The Anvil of the Craftsman in We Read Indie Books RG2E!

Dec 11, 2011 Dale Amidei rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Though some readers frown on authors rating their own books, I choose to use this forum to mirror the review results of the Kindle Edition, which currently holds 4.6 stars across one hundred and fifty reviews on Amazon. Should that change, I will revise my own rating here.

"Anvil" is the story of one young man with a vision, one friend with a mission, the men who want to kill them and the man who wants to keep them alive. As a personal note, I reiterate what I have written about the work elsewher Though some readers frown on authors rating their own books, I choose to use this forum to mirror the review results of the Kindle Edition, which currently holds 4.6 stars across one hundred and fifty reviews on Amazon. Should that change, I will revise my own rating here.

"Anvil" is the story of one young man with a vision, one friend with a mission, the men who want to kill them and the man who wants to keep them alive. As a personal note, I reiterate what I have written about the work elsewhere: graced to write but a single novel, I'd remain pleased to have it be this one.

Here is the blurb:

"A doctoral candidate in Theological Studies accepts recruitment by a friend in the U.S. State Department for an initiative to the most troublesome province in 2006 Iraq. The many challenges of nation building expand the mission from diplomacy to a survival situation as local and international interests position themselves to oppose the State Department initiative: one vital to progress in an uncertain theater.

Terrorism and counter-terror operations threaten to keep the team from leaving the relative safety of Baghdad. Until, that is, a former USAF Special Tactics operative hunting the men who want to kill them draws duty as their protector. The simple questions posed during a tribal council threaten provincial and regional stability; the conclusions reached explode into a clash of faith, loyalty, schism and betrayal that will help shape the future of two nations.

The Anvil of the Craftsman, the debut novel by author Dale Amidei, will be appreciated by fans of a broad range of fiction; from aficionados of the haunting themes of Ernest Hemingway to readers of the tightly woven plots of Tom Clancy and popular titles of authors like Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, David Baldacci, W.E.B. Griffin and Richard Marcinko."

"Anvil" is available on Kindle, Nook, iTunes, and Kobo in addition to Smashwords. Paperback editions can be ordered from Amazon and CreateSpace. Approx. 93,000 words / 312pp. print length. ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Oct 15, 2012 C.C. MacKenzie added it

A book that grabs me by the throat and doesn't let go is a very rare thing these days but Dale Amidei managed to do just that with The Anvil of the Craftsman. It's thrilling read which actually made me cry. Thanks for that, Dale.

This book more than deserves to be in the best seller lists.

Unlike Ridley Scott in The Kingdom of Heaven, Dale's attention to fact in his fiction is riveting. His use of language is a master class in descriptive prose as is the character development, especially of the he ...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Natalie Owens rated it it was amazing

Shelves: faves

I won't be going into the specifics of this book but I can safely say this story will stay with me for a long time. It will be one of those books I will pick back up a year from now after finishing the series, and re-read. If you think this is just a basic thriller and war story, you would be mistaken. There are so many facets to it, so many thought provoking scenes, that I'm still reeling from it. Jon Anthony is, I think, the perfect hero, but there are many other interesting characters in this ...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Gregory Carrico rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I must admit that this title decorated my Kindle for over a year before I read the first sentence. My preconceptions about The Anvil of the Craftsman as a Christian novel kept me from starting what I feared would be a thin veneer of a story wrapped around a preachy message. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Dale Amidei has masterfully, almost magically created the total literary package. This book is meticulously edited and formatted, and thoroughly researched. The level of detail goes beyond buil ...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Tamara Ward rated it it was amazing

This book is a thriller with deeply developed characters and much more; it carries a message. The book goes beyond entertaining the reader with the action and characters; it speaks weightily. Do religions share a commonality – or, rather, can people of different faiths find commonality with each other? What makes an effort during a time of war worth the cost? How much cost is too much? For a reader who lately has been drawn to lighter reads, this meaty book kept my mind engaged and my fingers tu ...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Dana Delamar rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars. I don't normally read political thrillers, but I'd heard so many great things about this one, that I had to pick it up, and I'm so glad I did. Though the first quarter was a little slow at times, I was soon absorbed in an engrossing story about what it takes to win a war and rebuild a nation--in this case, Iraq.

One of the things I really liked about this book is that you don't just get the point of view of the good guys; you get many perspectives, and by the end, I felt that I had a ...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Janice Palko rated it it was amazing

Shelves: amazing-indies

I don't often read this type of genre, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing and how engaging the story was. Jon Anthony was an appealing character, and I think it masterful that the author chose him as the vehicle through whom we experience the wild land that is Iraq. I particularly liked the spiritual and philosophical themes that were laced throughout the story. ...more

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