A review by radomu
Never Die by Rob J. Hayes

2.0

This author really knows how to write action scenes. Unfortunately, it also reveals that written prose is probably not the best format to show action. The book starts off a bit slow (in spite of all the action) and I couldn't get myself to relate to any of the main protagonists due to them being somewhat one-sided. It's a standard 'Seven Samurai' (or The Magnificent Seven, Band of Brothers, Rogue One, etc. etc.) plot where you get a ragtag bunch of warriors who all have different specialities. The humour, which is clearly inspired by anime, doesn't seem to really work in written English. The lore itself, which seems to be a mix of Chinese and Japanese culture, is more inspired by Wuxia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxia) films than anime. I can't help myself but think that films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Hero (2002) are a bit goofy, but that's just my taste. But my imagination when reading the book was limited to poorly choreographed action scenes with unnatural acrobatics and exaggerated sword-fights. If you love Wuxia or if you grew up playing Dynasty Warriors, you'd probably like this book. I won't recommend this to fans of Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, and whatnot.