Fighting the Storm

by Jarrah Loh

Cageside Chronicles: Tommy Knuckles Trilogy Book 1

The young adult fiction series for the warrior at heart


This is the book series that UFC & MMA fans have been waiting for!

Tommy lowered his head again. "I'm not a fighter," he said.
"Maybe you are, maybe you ain't," shrugged the man. "Maybe you just don't know it yet."

The saga begins with the lonely Mexican teenager, Tommy, who's been beaten up his whole life. But when ghosts emerge from his dead father's boxing past, a new world of adventure, love and pain awaits as he learns to fight his way across the border to his father's homeland, and into the famed cages of Las Vegas.

126 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Jarrah Loh is the editor of Australia's number-one Mixed Martial Arts magazine Inside MMA, produced in association with Fight! Magazine USA, the world's premiere Mixed Martial Arts magazine.

He is the author of the HarperCollins book Ultimate: The Complete Guide to UFC and Mixed Martial Arts and is also the creator of the fiction book series that MMA and UFC fans have been waiting for: Cageside Chronicles.

He currently lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been a long term fan of MMA, I've read a lot of the various biographies and books about the sport that are out there. Though they always appeal to me because of my passionate interest in the topic, they do tend to be pretty similar offerings much of the time. I was really excited when I found out about 'Cageside Chronicles' - a young adult fiction book series for MMA and UFC fans. Fiction is where my heart is, and I've always wanted to read something fictional revolving around the world of Mixed Martial Arts. 'Fighting the Storm' is the first part of the Tommy Knuckles trilogy.

Life isn't all sunshine and roses for Mexican teenager Tommy. His father was the legendary boxer 'Lefty', yet that doesn't stop Tommy from getting beaten up each evening when he walks home from school. Though he doesn't feel as though he has any natural fighting instincts, it is part of Tommy's heritage, and something that he doesn't seem to be able to get away from no matter what he does. When 'The Condor', a famous Mexican boxer who's made it big in America returns home to visit Tommy's local gym, he ends up going along. Sonny, an old friend of his father's, takes Tommy under his wing and teaches him to box. Soon boxing isn't enough for Tommy. He wants to learn to fight on the ground and to fight in the cage. When the opportunity comes up for him to go to Las Vegas to train in MMA, he snaps it up.

If Tommy thought that life would get easier for him in Las Vegas, then he was wrong. His real fight is only just beginning. Through the pain and adversity he begins to find himself, making friends and even getting a girlfriend. This is a real 'coming of age' novel, as well as one about the disciplines of the sport.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it gathered more momentum towards the end when Tommy was building a life for himself in Las Vegas. The tone of the novel captured the sacrifices Tommy had to make perfectly – this isn't a glamorised view of the world of fighting, which I feel is important. In every occurrence of a fighting, training or sparring scene, the description is top notch. The author's deep knowledge of the sport shines through. I was able to literally see the moves guys were throwing in my head, it was depicted so beautifully in the narrative. It was great to have a genuine technical element present in the book.

I actually believe that this book would appeal to a broader spectrum than just readers who are already UFC/MMA fans. The way that events are described and terms are explained makes it universally accessible. It would be a great read for anyone who'd like to learn more about the sport. For those of us that are already fans though, we can have a sneaky giggle at some of the names of characters in the book – they seem awfully familiar. There are the bullying Diaz brothers for example, and the lovely lady who helps out behind at the desk in the gym in Vegas, her name is Dana!

All in all, I thought this novel was a very promising start to the series, especially since there are no other books like this available. Though I felt disconnected from Tommy in the beginning, the story really gathered pace and became more complex towards the end – the preview of the second book is especially intriguing! This was a very readable, fun book that is something completely different for MMA fans to sink their teeth into. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more.

[Juls Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can a parent compete with video-game addiction and the mindlessness of the Cartoon Network? With the soon to be outrageously popular Tommy Knuckles Trilogy, by Jarrah Lon. Loh has solved that dilemma by proving once and for all that teens really can love great books. Twists and turns make this story FIGHTING THE STORM, Book one, of Tommy Knuckles Trilogy, resemble the The Berlin Boxing Club, by Robert Sharenow. Loose ends are expertly tied and more threads become compellingly unraveled. Lon has convincingly written a character that could be our son or bother. He has taken everyday situations such as going to school, dealing with school rivalry. Part of Tommy's appeal is that he could be any ordinary 17-year-old, an underdog readers will root for, and loathe his horrible adversary, Gristle Diaz, who beats on him every other day. Tommy is, however, bright and competent, and with Sonny and Thiago "Right here, tonight – this is what you were made for.”. He discovers he is a natural born fighter. Tommy learns that he has it within himself to overcome his existence. He goes from being beaten by a bully to winning the Las Vegas Cage Fighting Lightweight Championship. The book is packed with entertaining details and creative riffs in life. I highly recommend it.

