Ha, glad you liked Never Die! As far as I know, Never Die isn't referred to in any of Hayes' other works. I'd say it is somewhat unusual for Hayes, usually, he writes in a more 'classical' grimdark setting, is less action-heavy (still more action than most other authors), and puts a bit more time into his world-building. Still, characters are always the focus of his books. Hayes mostly publishes books in his First Earth World of which I have read three so far (Where Loyalties Lie, The Fifth Empire of Man, and City of Kings). As long as you're not put off by some very dark scenes - yes, darker than Jorg Ancrath but in this case, the evildoer is actually a non-PoV villain - I'd say give the First Earth a try. I particularly liked Where Loyalties Lie & The Fifth Empire of Man, these two basically are classic grimdark but with pirates - or Black Sails with magic & monsters.
Just finished Wheel of Time today. Thank you, Daniel, if it were not for your channel I would have missed one the best pieces of literature ever written.
It's on my tbr cus it has a pretty cool cover but I'm currently occupied with WOT and Gentlemen bastards. Between my constantly expanding tbr list, my studies and my creative endeavours, I might not get around to reading this. lyfe is hard
Never Die is a good 'in-between' book. It is very fast-paced, rather straight forward, and not particularly long. So, maybe you'll find time for it at some point. The book reads like a Naruto episode for mature audiences would look like ;)
I'm excited that your reviewing some indie titles! I've really been looking enjoying indie fantasy lately. The SPFBO shortlist should be announced soon. That's always a great resource
I read Never Die a few weeks ago and I absolutely loved it from start to finish. The fighting scenes were great and really easy to follow, the characters were funny and interesting and the the ending! It's one of those endings that the books tells you really subtly that its coming by leaving small details here and there, but you won't fully realize it until after you read it and look back at them. As a side note: While I was reading it I couldn't help but feel like an anime or even game adaptation ala Devil May Cry or Jade Empire would be amazing for it.
I just finished reading it a few days ago and I felt the same way! I totally loved it! I kind of used it to get into reading again, because the pace and length makes it super easy to read compared to some other fantasy classics. I am definitely looking forward to reading pawns gambit (another story in the same universe) :)
About the "adding companions to the party" bit...I am not sure how familiar you are with eastern storytelling, but that's a common trope that goes back to the Journey to the West and probably even further. It's still common today, especially in shonen manga/ anime. There a lot of emphasis is put on growth and acquiring nakama (friends) is a big part of it. I suggest Literature Devil's video on differences between eastern and western storytelling if you want to know more. So while i haven't read the book and could be wrong, I think the author did it deliberately to make his work more in line with traditions of culture he was inspired by.
I loved this book (and later the whole series). Rob J Hayes has become one of my favourite fantasy authors and I think the Anime, videogame-esque qualities are probably a bit of a subconscious driver for me. His later Titan Hopper series is sci-fi/fantasy and leans heavily into this influence with big monsters and oversized weapons.
You're the first book tuber to have read Never Die. I enjoyed the action in it. The booked keep me intrigued as the story went along its path. I am glad you enjoyed this book also
Daniel should start a bookclup video series where he reads the free monthly ebook from the TOR newsletter. I'm trying to read all of those to find something new or that I wouldn't normally, but having a monthly book that people can read together for free would be a good community engagement thing to start
Daniel, after following your channel for like 1 year i finally read a fantasy book you suggested. I enjoyed the book. It's action, character, action, character, action. Though I don't thing i am a huge fan of grim dark.
Not a 2019 release though the last installment will probably top my year. Scythe by Neal Shusterman. It is young adult but I have 96% belief you will love it. It 's worldbulding, character development, themes and questions explored are phenomenal.
I read Never Die at the beginning of the year and really liked it, I'm right now trying another book by Rob J Hayes, The Heresy Within. Quite the interesting book for now.
Have you read the Twelve Kings of Sharakhai series yet? The 3rd book (?) just came out recently. I've really loved the books so far and I feel it adds such a unique trope!
