. The last 3% were really worth waiting for though, so I would say if you are a fan of the 80's Japanese Myth retellings in movie form, this might be something that would appeal to you. I know I used to love them and this definitely sent me back to those times. It could have been better, because the author obviously had a very good idea of how to craft this story, only I think he got a bit lost in the martial arts side of things... And I am a humongous fan of anything martial artsy😃!
This is the first book I have read by this author, so I am definitely going to check out some of his other work!
April 3, 2020
5 Stars (Exceptional)
Never Die is a stellar, self published debut that is worth of every praise, and raises the 'fantasy' bar sky high!
Apart from its stellar, captivating cover, Never Die had over the top positive reviews, and the story intriguing and original hooked me from the start! It's quite amazing that a self-publishing author, Rob Hayes, could garnish such momentum in his work without the machinery of a big publishing company! Never Die was original, asian-inspired fantasy, with a a premise that initially felt odd, but it all worked out quite organically in the end!
Picture this: In the setting of ancient China, a group of unlikely warriors including heroes, cowards and the leprosy stricken are guided by an 8 year old boy in the quest of killing the emperor!!
Need I say more? This is what I loved about this book:
* A diverse and so well written group of characters, each more unique than the other- bringing forth an unstoppable band of warriors against a dictatorship and imperialistic oppressive power.
* Each character is so well written:
- A 400 lb dude who's skin is impenetrable to weapons/knives.
- A young and righteous female warrior who's emphasis on honor and good are unparalleled.
- An assassin who's dirty to his inner core, a killer of woman and children- but who finds himself in the right side battle for once.
- A master champion of martial arts, with unbridled strength, who is pure and benevolent
- And finally a mysterious 8 y/o kid with a 'red scarf' around his neck, with powers of ressurection, that will leave your head spinning...
* The action scenes and battles are so AWESOME! Cinematic in nature, and the magic systems are subtly incorporated into each 'warrior', which just adds to grand scheme of things!
* A very witty and fluid prose, with lots of humor imbued in most characters. This offsets the dark overtone of the story very nicely.
* A final battle that very much remids me of 'last boss battles' in video games. The exception here, the good guys don't always win, hehe.
Never Die is an incredible entry into fantasy genre, with tons of unique and amazing characters, unique magic systems and fluid action that will leave u wanting more!
5 Stars
Never Die is a stellar, self published debut that is worth of every praise, and raises the 'fantasy' bar sky high!
Apart from its stellar, captivating cover, Never Die had over the top positive reviews, and the story intriguing and original hooked me from the start! It's quite amazing that a self-publishing author, Rob Hayes, could garnish such momentum in his work without the machinery of a big publishing company! Never Die was original, asian-inspired fantasy, with a a premise that initially felt odd, but it all worked out quite organically in the end!
Picture this: In the setting of ancient China, a group of unlikely warriors including heroes, cowards and the leprosy stricken are guided by an 8 year old boy in the quest of killing the emperor!!
Need I say more? This is what I loved about this book:
* A diverse and so well written group of characters, each more unique than the other- bringing forth an unstoppable band of warriors against a dictatorship and imperialistic oppressive power.
* Each character is so well written:
- A 400 lb dude who's skin is impenetrable to weapons/knives.
- A young and righteous female warrior who's emphasis on honor and good are unparalleled.
- An assassin who's dirty to his inner core, a killer of woman and children- but who finds himself in the right side battle for once.
- A master champion of martial arts, with unbridled strength, who is pure and benevolent
- And finally a mysterious 8 y/o kid with a 'red scarf' around his neck, with powers of ressurection, that will leave your head spinning...
* The action scenes and battles are so AWESOME! Cinematic in nature, and the magic systems are subtly incorporated into each 'warrior', which just adds to grand scheme of things!
* A very witty and fluid prose, with lots of humor imbued in most characters. This offsets the dark overtone of the story very nicely.
* A final battle that very much remids me of 'last boss battles' in video games. The exception here, the good guys don't always win, hehe.
