The Never Paradox (Chronicles Of Jonathan Tibbs Book 2)

Great read. Has quite a few chunks of exposition explaining how its universe works along with quite a few essay-like thoughts on morality. Weirdly enough, I felt that not a lot happened in this book. Lots of explanations, conversations, and inner monologues. Then we have a flurry of activity near the end of the book, which left a cliffhanger and a conflict that really wasn't resolved - just delayed.

Would still love to see what happens next, though. There was a 2.5-year gap between the first and second books, so it's fair to assume that we'll have to wait a while to see the conclusion.

This book was outstanding! I've read The Never Hero multiple times and when I realized The Never Paradox had dropped I IMMEDIATELY bought it. I cannot express how the characters in this book make me feel. Nothing is black and white in this book. No one is eithout flaws and is immune to the complexity of real life situations. The way T. Ellery has written and plotted out the story has be captivated me and given me more emotion than most of the books I've read. There are few book series that have been able to have such an impact on my personal life. T. Ellery Hodges has easily climbed to the top three favorite authors. I'm aware I'm not giving a summary type review but I wish not to spoil even the smallest if details. If you're a fan of The Never Hero, then read this damn book! It'll rock you.

Everything I could have expected from Mr. Hodges when I purchased the sequel to his novel, The Never Hero, was met in this book.

If you haven't read the first book in the series, you will want to read it for much needed context; The sequel does not stand alone, but builds upon the world mapped out in the first book.

This was an excellent read, and I look forward to this author's further work, particularly the novel following this one!

Very exciting follow-up. I especially liked the ending and setup for the next book, and what happens as many of the character relationships become strained or frayed. My only low point was the big chunk of exposition in the middle. It was a bit of a slog to get through, but it did make the rest of the book understandable so I suppose there's that.

A Superhero book with excellent action and incredibly hard choices. Without spoilers, I loved the direction this book took and that it was even better than the first. Made me truly care for the characters in the book.

Congrats the the author and eagerly awaiting the next book.

Obviously we need backstory and relationship development, but it would have been nice to read through more of the very well laid out battles and less of Tibbs' total ignorance of relationships and reason. But whatevs, I'm rooting for him in the final book.

"The Never Paradox" is the highly anticipated sequel to "The Never Hero".If you have not read The Never Hero, I highly suggest that you read that book first. The Never Hero just blew me away. It ended up being the best book I had read that entire year, I average two or three books a month, so that was really saying something about the first book and how it affected me, In fact I was so blown away by the concept, I emailed T. Ellery Hodges in regards to the sequel, and discovered he was busy writing the sequel. I was so eager to get my hands on a copy of The Never Paradox, that I stayed in touch with Mr. Hodges, who ended up "providing me with an early edition as long as I would post an honest review.". Well, I was blown away again! The second book, The Never Paradox, took off in a direction that I was not expecting and threw in new characters which made the sequel extremely exciting. In fact, I have to go back and re-read it again. It is that good. I purchased a final copy today so that I would have it on my Kindle. Highly Recommend! I'm just upset that I have to wait for the next book!

The book enlights some typical hero story tropes in a complete new perspective. It would be interesting not only as a fiction novel but also as an interesting literature game.

-1 for some outrageous protagonist illogic behaviour. Spoiler allert - why in the hell he didn't ask Hayer for funding
And a minus 0 for not understanding how long training in martial arts would take. 2 weeks and the hero is almos done, oh my

Wow, did this get tedious fast. Hodges does a great job at dialogue, but 95% introspection and chatter wasn't what I was looking for in this sequel. It is a neat idea, but reads like a great short story padded out to 400 pages.

After reading the first book, The Never Hero, I watched for the sequel and preordered it as soon as it was available. I think The Never Paradox was even better than the first. It was more upbeat, as Jonathan has come a long way and isn’t so overwhelmed by his problems. The book is just as well written and was faster moving, with lots of plot twists and action. As with the first, my preference for hard science fiction meant that I found the alien science too far out, although it probably wouldn’t bother most readers. I still recommend it and plan on buying the next novel in the series.

This is volume 2 of T. Ellery Hodges' series, The Chronicles of Jonathan Tibbs. (See my review of volume 1, The Never Hero.) Set primarily in present-day Seattle, Hodges has constructed a morally ambiguous situation in which two species, human and alien, are pitted against each other as pawns, victims of the hubris of an ancient race. Battles of heroes and monsters, mysterious government agencies, an alien AI with the cartoon face of a bathroom cleaner commercial, puzzling paradoxes and pop culture references, fathers and sons, estranged brothers- this book has it all. I have a few gripes with its patriarchal stereotypes and heteronormative chastity- it really doesn't qualify as millenial fiction- and I think he may have used a handful of his tens of thousands of words inappropriately- but hey, it's not like I could do better. This is a major accomplishment, and I can't wait for the next book to come out. Thank you for many exciting hours, Mr. Ellery!