I am very excited about this book. I did not know it existed. I am a huge fan of Asian fantasy. I will be obtaining it soon! Thank you sir! I assume if I click on the link it gives you affiliate credit? It that correct, because I want to benefit your channel.
I liked this video for three things; 1 - 'bleeding with personality' after comments on 'die' in the title (that was clutch), 2 - good book review, and 3 - complicated metaphors..
Rob J Hayes and Ben Galley have been on TBR for ages. Unfortunately you can only really delve into one or two new authors at anyone time as I’m currently exploring Michael J Sullivan and Sebastian De Castell
Shameless but...you could check out When the Walls Fell by J. Gregory Henderson. It came out in 2019 on Amazon... obviously unknown...indie, whatevs. The story is solid and the characters grow through the narrative. Wouldn't be the worst way to spend a week...
the audiobook was great. I got a free copy for a honest review which I left on Audible: My review with semi spoiler: General Thoughts I have to admit I’m no expert on Asian inspired fantasy books and it is a bit out of my usual medieval European fantasy. I do watch a fair bit on anime so this was a refreshing change which I enjoyed. Rob J. Hayes attention to detail on the costumes, settings, mannerisms and mythology shone through in his writing and made it very authentic and believable. Story - 9 Ein is a 8 year old boy who was brought back to life by a Shinigami (God of Death) and given a mission to kill the Emperor of Ten Kings. In order to accomplish this goal he has to recruit various heroes of legends. The first hero he recruits is Itami Cho, the Whispering Blade. She carries two swords but it forbidden to draw the second blade. She uses her voice to power-up her sword attacks. They then encounter Zhihao Cheng, the Emerald Wind. He is a slippery rogue who can teleport to evade attacks. Iron Gut Chem is a larger than life character who has impenetrable skin and a massive appetite for life and food. Roi Astara, Death's Echo is a sharp shooting sniper who body is riddled with leprosy. Bingwei Ma is a monk who is the master of unarmed combat, unmatched in skill. Not all these recruits are willing and Ein uses his necromantic magic to bring them back from death which binds them to him. Ein offers them a reward of a second life but If they stray too far away from him they will perish. This leads to a very strange dynamic of a 8 year old boy ordering legendary heroes. Also this is a group of individuals who would never been in a team together so there is some tension and unusual friendships formed. There is a fair bit of action when unnatural creatures are sent to stop this group accomplishing their goal. Characters - 8 I really enjoyed the quite a memorable cast of characters. They were all diverse and all have completely different motives, values and outlooks on life. The relationships they created and their banter was marvellous and sometimes hilarious and occasional very heart warming. All the heroes had very distinct fight styles and went through quite a bit of character development in the final third of the book. It wasn't until the final third of the book that I connected to some of the characters but I believe this was intentional as not all the heroes are show heroic personalities. The Narration - 9 Kim Bretton was very good a narrating this book. She did an amazing job and making every character very distinct. This made everyone instantly recognisable who was talk at any point in the book. I thought the voice used for Ein was amazing. Kim did a great job with both sexes voices. The only voice that grated on me a little was Iron Gut Chem to start with but I got used to very quickly and actually like it by the end of the book. Wrap Up Rob J. Hayes is a British author which I quite like being from England. He is a very new talent winning SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) 2017. Hayes did a great job of fitting so much story in such a short book. I have to acknowledge the book cover as being truly amazing. The style was amazing and clearly shows you a lot of details in the story. The artist Felix Ortiz & designer Shawn King have outdone themselves. I did find recruitment process of the heroes my only gripe. Each new heroes was about as strong as all the previous heroes put together probably to keep it interesting but I didn't like it as it made the previous hero look a bit weak and meant they could not recruit them in any other way. This did feel like an anime in book form (I know there are Japanese light novels) with special powered heroes being recruited to form a crew.... cough...One Piece...cough at times. Not that is bad thing because it has 900 episodes for a reason. Great standalone book which I would recommend and secretly hope there are more adventures in the same universe.