Never Die is an incredible entry into fantasy genre, with tons of unique and amazing characters, unique magic systems and fluid action that will leave u wanting more!
5 Stars
September 14, 2021
This was my first and quite probably last (for the forseeable future) time i will pick up a Rob J. Hayes book- I was really disappointed with this, especially as it was a highly anticipated read for me.
More than delibrately misleading blurbs, i detest books that have what i refer to as Chicken Licken plots. Plots that basically just repeat the same action over and over and over and goddamn over again.
This book had strong Kings of the Wyld vibes to it, with slight differences but the crux of plot was basically that book. Like am i the only one who noticed this?
p.s: Totally not upset with the whole similarities, just pointing it out
So back to the meat of Kings of the Wyld / this story: Heroes have to gather themselves together and fight monsters, on the way, meet a weird monster but not really a monster by the campfire, continue fighting monsters which of course they inevitably defeat- I mean were you holding your breath expecting a different outcome? *smh, amateurs- and finally get to the boss stage at the tail end of the book where they fight the ultimate monster they've been travelling from the start of the book to fight.
Probably the only thing different Hayes did was that "shock" ending and i use "shock" sparingly because at that point i was like, that's it??? That's what i had to wade through more than 30 chapters of repeat Yōkai fighting and repeat recruiting hero fighting for? That?? Really that???
This plot was so insipid it would bore you to tears.
And look i'm not saying the fights weren't cool. At first. 
(before you clued on that this was basically all this book was going to offer you). For context this book has 42 chapters, you spend roughly 33 of these chapters either fighting off Yōkai, fighting to recruit new heroes or telling some folktale about a dead hero and for crying out loud i deserved a book with an actual freaking plot.
📚
📚
Also why did the book have to be told mainly from Cho Itami and The Emerald Wind's perspective. I mean sure maybe i can understand Itami narrating the story (i really can't) but The Emerald Wind??
And the fascination with telling us how sculpted a body was or how handsome a man was or how beautiful a woman was, WAS SUPER WEIRD!!!!!
You know what, maybe this author just felt like readers needed to know more about Yōkai from Japanese folklore so he proceeded to cram as much of them as he could find in this book and throw in a shinigami cos dunno the God of Death obviously makes things more interesting.
Either way, this book sucked so bad and i want to believe that there are way better books i can read about Japanese Yōkai folklore than this.
If you really enjoyed Kings of the Wyld there's a 100% chance you'll probably love this book too. They have the same vibe really.
Me, i'm just going to take my
and scrub the memory of this book from my mind. ⭐⭐ for effort & not messing up Japanese folklore.
Read at your own risk or if you absolutely loved Kings of the Wyld .
October 4, 2019
Never Die is the first book by Rob J Hayes I have read, and I can tell you without a doubt, this guy can write.
The story premise is very intriguing with a band of mercenaries being hired to assassinate an emperor. It’s anything but that simple though. The recruiter? A small boy who was murdered, brought back to life, is now on a mission for vengeance and is searching for heroes to complete this mission. The said heroes? Mythical warriors the boy, Ein, has read about in books, but they need to be killed in order for him to bring them back to life so that he can bind them to himself and the quest. Once bound, the only escape for them is either death, or completion of the quest which will result in a second chance at life.
"The truer test is to do nothing when called to action. Though the reward is often thankless…”
Characterization in this tale is very strong, with the author developing them admirably for what amounts to a shortish story. The standouts for me were Itami Cho & Zhihao Cheng, with both characters written beautifully, evoking understanding and empathy, but I also had a bit of a soft spot for the Wushu master, Bingwei Ma. This dream team of heroes drives the story as they struggle with the confines of being bound to an eight year old boy and his wishes. They also have no fondness for each other to start with, as their differences are vast and their personalities as night and day.
