Official Review: Michael Zachary: The Wilderness Battle

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any fiction books or series that do not fit into one of the other categories. If the fiction book fits into one the other categories, please use that category instead.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
Scott
Site Admin
Posts: 4068
Joined: 31 Jul 2006, 23:00
Favorite Author: Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
Currently Reading: The Unbound Soul
Bookshelf Size: 340
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-scott.html
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
Publishing Contest Votes: 960
fav_author_id: 248825

Official Review: Michael Zachary: The Wilderness Battle

Post by Scott »

[This is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Michael Zachary: The Wilderness Battle" by Kurt Anderson.]
Book Cover for 9780578083612
Share This Review

Kurt Anderson's Michael Zachary tells the action-packed tale of pre-medieval adventure and battle. It tells a story of a boy named Michael, son of a great, respected warrior Zachary, hoping to live up to his father's legend. It raises themes of dedicated fathering and honor in the context of a hunter-warrior lifestyle. While an independent book, it clearly has the high level of organization, proofreading and quality of being well-thought-out and carefully executed that one expects from a more mainstream publication.

The book is fairly short, coming in at 126 pages in the paperback version, which by my rough estimation places it in the category of novella. For a story of that size, it keeps a good rhythm, containing some smaller side adventures and not seeming rushed. While shorter books can run the risk of feeling too superficial, rushed or uncompleted, I prefer a good shorter book to a longer one when like this one it provides the satisfying story of a book twice its size in half the time.

However, at times, I found the narration somewhat too matter-of-fact. On the vast spectrum from police-report-style to outright poetry, I found it leaning slightly too much to the former. Perhaps, that is to be more accessible to young, teenage audiences by having a slightly simpler prose. Indeed, for a book with a 15-year-old main character and themes of coming of age, the book also lacks any reference to budding sexuality. While incredibly unrealistic and thus a little disappointing to older audiences (perhaps more because of the lost realism than an actual desire to hear about a 15 year old's crushes or pubescent frustrations), this again may be explained by a story told with younger audiences in mind.

Another point of slight criticism would be regarding my investment in some of the characters. On the one hand they were fleshed out decently and I do find myself rooting for the protagonists. On the other hand, the heroes mostly lacked the internal character flaws that give the reader emotional accessibility and give the story dramatic self-antagonism. Instead, the flaws of the hero are superficial rather than depth-giving in that they are out of the hero's control, such as his age. It's hard to appreciate the hero's success if he needn't also overcome some significant, more personal, internal conflict to parallel his outward success and provide meaning to his outward failure.

However, I mean these seeming criticisms only in a relatively small degree. Many other books I have read are much worse on all those accounts.

Overall, the story is engaging and exciting with a sophisticated element of drama and suspense, like an epic condensed for the better. For instance, at several points in the book I remember feeling along with Michael a vague sense of increasing dread that led to the expected but still surprising and intense rush of action. Gaining and maintaining the tone and read-between-the-lines story-telling technique that gives suspense of impending action, perhaps the literary equivalent of the slow ride up on a real life roller-coaster, takes quite a bit of skill as a story-teller that is lost on those that always just jump from downs to ups instantly with unforeshadowed surprise scenes of action.

I give Michael Zachary: The Wilderness Battle 3 out of 4, and I recommend it. I especially recommend it for those who enjoy action-adventure epics despite it being neither as long nor on as grand of a scale as the usual epic because many of the same appealing qualities of an adventurous epic exist in this book that you can read happily in a day.

*****
"Michael Zachary" on Amazon (Available in paperback and Kindle editions. Public free sample also available.)
"Michael Zachary" on Barnes and Noble (Available in paperback and as Nook book. Free sample for B&N members.)

Please use this topic to discuss the book if you have read it, ask questions if you have not, or in either case comment on the above review by Scott Hughes.
"That virtue we appreciate is as much ours as another's. We see so much only as we possess." - Henry David Thoreau

"Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco." Virgil, The Aeneid
User avatar
Rokit starz
Posts: 4
Joined: 23 Sep 2017, 01:07
Currently Reading: Station Eleven
Bookshelf Size: 48

Post by Rokit starz »

Nice book,i love it.the book has good inspiration moves.
User avatar
togormey
Posts: 55
Joined: 15 May 2018, 16:54
Currently Reading: Dodging Satan
Bookshelf Size: 25
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-togormey.html
Latest Review: And Then I Met Margaret by Rob White

Post by togormey »

The entirety of the content of "Michael Zachary" has been exposed by this review. I like short-but-detailed books coupled with suspense. Great work
For what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?
isa3030
Posts: 78
Joined: 28 Jan 2018, 11:27
Currently Reading: Just in Time
Bookshelf Size: 81
Reading Device: B00IKPYKWG

Post by isa3030 »

A good review rated 3-4stars, Micheal Zachary:The wilderness Battle an interesting short story of Micheal the son of a great repected worrior Zachary,Micheal was in the high hope to match with his father's fate;becomes a hunter worrior.the case i have with shorter story book is that it cut down the tale when the interest to grasp with the story is at it's peak thereby keeps you in suspense even as it keeps you hungry to get to conclusion
User avatar
Margi zuu202
Posts: 1125
Joined: 01 Aug 2022, 06:08
Favorite Author: Jack Winnick
Favorite Book: Living in Color
Currently Reading: Water Bound (Sisters of the Heart, #1)
Bookshelf Size: 80288
fav_author_id: 77547
2024 Reading Goal: 1000
2024 Goal Completion: 786%

Post by Margi zuu202 »

Adventure fiction
Having grown up o a remote farm in the dangerous wilderness Michael is very good with sword but even better with bow.hi dad had trainined him well, skilled and courageous this book was well written and reviewed I enjoyed it and will recommend it 💯
User avatar
MorganMatthews
Posts: 52
Joined: 16 Aug 2022, 01:28
Favorite Author: Jerry A. Greenberg
Currently Reading: JTs World
Bookshelf Size: 27
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-morganmatthews.html
Latest Review: Reconfigurement by E. Alan Fleischauer
fav_author_id: 170556

Post by MorganMatthews »

This review is top-notch. The book seems to be one those books I might enjoy reading. I will check out.
Thanks for the review.
User avatar
Chiamaka Ogadimma
Posts: 511
Joined: 03 Jul 2022, 06:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 19
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-chiamaka-ogadimma.html
Latest Review: JTs World by E. Alan Fleischauer

Post by Chiamaka Ogadimma »

I have not read this book, but with the review it makes me what to know more about it. So I might pick up the book soon. Great job with the review
Do more, talk less. Never get mad at another man's success.
Post Reply

Return to “Other Fiction Forum”