First of all; love the channel. So...I'm an author, right...high fantasy...not a promo. So, I'm in a bunch of author workshop groups and stuff like that on FB. So I often ask people "have you or do you follow any of the reviewers on TH-cam." Well today, I asked a fellow "author" if they followed you and other fantasy reviewers. And would you believe, the woman acted almost offended that I asked her that. She says she only reads articles for reviews, mind you this was an interaction on FB. So then I bring up a relevant article about Tolkien's "fox" paragraphs in chapter 3 of the Tome. And she just goes, "the article is wrong" ...then she hits me with "this is distracting me from my writing"..mind you, we're on FB having this conversation. It made me think about the shade you threw at Terry Goodkind (rightfully so)...so, to make a very long story short...I'd love a video about either why "authors" can be so up their own ...yeah....or a video about the most a__hole authors.. haha
Hey Daniel, I just wanted to say I just read this book because of this review and I have to admit this was an amazingly fun book to read. Thank you so much for expanding my knowledge within the fantasy genre. P.s: I’m currently reading book one of The Powder Mage trilogy. Greetings from Portugal 😁
I checked it out on Goodreads and I can't get over the fact that the main character is EIGHT YEARS OLD???! Please someone tell me they meant eighteen? Eighty? I can't suspend my disbelief enough for this.
Invaderzod The title of the book ”Never Die”, sounds just like something from a james bond movie. Tomorrow Never Dies, No Time To Die, You Only Live Twice... etc
![[ENGSUB] UNPRODUCTIVE DAY ใช้ชีวิต (เปื่อยๆ) ด้วยกัน 1 วัน! | OUROAD CLOSEFRiEND SS2 EP.9](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pyYKZ3kra9w/mqdefault.jpg)
Get the book here: amzn.to/32GCs7u
Ha, glad you liked Never Die! As far as I know, Never Die isn't referred to in any of Hayes' other works. I'd say it is somewhat unusual for Hayes, usually, he writes in a more 'classical' grimdark setting, is less action-heavy (still more action than most other authors), and puts a bit more time into his world-building. Still, characters are always the focus of his books. Hayes mostly publishes books in his First Earth World of which I have read three so far (Where Loyalties Lie, The Fifth Empire of Man, and City of Kings). As long as you're not put off by some very dark scenes - yes, darker than Jorg Ancrath but in this case, the evildoer is actually a non-PoV villain - I'd say give the First Earth a try. I particularly liked Where Loyalties Lie & The Fifth Empire of Man, these two basically are classic grimdark but with pirates - or Black Sails with magic & monsters.
You should read Blood of heirs
Just finished Wheel of Time today. Thank you, Daniel, if it were not for your channel I would have missed one the best pieces of literature ever written.
Congratulations on completing your amazing journey.👍🏻
cool
Time for a reread!
what is the gist of it
Cool I'm currently on The Great Hunt
It's on my tbr cus it has a pretty cool cover but I'm currently occupied with WOT and Gentlemen bastards.
Between my constantly expanding tbr list, my studies and my creative endeavours, I might not get around to reading this.
lyfe is hard
Never Die is a good 'in-between' book. It is very fast-paced, rather straight forward, and not particularly long. So, maybe you'll find time for it at some point. The book reads like a Naruto episode for mature audiences would look like ;)
@@Grimscribe732 well then. Maybe I will make time for it
@@Grimscribe732 oh no, you shouldn't have said that, now i have to buy it ahahah
Its not a 2019 book but Kings of The Wylde is a good book that i believe this books is influenced by, you should read that, its loads of fun
who is it by?
@@keithnesheim3220 nicholas eames
Glad you reviewed this one, Daniel. I had a fantastic time reading this book! :)
I like Daniel Green videos so much, it's gotten to the point where I like the video before it even starts.
