Reviews

Pawn's Gambit by Rob J. Hayes

typedtruths's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

emsemce123's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was made for me! You know how certain books aren't bad but aren't for you? This is the opposite of that. I loved every page of this book! It reads and feels like a series of connected shorts and that's a gamble but it works so well here. Every century the gods hold a contest to see who will be the next Tianjun, or ruler of Heaven, who will sit on the jade throne and rule for the next 100 years. This contest is a scavenger hunt in which the gods offer their most prized possession as an entrance fee and then "bet" by choosing their champion, a mortal, who then collects the artifacts and whichever champion collects the most will win their gods the throne. The current ruler, the God of War, Batu has brought just that, War for a hundred years for the kingdom and he is deposed by Natsuko, the goddess of lost things and missed opportunities, and she chooses Yuu, The Art of War, a former strategist who has left her old life behind and is lost with no purpose. Everything works, I loved the world-building, the character work, the magic system, which feels really minimal but when your story and characters are so good I didn't mind the minimal use of it at all. Earlier when I said it feels like multiple shorts connected by an overall story, I was referring to each new encounter with a side character and every challenge the "team" faces when attempting to recover another artifact. How each character and short story overlaps amd connects, it's incredible! If I have any problems with this book I can't think of what they are. If you like fantasy I cannot recommend this highly enough.

twotonteddy88's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What a sequel that's not a sequel! (Authors words, not mine).

This is a fantastic next installment in the Mortal Techniques series. The world building of Never Die was great but this made the world feel much bigger and we got a lot more depth on the various locations, lore and magic of the world. 

Highly recommend this and its by far the stronger book out of the two. 

Enjoyed this so much I will be diving straight into the third book Spirits of Vengence straight away. 

I just hope we see more of Li Bang as he's a character that has potential to develop into something great. 

aleccjohnston's review against another edition

4.0

Rob J Hayes is an author I am very quickly coming to respect a great deal, if not love.
Everything great about Never Die was in here as well. As well as the beautiful bewilderment at the end of the book that makes you go look back through certain chapters.
The character work in this entry is stellar, a huge step up from Never Die.
My favorite part, by far, is all of the tiny details that Hayes has sewn in. Stuff that makes you feel smart or astute for noticing at all.
Super great read!

andypeloquinauthor's review against another edition

5.0

Never Die, the first of the Mortal Techniques "series", slayed in the 2019 SPFBO--and, of course, my heart. I loved the wuxia/ronin/martial arts movie feel of the book.
Pawn's Gambit is both delightfully LIKE and UNLIKE Never Die.
The world was the same. The flavor of gritty, dirty, down-in-the-muck, slightly grimdark, cynical, world-weary society that I loved was the same. The characters are similarly caricaturized and incredibly realistic human beings, which was one of my favorite parts of Never Die.
But what I really loved about Pawn's Gambit was the way it steered AWAY from violence. That's not to say there were no fight scenes--there were enough to keep me interested, for sure--but the goal of this story was almost the diametric opposite to Never Die, using combat only as a last resort. And to good effect!
The main character, Yuu, hooked me from the opening. I loved the "Sun Tzu/Lao Tse" vibe, but with the added layer of cynicism, alcoholism, and despair that made her utterly human and relatable. Her story was layered in beautifully, and the payoff at the end absolutely satisfied her journey to the very last page.
I will say the characters in this one weren't quite so flamboyant as in Never Die. I did find myself wishing for some Iron Gut Chen-type characters who were just so much larger than life. But I loved Li Bang, Fang, crone Natsuko, Roaring Tiger, and all the other characters who graced the page.
Never Die had a huge TWIST that I loved, so I spent most of Pawn's Gambit waiting to be equally surprised. I won't say how or when, but that part of me that craved a good old-fashioned "WTF!!!?" moment was absolutely satisfied.
I'd call this an excellent Bloody Rose to Never Die's Kings of the Wyld. The second book in the "series" has a different flavor than the first, but I enjoyed that far more than a continuation of the story. Now, if only I didn't have to wait another 1-2 years to see what other adventures await in the world of the Mortal Techniques!

heidi_may91's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

r2datu's review

adventurous funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bward2795's review

adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mehtahussain's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

bethtabler's review against another edition

5.0

Pawn's Gambit by Rob J. Hayes is one of my most anticipated releases for 2021, and it lived up to the hype. Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing the Wuxia epic Never Die, it was my first introduction to Rob as a writer, and I got to say that his books are fast becoming some of my favorites.

