The Pact
By Mitchell S.
Karnes
Publisher: Black
Rose Writing
Published: Sept 4,
2013
ASIN: B00EZZCOEQ
Amazon Synopsis:
Scott
Addison never set out to be a hero. But sometimes, no matter how hard you try,
you can’t run away from destiny. On the heels of his father’s death, Scott and
his mother move from Iowa City, Iowa to the small Southern Illinois town of
Meadowbrook. Scott just wanted to blend in…to observe quietly…to be one of the
kids. Unfortunately for Scott, his instincts, heart, and integrity took over on
his first day at his new middle school. Scott stood up to and faced down three
larger boys torturing a wiry little boy named Paul. This simple act of kindness
and chivalry put Scott in the midst of the conflict and on the receiving end of
the bullies’ antics.
Paul introduces Scott to two high school friends who just happen to play Warriors & Thieves, Scott’s favorite role-playing fantasy game. The game and his new friends provide a much needed
escape from both his past and his present troubles…at least for a while. But no matter how hard Scott tries to blend in at school, his pet peeve of bullying and his overwhelming sense of right and wrong continue to push him into the limelight, bringing praises from many, but more opposition from the bullies. When the hazing goes too far Scott decides it is time to take a stand…no matter the cost. Of course, sometimes, that’s the price heroes must pay.
Paul introduces Scott to two high school friends who just happen to play Warriors & Thieves, Scott’s favorite role-playing fantasy game. The game and his new friends provide a much needed
escape from both his past and his present troubles…at least for a while. But no matter how hard Scott tries to blend in at school, his pet peeve of bullying and his overwhelming sense of right and wrong continue to push him into the limelight, bringing praises from many, but more opposition from the bullies. When the hazing goes too far Scott decides it is time to take a stand…no matter the cost. Of course, sometimes, that’s the price heroes must pay.
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Links
My Thoughts:
The Pact is an excellent novel for middle-school youth. It deals heavily with a
theme of bullying. Paul is a student who is bullied at school, when a new
student, Scott Addison transfers in. Scott refuses to be intimidated by bullies
and saves Paul from the school’s gang of bullies. Paul and Scott become great
friends and Scott continues to protect Paul from the gang, but then Scott falls
prey to the gangs bullying tactics.
Scott has just moved
to the small town after the death of his father, and Scott has to rely on the
lessons his dad taught him about taking the higher road. Scott has a hard time
when even the youth pastor of his grandpa’s church seems to be against him when
Scott tells him that he feels his gift is creativity. Once the pastor heard
that Scott played role-playing games, the pastor became very defensive and
judgemental and negative towards Scott, making Scott feel unwelcome and
awkward.
This book is rich in
the development of its characters and relationships. The emotional difficulty
that Scott goes through when he goes from being defender-of-the-bullied to being
the bullied feels very real. The author also gives us great insight into what
might be some of the possible issues that might cause a person to be a bully in
the first place and helps us not just to be angry with the main bully Joe, but
also to empathize with him.
Michael Karnes does
a commendable job in exploring the consequences of bullying and how it affects
not only the individual that is being bullied, but his/her friends and family.
He also shows what can happen when that bullying is taken to extremes, though
he doesn’t go into it in depth.
The pacing of this
book was excellent, fairly consistent throughout. I did have some difficulty
deciding where the author stood on whether role-playing games were good or not,
though I suppose he may have been saying that all things in moderation are
acceptable. In the story one of the characters became so immersed in his
role-playing characters that he began to feel personally affronted if the
others did anything averse to his role-playing character. It was as though he
and his character were one and the same. That can’t be good. Yet the other
three boys had no such problem and could retire their role-playing characters
without any issue.
I thoroughly enjoyed
reading The Pact and am looking
forward to the sequel to this book. I gave The
Pact 5 stars out of 5.
Thank you to TLC
Book Tours who provided a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest
review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
Mitchell S Karnes
was born in Kansas and spent his childhood in Illinois. He lives in
Franklin, TN with his wife, Natalie, and five of their seven children, where he
serves as the Pastor of Walker Baptist Church. He holds a Bachelor’s
degree and three Master’s degrees.
Mitchell’s first
novel, Crossing the Line, made the Southern Writer’s Guild’s “Must
Read” list. His short stories include: “When Nothing Else Matters,”
“A Family Portrait,” and “Grampa Charlie’s Ring.” He hopes to entertain,
challenge, move and teach through each and every story. The Pact is
just the beginning…the first book in a four-part series.
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"all things in moderation are acceptable" I agree! I run role playing games for my son and his friends and I would certainly be concerned if one of the boys began taking the game too seriously.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your review for the tour!