A familiar
theme, very well-done in an enjoyable book
A man finds clues about the future, then puts himself in the
line of fire to save the day. That’s the
crux of One Shot, and I’ve been
there, done that…well, at least, I’ve read that. But while it’s a familiar theme, it’s one
that Brian Gates, the author, does it quite well with a likeable hero and an
interesting writing style.
Jack Shot, the main character, is described as ‘content,’ but
aimless might be more appropriate; he seems to have few goals beyond keeping
his job and getting a date with an attractive coworker, Abby. That all changes, however, with the first
clues into the future, and suddenly, he is thrust into heroic action. That action takes a toll, as suffers injuries
that would put a mere human down for the count – concussions and third-degree
burns among them – but he keeps fighting.
Realism might suffer a bit at these points, but the tension was there. These exploits also turned Abby’s head,
making her seem a bit shallow, but subsequently, she shows herself to be gritty
and determined.
The book is written as a narrated memoir – also familiar and
also well done. The tone is easy,
conversational, and largely, about Jack’s life.
The chapters, however, often begin with a quote, a bit of folksy
philosophy, or a platitude, like ‘love’s a bitch’. It might sound strange, but it consistently encapsulated
the story and provided a transition back to the action. And despite the informal, storytelling tone of
the story in general, Gates pens numerous clever turns of a phrase. I found this mixture of the unique and the
informal both engaging and often, quite funny.
For me, the book gets a bit heavy-handed on the fantasy and
philosophizing about the battle between good and evil at the end. And after reading it, I wasn’t certain if it
was actually a call to end our moral indifference, or just a segue to a
possible book 2. But either way, it
detracted little.
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