I admit I know almost nothing about the lore or mythology of the world this is set in and I felt myself at a disadvantage having not even had any exposure to Japanese manga or anime. And although I bought the ebook version and as such should have just had my kindle look up a lot of the terms, it never occured to me to do so. A mistake on my part as I have seen this helped other readers. For me personally, I struggled to immerse myself fully though as a consequence of all the unknowns that were part of the story. The story also struggled to keep me interested for the first half of the book which felt a bit like, travel, recruit, fight a monster, repeat.
Where the story really shined through apart from the characters, was the action scenes. The fighting was intensely gripping with breathtaking sequences of fighting conveyed with vivid, concise writing. The closing few chapters alone would make this book worth the read with spectacular martial arts, sword fighting and battle scenes providing a thrill a page finish to this story with a surprisingly heavy emotional toll by the end. This is the part where I do my best Oliver Twist impersonation of “Please, Sir, I want some more.”
While this story did not work as well for me as I hoped (and this might be all on me), the writing is great and there is enough here to love that I will not hesitate to buy the author’s other books.
"Some things are more important than victory."
The story premise is very intriguing with a band of mercenaries being hired to assassinate an emperor. It’s anything but that simple though. The recruiter? A small boy who was murdered, brought back to life, is now on a mission for vengeance and is searching for heroes to complete this mission. The said heroes? Mythical warriors the boy, Ein, has read about in books, but they need to be killed in order for him to bring them back to life so that he can bind them to himself and the quest. Once bound, the only escape for them is either death, or completion of the quest which will result in a second chance at life.
"The truer test is to do nothing when called to action. Though the reward is often thankless…”
Characterization in this tale is very strong, with the author developing them admirably for what amounts to a shortish story. The standouts for me were Itami Cho & Zhihao Cheng, with both characters written beautifully, evoking understanding and empathy, but I also had a bit of a soft spot for the Wushu master, Bingwei Ma. This dream team of heroes drives the story as they struggle with the confines of being bound to an eight year old boy and his wishes. They also have no fondness for each other to start with, as their differences are vast and their personalities as night and day.
I admit I know almost nothing about the lore or mythology of the world this is set in and I felt myself at a disadvantage having not even had any exposure to Japanese manga or anime. And although I bought the ebook version and as such should have just had my kindle look up a lot of the terms, it never occured to me to do so. A mistake on my part as I have seen this helped other readers. For me personally, I struggled to immerse myself fully though as a consequence of all the unknowns that were part of the story. The story also struggled to keep me interested for the first half of the book which felt a bit like, travel, recruit, fight a monster, repeat.
Where the story really shined through apart from the characters, was the action scenes. The fighting was intensely gripping with breathtaking sequences of fighting conveyed with vivid, concise writing. The closing few chapters alone would make this book worth the read with spectacular martial arts, sword fighting and battle scenes providing a thrill a page finish to this story with a surprisingly heavy emotional toll by the end. This is the part where I do my best Oliver Twist impersonation of “Please, Sir, I want some more.”
While this story did not work as well for me as I hoped (and this might be all on me), the writing is great and there is enough here to love that I will not hesitate to buy the author’s other books.
"Some things are more important than victory."
May 8, 2023
هرگز نمیر به نویسندگی راب جی هیس، یکی از اتلاف وقتهای عمده ۱۴۰۲ من بود
هرگز نمیر ذهنتان را با دغدغههای تماتیک عمیقش تسخیر نمیکند، هیجانزدگیتان را با اکشنهای حماسیاش لبریز نمیکند، اشکتان را با پرداخت قوی شخصیتهای متزلزلش در نمیآورد، گلویتان را با تنش فزایندهاش به درد نمیآورد، وحشتتان را با شرارت توقفناپذیر تبهکارهایش برنمیانگیزد، قلبتان را به واسطه مرگ شخصیتهایش فشار نمیدهد، هرگز نمیر هیچ مهارتی در ترکیب اکشن و درام ندارد، هرگز نمیر به صورت متعهدانهای پیوسته به بد بودن ادامه میدهد تا جایی که جانتان به لبتان میرسد و از فرایند کتابخوانی بیزار میشوید.
