The Fire Inside (Sidekicks) [Kindle Edition]

Raymond M. Rose (Author)

Book Description

Jack King could blow up half this city in the blink of an eye.

Lucky for us, he's retired.

"By the end of this book I was fist punching the air and looking for things to fight with my epic Highlander broadsword!" - Kelly (Reading the Paranormal), Morgan Hill, CA

Jack King lives a normal life. He works at a bookstore, has a burgeoning career in photography, and a talented girlfriend. Life is good. Life is normal.

But Jack is far from normal.

Years ago, he used to put on a mask and fight crime.

"Usually when you read a book of superheroes there is an expectation of unbelievability, and yet Author Rose makes you believe." - Leslie Ann Wright, Author, The Great Northwest

However, when Jack's best friend (a fellow retired crime-fighter) is found murdered, Jack finds himself investigating his friend's killer. But with enemies new and old (including his ex-girlfriend) bent on stopping him, Jack leaps head-first back into a world he ran away from - a world more complicated and dangerous than he ever knew!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A remarkably enjoyable book written by a man who clearly enjoys comic books." -Rocky, The Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything

From the Author

I've been doing the writing-thing for about 15 years. 

Just two years ago, I decided to take matters into my own hands and self-publish my first two novels, The Fire Inside and Better Together.  Since then, I've been learning the steep-learning curve that is indie publishing, working on my next two novels (and some short stories), being a full-time stay-at-home dad to my three boys (all under the age of 4, I might add), and a full-time college student. 

Basically, I sleep when I have no other choice.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 495 KB
• Print Length: 428 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Christopher Williams Books (September 22, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0044440GS
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,758 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #67 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Mystery

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun, but flawed May 27, 2012

By Bradford Daniels

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

First, the good: The Fire Inside is a fun take on the superhero novel, with plenty of superpowered violence, an interesting story, and likable characters. The conspiracy behind the story is well done, and the central mystery revealed at just the right pace. Overall, a story well told.

Now for the not so good: there are some serious plot holes... For example, at one point, a character teleports away, leaving someone at the mercy of the bad guys. We later learn that this character can teleport others as well, just by touching them. So why leave your companion behind? Argh!

Also, the action is a bit more sketched in than spelled out. You can usually follow it, but it doesn't flow... And here's an important tip for aspiring authors. Exclamation marks are not acceptable substitutes for sufficient adjectives. I would go so far as to say that they do not belong in expository text at all... Maybe in internal monologue, but only rarely, and certainly not multiple times in one paragraph.

More writing tips which sadly appear necessary in this case:

The opposite of "winning" is "losing", not "loosing".

"Eminent" is not the same word as "imminent".

Lie/lay: You're doing it wrong. Learn the difference. I'd say you should just use the opposite of what you think is right, but you actually used "lying" correctly twice in one sentence.

Speaking of which, don't use the same word twice in a row unless you're deliberately using parallelism.

And get an editor and proof reader. Find good ones. Pay them real money. Listen to their advice about where the text doesn't flow properly or usage isn't quite right. It can take you from from being a decent storyteller to being a good author.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Reading the Paranormal Review September 28, 2012

By Kelly Rubidoux

Format:Kindle Edition

You know how sometimes you have to be in the right mood for a book? (As an aside, that's why I haven't read book 6 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, because it's so damn epic and I have to be in the moooood for that level of angst and awesomeness.) By the time I made it to the end of this book I was fist punching the air and looking for things to fight with my epic Highlander broadsword. No fooling! Where's the cadre of super villains that I'm going to decimate? I'm coming for you!

While the end was literally a non-stop run of action, blood, guts and flame, the beginning is a little less frantic. Taking place mostly in the present, the narrative intersperses flashes of the epic battle that decimated the city 10 years before to give backstory on the main characters. Initially, this felt a little choppy and was hard for me to keep up with, but as the characters began to take shape a little more in my head it all started to make sense.

