Blue Fall (The Tournament, Book 1) [Kindle Edition]

B. B. Griffith (Author)

Book Description

*A top 100 thriller bestseller for Kindle! (March, 2013)*

There was a time, long ago, when wars were won and lost based on the outcomes of single battles between heroes. Entire countries were moved. Empires rose and fell.

In Blue Fall, that time has come again.

A routine investigation throws a hapless insurance agent down the rabbit hole, into a world where the rich and powerful place wagers on the greatest game on earth. They call it the Tournament. It offers competition without limits. It is beholden to no man, constrained by no law, and it is extremely dangerous. But where does the true power lie in this World Cup of Warfare? With those who place the bets, or with the deadly players themselves? And how much longer can it possibly remain a secret?

Editorial Reviews

Review

Griffith manages to merge love, family, relationships, intrigue and action into 500 pages that you will never want to put down. There isn't a reader that wouldn't be enthralled by "Blue Fall". -Portland Book Review

With a technology element that ingeniously makes the story work, "Blue Fall" successfully combines two categories of thriller--conspiracy and techno--in just the right balance and is sure to please readers who enjoy either genre. -ForeWord Clarion Reviews (5 stars out of 5)

With an exciting plot of excess and secrecy, "Blue Fall" is a fine and riveting novel that should prove hard to put down. -Midwest Book Review

Author B. B. Griffith has created a story line which skillfully intertwines four subplots, and a cast of unforgettable characters. The fast paced action, well-scripted dialogue, and universal appeal make "Blue Fall" a potential big screen movie success. -Reader Views

Griffith's first novel is quite a statement. I'm giving it five out of five stars for the simple reason that I could not put this book down. -SPR (5 stars out of 5)

Griffith revels in the details of his action scenes and gives readers a visceral sense of mayhem by sticking close to his well-painted characters. -Kirkus Indie Reviews

Awards:
ForeWord Book of the Year Awards (2011) - Silver Medalist
National Indie Excellence Awards (2012) - Finalist: Fiction
Reader Views Literary Award (2011) - Best Book (West-Mountain Region)

About the Author

B. B. Griffith was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in English and American Literature, he wandered the world a bit before returning to Denver to set up shop with his wife.

He is the author of The Tournament series of novels:

1.) Blue Fall (Out Now!)

2.) Grey Winter (Just Released!)

3.) Black Spring (Forthcoming!)

Product Details

• File Size: 601 KB
• Print Length: 447 pages
• Publisher: Griffith Publishing, LLC (September 14, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005NC01OK
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,791 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I could not put this book down March 4, 2012

By SPR

Format:Kindle Edition

Blue Fall: The Tournament: Volume One is B.B. Griffith's first novel. I am always a little hesitant to read someone's first novel as one doesn't know what to expect. However, the book's description intrigued me. I wanted to know more. An insurance agent, Frank Youngsmith, begins investigating a large life insurance policy payout after he receives a call from his boss during the middle of the night. And what Frank stumbles onto is a competition that not many people would understand. The battles fought are not sanctioned by society as a whole. Instead, they are part of a world where rich and powerful people wage bets and play odds on the unsanctioned battles. The bets are astronomical, and the latest competition has taken a new turn and foreign affairs are now at stake.

In Blue Fall, there are three team members per each nation that is involved. This installment of the series begins with eight nations fighting: England, Ireland, Mexico, Russia, Italy, France, Japan, and the USA. The weapons used have diode bullets that knock the players out of the game but do not kill them. Once hit, the player will start to feel numbness and within a certain amount of time will lose consciousness, leaving the players available for the next round of the competition. All of the players were recruited by Tournament leaders. Reasons as to why each player is recruited are vague. Do the Tournament leaders think certain individuals are natural born killers? I got a sense that the individuals were special, but I didn't feel that it was completely explained. Also, not enough time was spent developing the history of the Tournament and the competitions.

As the story unfolds, we find that the competitions have nations pitted against other nations. Scores need to be settled and national pride restored. The level of the fighting increases with each battle. More civilians are injured, more damage is done, and the fighting is getting personal. Will the competition turn into all out warfare? Also, will they be able to keep the competitions out of the news?

For an action novel, I was pleased that Griffith spent time developing the characters in his novel, including the minor characters. To accomplish this, he includes multiple points of view. At times, this process does take too much time and lessens the excitement from all the action. However, this novel is the first in the series, so I'm hoping he took extra care in his first novel to introduce everyone so the future novels will be more suspenseful. This is not to say that the first installment is not action-packed. It is.

Overall, Griffith's first novel is quite a statement. He knows how to write action novels. He knows how to hook the reader right from the start and to keep the reader's interest. My only regret about reading this book is that that the second is not yet available. As soon as I devoured this installment, I wanted to pick up the next one right away. I hope the author does not make us wait too long. Even though I mentioned some flaws in the novel, such as taking too much time to develop certain characters, which detracts from the action and being too vague about the actual Tournament and competition, I'm still giving this novel 5 out of 5 stars. The simple reason behind this rating was I could not put this book down. And I am eagerly waiting for the next installment.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Frustrating Read May 9, 2012

By Betts

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you are a fan of action thrillers, be prepared before you start this book.