I must admit, I was really wondering when this sequel was coming as it was a long wait. I am happy to say that it was well worthwhile waiting for this one, as it is as strong, if not stronger than part one. Not quite as much action throughout the read, but when the action is happening it is utterly gripping and exciting, but it really has emotional highs that surpass the first and the answers provided are more than satisfying. This is some world that Mr. Hodges has built with quite a bit of emotional resonance and deep questions like, why be a hero when no one has any idea of the fight you are waging? Jonathan Tibbs more than steps up to the responsibility that he has taken on, and the way the picture becomes clear to him about just what is involved and why is fascinating to say the least. Reading the first novel will put a new reader way ahead of the game, but what is nice about this story is that it is contained within itself, so even if you are new to this adventure you still get a great read that is very highly recommended by me. I cannot say enough about how good this series is, and the ending sets up a huge next chapter for the readers to look forward to. Mr. Clean has a great last line and I eagerly await part three. Well done Mr. Hodges, well done!

Full Disclosure: I was given an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

As indicated by my 5-star rating, I loved the book and can’t wait for the next installment of the series. It grabs you and makes you care about the characters and the storyline.

This book can stand on its own, but you'll enjoy it a lot more if you read "The Never Hero" first. There are some references that won't make sense if you don't have the background from the first book and the overall plot will be better understood as well.

Pros: The plot is a unique twist on time-traveling with an interesting moral dilemma and a good dose of humor. There's also a shadowy government agency and an intriguing romantic subplot (tied together believe it or not) that add another dimension to the plot.

The characters are well developed and complex. The hero is likeable and believable. He has his flaws, but it’s clear there is a decent, honorable man with a strong sense of moral obligation to humanity underneath it all.

The main female character is conflicted. You want to hate her for her deception, but her reasons for the role she is playing and her obvious feelings for the hero make it hard to dislike her.

The rest of the characters are developed enough to make you either identify with them or, in the case of the human villain, understand him but still detest him.

There is a good amount of action that moves the plot along – some of the violence is fairly graphic, but well done.

Cons: There is a fairly lengthy discussion about the paradox of time travel that slows the pace a bit, but is necessary to the reader’s understanding of the plot.

The ending is a cliff-hanger. I would have liked a bit of closure or at least a few more details on the situation that the main characters find themselves in, but I understand that the author had to stop somewhere.

Conclusion: I highly recommend this entertaining and well-written book.

We delve deeper and deeper into the conflict between brothers and worlds. The Never Paradox is about as clean of a continuation on a series story line I've ever read. We dive further into our favorite cast members and have a few great additions as well. I love this book as much as the first but for different reasons that originally left me feeling conflicted. The Never Hero despite it's dark tones and desperate emotions just felt fun to read through out the whole story. There was something so absurd about Tibbs life changing events and how he responded that it felt so gratifying reading each page. The Never Paradox is a far darker and more emotionally challenging read so I did pine a little over how the first book made me feel. That being said I still felt equally rewarded by the end. I realize I've said little about the actual plot and events of the book but as I said earlier it is such a logical progression to the Never Hero I feel it's best to just experience them for yourself.

I have been looking forward to this book for sometime so I took my time reading it once it was released. The great news is that it takes what the first one gave us, adds more without being mired down with nonsense. The action is great but also the struggles the characters deal with are relatable to other difficulties a person may go through in real life. I'm also a local to where the story takes place so it's fun to see the author use the areas in the story. All in all this sequel does not disappoint and further engages the reader to be drawn further into the series. I definitely recommend this to sci fi and urban paranormal fans alike.

The debut focussed a lot on character development, as Jonathan Tibbs transitioned from introverted college student into unsung hero against ferocious inter-galactic creatures known as the Ferox. With all that taken care of, The Never Paradox hit the ground running and is much faster paced with a lot more action and plot progression. Halfway into the story, however, the amount of exposition about the Borealis and Ferox felt info-dumpy even though it helped to answer a lot of questions from the first book. As much as a lot of the information is fascinating, the pacing does suffer. Admittedly, some of the explanations around the time paradox is still making my head spin.

