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Warrior's Song
What if someone told you in no uncertain terms that you were destined to become president of the United States someday? Would you believe him or her? Someone told Parker Shaw that very thing. But, like any twenty-year-old, he just shook his head, not sure what to think of the elderly Navajo man he and his buddy Sam encountered one summer day. Why does he look so familiar? Granted, Parker and Sam had been trespassing on this guy’s property out in the middle of Monument Valley, but they had not expected so many surprises. That is, unless you count the fact that Parker had a dream about being shot in the head after falling off a horse, out in a desolate, red-rocked, smokestack factory kind of place—like northern Arizona. By a bunch of vaqueros, no less! Imagine his surprise when his curiosity led him to a spot where the dream may have taken place? What? Parker’s mom would have completely flipped out, and his dad would have disowned him if they had known what he was up to, his strong Chesapeake Bay roots echoing centuries of learned Shaw men who had answered a nation’s call, the least of which being his Civil War hero ancestor. That’s beside the point; Parker was entering a new world, and all he could do was buckle his seatbelt, sit back, and enjoy the ride. Thank God Sam was there. Poor Parker just wishes he could go back to being an average kid. But the destiny doesn’t give up on you, Parker, so you can’t give up on it. As his story continues to unfold, his uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time only serves to awaken him. "Like so many college students, Shaw is torn between his father’s dream for his future and his own uncertainty. Shaw’s intellectual self-exploration provides the foundation of this novel. Hill sprinkles the novel’s dialog with references to the fundamentals of a liberal arts education, including American history, science, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. At first, these references seem unrelated; however, Mr. Hill winds them together in an increasingly pertinent existential rationale. Elemental to this exploration are concepts of the human soul, reincarnation and the integration of purpose, fulfilled as a result of Hill’s use of nuance and association." —Charles Weinblatt, author of Jacob's A Holocaust Love Story
"This book is so very inspirational. There are many young men in the United States who will study for and enter government activities at some time in their lives. They may have taken the same classes as Parker and Sam, but will they have the same drive, the need to reach out and know even more. If you have a teenage son, or daughter, looking toward college, I highly recommend this book be read by the entire family. Hill writes fluently from what he had studied, but more importantly merges his own personal philosophy that has undoubtedly evolved, and shares it with us as we each strive for success in today's world. This literary gem is undoubtedly the first in what will become a treasure of conceptual thinking and insight that will surely spark new enthusiasm in the lives of each and every reader. Don't miss the opportunity!" —Glenda Bixler, Reviewers Roundup
"This book is so very inspirational. There are many young men in the United States who will study for and enter government activities at some time in their lives. They may have taken the same classes as Parker and Sam, but will they have the same drive, the need to reach out and know even more. If you have a teenage son, or daughter, looking toward college, I highly recommend this book be read by the entire family. Hill writes fluently from what he had studied, but more importantly merges his own personal philosophy that has undoubtedly evolved, and shares it with us as we each strive for success in today's world. This literary gem is undoubtedly the first in what will become a treasure of conceptual thinking and insight that will surely spark new enthusiasm in the lives of each and every reader. Don't miss the opportunity!" —Glenda Bixler, Reviewers Roundup
234 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2011
2 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Thomas M. Hill
13Ìýbooks43ÌýfollowersThomas M. Hill is an author, editor, and book shepherd who has been working in publishing for the last ten years. For the last four years he has assisted self-publishing authors in developing, editing, and producing print-ready publications that are up to traditional publishing standards. He has published four books, including his first suspense novel, Warrior's Song, which received a Readers Favorite Award in 2011.
Raised in Arlington, Virginia, Thomas began his career in publication composition, design, and production in 2000 and has worked for the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, the University of Virginia Press, the American Staffing Association, and the Computer Sciences Corporation in creative and editing departments. In 2006 he became a copy editor and proofreader for Rowan & Littlefield Publishing Group, where he worked on academic and nonfiction titles.
Among the assignments Thomas finds the most pleasurable are ones that require a great deal of research and thought--ones that take a great deal of time and energy to produce. Because he began his career in scholarly publishing, he tends to take a research-based approach to creating content while working in developmental editing roles. Character development for novels, research necessary to create a plot or write a nonfiction title, one-on-one developmental editing, and manuscript coaching: those are his strong suits. Additionally, he loves to engage his creative side by designing book covers and interiors for print or ebooks.
Thomas loves working with authors of any genre, but he is especially enthusiastic about titles that are thought-provoking, educational, or present unique perspectives on time-tested ideas. He has also studied four different languages (Spanish, German, Ancient Greek, and Arabic), so projects that deal with aspects of the cultures in which these languages are (were) spoken are of particular fascination.
Raised in Arlington, Virginia, Thomas began his career in publication composition, design, and production in 2000 and has worked for the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, the University of Virginia Press, the American Staffing Association, and the Computer Sciences Corporation in creative and editing departments. In 2006 he became a copy editor and proofreader for Rowan & Littlefield Publishing Group, where he worked on academic and nonfiction titles.
Among the assignments Thomas finds the most pleasurable are ones that require a great deal of research and thought--ones that take a great deal of time and energy to produce. Because he began his career in scholarly publishing, he tends to take a research-based approach to creating content while working in developmental editing roles. Character development for novels, research necessary to create a plot or write a nonfiction title, one-on-one developmental editing, and manuscript coaching: those are his strong suits. Additionally, he loves to engage his creative side by designing book covers and interiors for print or ebooks.
Thomas loves working with authors of any genre, but he is especially enthusiastic about titles that are thought-provoking, educational, or present unique perspectives on time-tested ideas. He has also studied four different languages (Spanish, German, Ancient Greek, and Arabic), so projects that deal with aspects of the cultures in which these languages are (were) spoken are of particular fascination.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 3, 2012
Warrior’s Song, the first in a four-part fictional series by Thomas Hill, studies the life of 20-year-old Parker Shaw.
Shaw is a descendent of the famous Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who commanded the first black regiment of the U.S. Army in the Civil War (made famous in the Edward Zwick film, Glory). This novel explores Shaw’s coming-of-age struggle with identity, family, purpose, and career goals.
The novel begins on the campus of The University of Virginia in April 2001 and it ends with the airplane hijackings and bombings of September 11, 2001.
In a strangely vivid dream, Shaw finds himself a Native American warrior pursued and murdered by a group of white men. Like a splinter in his mind, the dream drives Shaw to discover his connection with the murdered Native American.
With a friend, he travels to the American Southwest in search of the dream’s meaning. In this quest, he encounters a man who provides some perspective and direction. Shaw seeks a powerful revelation of the person he is supposed to be. In return, he is served nuggets of insight and enigma, bound together by a common thread of purpose.
Like so many college students, Shaw is torn between his father’s dream for his future and his own uncertainty. Shaw’s intellectual self-exploration provides the foundation of this novel. Hill sprinkles the novel’s dialog with references to the fundamentals of a liberal arts education, including American history, science, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. At first, these references seem unrelated. However, Hill winds them together in an increasingly pertinent existential rationale. Elemental to this exploration are concepts of the human soul, reincarnation and the integration of purpose, fulfilled as a result of Hill’s use of nuance and association.
Shaw finds within ephemeral out-of body experiences a fleeting but poignant insight. He has grown psychologically, as the boundaries of time and purpose become increasingly clear.
He comes to the conclusion that by understanding his past (including a past life) and by deriving insight from the contrasting parts of his personality, he will become a more fulfilled adult. No doubt this insight will serve Shaw well in the next three segments of the series.
Mr. Hill is a cogent and descriptive writer. In Warrior’s Song, he provides a clear and descriptive foundation for the rest of Shaw’s journey, bringing to life the eternal coming-of-age struggle for self identification and purpose.
If Warrior’s Song is lacking in any aspect it would be in the fleeting perspectives of secondary personalities. Of course, brevity of purpose pushes the novelist to be concise in order to keep up drama and pacing, and it is hopeful that Mr. Hill will have the opportunity to engage in more profound character development in the succeeding titles in this fascinating series.
Charles S. Weinblatt
Author, Jacob’s Courage
Shaw is a descendent of the famous Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who commanded the first black regiment of the U.S. Army in the Civil War (made famous in the Edward Zwick film, Glory). This novel explores Shaw’s coming-of-age struggle with identity, family, purpose, and career goals.
The novel begins on the campus of The University of Virginia in April 2001 and it ends with the airplane hijackings and bombings of September 11, 2001.
In a strangely vivid dream, Shaw finds himself a Native American warrior pursued and murdered by a group of white men. Like a splinter in his mind, the dream drives Shaw to discover his connection with the murdered Native American.
With a friend, he travels to the American Southwest in search of the dream’s meaning. In this quest, he encounters a man who provides some perspective and direction. Shaw seeks a powerful revelation of the person he is supposed to be. In return, he is served nuggets of insight and enigma, bound together by a common thread of purpose.
Like so many college students, Shaw is torn between his father’s dream for his future and his own uncertainty. Shaw’s intellectual self-exploration provides the foundation of this novel. Hill sprinkles the novel’s dialog with references to the fundamentals of a liberal arts education, including American history, science, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. At first, these references seem unrelated. However, Hill winds them together in an increasingly pertinent existential rationale. Elemental to this exploration are concepts of the human soul, reincarnation and the integration of purpose, fulfilled as a result of Hill’s use of nuance and association.
Shaw finds within ephemeral out-of body experiences a fleeting but poignant insight. He has grown psychologically, as the boundaries of time and purpose become increasingly clear.
He comes to the conclusion that by understanding his past (including a past life) and by deriving insight from the contrasting parts of his personality, he will become a more fulfilled adult. No doubt this insight will serve Shaw well in the next three segments of the series.
Mr. Hill is a cogent and descriptive writer. In Warrior’s Song, he provides a clear and descriptive foundation for the rest of Shaw’s journey, bringing to life the eternal coming-of-age struggle for self identification and purpose.
If Warrior’s Song is lacking in any aspect it would be in the fleeting perspectives of secondary personalities. Of course, brevity of purpose pushes the novelist to be concise in order to keep up drama and pacing, and it is hopeful that Mr. Hill will have the opportunity to engage in more profound character development in the succeeding titles in this fascinating series.
Charles S. Weinblatt
Author, Jacob’s Courage
August 5, 2012
I see Parker Shaw as a young character with a bright future. I started reading WARRIOR'S SONG expecting an enjoyable but conventional coming-of-age story. After reading the first third, I realized that the book was moving in a much more interesting direction than I had expected. Written in an understated, down-to-earth style, the novel follows a good-natured and well-bred young man who, despite being overlooked in a family of overachievers, has the confidence to follow his own path and to allow his life's mission to unfold in its own way. The series of purposeful coincidences that takes Parker from Virginia to Colorado to the Four Corners area of Arizona kept the pages turning rapidly for me. I enjoyed the camaraderie between Parker and his sidekick, Sam, as well as the insights that brought Parker to the point of embarking on his life's mission. More than that, I enjoyed the imaginative and thoughtful approach that the author has taken to the philosophical and metaphysical questions that Parker faces as he sets forth in life as a responsible yet uniquely intuitive young man. I'm ready for the next installment!
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