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A thrilling read heavily inspired by Eastern mythology and landscapes!
The first work I read of Hayes was a short story called The Century Blade. I realised that this was an author whose writing style I enjoyed - particularly when it comes to world-building and action. Never Die took everything I enjoyed about The Century Blade and expanded upon it massively.
It has everything you want in a good story: heroes, villains, great battles, incredible duels, camaraderie and mistrust. It's an adventure and a quest rolled into one. There are plenty of easter eggs if you know even a little about stories from the Far East alongside solid writing, characters, and even a couple of nice twists along the way.
Whether it's a small boy with pale skin and an empty stare being super creepy, to a man who cannot be poisoned due to his iron gut, there is a colourful cast of characters driving the story alone. I definitely came to care about them all, wishing them good fortune and hoping nothing terrible would happen to them.
The last third of the book in particular was pretty spectacular, and fabulous to read! Hayes writes fight scenes so skilfully, and they all feel completely different depending on who is taking part.
Also the audiobook narrator was wonderful and brought great depth to each of the characters :D
This was part of the "Heroic Age Trilogy" audiobook set, where there are three stories in one. I'll be diving into Pawn's Gambit next and super looking forward to it!
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read :D
The first work I read of Hayes was a short story called The Century Blade. I realised that this was an author whose writing style I enjoyed - particularly when it comes to world-building and action. Never Die took everything I enjoyed about The Century Blade and expanded upon it massively.
It has everything you want in a good story: heroes, villains, great battles, incredible duels, camaraderie and mistrust. It's an adventure and a quest rolled into one. There are plenty of easter eggs if you know even a little about stories from the Far East alongside solid writing, characters, and even a couple of nice twists along the way.
Whether it's a small boy with pale skin and an empty stare being super creepy, to a man who cannot be poisoned due to his iron gut, there is a colourful cast of characters driving the story alone. I definitely came to care about them all, wishing them good fortune and hoping nothing terrible would happen to them.
The last third of the book in particular was pretty spectacular, and fabulous to read! Hayes writes fight scenes so skilfully, and they all feel completely different depending on who is taking part.
Also the audiobook narrator was wonderful and brought great depth to each of the characters :D
This was part of the "Heroic Age Trilogy" audiobook set, where there are three stories in one. I'll be diving into Pawn's Gambit next and super looking forward to it!
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read :D