“Orochi, the king of the dragons, has ordered his brothers and sisters to destroy humanity. It falls to a young hero to assemble a team and stop the dragons’ rampage. It falls to the Century Blade.”

The Century Blade is a short novella, just 30 pages long, and works really well as a standalone introduction to Hayes’ Asian sword & sorcery Mortal Techniques world. Alternatively if, like me, you’ve already read some or all of his standalone novels then it offers the chance to delve further, as he expands on the history and characters of the setting.

In his novel Never Die we encounter an intriguing minor character called the Century Blade, whose brief appearance raises more questions than answers. Consequently, I was delighted to discover that Hayes had written this novella, giving me the chance to find out more.

The Century Blade tells the story of Su An, a reluctant hero who “wanted no gold, no power, no servants or fame. Su An wanted only one thing. To be forgotten.” Su An gathers together a band of heroes to help him confront the rampaging dragons. The whole tale is beautifully written, adopting a certain distance as it looks back on one of the great legends of old. Despite its short length, this still feels like a rounded and complete story. Hayes’ trademark storytelling craft shines here, bringing his richly detailed world to life with the tiniest of details and briefly mentioned asides.
Did it satisfy my curiosity after reading Never Die? The answer is yes and no. This is still a complete tale in its own right, albeit a brief one. Yet whilst Hayes answers certain questions throughout the novella there are hints of much more, leaving me with the feeling I’d read an action-packed prologue to a full-length novel. Will Hayes write the full and complete story of Century Blade? I hope the answer is yes and, if he does, I’ll be first in line to get my hands on a copy.