Review: `Who's the more foolish, the fool, or the fool that follows him?' Ben Kenobi
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 28, 2014
Author Christopher Lee carries a strong potion of writer's magic in his brain. The source of that gift is somewhat of a mystery unless it comes from some occultly planted seeds that have been scattered from his experiences as a special operations commando with the US Navy. He does enter some interesting avenues of thought as a staff writer for Men's Psychology: The Science of Being a Man while living in the Atlanta area where he is a single father for his only daughter. He understands raw and vivid atmosphere creations, the minds of kids, the disparity between youth and manhood, and the fine points of adventure, suspense, horror and humor that make this novel irresistible.After a gem of a first chapter in which Lee sets the pungent atmosphere of the Florida Everglades via the introduction of Auto (Abraham Thaddeus Osmer), an 82 year old mean, crusty, stale, skinny swamp farmer who favors adopted wild animals over people: Auto's brand of thinking set in motion a grisly incident where in attempting to save one of his cows he loses both his legs to a varmint. Gators thus enter the scene as do two young ten year old lads - Gabriel and Thomas - who as best friends do `boy stuff' that gets them into dire straights. But their bond is strong, despite their poverty and abuse, until a killer stalks them and Gabriel's critical experience follows him into manhood. Fifteen years later Gabriel is a member of a secret commando unit assigned to rescuing hostages behind enemy lines. Thomas follows his own unique path into manhood and it is the study of this progress of the maturation of two childhood friends that sparks the name of the novel: the making of American bushido (a Japanese word that denotes the concept of chivalry).The story is gritty, filled with the raw language and stench of the swaps of southern Florida (aka the Everglades), but it is Christopher Lee's voice (and experience of his life, no doubt) that makes this a coming of age tale that is as rich as any on that subject. From the beginning of the introduction of old Auto through the games and adventures of Gabriel and Thomas to their ultimate arrival as men influenced profoundly by their background, Lee trots out a style that hopefully he will pursue in subsequent books. He definitely has the gift and paces both his story and the manner in which he relates it like a genuine pro. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, January 14