I think most of us do that xD
I'm excited that your reviewing some indie titles! I've really been looking enjoying indie fantasy lately. The SPFBO shortlist should be announced soon. That's always a great resource
I read Never Die a few weeks ago and I absolutely loved it from start to finish. The fighting scenes were great and really easy to follow, the characters were funny and interesting and the the ending! It's one of those endings that the books tells you really subtly that its coming by leaving small details here and there, but you won't fully realize it until after you read it and look back at them.
As a side note: While I was reading it I couldn't help but feel like an anime or even game adaptation ala Devil May Cry or Jade Empire would be amazing for it.
I just finished reading it a few days ago and I felt the same way! I totally loved it! I kind of used it to get into reading again, because the pace and length makes it super easy to read compared to some other fantasy classics.
I am definitely looking forward to reading pawns gambit (another story in the same universe) :)
I'll pick this up after finishing my current read! Always looking for a eastern fantasy romp. Thanks for the informative review as always Daniel.
The cover reminds me of a classic RTS game called Battle Realms.
Hell yes! I forgot all about that game, it was so awesome.
About the "adding companions to the party" bit...I am not sure how familiar you are with eastern storytelling, but that's a common trope that goes back to the Journey to the West and probably even further. It's still common today, especially in shonen manga/ anime. There a lot of emphasis is put on growth and acquiring nakama (friends) is a big part of it. I suggest Literature Devil's video on differences between eastern and western storytelling if you want to know more.
So while i haven't read the book and could be wrong, I think the author did it deliberately to make his work more in line with traditions of culture he was inspired by.
I loved this book (and later the whole series). Rob J Hayes has become one of my favourite fantasy authors and I think the Anime, videogame-esque qualities are probably a bit of a subconscious driver for me. His later Titan Hopper series is sci-fi/fantasy and leans heavily into this influence with big monsters and oversized weapons.
Sounds like the title for a james bond movie XD
Dream Master With a theme song by Duran Duran.
I really enjoyed residing Never Die and I want to read more books in this setting.
You're the first book tuber to have read Never Die. I enjoyed the action in it. The booked keep me intrigued as the story went along its path. I am glad you enjoyed this book also
The Starless Sea just came out Nov 5th and it’s already in my top 5 favorite books ever!
I like Daniel's use of metaphors for his reviews
I've read some of his earlier work which I really enjoyed so will put this on my TBR.
Red = Bad
Green = Good
Blue = Uh, the Smurfs have arrived?
You gotta check The Sword of Kaigen and The Books of Babel (Book 3 The Hod King came out in 2019)
Daniel should start a bookclup video series where he reads the free monthly ebook from the TOR newsletter. I'm trying to read all of those to find something new or that I wouldn't normally, but having a monthly book that people can read together for free would be a good community engagement thing to start
Daniel, after following your channel for like 1 year i finally read a fantasy book you suggested. I enjoyed the book. It's action, character, action, character, action. Though I don't thing i am a huge fan of grim dark.
Your metaphors...they're a gift. I think.
If you want to read a good cultivation fantasy book I would recommend the Cradle series by will wight
Dutt Awsome I second that one hundred percent
how Daniel described the plot of getting party members to get to a goal reminds me of the Anime 7 deadly sins
Not a 2019 release though the last installment will probably top my year. Scythe by Neal Shusterman. It is young adult but I have 96% belief you will love it.
It 's worldbulding, character development, themes and questions explored are phenomenal.
I absolutely loved this novel.
I read Never Die at the beginning of the year and really liked it, I'm right now trying another book by Rob J Hayes, The Heresy Within. Quite the interesting book for now.
Have you read the Twelve Kings of Sharakhai series yet? The 3rd book (?) just came out recently. I've really loved the books so far and I feel it adds such a unique trope!
Have you tried any Litrpg? Any recommendations from that genre?
Ascend Online. 😀
Life Reset.
Rogue Dungeon.
I am very excited about this book. I did not know it existed. I am a huge fan of Asian fantasy. I will be obtaining it soon! Thank you sir! I assume if I click on the link it gives you affiliate credit? It that correct, because I want to benefit your channel.