The story is quite unlike what I normally read. It is set on Earth (mostly), but it’s not urban fantasy nor is it cyberpunk science fiction. It is, simply, a compellingly human tale of courage, sacrifice, tenacity and companionship - aliens notwithstanding. All the characters are quite excellent and well-portrayed. The people around Jonathan and their interactions just feel so authentic. Jonathan himself is a truly empathetic character – all his emotions and thoughts are relatable and realistic.

I loved how Hodges incorporated the most insightful themes and messages from famous movies into the narrative. Two of Jonathan’s housemates are huge movie buffs who constantly watch old favourites, as they collaborated on producing a new comic. Although seemingly incongruous with the plotline, the allegories discussed are relevant to the story of our main protagonist. One of my favourites is about the symbolism of rain scenes; two movies specifically mentioned are Shawshank Redemption and The Matrix Revolutions.

The author's writing style is a natural fit to the story. Not overly elaborate nor too simple – it drives the narrative forward effortlessly, with occasional touches of humour. The action scenes are well-written with a great build-up to the climax. And with such an intense and revelatory ending sequence, I am eagerly looking forward to the next book.

Note: I was given free advance copy.
Having said that, I volunteered to read The Never Paradox because I just couldn't wait for it to be released. I didn't care about any typos, crazy sentences or unfinished missions. Just give me the book to read! Mr Hodges is an excellent author. I read 2-4 books at a time usually, depending on how involved in the period in time I have available to read. In the first book in this series I read it every minute available. This second volume is as good as or even better than the first. Just when I thought I knew what was coming next, I was hit into left field like a fly ball. And now here I am waiting, waiting, waiting.... Yep, for that next one already. "Daddy, how much longer before we get there?" Anyway, if you read the first book, you will not be disappointed with the second. You can read the second first, but reading in order will certainly be best. Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

More complex, more interesting. The second volume of J. Tibbs adds new layers to an already interesting and original story. We discover quite a few secrets and some new characters to enhance the evolving story of a handful of people entrusted with the safety of Mankind against an alien enemy the world doesn't even know exists. A nice mixture of action and mystery help to flesh out characters that are becoming more complex as we go along. The story of how/why Mankind is threatened also expands as we come to understand the circumstances surrounding the looming war for Earth. Way looking forward to vol. 3. Is it ready yet!?

Full Disclosure: I was given an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

So I first found T. Ellery Hodge's book while combing through troves of Sci-fi and fantasy on the store and I loved it, the concept was familiar but with it own unique twists, Jonathan Tibbs is just the right amount of stupid and the right amount of awesome for a chosen one (I cannot stand willfully stupid protagonists and Tibbs is not one.) The first book left me wanting more. This second book fulfilled that desire and made it worse, I cannot wait for the third book.

The character development was great, both main characters developed well, were relatable, and seemed to generally react like people instead of mystical chosen one robots which was very nice.

The plot moved forward well and set up the third book very nicely without ending on a TV-esque cliff-hanger like certain other authors have been doing recently (Cough Peter V. Brett).

Overall, the book was a very solid addition to the series, was very well written, and had few errors. If you haven't read the first book, go get it and then read this one, while we wait for the third!

I found the first novel incredibly entertaining, but somehow this one was even better. Mr. Hodges avoided the pitfall of stumbling in a sequel. He successfully offered plausible explanations for the scientific and time-altering aspects of the story. These, for me, are less significant though as the focus is (rightfully) on characters. Mr. Hodges writes about characters that I enjoy hearing more about, and I ended up caring about their fate. This for me is the mark of a great book, and I wish Mr. Hodges continued success on his writing for the third book in this series and whatever else arises from his wonderful imagination.

Engaging plot and the author weaves together a discussion of fantasy myths and concepts through discussion with the main character's roommates that play out in the action and plot of the book that adds an additional level of engagement to the story. I could not put this book down and literally read it in one sitting over a number of hours, it was that good. I plan to read this book again so I can more fully appreciate the story and all the intricate details in the story. I though it took a long time for the second book to come out and now I can see why

An incredible sequel to The Never Hero. The Never Hero was an absolutely amazing book and the sequel lived up to the first book in many ways. I was given an early copy of The Never Paradox in exchange for an honest review of the book.

I loved The Never Hero. Not only is it a great story, but it is also an interesting commentary on what it takes to be a hero and what it means to be a man. It is a must read - especially for men looking for a redemptive story about sacrifice, courage, and determination. The Never Paradox continues the story of Jonathan Tibbs as he tries to survive a cross-dimensional gladiator pit in an attempt to save the world. The story has excellent character development and it was fun watching the characters grow and interact. It is so easy to put yourself in every characters shoes and understand exactly what they are feeling and experiencing. I love seeing the same series of events from multiple perspectives and watch as the tension builds to a beautiful climax.

