The Never Hero: The Chronicles of Jonathan Tibbs, Book 1
4.4 | 3,586 ratings
Price: 19.95
Last update: 01-14-2026
Top reviews from the United States
- Messages For The SoulOriginal and fun sci-fi bookI read a lot of science fiction, fantasy and adventure books so am always looking for new authors that can draw me in and entertain me. I lived in Sacramento for many years so, when I saw that author T. Ellery Hodges was also from there, I felt a connection and bought The Never Hero. I'm glad I did.
The Never Hero is a great tale that chronicles both the story of a reluctant hero and debates the notion of what a ""hero"" really is anyway. Jonathan, the main character, is pushed into a war and cast as a hero that he doesn't really want to be. This sets up a series of internal debates that are both interesting and sometimes very comical. Heroes of old are brought up and discussed, such as our comic book Superman and even Jesus himself. While a lot of the action doesn't get into full swing until later chapters, once it does it is great stuff and well thought out.
I found The Never Hero to be a very exciting journey that was well-written and suspenseful to the point that I would often be kept reading long after I had intended. The cast of characters were well-developed and this is something that I could certainly see being made into a long-running series. Reluctant heroes are my favorite kind and Hodges definitely has a winner here with Jonathan. I highly recommend this first book as we await the next installment on what promises to be a fun ride. - StubsNYA decent read, with some stylistic quirks, and an exceptional ending that demands a sequel.The story in a sentence: college kid becomes the defender of Earth against the big monsters but no one will ever know since when he wins everything reverts back to before the fight.
I would give five stars for the last two-three chapter developments that made me immediately go online and search for the sequel, which is still being finished. Do your work well, TE Hodges, make sure you are satisfied that your creations would be satisfied, as well as your readers.
Anyway, there was seemingly a conscious trade-off between story pace and development and the author chose development, I was able to skip some paragraphs and not miss any story. Hodges' pace is steady throughout the book and he is gifted in setting a temporal scene. Tibbs, the earstwhile hero, is actually not the most developed character in the book.
Over the last few chapters, Hodges divulges the background as to why there are battles, which is truly bizarre and probably would not stand up to a rigorous thesis defense but this does not significantly detract from the story. The love interest is a 'plant'. Battles have been going on for generations and there are other battles with other earth defenders going on.
SPOILER -- it would be impossible to continue this review without playing the spoiler but the best part of th book was the ending, leaving me wanting more. Kudos. - Eric P.Fantastic read!Some people are just born to be writers. Despite starting down many others paths in life, Mr Hodges eventually finds his true calling. A writer. A story teller. A weaver of words that transport you to a whole new world in spite of the fact that it takes place in today's setting.
The character he created is one I think most people can identify with. College student set on a path they believe is what they want, yet really only go through the motions of living and attaining their "dream". When his world literally gets turned upside down and he is faced with life or death, that's where we see an almost unbelievable transformation in this character. He chooses life and digs deep within himself to prepare for what awaits him.
This story is a true hero tale in the deepest traditions. I flew through the book, grabing any reading time I could cram in to see how this tale unfolded. I was also certain that the sequel was out already and wanted to get to that as well. My mistake, it's not been released. Ahh!! The disappointment I felt once I figured that out. Now I try to patiently wait for it to be finished. Meanwhile, this is the first author I decided to follow on Amazon. He is that good! I've read a lot and have a number of favorite authors; Terry Goodkind, Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Brent Weeks, to name a few. T Hodges is now added to the list. The cool thing is that now I have a contemporary world to explore along with the others.
If you like sci-fi, please give this a try. I doubt you will be disappointed.