
Never Die
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Narrated by:
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Kim Bretton
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By:
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Rob J. Hayes
About this listen
Ein is on a mission from God. A God of Death.
Time is up for the Emperor of Ten Kings and it falls to a murdered eight year old boy to render the judgement of a God. Ein knows he can't do it alone, but the empire is rife with heroes. The only problem; in order to serve, they must first die.
Ein has four legendary heroes in mind, names from story books read to him by his father. Now he must find them and kill them, so he can bring them back to fight the Reaper's war.
©2019 Rob J. Hayes (P)2019 Rob J. HayesListeners also enjoyed...
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The Fall Is All There Is
- Four of Mercies, Book 1
- By: C.M. Caplan
- Narrated by: Scott Fleming
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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You never want to ruin a really good dramatic exit. When you flee home on a cyborg horse the exact second you turn eighteen, you don’t really expect to go back to the place you fled from, you know? But sometimes your old life hits you from behind. Sometimes you spend years away from home, killing dangerous people who had the bad luck to get infected by a lungful of ghostfog, only to find out that your dad, the king, is dead, and now your siblings are ordering you back home for a high stakes family reunion.
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Wow.
- By James the Mediamancer on 04-19-24
By: C.M. Caplan
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Kings of Paradise
- Ash and Sand, Book 1
- By: Richard Nell
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 25 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Ruka, called a demon at birth, is a genius. Born malformed and ugly into the snow-covered wasteland of the Ascom, he was spared from death by his mother's love. Now he is an outcast, consumed with hate for those who've wronged him. But to take his vengeance, he must first survive. Across a vast sea in the white-sand island paradise of Sri Kon, Kale is fourth and youngest son of the Sorcerer King. As the first prince ever forced to serve with low-born marines, Kale must prove himself and become a man, or else lose all chance of a worthy future, and any hope to win the love of his life.
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Grimdark at its finest
- By C.T. on 10-09-18
By: Richard Nell
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Titan Hoppers
- Titan Hoppers, Book 1
- By: Rob J. Hayes
- Narrated by: Michael Gallagher
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Born talentless, Iro has all but resigned himself to a life of drudgery, watching his sister hop across to the massive space titan for supplies. But when the titan explodes and his sister is killed, Iro finds a new determination to take her place. He’s not about to let weakness prevent him. When the fleet encounters a new titan, filled with powerful monsters, deadly traps, and mysterious cloaked figures, Iro is the first to spontaneously manifest a new talent.
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Good one
- By CC on 02-03-23
By: Rob J. Hayes
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Mushroom Blues
- The Hofmann Report, Book 1
- By: Adrian M. Gibson
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Two years after a devastating defeat in the decade-long Spore War, the island nation of Hōppon and its capital city of Neo Kinoko are occupied by invading Coprinian forces. Its fungal citizens are in dire straits, wracked by food shortages, poverty and an influx of war refugees. Even worse, the corrupt occupiers exploit their power, hounding the native population. As a winter storm looms over the metropolis, NKPD homicide detective Henrietta Hofmann begrudgingly partners up with mushroom-headed patrol officer Koji Nameko to investigate the mysterious murders of fungal and half-breed children.
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Well done, nuanced characters
- By Amazon Customer on 04-20-25
By: Adrian M. Gibson
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The Idle System
- A LitRPG series: 1-4 Box Set
- By: Pegaz
- Narrated by: Roman Howell
- Length: 37 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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After saying goodbye to his life on earth, he never expected to find a brand new world still awaiting for him. One where immortals flew through the clouds and ancient evils hid below the surface. One where fables, myths, and legends filled every corner. One where he could finally start anew. Now, however, John is about to learn a valuable lesson, for any place humanity rules will always be the same - a domain where sin and ambition can only be tamed by power. Will he have the strength to walk this road on his own or will he be unable to heal the old wounds hidden deep within his heart?
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Don’t apologize for making a powerful character
- By MathMan on 01-23-20
By: Pegaz
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Ordination
- The Paladin Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Daniel M. Ford
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Allystaire Coldbourne travels a treacherous path toward his Ordination as a holy knight of legend, a Paladin, a savior of the people. But to fulfill this role, he - and the unexpected allies he finds along the way - must face the demonic, sorcerous evil that stalks the land, the wrath of gods and men, and his own dark past.
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Great writing with a simple story.
- By Annabelle Duncan on 09-08-17
By: Daniel M. Ford
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The Empire's Ruin
- Ashes of the Unhewn Throne, Book 1
- By: Brian Staveley
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk, Joe Jameson, Oliver Cudbill
- Length: 35 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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The Annurian Empire is disintegrating. The advantages it used for millennia have fallen to ruin. The ranks of the Kettral have been decimated from within, and the kenta gates, granting instantaneous travel across the vast lands of the empire, can no longer be used. In order to save the empire, one of the surviving Kettral must voyage beyond the edge of the known world through a land that warps and poisons all living things to find the nesting ground of the giant war hawks. Meanwhile, a monk turned con-artist may hold the secret to the kenta gates.
