Review: Blood Brothers Beyond by Rob J. Hayes

Blurb:

Not all heroes go to Heaven.

Blood Subaru is dead. His final request: His brothers sneak his soul into Heaven.

There's just a few problems; the trail is infested with opportunistic bandits, haunted by vengeful spirits, and guarded by the Gods of Death.

All in a days work for the legendary Brothers Blood. Or at least, it would have been in their prime.

Pulled out of cosy retirement, Blood Ichiro must summon the courage and the strength to climb the Heaven's Trail for a second time in his life. He doesn't want to go, but some quests can't be refused.

Anything for a fallen brother.

An Asian-inspired Sword & Sorcery adventure set in the award-winning Mortal Techniques world.

Review:

I had no idea this book even existed. I vaguely remember someone sharing a screenshot of the cover months ago, and I was like “Hey! Rob J Hayes has a new book out? Why do I not know about it?” Sadly, I couldn’t find anything about the book online. Cut to months later, when I received an unassuming email in my inbox with a download link to this very ARC. 

Naturally, I jumped on the opportunity, because I love Rob J Hayes’ work, especially his Mortal Techniques series. 

What I liked:

Never Die, Mortal Techniques #1, was my introduction to Rob J Hayes. Since then, I’ve read every single entry into this world, each one making me fall in love with this wuxia-inspired action-packed fantasy series. So, naturally, I had a certain level of bias when I went into the novella. However, this one turned out to be quite different from what I expected. In a good way. 

Now, there are a few things staple to the Mortal Techniques books—kinetic action, demons and paranormal elements inspired by Asian, but primarily Japanese mythology, and hardened characters with a past that only makes them more badass. Like its predecessors, Blood Brothers Beyond has all of these, with the small but significant addition of heart. Don’t get me wrong, Pawn Sacrifice and Spirits of Vengeance had their share of heart that made the stories compelling, but Blood Brothers Beyond takes that emotional anchor of the story and makes it the primary offering. 

Just look at the premise: Two of the Brothers Blood—ironically not related by blood—must transport their youngest brother’s corpse up a legendary mountain so they can cremate him and send his soul to heaven. As expected, the journey is overwrought with dangers, both human and demon. However, the dangers serve more as physical stepping stones forward, with the large chunk of the narrative’s heavy lifting done by Ichiro and Daijiro reminiscing their time with Subaru, his quirks and personality, as well as the secrets he kept from them. 

If you’ve ever dealt with grief and loss, you will connect to these brothers in an instant. The way they both behave, attempting to reclaim their lost dynamic whilst suppressing the inner storm of pain and sorry is so well done! This is one of Hayes’ finest character work. I loved the action, but I loved the emotions more. They felt too real, too raw and authentic.

I don’t know if this is true, but I saw this novella as Hayes’ love letter to his older work, reminiscing its beauty and rawness whilst acknowledging its flaws while saying goodbye to an older chapter of his writing career. With God Eater and Titan Hoppers, Hayes’ repertoire of fantasy stories has not only grown in number but also in quality. Seeing his work makes me believe that this man is not going to stop any time soon, and I wouldn’t want him to. 

Bittersweet feelings:

Honestly, I can’t think of anything I didn’t like in this book. Maybe I would’ve liked to see a flashback with the three brothers bantering, or something more of Subaru. However, not including any of those actually worked in favor of the story at hand. It lends more value to the emotional state of loss, of knowing that something is in the past and can only be indulged in through remembering. 

Maybe the last chapter could’ve had a little more than it did, because I did feel like something was missing. A simple interaction with the Shinigami instead of the tranquil ending would’ve been better. However, I am going to contradict myself and say that the way Hayes ends this story feels fitting because it is a much-earned goodbye after everything that transpires in this book. 

What I’m trying to say is, that there is a feeling of something missing in this book, yet it feels perfect in other ways. Almost like a eulogy given to a loved one. There’s always something that feels like it’s left unsaid, but at the same time, maybe there isn’t. That’s life, no?

Conclusion:

Blood Brothers Beyond is a fantastic Mortal Techniques story, one that has more heart than any of the previous entries. As much as the action is awesome and the world consistently fascinating, it’s the dynamic between Ichiro and Daijiro that really shines in this one, along with the deeply personal themes of grief and loss that pervade every interaction and reminiscence. 

TL;DR:

WHAT I LIKED: The exploration of grief and loss, the emotional scenes, and character dynamics

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: I wanted a few more scenes, maybe some different scenes, but upon reflection I realize that the novella is better off without them