New Action-Adventure Book "Born to Raise Hell" by Michael G. Verses Receives Rave Reviews

May 12, 2013 - PRLog -- The time is the late 1980s. And the setting is California but the mood here is not mellow. It’s violent. It’s the Reagan era of feel good feelings turned upside down. This is Pasadena but it’s not the little old lady’s story here. It’s about young Neil and his notorious and sometimes malicious gang of punk rockers who casually find a great variety of drugs for wasting their lives.

We begin the book with a bang. The author tells us immediately and eloquently in his first paragraphs that what unleashed the violent and primitive energy of his teenage brain was not the release of any energy but a far more mundane matter: boredom. He wanted something exciting to happen and it never did in the city made famous by that little old lady. So we hear of revolutionary Neil’s long-standing fight against a second “B” of life after boredom: bourgeoisie.

It’s a long trip through more than 250 pages. And readers will stay tuned in (the author is never boring himself but degradation is always fascinating), as the descent continues. Readers who are patient find the expected redemption found at the end. They may be surprised that it is not expected religion or a higher calling or even faith in the good woman who brings him around. The two best parts of this book are the tensely worded first paragraphs and the ending. But I am not going to spoil the outcome or the reward for readers. Only a hint: living well is the best revenge.  Palmetto Book Review #1

Born to Raise Hell by author Michael G. Verses shares the fictional, personal history of central character Neil Beverly that takes place in southern California during the 1980’s. Neil Beverly is not your average young adult he stays high during most of his waking hours, he is not trying to go to college, he does not aspire to any particular career goals, he lies and steals as easily as he breathes and for fun, he and his punk friends destroy other people’s property. In fact, he is one of those people that seem to have no redeeming qualities what so ever and that is actually what makes him an engrossing central character. This story portrays the raw and bleeding world that Neil exists in; it shows the reader an in-depth look at his constant state of turmoil that is fueled by the anger and resentment in his life, which in turn leads to his ever present and powerful drug addiction.

The story is told from the point of view of Neil, he lives life his way refusing to integrate into a society that he hates and rejects living life by conforming to what society dictates his place should be, so he rebukes society by staying high. Starting with sniffing cocaine at the age of 14 and moving through many other hardcore drugs as an adult Neil takes the hard road of life with his constant his drug use. His drug-fueled antics costs him dearly as he misses out on many of the things in life that sober people take for granted like a real relationship with his mother; she struggled to help him live a better life but stayed high and her abrupt death left him alone and spiraling further into his drug drenched abyss. As he moves on with his drugged up life, he is institutionalized due to his drug use and several attempted suicides, gets into a serious car accident that almost permanently disables him, goes to jail for armed robbery, fails to sustain any good relationships (except for with his drug buddies) and becomes very ill coming close to his own demise. However, all is not completely lost with Neil; redemption does come with the help of a staunch and supportive woman.

Author Michael Verses does a very good job as a storyteller he brought the world of Neil alive with his gritty scenes of drug use and addiction, intriguing characters, realistic interactions, humor and well depicted scenes. As well this being an engrossing and easy to read tale it moves at a constant pace keeping you interested until the last word is read. I thoroughly enjoyed Born to Raise Hell and I highly recommend it to mature readers looking for an engrossing, entertaining story.      Palmetto Book Review #2

Born to Raise Hell is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and through other booksellers. 13-Digit ISBN: 9781929882793, USA $16.00.  This book could be described as an updated cross between A Diary of a Drug Fiend and A Clockwork Orange.