BOOK REVIEW: 'THROUGH THE FIRE'
By Author Shawn Grady
When I first picked up Shawn Grady's book it was just another review I was doing.
Talk about the BOOK
Talk about the AUTHOR
Let everyone know what I LIKED ABOUT IT or DIDN'T LIKE
It boiled down to in the end would I recommend the book to readers. Since becoming a literary agent my reviews are not just on the books but the authors themselves. I'm very picky about the books I review. I can't review something I don't have any interest in reading in the first place. I don't see any sense in that, how can you write about something your heart isn't into writing about. How can you give an honest review if you don't like the genre you're reading in the first place. So for me the books and authors are chosen by a set of standards in which I feel enables me to give an endorsement not only on the books I read but the authors as well. I'm not going to sugar coat a book I don't like.
'Author Shawn Grady's book entitled "THROUGH THE FIRE" Exceeded my expectations!' Literary Agent Wendy Adams
A fine example of a great opening line for a book 'Even Smoke Runs From The Fire'
As a literary agent the first two paragraphs are the most important to me. They will sell me on the book or make me pass it by.
'Shawn Grady's book "Through The Fire" first paragraph called to my instincts I didn't even have to read on to know this author had something worth reading.' Literary Agent Wendy Adams
I continued on from the moment I picked it up making notes along the way.
'Such poetic writing "When blackness billows heaven-bent from hallways and flame tips lick lintels like a serpent's tongue, the sirens stand singing. Most ties won't hold fast.' Literary Agent Wendy Adams
It was as if Shawn's writing style spoke to me, coursing through my veins an excitement of a new kind demanding I read on. It was as if his writing placed me within the storyline itself as though I was an observer right in the mix of things...
The storyline started right out from the start with a heart racing moment of life and death situation throwing in the probie firefighter Matt Hartman was a stroke of pure talent in true form everyone knows suspense is a teasingly pleasingly read that is like an addiction to an action, adventure genre reader. Only four pages in Shawn Grady has sold the story to a specific targeted group. I wondered what was going through the mind of this young author.
He continued to impress me with his word usage as though he was putting a puzzle together and knows exactly where each word fits. 'Thick gray smoke hovered in the doorway, greeting us like a silent apparition'
It's common for a literary agant to ask to only be sent the first three chapters of a manuscript. By the end of Shawn's first chapter of his book ' Through The Fire' I was already sold hook, line and sinker. His writing style is CAPTIVATING.
When I saw the opening of Shawn's second chapter... 'Sometimes a thousand thoughts fill a second...' I quickly looked through the book to see if he starts each chapter with an exemplary opening line. But by chapter four it was apparent that Shawn's creative thought had taken him a new way of continuing the storyline.
I have to admit I was a bit disappointed because it was a brilliant thought that had eluded the author. My hopes are that Shawn might consider this method of writing in future books as he has shown this style suits him well.
As I continued on through the book my interest fell to firefighter Aidan O'Neill. Aidan comes from a family line of fireman and everyone knows by life experience itself when you have generation upon generation sitting on top of you it's bound to be a weight I wondered just what author Shawn Grady had in store for this character. Aidan has an innate gift of reading the fires but a fire gone bad makes his talent fall dormant and in the worst time possible with an arsonist on the loose in Reno.
I myself found the book easy to relate to as I had lived next door to a firefighter and his family. His very son was following his footsteps. I came to be rather acquainted with his wife who carried a weight of her own, whether he would come home alive each time he went off to work. To his wife he was a man of courage with many years of experience under his belt. She had a learned deep respect for him. For his son, dad was a hero and what son wouldn't want to follow in the footsteps of a hero.
By chapter five Shawn had stepped away from the hectic yet very precise storytelling of what it's like to actually be in a fire, in the thick of it all to now following firefighter Aidan O'Neill through the turmoil of his life. I continued to read unable to put the book down. For those who know firefighters or come from the very life of being one it was quite clear to me Shawn's book ' Through The Fire' would reach them on a different level than those who did not.
Shawn's book paints a picture of not only life as a firefighter but also brings you to the heart of every firefighter out there. The emotional turmoil they face, how the job affects their personal life and them as a person.
Author Shawn Grady has a way of not only bringing his characters to life but details their emotions so vividly that you feel like it's a person you yourself know. Not only do I recommend Shawn's book entitled 'Through The Fire' to action drama and suspense readers, I also recommend you check out the author's personal website at http://www.shawngradybooks.com/ Where you'll find all the latest news on what Shawn is working on.
Shawn has served for over a decade as a firefighter and paramedic in northern Nevada. From fire engines and ambulances to tillered ladder trucks and helicopters, Shawn's work environment has always been dynamic. The line of duty has carried him to a variety of locale, from high-rise fires in the city, to the burning heavy timber of the eastern Sierras.
To order Shawn's book entitled 'Through The Fire' you can find it at:
AMAZON http://www.amazon.com/
BARNES AND NOBLE http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
BOOKS A MILLION http://www.booksamillion.com/
And more great places listed on his website.
His newest book 'TOMORROW WE DIE' is scheduled to be released July 2010. You can pre order the book by clicking on the link on his website. You can also find a listing of where Shawn is speaking at.
