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The Attuned
The Attuned continues from the abrupt ending of The Attunement, and chronicles the following months of excursions and investigations. Flights, fights and delights tumble across the Middle East, Europe and Canada in an extended effort to get home–without a passport or any other form of identification. Abandoned in the region where the former Soviet Union had seeped into the Middle East, the future is uncertain, but there are mobs to flee and friends to make. Are locals friendly, or hostile? Historic sites and casinos are distracting and law enforcement officers must be avoided. Finding transportation is challenging but rivers might offer an escape, or deliver death. Forests seem to go on forever and local wildlife might be lethal. And home? After so many months, are the ones left behind still the same people they were?
299 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 4, 2018
4 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Gary B. Haley
10 books2 followersGary B. Haley began life in a military family that frequently moved from one air force base to another. The first few years of Haley's life were spent in cities like Denver, Kansas City and Detroit, but finally, in the late '60s, the young family happily found their way back home to Fort Worth, Texas. It was there that Haley grew up with his brothers very near Carswell Air Force Base (now the Naval Air Station and Joint Reserve Base). This meant that they often had to tolerate the thunderous, deafening roar of huge B-52 bombers lumbering overhead a mere four or five thousand feet. At first, the brothers tried to shout over the noise, but even the rowdy football games being played in the street came to a halt until the plane was far enough away for everyone to hear the shouted warning, "Car!" There was little else to do but plug your ears and wait, and maybe watch the plane.
Such an environment seems to sever much of the day into twenty- or thirty-minute tolerable fragments, still, when Haley wasn't playing football, riding his bike, or winning a game of chess (unless he was playing his big brother) he was probably reading. At some point, The Beatles' hit, Paperback Writer, inspired him to start writing at a very young age, despite the harsh, thunderous roars of the B-52s.
A break from that relentless chaos came with a move to a waterfront home on a quiet cove of a nearby lake, where Haley finished high school. But despite the more enjoyable lifestyle of country living, Haley ultimately moved back to Fort Worth to accept a defense industry job on the air force base, where F-16s had taken the place of B-52s. Soon afterwards, however, he found himself a single parent, but did his best to meet the challenges of trying to raise two daughters while working full time, ghost writing part time, and finishing his software engineering degree.
His daughters have long since grown up and, between them, have four bright kids of their own. Haley moved to Denver in 2005 where he married a brilliant doctor. They eventually had a son and Haley retired from software engineering to be a stay-home dad.
Such an environment seems to sever much of the day into twenty- or thirty-minute tolerable fragments, still, when Haley wasn't playing football, riding his bike, or winning a game of chess (unless he was playing his big brother) he was probably reading. At some point, The Beatles' hit, Paperback Writer, inspired him to start writing at a very young age, despite the harsh, thunderous roars of the B-52s.
A break from that relentless chaos came with a move to a waterfront home on a quiet cove of a nearby lake, where Haley finished high school. But despite the more enjoyable lifestyle of country living, Haley ultimately moved back to Fort Worth to accept a defense industry job on the air force base, where F-16s had taken the place of B-52s. Soon afterwards, however, he found himself a single parent, but did his best to meet the challenges of trying to raise two daughters while working full time, ghost writing part time, and finishing his software engineering degree.
His daughters have long since grown up and, between them, have four bright kids of their own. Haley moved to Denver in 2005 where he married a brilliant doctor. They eventually had a son and Haley retired from software engineering to be a stay-home dad.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 12, 2022
My review is available via the link:
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I obtained an ARC through OnlineBookClub, and I am leaving a review voluntarily.
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...
I obtained an ARC through OnlineBookClub, and I am leaving a review voluntarily.
December 1, 2021
Plot wasn't much but the writing was captivating
October 14, 2019
Disclaimer: I did not read The Attunement, the prequel to The Attuned. I decided to give The Attuned a chance since the synopsis intrigued me. With this in mind, The Attuned picks up where (I’m assuming) it left off in The Attunement. It follows Steven Andrews’ harrowing cross-continental journey to go back home while vividly depicting the friends and enemies he makes along the way. As Steven is fighting for his life, Carla, his love interest, attempts to navigate between doing her job and protecting him from the FBI. The reader also explores the life of the poker pro, Chip Granberry, and his triumphs and struggles.
The Attuned is a fast-paced and quick read that can keep you engaged. Gary B. Haley has a knack for descriptive imagery. As he describes the forests of Canada or the quaint town of Bristlecone, you feel like you are living and breathing in that very location. For example, “About the time he became accustomed to the forest scenery, the now-snow-banked winding road led him into a misty, bright gray fog with a hint of sunlight struggling to penetrate the haze” (pg. 43). Probably the best part of this novel is the main character, Steven Andrews. He has a deadly gift but prefers to use it for the greater good, even if that makes him an international enemy. Steven is a quick thinker who prefers to find solutions that involve the least amount of casualties. He handles adversity in stride, taking a morally higher ground in every encounter he faces. He is comically sarcastic, driven and spectacularly written. Lastly, this book is exceptionally well-edited.