The Never Paradox explains many questions that arose from the first book. It explains, for example, why Jonathan's dreams about his dad feel like they are more than dreams. It explains in greater detail the paradox of time travel. It also gives greater insight into the Ferox (the race of aliens attacking earth) and the Borealis (the alien race to which Heyer belongs). The explanations that the book gives are clear and satisfying. The one thing that I wish there was more of is the hero commentary that was so pervasive in the first book.

I would highly recommend listening to the series on Audible. The reader is amazing.

This was a fantastic sequel to a great first novel. The story is well thought out and the characters are three dimensional. The complexity of the plot elements requires a lot of explaining - which at times can be tedious - but it's the only way to explain the rules of the story's universe. The only real criticism is there was a decent bit that pursued some obscure tangents that probably could have been edited out without compromising the plot or quality. Nonetheless, an excellent read and I look forward to the final book.

Captivating.
It's about fighting the good fight. Fighting until it's OK to quit. Everyone is against you. No recognition. No reward. Good vs evil. God vs the Devil. Friendship and faith. Sacrifice.
This story is about the hero in all of us. It's about the quiet desperation we all feel.

The theme of alien powered crystals allowing humans to gain the powers to fight monsters from another dimension make for an interesting plot. The book does seem dark and hopeless with parts that tend to drag at times. There are decent action sequences and some pretty good character development, but more focus on these areas would really add to the quality of the book. The author spends so much time trying to force his twisted views of a flawed Jesus into a comic book within the story that it takes away from the actual plot. Also, the government's elite spy group doesn't consistently perform up to the standards they supposedly are required to. For example, they are willing to kill innocent people to cover up their surveillance but fail to keep an untrained, army enlisted soldier from evading them daily...
A little more creative editing and less preaching could move this series into a 5 star series.

I am suffering withdrawal symptoms waiting for book 3! The author really knows how to pull you into creating that bond with Tibbs! Well done! it has been a long time since I've connected with an author. It feels like @TElleryHodges is much like Haden. You can tell that the author has put so much of himself into this novel which is the excellent formula for fan loyalty! #TheNeverHero movie soon?

I really liked this book. It's an excellent second installment that has a lot of action, but also depth. The characters continue too be interesting, the plot too. The one complaint I have is that there were some parts in the middle, when Heyer was explaining, that just went on and on and on. It was all good information, just too much at once.

Loved the first book, had moderate hopes for the sequel. Pleasantly surprised to find it even better, and much harder to put down! Haven't ever read anything quite like it. Hope the next book is available...

Engaging, quality sequel to the first Never Hero! I enjoyed the depth of believable character development and increased drama. Won't get into details because I hate spoilers. Will just say that I'm looking forward to the next chapter....keep em' coming Mr. Hodges!

There are many series that starts great and fall apart in the sequels..I am so glad to say that this is not the case here. The first book was good and this one is even better. The only reason I would not recommend this awesome book is the pain it will bring knowing you will have to wait for the sequel to be released !
Good job Mr. Hodges !

I thought that this book provided some thought provoking story lines in the discussion of the comic book. The bond symbol of Adam and Eve was well done with a twist. Good fight scenes and plot development with the dad. I don't like Leah. Overall, a really super read and can't wait for next book.

Hodges provided an eminently readable story in The Never Hero. In Paradox, he ups the ante to an entirely unexpected level. He brings story elements both expected and unexpected in ways that are ending to read.

This book starts a little slow, but throughout you see the necessity of placing the cogs in motion, and by 20% through your investment of patience pays off in spades.

Loved the story, the writing and the characters. The premise is something completely new for me. I've never seen a "never-verse" used as a central plot device and the author carried it out without introducing inconsistencies. That's impressive! Can't wait for the next book.

After reading the first book and not hearing anything about a sequel for years I was very pleasantly surprised to stumble across this book. I really enjoy the unique premise of the series and the author has done a great job with this second book.

The author found an interesting way to introduce another character to the series and an even more interesting way to make the reader invested in that character.

Many new plot threads were introduced in this book and I'm excited to see them all wrapped up in the final book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the Chronicles of Jonathan Tibbs. His humble attitude about protecting those around him and those he does not even know make for a very readable and enjoyable work of fiction that all can enjoy. I appreciate the detail and look forward to the next chapter!