"Beauty is emotion, good or ill. Pain or happiness or fear or love. Beauty is in the experience."

From my review, "Never Die is centered around Ein...and has been sent on a quest from God. ..For Ein's mission to succeed, the mysterious and powerful Emperor of Ten Kings must fall. To succeed in his quest, Ein must walk barefoot across the cities, mountains, and rivers of the countryside and never don footwear. Ein must select champions to fight the Emporer for him, and these champions must die first so that their souls are tethered to Ein." Never Die was the first installment in the Mortal Techniques world. Pawn's Gambit takes place many years after Never Die and is not a sequel, although there is some fun scattered Easter eggs for the readers of Never Die to enjoy.

Instead, Pawn's Gambit is a stylized Wuxia epic with some steampunk and game theory thrown in that takes place in the same world of Never Die. It has the same rules and techniques, which we learn more about, but it is about redemption and finding peace.

"Yuu shrugged. "Throw her a tea party or something, sure. Whatever works."

Pawn's Gambit's plot centers around the protagonist Yuu, also known as The Art of War. Yuu is a former famous military strategist, who wears a white mask at all times, and is known for pulling out military wins in the direst of situations. Her ability to see all the angles of a fight are legendary. Though these wins often come at the high costs of human lives lost. Her grandmother, the previous incarnation of Art of War, trained Yuu in all the aspects of war and strategy. However, unlike Yuu's grandmother, Yuu cannot separate herself from the battles. She feels the pain of the deaths that she helped cause, even if she won the war. They weigh heavy on her heart.

"Failure was always due to a lack of focus. With enough attention and preparation, no outcome could not be predicted, and no situation could not be overcome."

Five years ago, Yuu made a choice that cost her the thing she held most dear but won the battle. The repercussions of that choice caused her to drop the mask and leave batteling forever. She no longer wanted to be The Art of War. Now five years later, we find Yuu sitting in a bar, getting drunk as she does every night, fleecing men for coin in battles of chess. It is below someone who was once The Art Of War, but at this point, all she wants to do is forget and drink till she feels the pain of the loss no more.

Meanwhile, in another realm, the Gods are having a battle of their own. Every 100 years, the gods have a contest to see who will sit upon the throne for the next 100 years. The God who is currently sitting on the throne, Batu, is the God of War. He has brought nothing but devastation and horror to the land of men for the last 100 years. He cannot help it; it is his nature. But it is time for a change.

"The first step toward winning is knowing which game you are playing."

The contest is this: Each God participating must give up a thing they hold most dear. The objects are placed throughout the land, and champions, chosen by the benefactor God, must go out and find those objects. Whoever has the most items wins. It is a grand scavenger hunt. Natsuko, the Goddess of missed opportunities, has chosen her champion, Yuu. Yuu is not thrilled with this.

Yuu is an interesting character. She is one of those types of characters that isn't likable, but she could care less about being liked. She has a core of inner strength that you can see even when readers start the story, and we see Yuu at her very lowest point. But this story is her redemption arc, and what that redemption actually is, is up to the reader. Hayes doesn't concretely define what redemption looks like for Yuu. I think that makes her a stronger and more interesting character. She has layers and different parts to her. Is she the strategist, the friend, the woman, the human? I am not sure, but I know that the various facets of Yuu are tested thoroughly throughout this story.

The dialog for the story is funny and very human. Hayes can bring out a situation's nuance and doesn't need to pound the reader with heavy-handed dialogue. This made me relate all the more to Yuu and the supporting characters she finds along the way to help her. These characters, seen on the superb Felix Ortiz and Shawn T. King cover, help her in different ways. The journey is not the same as Never Die, but there are similar teamwork elements that carry through.

Pawn's Gambit is a worthy addition to the Mortal Techniques series and a follow-up to Never Die. It is really good, and I am so excited that I got to immerse myself in this Wuxia inspired world with great characters, exciting fight scenes, and heartfelt dialog once again. This story asks some big questions and challenges what redemption is.

You should come and take this journey with Yuu; you will not regret it.