While Steven is a personable character, other characters fall flat, particularly the two women in the novel, Carla Bright and Shannon. To me, it’s clear these characters were written by a man. I don’t think this is the fault of the author, this is common and I find the same is true for women writing male characters. Maybe I need to read the first novel to appreciate Agent Carla Bright’s character, but I find her unbearable. She is overly sarcastic, condescending and follows a familiar ‘women are crazy’ trope when she is angry. She is the complete opposite of Steven. Maybe Haley intended to give an aggressive personality to the woman and a calmer role to the man. If so, kudos to Haley for playing with gender roles. Unfortunately, this does not save the vapid character, Shannon. While Carla is overtly masculine, Shannon is the stereotypical victim/damsel in distress, which is worse in my opinion. Shannon is a character who is supposed to come across as mysterious, but she falls short.
My last complaint involves the romance that is depicted. It’s not believable or passionate. It is corny. I wasn’t convinced of the strong connection that develops between Chip and Shannon and the escalation of their relationship wasn’t earned. I was also disappointed when I realized that Carla ‘loved’ Steven, even though she knew almost nothing about him. I admit I am a hard critic when it comes to romance so maybe this won’t bother other readers as much. I believe Haley’s strong suits are action and suspense.
Overall, I felt there was a disconnect between myself and the characters. While I found Steven and ‘Dunlap’ to be relatable, I wasn’t heavily invested in anyone else. The female characters were lackluster. And lastly, the relationship between Chip and Shannon was eye-roll worthy. Despite this, Steven Andrews shines as a fresh and well-balanced main character. Although Dunlap’s character arc ended abruptly, it was also open-ended. This means he might make an appearance in The Attuned’s sequel, which is exciting. Gary B. Haley knows how to create the twists and turns to leave an audience at the edge of their seat. His novel flowed with interchangeable scenes like a Hollywood movie. It was short, sweet and straightforward. For these reasons, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
I think audiences of various ages can enjoy this novel. It is ‘clean’ with few swear words and the intimate scenes are left to the reader’s imagination. If anyone is looking for an enjoyable, fast-paced, short read, I recommend The Attuned.
The Attuned is a fast-paced and quick read that can keep you engaged. Gary B. Haley has a knack for descriptive imagery. As he describes the forests of Canada or the quaint town of Bristlecone, you feel like you are living and breathing in that very location. For example, “About the time he became accustomed to the forest scenery, the now-snow-banked winding road led him into a misty, bright gray fog with a hint of sunlight struggling to penetrate the haze” (pg. 43). Probably the best part of this novel is the main character, Steven Andrews. He has a deadly gift but prefers to use it for the greater good, even if that makes him an international enemy. Steven is a quick thinker who prefers to find solutions that involve the least amount of casualties. He handles adversity in stride, taking a morally higher ground in every encounter he faces. He is comically sarcastic, driven and spectacularly written. Lastly, this book is exceptionally well-edited.
While Steven is a personable character, other characters fall flat, particularly the two women in the novel, Carla Bright and Shannon. To me, it’s clear these characters were written by a man. I don’t think this is the fault of the author, this is common and I find the same is true for women writing male characters. Maybe I need to read the first novel to appreciate Agent Carla Bright’s character, but I find her unbearable. She is overly sarcastic, condescending and follows a familiar ‘women are crazy’ trope when she is angry. She is the complete opposite of Steven. Maybe Haley intended to give an aggressive personality to the woman and a calmer role to the man. If so, kudos to Haley for playing with gender roles. Unfortunately, this does not save the vapid character, Shannon. While Carla is overtly masculine, Shannon is the stereotypical victim/damsel in distress, which is worse in my opinion. Shannon is a character who is supposed to come across as mysterious, but she falls short.
My last complaint involves the romance that is depicted. It’s not believable or passionate. It is corny. I wasn’t convinced of the strong connection that develops between Chip and Shannon and the escalation of their relationship wasn’t earned. I was also disappointed when I realized that Carla ‘loved’ Steven, even though she knew almost nothing about him. I admit I am a hard critic when it comes to romance so maybe this won’t bother other readers as much. I believe Haley’s strong suits are action and suspense.
Overall, I felt there was a disconnect between myself and the characters. While I found Steven and ‘Dunlap’ to be relatable, I wasn’t heavily invested in anyone else. The female characters were lackluster. And lastly, the relationship between Chip and Shannon was eye-roll worthy. Despite this, Steven Andrews shines as a fresh and well-balanced main character. Although Dunlap’s character arc ended abruptly, it was also open-ended. This means he might make an appearance in The Attuned’s sequel, which is exciting. Gary B. Haley knows how to create the twists and turns to leave an audience at the edge of their seat. His novel flowed with interchangeable scenes like a Hollywood movie. It was short, sweet and straightforward. For these reasons, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
I think audiences of various ages can enjoy this novel. It is ‘clean’ with few swear words and the intimate scenes are left to the reader’s imagination. If anyone is looking for an enjoyable, fast-paced, short read, I recommend The Attuned.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews