Review of "The Fall Line"

Admittedly, I pay very little attention to skiing aside from the Winter Olympics. However, that may change after reading this book as I have a new-found respect for these athletes. After reading about the training they must do as well as what they do to prepare their equipment and handle life, they certainly deserve a lot of respect no matter where they may finish when all the times are calculated at a World Cup event.  Here is my review of "The Fall Line." 

Title/Author:

“The Fall Line: America’s Rise to Ski Racing’s Summit” by Nathaniel Vinton

Tags:

Alpine skiing, Winter Olympics, history

Publish date:

January 4, 2016

Length:

400 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

While the biggest attention is given to alpine skiing during the Winter Olympics, this does not mean that the sport takes a break nor does it not have its share of personalities and issues. This excellent book by Nathaniel Vinton will take the reader deep into the world of ski racing and brings to life some of the lesser known intricacies of the sport. 

Even the title brings out this trait of the book. Vinton explains for the non-fan or casual fan what the fall line is: “The path an object would travel if it were free to move on a slope only under the power of gravity.” This is the main goal of the racer – to maintain this fall line through all the bumps, leaps and gates on the course.  The racer’s equipment is critical and Vinton explains why in an easy-to-understand manner.

Equipment and the endorsements by top skiers can cause controversy, and that is only one of a few issues that Vinton covers that the United States Ski Team would face during the run to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.  Vinton covers a wide range of topics that affect the sport, from warm weather to safety netting and fencing to equipment requirements, they all play a factor in helping a racer shave hundredths of seconds off his or her times.

The book is not only a great source of technical information and action on the slopes, it can also read like a character novel, with the two main characters being Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn, the two top skiers on Team USA in the 2010 Games. However, Vinton also writes about other top Americans like Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso. There is also very good writing on the history of the sport and how it has become a national obsession in Austria.  In fact, the book starts off with an excellent recap of Franz Klammer’s exciting downhill win in the 1976 Olympics.

Just reading that passage had me hooked and I could not put this book down. It is one of the most complete books written on the sport. The detail into all aspects, including the psychology of the two main stars, Miller and Vonn, make for terrific reading that no matter how much or little interest a reader has in ski racing. Whether the reader wants drama, facts, or just a good sports story, this is a book to check out.

I wish to thank W.W. Norton & Company for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

Paperback

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Fall-Line-Americas-Racings/dp/0393352692/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fall-line-nathaniel-vinton/1121986354?ean=9780393352696

Review of "Red Snow"

With the Winter Olympics in full swing, the setting for this murder mystery is perfect - a small British Columbia village holding Olympic trials before the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.   Some skiing and snowboarding in this, but the bulk of the story is the mystery.  Because of the setting, I decided to include this review on this blog.  Here is my review of "Red Snow."

Title/Author:

“Red Snow” by Michael Slade

Tags:

Fiction, Winter Olympics, skiing, snowboarding, murder mystery    

Published:

2010

Length:

262 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

A quaint British Columbia village, Whistler, that is hosting the Olympic trials before the Winter Olympics in Vancouver is the setting for Michael Slade’s thriller “Red Snow.”   It is part of his Special X series on the Canadian Royal Mounted Police and while it does have characters that are in Slade’s other books of the series, this reads fine as a stand-alone and the reader does not have to read the other books in order to gain an understanding of the story or characters.

A narcissistic, psychotic killer known as Mesphisto has a diabolical plot that would ultimately wipe out 90% of the world’s population.  He chooses this setting and time for two reasons. One is that because security around the Vancouver Games would be focused on the Games themselves, he would be better able to launch his plan.   The second is more personal, because the chief of the Special X division of the RCMP, Robert DeClerque, along with a few other people can indentify Mesphisto and they must be eliminated before the plan can be done. 

There is not a lot of description about the sport of skiing or snowboarding, although a couple of the murders do take place on the slopes.  The book opens with the murder of a snowboarder while on the course, and another one takes place in a chair lift.  I felt this book would still be appropriate for inclusion on this site as it is a sporting event in which the story is set and some of the action takes place there.   There won’t be any descriptions of the sport.   However, many of the chapters do begin with a historical or geographical reference that is important in helping to set the mood or context of the events to take place in that chapter.

All of the usual aspects of a murder mystery or thriller are in this story: revenge, murder (this story does have a high body count), sex, character development, personal reflection on “what if” or “what will happen if” and a wide variety of both villains and protagonists.   I thought it was an entertaining read, although at times I felt that there were too many characters, historical references and murders to tie everything together that I got confused.  But by the end of the story, it all came together which is what a good story should do.

Did I skim?

No

Were the characters realistic? 

I didn’t think so.  Whether it was the mastermind behind the murders and mass genocide plot, his minions who were doing the work, the Canadian Mounties or the young girls, they all had an unrealistic sense about them.  This isn't to say that they were portrayed or developed poorly.  I just didn't get the sense that these characters are someone I would meet in regular life, especially the three snow bunnies in the lodge.

Pace of the story:

Very good.  The historical references to start most chapters slowed it down slightly, but they were very important to the overall story.

Do I recommend?  

Yes.  While there wasn't a lot about the winter sports in the story, the setting and plot were developed because of a sporting event.  Therefore sports fans may enjoy this book as well as fans of mysteries or thrillers.

Book Format Read:

Ebook (Kindle)

Buying Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Snow-SPECIAL-X-THRILLER-ebook/dp/B008K9E752/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392579968&sr=8-1&keywords=red+snow

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/red-snow-michael-slade/1114085009?ean=2940016064413