OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Never Hero" by T Ellery Hodges.]
The Never Hero is a novel written by T. Ellery Hodges, and it is the first book in The Chronicles of Jonathan Tibbs series. It is about how a normal college student named Jonathan is recruited to fight an onslaught of ferocious aliens. I found the book to be very enjoyable; the plot was one of the most creative sci-fi plots I have seen. There is action, mysterious technology, original alien designs, and a threat to humanity. Everything a sci-fi book needs can be found here.

After being overpowered by a mysterious man in the dead of night, Jonathan wakes up in a pool of blood. The blood is proven to be his own, however, the doctors can find no injuries on Jonathan’s body. He soon finds out that he has been recruited to fight a series of interplanetary battles in order to save Earth, and has been given super-human powers that activate when an alien is nearby. These battles are not normal fights however, because to everyone except Jonathan, no battle ever takes place. Jonathan faces the challenge of fighting for no recognition whatsoever, and learns what it takes to be a true hero.

There were a lot of things that I really liked about this book. The creativity of the overall plot is great, the action scenes are well done, and the characters are well developed. Sometimes the characters seem cheesy, but never shallow. I enjoyed the subplot involving two of Jonathan’s roommates, Collin and Hayden. They have the brilliant idea to write the Bible out in comic book format. As Jonathan learns more about his limits and the enemy he has to face, Collin and Hayden discuss which type of martial art Jesus should know. This book also has a lot of profound moments, especially when Jonathan’s alien mentor Heyer is around. You never see Heyer fight once, but you know he is the most awesome character because of his thought provoking statements.

I do not mind cliché as much as some, but there are a few parts of this book where you can just feel the cliché oozing out. Seriously, someone sitting in a dark car while they are talking to someone with a voice modifier? But these moments are not bad enough to take away from the overall creativity of the story. Also, I feel like I bring this up in all of my reviews, but there are typos. They don’t make the book unreadable, but when I was involved in the story, and I came across a “there” instead of a “they’re”, it really took me out of the immersion.

This book gets the full score of 4 out of 4 stars. The writing was done well, the characters are interesting, and the book makes you think about things you might never have thought about. I can recommend The Never Hero to any science fiction fan, though I certainly would not limit my recommendations to those people. This is a book that can be widely enjoyed, and I will be eagerly waiting for the next book in the series.

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Buy "The Never Hero" on Amazon

-- 22 Dec 2014, 00:49 --

Feel free to reply with criticism or discussion; it really helps me out!

Excellent, thorough review. I've read many SF novels, and certainly agree that you don't have to be a SF fan to enjoy a first-rate SF novel. Furthermore, some novels could be classified as SF, but for various reasons are classified as mainstream fiction (e.g., Atlas Shrugged).

Loved the thoroughness of the review as well. Thanks for pointing out the clichés, that will give me a heads up when I read. Are they really corny like you suggested?

NanoWasabi, you are correct about both the typos and the clichés. I sent the author several pages of typos to correct and he said he will fix them and reissue at least the kindle version. However, as I pointed out in my review, to balance the clichés, there is some very good writing and serious philosophical consideration of the superhero myths. And there is the possibility that the trite devices may be part of the comic book trope?

A pretty thorough review. The storyline seems quite interesting.

Great review. I am going to add this one to the list!

Nice, insightful review! I am not a huge science fiction fan, but this book sounds really good. It certainly helps that you made the book sound interesting.

I've had this book on my shelf for future reading since joining OnlineBookClub. I've been putting it off until I'm free from distractions. I like to attack a book reading starting early mornings, around 4AM when the house is quiet. Then again when family members go out to do their thing. And sometimes as late as midnight when all are a-bed. Your review has me getting impatient to read this book but I hate getting engrossed in a book and being repeatedly interrupted. You got me seriously, really seriously thinking of taking my laptop with its Kindle app and sneaking off to a library to hide out and start reading this book. Now to see if I can come up with a plausible dupe to facilitate my sneak out. Maybe take my fishing gear and claim to be going to fish. Anyway thanks for a really nice review that whits a reader's appetite.

Thank you for this detailed review. The book sounds interesting, and although I'm not 100% sure if it's for me, I might give it a chance. Also, don't feel bad about bringing up typos, as they are horribly distracting to avid readers. Like you, I've brought this issue up in almost all of my reviews.

Very well written review. It makes me want to grab a copy and read it right now.

Great review! You explained it in great detail that made me want to read it. I hope to be able to do so, and also hope to find more reviews like this.

Thank you for this great review. I love sci-fi and i want this book right now.

I've read and reviewed Never Hero on my book blog and agree it's a great sci-fi read. Normally I don't read this genre but thought to expand my borders for once. The book is quite psychological about what triggers a regular person to step on the road to becoming a super hero. Thanks for your review!

The review feels like a heartfelt tribute to the book's artistry.