['Iron' Mike Tyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no fiction in fighting. It is as real and as honest as a human can be. The sooner young adults read these books and know this, the better prepared they'll be for the world.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off a little disclaimer, I love MMA. I watch as much as I can including the smaller regional stuff that I can find. That being said this book was right up my alley. The book starts off showing Tommy getting beaten up my some local toughs in his small town in Mexico. Furthering revelations show that though Tommy's father was a fighter he died a few years back and his mother doesn't want Tommy to have anything to do with fighting. As often fighting happens, Tommy ignores his mother and stops by his Uncle's gym to see a famous boxer who is returning to his roots to scout some talent.

Tommy is taken in by Sonny, an old friend of his dad's and begins to learn to box. He shows a real talent for everything involved and begins to feel confident about his skills. When a street fight shows him how limited his boxing really is he decides to come to America to train MMA.

I really enjoyed this book for a lot of reasons. First off the author, Jarrah Loh, has an impressive background with MMA so the book has a gritty realistic feel. Second, Tommy is a great character. While the whole concept of a kid from the wrong side of town growing up to be a fighter isn't really new turf the character is done so well that it feels fresh. Third, the fights. The fights are written so that it is easy to visualize everything that is happening inside the ring/cage. Jarrah also doesn't assume that everyone who reads the book is an expert and makes everything accessible to anyone.

This is a series that I will be finishing for certain and an author that I will watch for more stuff from.

[Jimmy Keen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a regular reader of Jarrah’s magazine when I lived in Australia for a while. He also has a non-fiction MMA guide type book I remember they used to advertise on FUEL TV during UFC events. So I was intrigued as to what he would put on the plate with a fiction release.
I can tell you that it was not what I had imagined, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is truly a great adventure and story. You can’t help but fall in love with the main character, and the people he comes across are very memorable – as apposed to cardboard cut outs, like most of the other books in this genre.

Very enjoyable and I read the sequels straight away. Happily surprised! This is good old-fashioned polished story writing.

I really like how the main story is happening and is about fighting and everything, but the whole time there is also this whole mystique and mystery about Tommy and his family’s past and that whole backstory. The first book touches on it, but by the end of the third book, the entire history is revealed to be so much deeper than I would have suspected.

But there is still so much I want to know, especially about some of the side characters, like my favorite (mainly from the second book) Diego. I assume he will be back in future Cageside Chronicles novels. The free sample of the next trilogy at the end of the book made me excited.

[Bostonboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so good! Seriously, buy this novel.
There has always been a huge gap in the market for good male young adult fiction. And here it is. I thought this would be a great quick read, but I really loved this a lot more than I thought I would.
But it’s not really a boy’s fest anyway; there is plenty of character development, emotion and trials — even a little romance. So, I think this book would be great for anyone that wants to read a coming of age adventure.
The back story and quirky characters really have a lot of depth and the more you read, the more you want to know what is going to happen, but also what already happened in the past.
I am already reading the second one Fighting the Forgiven — and loving it! ☺

[Forever Young Adult]

Graded By: Brian
Cover Story: Hand Me The Controller!
Drinking Buddy: It Dulls the Pain
Testosterone Level: Heavyweight
Talky Talk: School Librarian's Dream
Bonus Factors: Coyotes, Training Montage
Bromance Status: (Manly Grunt)

Read the full book report here.

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little story, written by someone who clearly understands the MMA and the world of fighting.
The story of the rise of tough Mexican kid Tommy Knuckles who illegally crosses the Mexican border into the United States to fight in the Las Vegas MMA cage fighting circuit.
Every punch is felt and written with a passion by someone who understands the fight game and someone with the experience to make it readable and enjoyable and oh so real.
A good little read I enjoyed very moment.

[Goran Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cool start to a series on a boxer turned cagefighter, with likeable characters, well-observed training and combat scenes and an assured style that doesn't try too hard, it just picks you up effortlessly and takes you along for a ride. The books are quite short but they form a trilogy so I guess the answer is to keep reading. I know i will. Recommended!

[Milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between The Karate Kid and Never Back Down, a simple yet enjoyable novel about MMA and fighting sports. Despite the poor depth of the main character's psychology, it's still impossible not to recommend it to fans of martial arts.

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic but enjoyable story. A little repetitive, but not enough to drag or become too stale. Wouldn't rule out reading the next two, even if they have strayed away from boxing and moved towards the less familiar MMA.
War Tommy Knuckles!