Official Review: The Wall by Some Guy

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any fantasy or science fiction books or series.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
MsTri
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 1948
Joined: 02 Jul 2017, 12:56
Favorite Author: Miranda Ann Markley
Favorite Book: The Spirit Seeds Book 1
Currently Reading: the Secret of Safe Passage
Bookshelf Size: 1030
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mstri.html
Latest Review: Suddenly Free, Vol. 1 by Yvette Carmon Davis
Reading Device: B07HZHJGY7
fav_author_id: 225682

Official Review: The Wall by Some Guy

Post by MsTri »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Wall" by Some Guy.]
Book Cover
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


Nowadays, when we hear "the wall", we probably think less about Pink Floyd and more about the current POTUS. Some Guy's book, The Wall, Guardian's Redemption, does feature the latter, though not as much as you would think. In this sc-fi/fantasy book, five members of an elite special ops team face a variety of tense, high-stakes situations, including providing security for President Jonathan “JR” Rothchild's wife and two children during the unveiling of the highly anticipated wall. This ceremony, of course, ends up going awry, thereby setting off a chain of events that eventually lead to the book's inevitable climax.

Led by Forge "Gunns" Qaletaqa, the Wrecking Crew, consisting of Thurston "Scorpio" Wong, Ollie "Terminator" McDonald, Noam "Bananas" Dylan, and Desmond "DMoney" Jackson, faces demons both spectral and mental. Gunns in particular suffers a crisis of conscience, rethinking the way he has done things and led his crew before an integral part of the tome causes him to look inward. Ultimately, this book is as much about redemption as it is about "catching the bad guys".

The Wall starts off with a bang as we see Gunns being tortured for information in a prologue that actually works as more of an epilogue for the first chapter. Everything from Chapter Two onward continues consecutively after the prologue. I'm sorry to say that while the book as a whole was a great read, I was disappointed when the action decreased somewhat after the excitement of the first two sections. Even so, I would still say that the action and suspense had a good balance with each other. As a big horror fan, my favorite parts were when the team fought supernatural entities. The author did a superb job of building the suspense, and I felt goosebumps more than once along the way.

I also really liked the members of the Wrecking Crew. In such a short book (89 .pdf pages), character development often suffers due to more attention being given to moving the plot forward. To an extent, this book's protagonists also got short shrift, but I was pleased that Some Guy (the actual pseudonym used by the author) was cognizant enough to give many of the characters their own idiosyncrasies. Gunns, for instance, chews toothpicks, and Bananas suffers from fear-induced stuttering. With a name like “DMoney”, one would think that Desmond would speak “Ebonics”, but he actually speaks in very cultured and clipped tones. I was also pleased that just like any group of men who spend a great deal of time together, the members of the team would not only joke amongst themselves but also squabble. It was these little things that allowed me to feel close enough to the crew members to actually care what happened to them both individually and as a team. Even though the peripheral characters weren't painted quite as well, they were all believable. By the same token, the writer also did a pretty good job setting up the scenes, and I could always picture where the action was taking place.

The writing in The Wall was simple, though not elementary. The speech was especially well done, with each character talking like a real person. Unfortunately, the author's use of grammar was less stellar. The book was so good that the errors didn't detract from it much, but there were many instances of incorrect punctuation, missing or extra words, and misspellings or incorrect word usage (like “of” when it should have been “off”, in one instance). More distracting were the few instances where the author used the first-person pronouns “me” and “I” even though the book was written in third-person.

On Amazon, this book is also noted as a graphic novella, but I would say that it's more like an illustrated novel because it doesn't resemble a comic book as much as graphic novels generally do. The drawings are few and far between but pretty well done. I will note that they are styled much like the graphics in comics though. However, there's not much in the way of a background in the pictures, instead focusing more on the character noted in the scene. I miss picture books from my childhood, so I thought that they were a nice addition, but the book could have stood on its own without them.

