| REVIEWED BY FROST |
| "War Torn" by J. M. Snyder |
| Rating: 5 Swords War Torn J. M. Snyder Aspen Mountain Press 103 pp. Futuristic Romance July 2007 http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/manlove/futuristic/war-torn/prod_69.html http://jmsnyder.net/books/amp.html 5 Swords Historical or futuristic, author J. M. Snyder possesses a descriptive skill that brings the story’s settings alive and easily surpasses readers’ potential disbelief. War Torn captivates from the start. I found my heartstrings entangled and realized I wished for a love as powerful as this! Immediately I was catapulted from my ordinary humdrum life into the story, as part of it. A very special writing talent is required to achieve that. In an ugly future in which Manhattan, now known as The City, is held by rebels, and The Bridge into The City is the fighting point everyone fears, Jace and Tomas are closely knit lovers and friends. Stationed in two different units, Jace is ground-based and deskbound. Tomas ships out on orders to fight at The Bridge, eliciting terror in both that he might not survive this excursion. It doesn’t count that the deployment is only supposed to last a few weeks; Tomas’ life could be lost in the fraction of a second, as both he and Jace well know. Their shared dream is to run to a place where the fighting doesn’t exist; but that’s a pipe dream, for no such spot exists-not anymore-and life consists of purely survival. In the midst of atrocity and tragedy, the love of Jace and Tomas shines like a beacon reaching toward the stars. War Torn is the special kind of story that makes me wish to pin more than 5 Swords on it: a story which had me smiling, weeping, shuddering, and yearning all through to the end. Like Mr. Snyder’s earlier novel Trin, War Torn ripped a hole in my heart and then filled it back up. I can’t find words to recommend this very special story highly enough. I do know I won’t soon forget its message, or its touching heroes. If you would like to be Reviewed by Frost, send an email to frost@jlfoster.biz or reviewed_by_frost@jlfoster.biz with the subject line "Submission." Include the author's name, title of book, publishing house, genre, page count, and an excerpt. |