کتاب هرگز نمیر در صفحات ابتدایی به مرز معرفی یک شونن فانتزی خوب میرسد ولی پیش از عبور از آن، میایستد و در جهت مخالف دور میزند، واقعیت امر این است که ریختن کلیشههای شونن معروف و ترکیب آن با عناصر عامه فرهنگ ژاپنی و آوردن نام خدای مرگ پابرهنه ژاپنیها، شینیگامی، و نه استفاده از مفهوم آن برای داستانگویی به هیچ وجه نمیتواند جذاب باشد.
خوشبختانه هرگز نمیر امتیاز چندان بالایی در محفل قابلدسترسی به نام گودریدز ندارد و شرایط به گونهای نیست که همه بهگونهای که انگار عقلشان را با دیدنِ یک هیولای لاوکرفتی از دست داده باشند، چیزی را که دیده بودند نمیتوانستند به هیچ شکلی هضم کنند، با هیچ متر و معیاری توضیح بدهند و با هیچ معادلهای توجیه کنند و به گونهای از این اثر سالاد ژانری تنبلانه تعریف کنند.
کیفیت پایین کتابها در سالهای اخیر غافلگیرانه نیست، اکثراً با بیمحلی از کنار همچین آثاری عبور میکنیم، یا خیلی نرمال و طبیعی راجع به نقاط ضعفشان صحبت میکنیم، در واقع همچین آثاری حتی در زمینه نقاط ضعفشان هم کلیشهای هستند.
در نهایت هرگز نمیر به نظر شخص بنده فاجعهای شرمآور تمامعیار بود که به هیچ عنوان نمیتوانم جلوی خودم را از زل زدن به آن با چشمان ورقلمبیده و با فکی که از تعجب روی زمین کشیده میشود بگیرم.
هرگز نمیر ذهنتان را با دغدغههای تماتیک عمیقش تسخیر نمیکند، هیجانزدگیتان را با اکشنهای حماسیاش لبریز نمیکند، اشکتان را با پرداخت قوی شخصیتهای متزلزلش در نمیآورد، گلویتان را با تنش فزایندهاش به درد نمیآورد، وحشتتان را با شرارت توقفناپذیر تبهکارهایش برنمیانگیزد، قلبتان را به واسطه مرگ شخصیتهایش فشار نمیدهد، هرگز نمیر هیچ مهارتی در ترکیب اکشن و درام ندارد، هرگز نمیر به صورت متعهدانهای پیوسته به بد بودن ادامه میدهد تا جایی که جانتان به لبتان میرسد و از فرایند کتابخوانی بیزار میشوید.
کتاب هرگز نمیر در صفحات ابتدایی به مرز معرفی یک شونن فانتزی خوب میرسد ولی پیش از عبور از آن، میایستد و در جهت مخالف دور میزند، واقعیت امر این است که ریختن کلیشههای شونن معروف و ترکیب آن با عناصر عامه فرهنگ ژاپنی و آوردن نام خدای مرگ پابرهنه ژاپنیها، شینیگامی، و نه استفاده از مفهوم آن برای داستانگویی به هیچ وجه نمیتواند جذاب باشد.
خوشبختانه هرگز نمیر امتیاز چندان بالایی در محفل قابلدسترسی به نام گودریدز ندارد و شرایط به گونهای نیست که همه بهگونهای که انگار عقلشان را با دیدنِ یک هیولای لاوکرفتی از دست داده باشند، چیزی را که دیده بودند نمیتوانستند به هیچ شکلی هضم کنند، با هیچ متر و معیاری توضیح بدهند و با هیچ معادلهای توجیه کنند و به گونهای از این اثر سالاد ژانری تنبلانه تعریف کنند.
کیفیت پایین کتابها در سالهای اخیر غافلگیرانه نیست، اکثراً با بیمحلی از کنار همچین آثاری عبور میکنیم، یا خیلی نرمال و طبیعی راجع به نقاط ضعفشان صحبت میکنیم، در واقع همچین آثاری حتی در زمینه نقاط ضعفشان هم کلیشهای هستند.