I liked this video for three things; 1 - 'bleeding with personality' after comments on 'die' in the title (that was clutch), 2 - good book review, and 3 - complicated metaphors..
What about that Bloodsong review pretty please :)
Not typically what you review, but Do Not Go Quietly is an excellent speculative fiction anthology from Apex Publications that came out this year.
Rob J Hayes and Ben Galley have been on TBR for ages. Unfortunately you can only really delve into one or two new authors at anyone time as I’m currently exploring Michael J Sullivan and Sebastian De Castell
Cobblestone path because is was rocky and a tough ride? Or because it took some small dips that were unexpected? Either way the metaphor works!
You should absolutely pick up cradle: by will wight. It’s like crack but in book form
Picked up the Black Tongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman the other day. It has a good review by Nicolas eames
I started the Once and Future King. It's fun so far.
Sounds good, I'll probably be able to read it, in a year, or two
You should check out Spellslinger.
Funny, I almost named one of my Webnovels that~
IDK if you have ever heard of galaxy's edge but that series is so good. idk if a book came out this year for it, but its so good.
Ever thought about reviewing any mythology Daniel?
Ramayana is the most EPIC thing I’ve ever read. I recommend the novel by Krishna Dharma
Shameless but...you could check out When the Walls Fell by J. Gregory Henderson. It came out in 2019 on Amazon... obviously unknown...indie, whatevs. The story is solid and the characters grow through the narrative. Wouldn't be the worst way to spend a week...
Dirt roads aren't always that bad, but they can be messy...if you catch my meaning 😅
Sounds a lot like the old school anime. Like samurai x, flame of recca,ghost fighter and etc. Especially with the gathering party members thing.
it had a bit of a One Piece vibe without pirates. Basically recruiting new team members all with different abilities.
I know you want to focus on newer fantasy, but I would love to see you review The Book Of Joby by Mark Ferrari.
Have you read kings if the wylde this seems like kings if the wylde. But i think you would like kings of the wylde more.kind if similar plot though
Kings of the Wyld and Bloody Rose soon?
Well this sounds interesting ill have to check it out
I want to read this now! Do you think you could add whether these new books are available in audio?
I've listened the audible book. The narrator was great.
I would really like you to read 'Sins of Empire' by Brian McClellan
Second
How many colors are there tho? :o
Are you going to re-review Deadhouse Gates?
Read Robin Hobb!
What’s the ending song? Thanks
Burning White. You already know it.
No I won't :( I'll never get it, it's so complicated
Don't want to judge by book size but is it really 276 pages ? Sounds pretty thin to containt a full story :o
3:59 So basically Fire Emblem The book. Ok Im down
The best in english
the audiobook was great. I got a free copy for a honest review which I left on Audible:
My review with semi spoiler:
General Thoughts
I have to admit I’m no expert on Asian inspired fantasy books and it is a bit out of my usual medieval European fantasy. I do watch a fair bit on anime so this was a refreshing change which I enjoyed. Rob J. Hayes attention to detail on the costumes, settings, mannerisms and mythology shone through in his writing and made it very authentic and believable.
Story - 9
Ein is a 8 year old boy who was brought back to life by a Shinigami (God of Death) and given a mission to kill the Emperor of Ten Kings. In order to accomplish this goal he has to recruit various heroes of legends.
The first hero he recruits is Itami Cho, the Whispering Blade. She carries two swords but it forbidden to draw the second blade. She uses her voice to power-up her sword attacks. They then encounter Zhihao Cheng, the Emerald Wind. He is a slippery rogue who can teleport to evade attacks. Iron Gut Chem is a larger than life character who has impenetrable skin and a massive appetite for life and food. Roi Astara, Death's Echo is a sharp shooting sniper who body is riddled with leprosy. Bingwei Ma is a monk who is the master of unarmed combat, unmatched in skill.
