Tag Archives: action adventure

The War Journals: Resistance by Cory Mccoy

Genre: Action/adventure

Rating: **** Four Stars  

Estimated word count: 89,700 words

Availability    

Kindle:  YES   Nook: Yes  Smashwords: Yes  Paperback: No

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Author:

 “Cory is a Texas based author and screenwriter whose work is currently available on Amazon, Wattpad, and Smashwords. Among his work is The War Journals series and the forthcoming Guardians of the Deepest Light saga. Cory is also the man behind the curtain of the incredibly hilarious (and offensive) twitter,@GreatSkyWizard.”

Description:

“When Connor Jeffries finds himself in the middle of an attack at a department store, his heroic actions set him down a path that no man could have prepared for. A heat of the moment decision forces Connor to run. He flees with few resources and even less time, in order to draw the might of a massive army away from the city. Within hours he is being hailed as a hero, a seemingly inconsequential radio interview ignites a movement. Somehow he has become the symbolic leader of a group of freedom fighters called The Resistance. The group recognizes no authority, but their General’s. Little do they know, this man is quickly developing a dependency on pain killers and his mind is crumbling under the weight of his burden. Will he be able to pull it together and help his resistance turn the tide of this new war, or will he end up being a junky with a target on his back?”

My Two Cents:

If you’re expecting a wild action tale or remake of Red Dawn with this book, you’d be mistaken. On the other hand, you won’t be disappointed with what you find. While the story centers on an ex-super duper soldier accidentally building a resistance movement against invading Chinese troops, they spend surprisingly little time actually fighting and a lot more giving speeches.

The focus here is less on the war and more on the private emotional journeys the hero and his sidekicks take from mild-mannered civilians to merciless guerrillas. A string of betrayals and self-created disasters then keep the pressure ramped up and the fun going. You feel throughout that the guerrillas and the US in general would handily when the war, if they could only get out of their own way. The real enemy the good guys always struggle with isn’t a foreign army, but themselves and their own self-destructive tendencies.

Unlike most of these WW3 tales, the author gives and maintains a clear and coherent strategic narrative. Personally, I found the details of the broader war extremely far-fetched, but at least having a clear understanding of the “big picture” made for a more interesting read. While there are a number of technical errors with weapons and tactics, the author’s skilled handling of his complicated and self-destructive hero and well-fleshed out supporting cast overshadows such details.

Overall, the prose and style reads more like a screenplay than most novels. That’s neither good nor bad, but merely a taste preference. While I can’t give this 5 stars because of so many events and decisions stretching the realm of believability, there’s no denying that the story is pretty unique. All in all, a fun read that’s worth the time, even if it is not the most thought provoking.