 Never Die, a very good know about fantasy novel released in 2019, self-published by Rob Hayes. I read it, I loved it. I don't remember it too well, but what I do remember, excellent action scenes, very anime inspired, indeed the novel reading it, was like you were watching an anime. I do remember some scenes from that book, as if I have seen them animated. Some of the most excellent action I read that year. Character work also good. Now, Never Die has a sequel, that's the word I'm looking for, and the sequel does a lot of what Never Die did, and a lot more besides. Thanks to Rob Hayes for giving me a wonderful free copy of his book in return for an honest review. We like free stuff, but we like honesty even more. Thankfully it's not too difficult to be honest about a book that I really enjoyed, so let's get into it shall we? Never Die 2 Die a Little Bit is far and away a more memorable book than its predecessor. In a better novel, I would argue, its chief conceit is more engaging by far. A contest for the throne of heaven, part gauntlet, part treasure hunt, this is a work that isn't afraid to claim an identity of its own, similar yet very different from its predecessor. Take protagonist Yu, who is hardly a fighter the likes of Never Die's Whispering Blade. A strategist of both great renown and infamy, she is a drunk, full of self-pity for the person she used to be before. I quote, War made her a murderer, and before peace made her a criminal. Yu is embroiled in the divine contest by Natsuko, goddess of lost opportunities whose most common appearances include a small child and a tiny wrinkled grandmother. Is the relationship between these two characters from which conflict is generated? Yu is a most unwilling champion to begin with, pushed and prodded into her role by the insistent goddess. Yu is a little like Batman in that old internet joke, give her enough prep time and she'll figure out how to deal with everything you throw at her. Trouble is, the artifact hunt Natsuko sends her on has a set time limit, and our protagonist is forced to improvise. Watching her figure her way through one tight spot after another is a highlight of this novel and greatly rewarding. As for the goddess herself, Natsuko is amusing, a little frightening, constantly contankerous, but she is wise too. Lines such as The Following really sell the idea. Mistakes are like wrinkles, the older we get the more we have, and we forget them until we look in a mirror, and there is a propensity to confuse heroism with rash action. They are not the same. A true hero acts not on impulse, but on rationale and consideration. Good lines, even if one of them comes from the art of war, but hey, it takes wisdom to know wisdom. Is it a rewarding experience reading this while having read Never Die? I would argue so. I had a murky memory of Yu's character herself, but as I read on, I found elements from the first Mortal Technique's novel coming back to me, a welcome return by the end of this one. Support characters include a peasant with heroic aspirations, a thief, a yokai or two, and several murderous mortals with techniques far deadlier than that of our inebriated protagonist. It's often in the games that a little someone named the ticking clock comes after you with a flying machine and murderous intent. Impressive is the way in which Hayes handles the team of domestic abuse, so his subtlest work yet. Hints of something amiss are spread throughout, left for you to piece together as you read on, until a point when it all clicks. The game of chess is used as a framing device to the novel, as the title might have tipped you off. The prologue to the book opens with the goddess Natsuko literally picking a pawn in the gods' contest, you herself, and the opening proper of the book closes in on you playing a literal game of chess. Many of the conflicts in the book can be related to metaphorical chess games, to a greater or lesser extent. As far as framing goes, this is wildly successful, and well deserving of praise. Unlike its predecessor in the Mortal Techniques, this one also left me eager to read the next title in this collection. Hayes has a talent in teasing out what's to come. This is most evident in the epilogue, only a few short pages, which hints at the conflicts to come in this world, and that a certain character with whom readers of either book or both, should be well familiar with, to one extent or another. Was there anything I didn't enjoy with Ponds Gambit? Of course there was. I told that some of the exposition grew a little long in the tooth, but other than that, I actually had a phenomenal time with it. I read through Ponds Gambit in I think four sittings, and it's good. It's an entertaining book, and I'm happy to recommend it to all of you. I leave you with this quote. You're still alive then? Li-Bang asked. You nodded. Flying Soul will be looking for us. Li-Bang chuckled. You ripped his lip off. He wasn't using it, she said with a shrug. It made me chuckle. Maybe it will make you smile too, until you do. I'm Philip Magnus, and I will see you next time. Bye!