A Woman From Nowhere (The Firewall Trilogy E-book 1)

Be prepared to get thirsty!
Review- A Girl From Nowhere (The Firewall Trilogy Book 1) by James MaxwellAs a reader I enjoyed the story and can I just add I was friggin thirsty the entire time I read it. Everything in the landscape of this world is so hot and dry and barren that I had to keep water next to me while I read to remind myself that I was not in the wasteland with Taimin and Selena.The story is a journey of self discovery and the things you’ll put your body through to survive. I loved how I could feel Taimins pain and Selena’s struggles. I was right there with them both.All in all, this book made me think Gladiator meets Daenerys Targaryen while she’s traveling with the Dothrak, after her dragons have hatched, and they’re out of water and all fixing to die —for 48 chapters.Now, my review of this book changes a bit as I come at it from a different angle.As a writer, I wanted to pull my hair out the entire read. Every rule that writers are supposed to follow, the author did not follow. I suppose once you’ve published as many books as he has, you can indeed do what you want, but it left me frustrated with the rules that the publishing industry forces on every other writer. Because there are many rules and yet most of those rules don’t apply to published authors at all. It made me crazy.(Realize here that I thrive on rules. Please give me some rules so that I can follow them. Of course when I write my characters break all the rules, but that’s because I try to follow them in my life, I have to live vicariously through someone! Yes, please laugh at this with me. LOL)Anyway… as a writer, I did not like how many times the POV shifted. There were so many different POV’s at one point that I just had to stop caring whose POV I was in because I was told (told, not shown) how every character felt, what they heard, or what they thought, no matter the POV.There was more telling than showing in some places, which I understand, sometimes you just have to tell things to readers, (Neil Gaiman’s Masterclass straight up says, if you have to tell, then tell) but towards the end of the novel, it was tell, tell, tell, and tell some more.By the time the book ended, I was glad that it was over. I won’t give away any spoilers, but while I was glad it was over, the author did a great job at making me want to pick up the next book despite all the things I didn’t like about the first one. Because again, most of my dislikes come from the writer side of me, not the reader side of me.So, I suppose that while I sit here mad at myself for wanting to pick up the second book, I’ll pick it up, along with another few cases of water, and dive in. While the writer in me will be pulling out a blue pencil and rolling eyes, screaming… “show me, don’t tell me.”

simplistic swashbuckling escapism
A boy, crippled in a youthful accident that killed his parents, grows to become an extraordinary fighter under the tutelage of an eccentric aunt with an obscure past. The world is a dystopian wasteland populated by a few almost-humanoid races, bordered by an uninhabitable, fiery desert. Another accident sends the boy on some uncertain quest. The quest becomes better defined after the boy meets, uh, you guessed, the only eligible girl in the neighborhood. The premise is, at best, not overly original but the execution is competent; the characters are sufficiently developed to be interesting even if not too interesting, but interesting enough. Some almost superhero-like ability to ignore the trivialities of the human condition are de rigueur in this narrative style, but such device is not overly abused. The stereotypical trap “human good, alien bad” is skillfully avoided and the cliches are solidly under control. Also, the plot has his moments and from time to time it becomes sincerely gripping.The book is eminently forgettable, but is entertaining and a good, solid notch above much of the claptrap available on e-readers. The writing style is clean and grammatically correct, if dour and inelegant — I wonder if it was checked against a reading index and deliberately maintained below a set complexity goal. Sigh. I suspect the author could do better in this area. Way better… Kudos for avoiding gratuitous vulgarity.

Wonderful story
The author takes you to a strange world peopled with beings of many kinds. A harsh, barren land where it takes a strong will to survive. Taimin must overcome his handicap but his determination will see him through.

Storytelling with plenty of action, not too much intricate plot spinning and easily read. I was looking for a book that allowed me to read and enjoy without too much attention to detail. I found the development interesting and not always predictable but reached key plot quickly. I was nicely surprised by all aspects of the tale, fitting the brief perfectly.Off to read the next instalment now.

At first, I wasn‘t sure I would want to continue reading, but as I continued, I was angry at everyone wanting to interrupt me. I am captivated and can‘t wait to read the next book!!!

Amazed that this author has such mastery creating distinct and different worlds! This is third of his series that I have read and I never cease to be pleased and surprised by the new species he creates.