Customer Reviews

Fate of the Warriors

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Deb Coulson, Weatherford, Texas, Not chopped liver

Just finished reading it last evening. It really is a wonderful, engrossing read. Many of us were too young to really appreciate all that was going on in Vietnam and our dads were caught in that generation between WWII and Vietnam. It wasn't the 'greatest generation' but it sure as hell wasn't chopped liver, and we sons and daughters do long to understand what they went through, what it was all about, how our folks played their part and what that brand of turmoil must've felt like. Thanks for shedding some plausible light into those sometimes dead corners of memory. You've got me hooked.

Mike Johnson has done it again with this follow-up to his first book, Warrior Priest. This time Mike links America from CA to OH and draws in the Korean War. His very real characters evolve through great dialogue and description and keep readers guessing with each chapter.
It's a long way from a little farm in Korea to Shelby, a little city in Ohio, but Mike's story brings people from each source together very skillfully. My interest was captured and not disappointed as he kept tossing surprises and twists right to the end. A good read all the way!

Mike Johnson's latest release "Fate of the Warriors" comes with a high recommendation and a title that truly befits the story. Chronicling two families; one with Ohio roots and the other of California origin, the story focuses on the manner in which their fates intertwine. The book spans nearly a century from 1906 to 2006. "Fate of the Warriors" covers some major events including WWI and D-Day to settings such as the campus of Ohio Univ. in Athens, UCLA and even Korea during the Pueblo Incident. Mike Johnson has a way of bringing together a stream of grand backdrops and encounters relevant to these two families while attaching the reader to everything that's going on between the pages of this incredible book. The characters' lives take many twists and unexpected turns. Mr. Johnson tugs the reader right along with his use of vivid imagery and dialogue to create a story that proves the final outcome is whatever fate will allow. The characters, settings and plot are rich and believable providing a fast paced and enjoyable read.

Congratulations to Mike Johnson for maintaining his exceptional writing style throughout the pages of his second historical novel. While not a sequel to 2005's epic Warrior Priest, Fate of the Warriors is just as enjoyable and fast-paced with its carefully plotted storylines filled with wonderfully developed fictional characters intermingled with real-life persons, and all of it punctuated with heart-stopping scenes. Through two wars and more, Johnson immerses you in the small world feel of the global story through the lives of two families -- one from small town Ohio, the other from L.A. -- as they journey through 25 years meeting an array of fabulous characters, some lovable, others sad, surprising, lucky, despicable, deceitful, etc, but all as human as any of us. He carves a place for you in the horror and bravery of Omaha Beach, the youthful thrills and trials of the Mickey Mouse Club, the bloodied hills of Korea and its DMZ and the heroic efforts of a farm couple to save two Americans caught behind enemy lines, and a harrowing attack in NYC's Central Park. You'll rush yourself to finish the book and be satisfied with the Epilogue, but feel disappointed when you close the back cover, ending the pleasure of the read. My hope is that Johnson is working on a third book -- and that it's even longer than Fate of the Warriors. Check out his website MIKEJOHNSONBOOKS.

You know how, as a reader, you find a book that is just so enjoyable to read for reading's sake? Not to mention great characters and great story lines? Well this is one such book. I have just finished reading it an am thoroughly impressed. It's a fast read, even at the large page number count that it is, and every page keeps you wanting to turn to the next. I love when authors can keep you very interested with important details but not bog you down with the same. I had a few late nights while reading this one, making the next day at work a little more difficult to get through. ;)
Yes, it involves history and war, but the true centerpieces of this book are the characters, how they interact, what they do and what happens to them.
I highly recommend it!