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This is a horrible book
- By BeauFLA on 07-19-21
By: Brian Staveley
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Fall of Radiance
- The Complete Series (An Epic Fantasy Boxed Set: Books 1-5)
- By: Blake Arthur Peel
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer, Kate Reading
- Length: 50 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Get the Fall of Radiance boxed set, featuring all five action-packed books in the best-selling epic fantasy series - including adventure, magic, war, and a bond between warriors that can't be broken.
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Disappointed by the narrators
- By Shantul Nigam on 03-20-21
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Rise of the Shadow Mage
- By: James Haddock
- Narrated by: Daniel Wisniewski
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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When Robert’s mother dies, his whole world caves in on him. Fatherless, he has no one, and nowhere to go. The royal mage shows him kindness by putting him on the royal guard as a “boot” to keep a roof over his head. Robert’s quick wit and willingness to help others serve him well in the guard. He becomes friends with the king’s second son, Randal, who was placed in the guard by the king to teach him discipline. As he ages, he develops mage abilities but keeps them secret. While on a weekend pass in the city, Robert saves Randal’s life and is rewarded by being made Randal’s liegeman.
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Another Great One, Familiar but just different enough.
- By corey on 11-15-24
By: James Haddock
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Rise of the Strongest Sovereign: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG
- Rise of the Strongest Sovereign: A Live-Streamed Dungeon Crawl, Book 1
- By: Kaz Hunter
- Narrated by: Todd Haberkorn
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Jason Lee came to New York City to see the sights. But his plans quickly change when the Apocalypse Protocol is initiated. Rifts open across the Earth, unleashing hordes of monsters upon humanity. But gateways to dungeons also appear and, with them, opportunity. Finally, there's a system announcement: some individuals will be bestowed with powers and abilities to combat the monsters and protect their fellow humans.
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incredibly childish writing with no backstory
- By M. Smith II on 05-03-24
By: Kaz Hunter
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Sons of Darkness
- The Raag of Rta, Book 1
- By: Gourav Mohanty
- Narrated by: Homer Todiwala
- Length: 24 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Bled dry by violent confrontations with the Magadhan Empire, the Mathuran Republic simmers on the brink of oblivion. Senator Krishna and his third wife Satyabhama have put their plans in motion, both within and beyond the Republic’s blood-soaked borders, to protect it from total annihilation. But they are soon to discover that neither gold nor alliances last forever – and that they are not the only players on the board.
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Nice book. flawed narration
- By Reader of a lost Art on 11-03-23
By: Gourav Mohanty
So, I am a bad blogger for this one, you guys. Rob sent me an advance reading copy probably 9 months ago and I just got around to it at the beginning of July. On top of that, this review has been sitting in my draft box since July 12th (prior to vacation, amidst upcoming releases, etc). Literally, this has nothing to do with the author or his novels; it all boils down to timing and busyness.
2019 has been an insane year as far as reading/reviewing goes, and I am now up to 95 novels on the year. To show the bar, I read 89 in the entirety of 2018…. I still have 4 1/2 months to go and I am not slowing down any time soon.
Alright, now to the whole reason why you clicked on this page. My review.
Well, since I waited so long, Rob had the opportunity to release Never Die on audio so I picked it up on the cheap thanks to Whispersync. I thought Kim Bretton did a wonderful job with the narration and would recommend it to anyone who wants to give this novel a shot (and enjoys audiobooks, of course).
Hayes uses Chinese Wuxia and Japanese mythology as an inspiration for Never Die and it shows throughout with extensive use of folklore and traditional martial arts, on top of very vivid world-building with a distinct Asian flavor. With this, he has written a very original tale of vengeance and redemption that I have yet to see before. I mean, tell me another book where someone has to die in order to serve (and don’t give me anything with necromancers because that is a totally different conversation). The fact that these warriors, legends in their own rights, are forced to toe a line by an eight year old child in order to fight in a war; who thinks up this kind of stuff?
This book feels sort of like Bruce Lee meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with a little bit of Monster Hunter. There are “levels” to the storyline that include fierce battles with legendary warriors and large scale assaults by supernatural demons called “yokai” that continually ramp up the intensity, leading to a consistently thrilling, edge of your seat read. I also have to give props to Hayes for his characters. Each is fully fleshed out not only in their present story, but with tales of their heroics and bravery in battle. It is a book that needs to be slowly ingested rather than devoured.
Never Die shows exactly why you cannot sleep on self-publishing. While anyone can put words to a page, call themselves an author, and upload a book to Amazon, Hayes is here to show that there are non-traditionally published books that deserve the same amount of attention as the GRRMs and Pierce Browns of the world. If you enjoy Asian-inspired fantasy, heck, if you enjoy fantasy at all, Never Die should be at the top of your wish list.
Stunning
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A bloody good time!