With fast-paced action and well written characters bundled in with a touch of intrigue to keep you guessing, this book was hard to put down and it had plenty of threads left open to explore the lives of the other supposedly dead superheroes. I'm looking forward to see where it goes.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A new talent and a fresh take on the genre September 9, 2012

By Bart

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

A piece of great run, and a quick read. Mr. Rose treats his characters with a level of humanism you rarely see these days. The characters are real, flawed souls who seem to jump off the page. There is tragedy and more importantly in my opinion living with yourself after surviving the tragedy. The story also manages to hang on to a pure sense of awe, of wonderment and joy. The plot is fun and satisfyingly twisty. Highly recommend this book for both men and women.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic new set of superheroes, very real and in your face April 24, 2011

By TicToc

Format:Paperback

Article first published as Book Review:The Fire Inside: A Side Kicks Novel by Raymond Rose on Blogcritics.

When we think of heroes and villains and better yet, superpowers, comic books are instantly brought to mind, with the slick Ka Pow, the cool costumes, and the vicious and yet famous moves. Even as children, many of us wanted to join the exalted ranks of Green Hornet, Batman and Robin, as well as Superman and all his friends.

In The Fire Inside: A Side Kicks Novel, by Raymond M. Rose, we are given an opportunity to follow up on the lives of a spectacular group of superheroes and villains, waging a war to protect the innocent. Rose has built Claremont into a city to be reckoned with; a place that once housed the Protectors, and the Teen Protectors. Of course, that was all before the Battle, when a large portion of the town itself was destroyed as well as most if not all of the Protectors and villains. To make matter worse, many innocents died that night so history no longer honored the Protectors, as was once the case.

While most were confirmed dead, a few still made it through yet remained hidden from public record due to their recorded deaths. The villains had moved to a lower income part of town, and most superpowers just disappeared into obscurity. Some of the names were Osprey, Rook, Sparks, Minotaur, Ox and Lady Nyx; they were people to be proud of. Yet for some unknown reason it all went to hell in one fell swoop.

Jack King is one of the survivors, confirmed dead and now leading a new life. He belonged to the Teen Protectors in another lifetime, but in time had found himself a new life. He now worked in a bookstore and took photographs. He was making a name for himself and doing well.... His best friend Bruce Webster also survived and joined the Agents, but Jack had not seen or heard from him in some time. Life was mundane and he was getting used to it.

When Webster shows up in his favorite coffee shop to ask for his help, Jack assures him he is no longer interested in his old life. He is no longer the Jack that Bruce used to know. Bruce was easy at accepting his dismissal and they agreed to meet later at a gallery showing of Jack's work. Little did Jack know this was the last time he would see his friend alive again. Bruce had a secret, and now there were those looking to find the files he carried. All paths now lead back to Jack.

As he begins to look into his friend's death, unusual episodes begin to happen around him. Things are beginning to happen. Long ago names are beginning to pop up, some of the vilest villains of the past seem to have survived. For some reason they have locked on to Jack. As his life turns crazy and people begin to die, he along with a group of other superheroes decide to find the answers.

Rose's characters leap off the pages with bold relief. Visualization is a quality that only the best authors consistently attain, and I would have to list Rose in that category. They are true to life, and very human, easily hurt, and not at all casual about their friendships. You are in there with them as they enter the fray and battle the bad guys, you feel the pain as they are hurt and you can actually feel their anger and grief. These heroes are the reason we all wanted to be superheroes as youngsters, the exemplify everything that is human and good. Yet with that good comes just a spark of darkness, the one thing they must constantly overcome to maintain their status.
Rose's world building is well done and again quite a visual masterpiece. I really enjoyed this book. Usually when you read a book of superheroes there is an expectation of unbelievability, and yet Rose makes you believe. That is a trick all in itself.

I would recommend this book for a reading group or book club. This book is not intended for children. It contains some graphic death scenes. It is hard to put down and I read in in one setting, I did not want to wait to know what happened and then I wanted to go back and slow down because I missed the characters. It is a must have for your library.
This book was received as a free download from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material Read more ›

More About the Author

Cattle wrangler (stay-at-home dad), professional liar (novelist), anarchist (contributor to Publishers Weekly Magazine), and police negotiator (husband).