I read this book (well, tried to) for a MMA book club. The modus operandi of said book club? To read novels written by - ready for this? - PROFESSIONAL MIXED MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTERS. Yeah. So they're not professional writers, is my point.
This isn't to disparage Sean O'Connell though; I actually think he did an admiral job here, despite my one-star rating. A book ain't no easy thing to create even if you're a full-time writer, and this guy wrote a 600-pager WHILE being an active UFC heavyweight. Damn, good stuff Sean. Round of applause for that! I liked the interview he did with Ben Fowlkes, the way he thinks about just getting up and putting in the work to create something.
Unfortunately, I had to put down this novel a little more than halfway in. My main beef? There are just too many words. I don't mean 600 pages of words; I love me some 600 page novels. There are too many words in the sense that everything felt overcooked, described in unbearable detail, every corner illuminated. While that may work to your advantage in fight camps, it ruined this book for me, because it took me out of it.
The characters aren't bad. The plot's serviceable. The book is just missing a believable POV. The narrator is injudicious in his storytelling, and jumps from being limited to omniscient without any seeming purpose. That, for me, came to a melting point around 50% in, when reading it felt like a chore - and when that happens, I have to drop it.
I do hope Sean keeps writing, because I think, just like being a fighter, you can improve each time out.