Title: Renegades
Author: Tom Young
Pages: 336
Year: 2012
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Note: The content within this book contains foul language which maybe offensive, no sexual content is in the novel. Other reviews can be seen at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspo...
Renegades is a novel I won on Library Thing websites in the early reviewers giveaways. While normally not a book I would choose to review or purchase, I read this one as it interested one of my sons. As I went through the novel, whiting out the foul language before he read it, I have to admit I fell in love with the story.
The genre of historical fiction with a subgenre of war draws many to read these kinds of books from various authors. This is the first book of Tom Young’s I have read. While I highly admire the depth of his writing, it is my hope that authors will learn to tell a great story without adding offensive content. My particular interest is the Civil War era and apocalyptic novels; however, this work of fiction was excellent.
Two main characters, Parson and Gold, have been in two other previous novels by the same author as I learned from the author at the end of the book. Parson is serving in the Air Force while Gold serves in the Army as a translator, who is assigned to Parson while in Afghanistan. Gold has served with Parson, and their friendship with mutual respect develops as a result of their various trials while deployed. Gold is trained in a special division as a female translator who finds herself in several countries at the forefront of gathering intel. Other times Gold is needed to listen to transmissions in order to help her superior, Parson, advise the chain of command as information is gathered and deployment of troops is needed.
Parson, in this novel, is mainly an advisor to the Afghanistan army who is attempting to be better trained in order to one day take over complete control in defense of their nation. Parson was injured in an earlier mission, but is able to walk about with only a slight limp. Parson recognizes that his time of service is coming to an end as all the previous years and injuries seem to be taking their toll. Gold as well is nearing retirement, but wants to see this last mission through to the end.
Within the pages of this masterpiece of fiction is a story that stirs within the reader a reminder to support our troops. Tom Young states as one of his goals in writing the book is he wanted people “to understand the mindset and motivations of servicemen and women”. Parson and Gold along with a host of other characters are after a cell of terrorists that has cropped up after a natural disaster occurs. The group is called Black Crescent and has been stealing young boys to train as suicide bombers and fighters. There is a group within this nation who might help the American “infidels” if it would help get them out of their country faster. They also disagree with the use of children in armed conflicts.
Believe me when I tell you this story has action, heroes who live and die, as well as wonderful descriptions of lots of military weaponry and what it can do. The author himself has served our nation so I know that his firsthand knowledge comes through in his writing. At the end of the novel, the author shares his experiences and the background that help form this novel.
Again, I am sure that such foul language is used not just in the military. However, my hope is that authors realize that a good story can be told without the use of it. However, I can say that it isn’t overly used in this particular work of fiction.
My rating is 4 stars.