در نهایت هرگز نمیر به نظر شخص بنده فاجعهای شرمآور تمامعیار بود که به هیچ عنوان نمیتوانم جلوی خودم را از زل زدن به آن با چشمان ورقلمبیده و با فکی که از تعجب روی زمین کشیده میشود بگیرم.
April 28, 2025
خب بلاخره تمام شد!
هر چی بود و نبود رو در حین به روز کردن وضعیت خواندن کتاب در موردش نوشتم. دیگه واقعا حس بیشتر نوشتن در موردش نیست.
۲ یا به زور ۲.۵ ستاره واقعا براش زیاد هم هست.
بهرحال اگر سوالی در مورد کتاب داشتین خوشحال میشم بپرسید تا توضیحی بیشتر از این اگر لازم میدونید در اختیارتون قرار بدم
ماچ به کله همتون 😘
هر چی بود و نبود رو در حین به روز کردن وضعیت خواندن کتاب در موردش نوشتم. دیگه واقعا حس بیشتر نوشتن در موردش نیست.
۲ یا به زور ۲.۵ ستاره واقعا براش زیاد هم هست.
بهرحال اگر سوالی در مورد کتاب داشتین خوشحال میشم بپرسید تا توضیحی بیشتر از این اگر لازم میدونید در اختیارتون قرار بدم
ماچ به کله همتون 😘
January 4, 2019
* I was sent this for free from the author in exchange for an honest review *
I have to admit that this one is a weird story and although I have really enjoyed all of Hayes' books so far, this one is probably the most unique of them all. This is the story of a young boy called Ein who is gathering Heroes from the land far and wide to work with him to take down the Emperor. The Heroes are all different and they come from all over, and Ein has to bring each one back from the dead to bind them to him and make them follow his cause.
It's not really clear at first where the whole story is going besides hopefully killing the Emperor, but as the tale continues you learn more about each of the characters and their histories. It's a fairly quick read, however, so you don't learn as much as I think I initially hoped I would.
The book is a peculiar one because alongside Ein's quest to find heroes the chapters begin with The Whispering Blade vs Master of Sun Valley (or something similar) and they are kind of like mini battles within each chapter. The majority of the book can be broken down into these smaller scenes, and it almost felt a bit pokemon/robot wars because Ein summons one Hero to kill another so that new Hero can join his team. I think maybe this is the aim of the author, but it felt a little unusual to me at first and I think I took a little longer to get into this than I have with some of Hayes' other stories.
This is a standalone and I think the ending has a slight predictability to it, but it's still a fun read. I think it's a story that will, if nothing else, entertain you and make you ponder a bit. It's got some kind moments between characters and is heavily influenced by Asian culture, but it's also just a little bizarre. 3*s from me.
I have to admit that this one is a weird story and although I have really enjoyed all of Hayes' books so far, this one is probably the most unique of them all. This is the story of a young boy called Ein who is gathering Heroes from the land far and wide to work with him to take down the Emperor. The Heroes are all different and they come from all over, and Ein has to bring each one back from the dead to bind them to him and make them follow his cause.
It's not really clear at first where the whole story is going besides hopefully killing the Emperor, but as the tale continues you learn more about each of the characters and their histories. It's a fairly quick read, however, so you don't learn as much as I think I initially hoped I would.
The book is a peculiar one because alongside Ein's quest to find heroes the chapters begin with The Whispering Blade vs Master of Sun Valley (or something similar) and they are kind of like mini battles within each chapter. The majority of the book can be broken down into these smaller scenes, and it almost felt a bit pokemon/robot wars because Ein summons one Hero to kill another so that new Hero can join his team. I think maybe this is the aim of the author, but it felt a little unusual to me at first and I think I took a little longer to get into this than I have with some of Hayes' other stories.
This is a standalone and I think the ending has a slight predictability to it, but it's still a fun read. I think it's a story that will, if nothing else, entertain you and make you ponder a bit. It's got some kind moments between characters and is heavily influenced by Asian culture, but it's also just a little bizarre. 3*s from me.
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