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A good read
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reminded me of "Seven Samurai" in feel
good read.
If you enjoy Eastern lit - worth a credit
Life of a Samurai
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I really liked the characters. When giving a voice to the bandit (the emerald wind) the author manages to balance the life he'd lived against the life he internally wished he'd lived, and the conflict between the bad guy he was and the decent person he could be was great. The first member of the group is of a group who value oaths, and he digs into her feelings and regrets about being a hero in other's eyes but failing at what her people value most. The other group members have similar situations but join later on so there's less time for them to be developed. Even the villains are given interesting backstories and enough definition as characters to be a little more realistic. The combat was great as well, with the characters given their own specific styles that are right out of Eastern fantasy and martial arts-esque training. You hear how they can mow down as many people as they have, like an action hero in a blockbuster movie often does.
The inclusion of references to Eastern beliefs and the area are great as well. The quest is started by the God of the dead, and at times different creatures from Eastern religions appear to be fought and dispatched. The setting is also distinctly Eastern giving the world a lot more flavor and a bit more originality than just being a Western focused fantasy. It's definitely cool to listen to something focused on a different area and see the schism between their beliefs systems.
The narration was great, the narrator did a solid job voicing the characters and giving emotion to the varying events. The differences between the characters made it easy to tell who was talking or who the POV was at that time. With a main character being a young boy with issues the voice she gave him really sticks out.
I received the review code for this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review.
Stellar Eastern Heroic/Dark Fantasy
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get this now!
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What a ride!
First, let's talk about the audiobook narrator. Kim Bretton did an excellent job. While a couple of her male voices (yes, she has several, and most are great!) leave a bit to be desired, overall her voices are amazing! But where she really shines is in her tempo changes. She knows just what reading speed is appropriate for each scene and absolutely nails it!
I'll admit that at the start of the story I was pretty confused and didn't really understand what was happening.
I can't speak to the accuracy as I don't know a lot about it, but based on content I'd say there is a strong eastern mythology influence at work here. Between the monsters, the magic system, and the culture differences there was a lot to take in.
There is a lot of terminology that I don't rightly understand and had to piece together via context throughout the story. Particularly the titles each warrior has. I was several chapters in before I realized Emerald Wind and Century Blade were people and not things.
I honestly would have enjoyed a deeper dive into the characters, Cho in particular as I find her fascinating.
But what we have is a fast moving, almost thriller-eske story that flies by without feeling rushed. There's not a lot of time spent on internal monologue or introspection, but with the setup of this story it works beautifully.
And speaking of beautiful, let's talk about the writing for a moment. There are a handful of instances of clunky phrasing and some passive voice that doesn't seem necessary, but elsewise the writing here is gorgeous.
It's mostly of the simple, straightforward variety that I absolutely love. I'm not a fan of flowery, lyrical language and there is very little of that here. What little there is seems to have been included for emphasis in a way that works wonderfully.
Although, as I mentioned, there's not a lot of time spent on introspection, there is still some excellent characterization.
Every warrior has a trademark technique that is uniquely theirs, and seems custom tailored to their personality. Or perhaps their personality conformed to the needs of the technique. It's difficult to say with certainty.
Similarly, every character has at least one or two quirky personality traits that really makes them stand out as an individual.
Now, at the start the story seems extremely straightforward and, it must be said, a little silly and simplistic. Very easy to sum up in one sentence.
However, there's so much nuance, so many twists, and so much depth added throughout the story that I can't bring myself to type that simple sentence.
This is a story that will make you laugh. You'll want to strangle at least one character. You'll hate at least one. You're going to wring your hands in frustration. And in the end, your heart will break for these characters.
And at least one of the twists is going to hit you like a ton of bricks, leaving you dazed and unsure what to think or how to feel.
It's unusual for a twist to catch me competely unprepared, but one of these did so and it was glorious!
This book has the kind of explosive ending that readers dream about. All the promises made throughout the book come to fruition, even the ones you didn't realize were being made until you see them being fulfilled. Every disparate thread is weaved into a complex tapestry that can't help but blow your mind.
I'm normally the first to admit that no book can be for everyone, but I'm really struggling to come up with a type of reader who wouldn't enjoy this book.
Okay, here's one. If you insist on major character arcs, if you thrive on characters starting weak and growing strong, then this probably isn't the book for you. The whole quest is about gathering the greatest warriors in the world to fight an impossible battle.
Also, if there is no part of you that is even open to Eastern-themed fantasy or chi as magic (basically), then this probably isn't a good choice.
For everyone else, READ THIS BOOK!
Finally, full disclosure.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author and am voluntarily leaving this honest and unbiased review.
A phenomenal Eastern-themed standalone fantasy!
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Great book
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Fantastic
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I enjoyed ever moment of it!
the characters were so vivid and alive, and the plot and subsequent twists was astounding.
and as always a brilliant performance by Mrs. Bretton
absolutley brilliant!
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