The elements of a truly great story are here, but Mr. Griffins needs a good editor to make it work. The action scenes are good, really good. Unfortunately, instead of being involved in the story, I found myself checking to see how much longer the author had to get to the meat of the book, or even doing rewrites in my head.

Kindle frustrations were also troublesome. Several times I tapped to turn the page only to find myself back at the first page of the book. Syncing to the last page read did not function properly either. Trust me, I know how many chapters are in this book! Also, I had real trouble getting back to my kindle menu especially after chapter 30. After I finished reading, I had to shut down the kindle to close the book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting premise but a bit flawed in the execution January 27, 2012

By M. Wanchoo VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition

OVERALL RATING = 3 & 1/2 Stars

Blue Fall is a book which was sent to us for review purposes, the blurb details given above do not appear that exciting but what garnered my interest was this paragraph detailing the content of the book:

"The book centers on the notion of using contests between individuals to settle disputes between nations. Thousands of years ago, warring nations sent their champions to battle each other, and the outcome of single battles often settled wars. This type of fighting is immortalized in literature as well: Achilles fought Hector, for instance, to settle the Trojan War. David went out to battle Goliath. The notion of a national champion has fascinated readers for years. Blue Fall asks what our national champions might look like today. The plot is set in modern times, where war has cost millions of lives, and nations are growing weary of it. A secret group of powerful individuals creates The Tournament, a competition where the best and brightest of one country can battle those of another country."

The above description immediately got me hooked and I was waiting to get my hands on the book to see how the author had developed this fascinating premise and what his imagination had created.

The story has a multiple POV structure, which begins with Frank Youngsmith who is woken up in his sleep to investigate the death of a scientist Bill Beauchamp, the particular surprising thing is the hike in his insurance standards that demand an investigation plus the nature of his death is anything but normal. The story then swings along with Frank's journey as he investigates the widow and Beauchamp's workplace that do nothing to alleviate his suspicions. To top it all at Dr. Baxter Walcott, Beauchamp's work colleague manages to give Frank some information which blows his mind and then sets him on a path with a collision course with the people who are running the Tournament. The book then also focuses on various tournament players namely Alex Auldborne, Max Haulden, Ian Finn and many others. It gives us a vital look into their past thereby creating a vital portrait for the reader to thoroughly understand them and perhaps guess their intentions.

The story then zooms off as the latest iteration of the Tournament begins and all the teams are lined up for the draw, which is a last moment thing and then of course huge bets are laid on the outcome by various people, corporations and nations worldwide. The story basically then follows the various bouts between the teams that are made up of three individuals who hold the positions of Sweeper, Striker & Captain and the various interpersonal dynamics. The plot races along with the rounds and explodes with the fallout whilst dealing all the twists and then finally ending on its totally unexpected climax.

This book while having a dynamic premise and a different style of prose has quite a few things going for it as well a few against it. The good thing about it is that the author has taken time to establish each and every POV character. Beginning with each character's complete back history and then going all the way until they joined their national teams, the author gives the reader compete access to their life story thereby making the reader feel a strong bond with the character. The second aspect of the story, which is exciting is that, the plot twists mostly come out of the left field and therefore it is quite unpredictable. The factor that contributes most to this unpredictability is the fact that there's no one central protagonist and so with so many characters to follow, the reader gets quite a few different perspectives of the same events. This adds to the panoramic feel of the story and makes it harder to judge who are the real heroes. The author also is not averse to killing off his characters and this also adds to the unpredictability factor, as the POV characters are not safe either.

The foibles present in this story are that for the first 150-odd pages the pace is very pedestrian as the author builds up the characters and adds their backstories, the readers will have to persevere through the earlier part as the payoff comes in the later half of the story. The second part that really didn't gel with me was the part regarding certain crucial explanations namely the fact that the author never really reveals much about the history or origin of the Tournament, thirdly the reason behind the selection of the main characters who represent their countries are never properly declared. What makes them so special? why were they selected? I would think in a tournament involving the use of a certain type of a gun and focusing on martial prowess, it makes sense for specialized soldiers to be the ideal candidates. But such is not the case for most chosen candidates. The author never specifically reveals these facts and so as a reader, it left a big hole in the premise of the plot. I don't know whether this will be a big deal for many readers however since the premise of the book hinges on this special tournament, I felt that it needed to be explained thoroughly which it wasn't. Also on the flip side since this is book one of the series, the author could have planned to reveal a lot more in the sequels, but I felt that a few more background details should have been revealed in this one.

CONCLUSION: Brad's debut does show promise with its exciting premise and plot twists, however the overall execution does not match up with its promised satisfaction. Showing potential and a vivid imagination, Brad B. Griffith is an author who showcases his talent and should he polish up the deficiencies mentioned above I'm sure he will be a thriller author to watch out for.

More About the Author

B. B. Griffith was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in English and American Literature, he wandered the world a bit before returning to Denver to set up shop with his wife.

He is the author of The Tournament series of novels:
1.) Blue Fall (Out now!)
2.) Grey Winter (Just released!)
3.) Black Spring (Forthcoming!)

He also enjoys writing about writing and publishing on his blog at www.griffithpublishing.com/blog