The Never Hero, by T. Ellery Hodges, is the first installment in the story of Jonathan Tibbs, a normal, reclusive college student who is assaulted by a blond man in his house while his roommates are out. He wakes later in a puddle of his own blood without a scratch or any other damage to his body. His life undergoes a huge shift when an alien beast begins wreaking havoc in the streets, killing left and right looking for its challenger. Jonathan must become a weapon, fighting the monster while remaining completely anonymous. This book is a mix of sci-fi and action/adventure that I personally couldn't put down. Many great scenes occurred throughout the story, but my favorites were definitely the epic fight scenes. I loved every moment I spent listening to this audiobook, and when it ended, I was all the more eager to read the second book.

I thought the book was very suitable for audio narration, and that the narrator, Steven Barnett, did so much with the opportunity presented to him. There were some parts of the book that called for voice modulators, which he used flawlessly. All of the characters were extremely well-voiced, and I could always tell who was speaking. I especially enjoyed the voice of the tall, blond man, as Barnett gave him an interesting accent and unmistakable voice tones. Barnett enunciated his words very well throughout the duration of the book, but sometimes I thought he enunciated almost too well, distracting from some of the dialogue. All in all, though, he was an excellent voice actor and I look forward to listening to more of his work.

As far as production and sound quality go, I thought Barnett maintained a pretty consistent pace throughout the story. He lowered his voice during moments of intensity, which added a lot to the novel. I didn't notice any technical flaws or edits during my listening experience.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a thrilling read voiced by a very interesting narrator. The plot was exciting and always kept me guessing through its entirety, and Barnett did an excellent job with both reading the story itself and voicing the characters. I already have the next book purchased and I can't wait to listen!

I received this book from Audiobook Jukebox in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Never Hero
Author: T. Ellery Hodges
Narrator: Steven Barnett
Publisher: Foggy Night Publishing (unabridged, 2015)
Length: 12 hrs., 22 min. ( )

Bad. very very difficult to get through. The main character acts like a 12 year old. He should be a bit more mature than that. And he whines all the time. Heroes can't whine about their responsibilities all the time. I actually bought the entire series, but won't be reading any past this first book, it is just a waste of my time. ( )

Slow build with some unusual sections, but all tied up for a very satisfying story. ( )

Never Hero

This story was just okay until the end; I almost stopped reading it several times. I almost wish I had because the revelations at the end of the book make me want to know what happens next. ( )

ABR's original The Never Hero (The Chronicles of Jonathan Tibbs Book 1) audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Jonathan Tibbs is a normal university student, living in a house with his three friends. That is until the day he wakes up to find himself in a pool of his own blood and no idea why thus changing his future forever. Tibbs is destined to become the earth’s savior from alien challengers. The aliens are coming to his city. Tibbs knows he is not up to the task of being savior but he has no other choice.

I found the style of T. Ellery Hodges to be mostly original and it was fun, quick, and different.

I liked the settings as they were reality based, we don’t have a masculine hero gifted with mysterious powers out of nowhere and we see his hard work, the anguish, and the constant fear, which really gives the story reality. This is kind of the other side of the typical hero story. The characters were realistic, likable, and fun. I really liked the psychological dynamic between them. The one downside of the book was while I liked the good guys, I felt nothing for the bad ones, no hate, no anger toward them, and that goes for the monsters as well.

The events were fast paced, shown to us by following Jonathan and some other characters, but this is where we have the issue of predictability. I mean it’s a hero story: he will win – the hero always wins right? Yet that did not keep me from wanting to know the rest of the story.

The plot was ok. However, the explanations I felt they were silly, childlike, and just plain stupid. At one point I was like: SERIOUSLY?

Steven Barnett did a very good job narrating. He gave each character its own voice, reflecting their mentality and inner conflict. One of the characters had a unique voice which sounded affected by a “voice modulator” and he imitated it perfectly. Barnett’s voice was mostly was calm and collected, even during the action scenes it would rise in accordance with the events of the battle, but it stayed calm.

There were no issues with the production.

Audiobook purchased for review by ABR. ( )