As much as I enjoyed reading this book, however, there was one thing that really took away from my overall enjoyment. Both the epilogue and Chapter One end in such a way that I wondered what happened next, but I never got the answers. For the rest of the book, I wondered how the characters got out of the predicaments that they were in at the ends of these chapters and was hoping to find the answers, which kept me from fully submerging myself in the story. Since this book is the first in what I assume will be a series, I was hoping that the answers would be found in the next book. However, the excerpt for the second book - which followed the end of this tale - seemed to indicate that it would be a new story with new characters, so I likely won't find my answers there either. As a result, I'm left with a slightly bitter taste and feeling of untied ends.

In summation, I felt that The Wall was a very good book that could have been phenomenal had it not been for a few missteps. If I could give half-points, this tome would get 2.5 points, but since I cannot, I will simply give it 3 out of 4 stars because I feel that the good trumps the bad. I think the book was less sci-fi/fantasy (as Amazon lists it) and more supernatural with whispers of horror, so I recommend it for fans of those genres. I also think that readers who enjoy brothers-in-arms stories or tales of redemption will enjoy it. Please also note that there are many scenes of graphic violence, not to mention vulgar language, so those who don't care for such things should probably keep a wall between themselves and this book.

******
The Wall
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like MsTri's review? Post a comment saying so!
User avatar
stacie k
Posts: 918
Joined: 01 Feb 2018, 17:04
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 192
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-stacie-k.html
Latest Review: River Kids by Jennie Linnane

Post by stacie k »

This book has some attractive qualities with interesting characters, action, and suspense. However, “supernatural with whispers of horror” is not a draw for me. I’m glad you seemed to enjoy it!
“The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable.” Proverbs 15:2a
londonmartine
Posts: 108
Joined: 02 Mar 2018, 12:12
Currently Reading: American River
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-londonmartine.html
Latest Review: Demon Freaks by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison

Post by londonmartine »

From your review, I’m not sure this is really for me, but I’m intrigued about the author... Who is “Some Guy”?!
User avatar
MsTri
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 1948
Joined: 02 Jul 2017, 12:56
Favorite Author: Miranda Ann Markley
Favorite Book: The Spirit Seeds Book 1
Currently Reading: the Secret of Safe Passage
Bookshelf Size: 1030
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mstri.html
Latest Review: Suddenly Free, Vol. 1 by Yvette Carmon Davis
Reading Device: B07HZHJGY7
fav_author_id: 225682

Post by MsTri »

londonmartine wrote: 31 Mar 2018, 08:47 From your review, I’m not sure this is really for me, but I’m intrigued about the author... Who is “Some Guy”?!
Ha ha ha! That's what I want to know! But it was also part of the appeal; I figured that a person who calls himself "Some Guy" would probably write in the quirky style that I like.
User avatar
kandscreeley
Special Discussion Leader
Posts: 11683
Joined: 31 Dec 2016, 20:31
Currently Reading: Believarexic
Bookshelf Size: 486
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kandscreeley.html
Latest Review: The Elf Revelation by Jordan David

Post by kandscreeley »

The cover is interesting to say the least. Well drawn, though. I love the supernatural characters, and with such a short book, it's worth a try. Thanks!
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
User avatar
Chelsy Scherba
In It Together VIP
Posts: 1829
Joined: 26 Jun 2015, 01:22
Favorite Author: Jordan David
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 837
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-chelsy-scherba.html
Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
fav_author_id: 64963

Post by Chelsy Scherba »

Wow, this book sounds so fun and unique! I don’t read a lot of comics or graphic novels, but you wrote an excellent review!
User avatar
Poppy Drear
Posts: 534
Joined: 10 Mar 2018, 02:34
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 147
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-poppy-drear.html
Latest Review: Five of Pentacles by Anna Munson

Post by Poppy Drear »

Noam "Bananas" Dylan is a really creative name, and I have to respect the audacity of someone who publishes a book under the pen name of "Some Guy". That said, it isn't really the kind of book I enjoy, and the fact that characterization suffered due to its length is a point against it, so I probably won't read it.
User avatar
MrsCatInTheHat
Posts: 3817
Joined: 31 May 2016, 11:53
Favorite Book: Cry the Beloved Country
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 376
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mrscatinthehat.html
Latest Review: Marc Marci by Larry G. Goldsmith
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
Publishing Contest Votes: 0

Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

I had to laugh when I realized that you mentioned the "current POTUS" and then, in the end, said, "the good trumps the bad." Funny.
Life without a good book is something MrsCatInTheHat cannot imagine.
User avatar
[Valerie Allen]
Posts: 698
Joined: 17 Mar 2018, 23:24
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 773
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-valerie-allen.html
Latest Review: Utopia Project by Billy Dering

Post by [Valerie Allen] »

Sorry, lengthy reviews are just too much for me.
And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. (Revelation 20:12 (NKJV) :reading-7:
User avatar
NL Hartje
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 1262
Joined: 04 Jan 2018, 12:58
Favorite Book: Kushiel's Dart
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 385
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nl-hartje.html
Latest Review: Looking forward as the Journey continues by George Mills

Post by NL Hartje »

Wow, "Some Guy"?! I can just imagine sitting at the pen name office registering new names and this one coming across my desk. :lol2:
I love that he had a wit to his writing that matched his chosen name. $20 says he's a woman!
“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.”
-Dr. Seuss
User avatar
MsTri
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 1948
Joined: 02 Jul 2017, 12:56
Favorite Author: Miranda Ann Markley
Favorite Book: The Spirit Seeds Book 1
Currently Reading: the Secret of Safe Passage
Bookshelf Size: 1030
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mstri.html
Latest Review: Suddenly Free, Vol. 1 by Yvette Carmon Davis
Reading Device: B07HZHJGY7
fav_author_id: 225682

Post by MsTri »

CatInTheHat wrote: 31 Mar 2018, 17:34 I had to laugh when I realized that you mentioned the "current POTUS" and then, in the end, said, "the good trumps the bad." Funny.
Ha ha ha ha haaaaa! I was hoping someone would catch that, :-)
User avatar
Sahani Nimandra
Posts: 2045
Joined: 27 Nov 2017, 22:49
Favorite Book: Harry Potter and The Sorceress Stone
Currently Reading: Man of the World
Bookshelf Size: 698
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sahani-nimandra.html
Latest Review: I once had a Farm in Ireland by Siggy Buckley
Reading Device: Huawei

Post by Sahani Nimandra »

NL Hartje wrote: 31 Mar 2018, 21:56 Wow, "Some Guy"?! I can just imagine sitting at the pen name office registering new names and this one coming across my desk. :lol2:
I love that he had a wit to his writing that matched his chosen name. $20 says he's a woman!
Haha interesting so we are off to bets here, GREAT! :D :lol2:
The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid! - Jane Austen :techie-studyingbrown:
User avatar
Sahani Nimandra
Posts: 2045
Joined: 27 Nov 2017, 22:49
Favorite Book: Harry Potter and The Sorceress Stone
Currently Reading: Man of the World
Bookshelf Size: 698
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sahani-nimandra.html
Latest Review: I once had a Farm in Ireland by Siggy Buckley
Reading Device: Huawei

Post by Sahani Nimandra »

Very catchy review as always! The cover illustration speaks for it self and covers most of what you say. I like a good suspense with horror in my plate. Thank you for sharing this book Ms. Tri!
The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid! - Jane Austen :techie-studyingbrown:
User avatar
Vinstine
Posts: 5
Joined: 31 Mar 2018, 21:30
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by Vinstine »

The name of the book " the wall" is interesting and the story it self is heroic and funy which made it more interesting to read i enjoyed reading it.
Thank's for the wonderful review .
User avatar
melissy370
Posts: 803
Joined: 15 Nov 2017, 09:49
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 124
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-melissy370.html
Latest Review: Home To Kentucky by Thomas A. McCoy
Reading Device: B00IKPYKWG

Post by melissy370 »

I don't think I would be interested in the story. However, the author's pseudonym is clever. It me to contemplate the book.
Post Reply

Return to “Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books”