Legends Never Die (abbreviated as LND) is a series of The Book of Life fanfics written by A. Kingsleigh
and originally posted on Tumblr.
Set during the decades following the events of the film, the stories follow the Sanchez family after Manolo's adventure in the Lands of the Dead. They must deal with the recurring consequences of his death and resurrection, be they angry gods, parallel universes, demon-hunting nuns or a daughter gifted with the mysterious ability to interact with gods and spirits. The other major plotline in the series is that of Joaquin's Fantastic Romance with a water spirit named Ixa and the challenges they face in order to be together. Later in the series, the Sanchez and Mondragon children become major characters and embark on adventures of their own.
Fics in the series:
- Legends Never Die
- Remember, Remember (semi-prequel oneshot)
- Roads Not Taken
- The Soldier and the Sea Daughter (oneshots set throughout the series, mainly between LND and NC).
- The In-Law
- First Night (NSFW oneshot)
- New Chapters (oneshots set throughout the main series from RNT onwards)
- To Hell And Back
- Day of the Jaguar
Tropes in the series:
- Abusive Parents: Tlaloc towards Ixa, both physically and emotionally.
- After-Action Patch-Up: A few times in LND.
- Alternate Universe: Key to the plot of RNT, where they are referred to as "branch worlds" and come into being based on the alternatives of whatever choice a person makes.
- Badass Family: The Sanchezes and Mondragons.
- Big Bad: A different one in each story.
- Mictlan in LND, who forms a Big Bad Duumvirate with Tezcatlipoca.
- Forgotten!Manolo in RNT.
- Valeria in THAB.
- Brother–Sister Team: Vicente and Gabriela.
- Cute Bookworm: Ofelia.
- Disney Death: At least one in most stories, usually involving Manolo.
- Evil Mentor: Valeria towards Maria, who ultimately rejects the latter's overzealous ideology.
- Florence Nightingale Effect: Joaquin and Ixa begin to fall in love when she cares for him as he recovers from the jaguar attack.
- Great Big Library of Everything: La Muerte and Xibalba have one which briefly features in RNT.
- Imperiled in Pregnancy: The events of RNT take place while Maria is pregnant with Ofelia.