Not all these recruits are willing and Ein uses his necromantic magic to bring them back from death which binds them to him. Ein offers them a reward of a second life but If they stray too far away from him they will perish. This leads to a very strange dynamic of a 8 year old boy ordering legendary heroes. Also this is a group of individuals who would never been in a team together so there is some tension and unusual friendships formed.
There is a fair bit of action when unnatural creatures are sent to stop this group accomplishing their goal.
Characters - 8
I really enjoyed the quite a memorable cast of characters. They were all diverse and all have completely different motives, values and outlooks on life. The relationships they created and their banter was marvellous and sometimes hilarious and occasional very heart warming. All the heroes had very distinct fight styles and went through quite a bit of character development in the final third of the book. It wasn't until the final third of the book that I connected to some of the characters but I believe this was intentional as not all the heroes are show heroic personalities.
The Narration - 9
Kim Bretton was very good a narrating this book. She did an amazing job and making every character very distinct. This made everyone instantly recognisable who was talk at any point in the book. I thought the voice used for Ein was amazing. Kim did a great job with both sexes voices. The only voice that grated on me a little was Iron Gut Chem to start with but I got used to very quickly and actually like it by the end of the book.
Wrap Up
Rob J. Hayes is a British author which I quite like being from England. He is a very new talent winning SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) 2017. Hayes did a great job of fitting so much story in such a short book.
I have to acknowledge the book cover as being truly amazing. The style was amazing and clearly shows you a lot of details in the story. The artist Felix Ortiz & designer Shawn King have outdone themselves.
I did find recruitment process of the heroes my only gripe. Each new heroes was about as strong as all the previous heroes put together probably to keep it interesting but I didn't like it as it made the previous hero look a bit weak and meant they could not recruit them in any other way.
This did feel like an anime in book form (I know there are Japanese light novels) with special powered heroes being recruited to form a crew.... cough...One Piece...cough at times. Not that is bad thing because it has 900 episodes for a reason.
Great standalone book which I would recommend and secretly hope there are more adventures in the same universe.
I think you mean old town road.
First of all; love the channel. So...I'm an author, right...high fantasy...not a promo. So, I'm in a bunch of author workshop groups and stuff like that on FB. So I often ask people "have you or do you follow any of the reviewers on TH-cam." Well today, I asked a fellow "author" if they followed you and other fantasy reviewers. And would you believe, the woman acted almost offended that I asked her that. She says she only reads articles for reviews, mind you this was an interaction on FB. So then I bring up a relevant article about Tolkien's "fox" paragraphs in chapter 3 of the Tome. And she just goes, "the article is wrong" ...then she hits me with "this is distracting me from my writing"..mind you, we're on FB having this conversation. It made me think about the shade you threw at Terry Goodkind (rightfully so)...so, to make a very long story short...I'd love a video about either why "authors" can be so up their own ...yeah....or a video about the most a__hole authors.. haha
When is His Dark Materials ep2 review coming.
First comment! Love your videos!
Hey Daniel, I just wanted to say I just read this book because of this review and I have to admit this was an amazingly fun book to read.
Thank you so much for expanding my knowledge within the fantasy genre.
P.s: I’m currently reading book one of The Powder Mage trilogy.
Greetings from Portugal 😁
I checked it out on Goodreads and I can't get over the fact that the main character is EIGHT YEARS OLD???! Please someone tell me they meant eighteen? Eighty?
I can't suspend my disbelief enough for this.
No views 7 likes and 2 comments???? Hmmmmm
I wanted to love this book, but sadly dnf it about 40% in. Feel like I'm missing out on it as most people I know love t :/
Sounds like a 007 fan fiction lol
How
Invaderzod The title of the book ”Never Die”, sounds just like something from a james bond movie. Tomorrow Never Dies, No Time To Die, You Only Live Twice... etc
Namn I mean aside from the title
i didnt know daniel was so anti joke
Ah, I see. Stealing Fantano's gimmick. You THIEF!!!
What is the ending song??