Victory by Daniel Alexander

When I started the Writing Club here at Olivet High School, one of my students, Daniel Alexander, decided to join up. It was obvious from the start that Daniel loves writing; he was involved in "November Novel Writing Month," which encourages people to write a novel during the month of November. We have been reading Daniel's novel in chapters during our weekly meetings, but he asked me to read the novel as a whole and to give him some feedback that he could use right away during his revisions.

I am always so happy to see how passionate my students are about writing in general. I am a natural lover of literature, but there is something about seeing young people who are so excited about their own ideas that makes my day. Daniel is one of those young people who I love discussing writing with, and it is a joy to read his writing (he has shared short stories and poems in our club as well).

Daniel's novel, Victory, is a story about a young man, Connor, who discovers he has super powers. Conner lives in a future in which super heros are almost common place; they work together with the government and police force to help protect "normal" humans. Of course, there are bad guys as well, and all of the super villians and super heros have their unique powers and names. What makes this story interesting is that it is told through Connor's eyes, as he develops these powers. Connor is, in the beginning, a "normal" college student who shares a dorm room with his friend, Drake, falls in love with a girl, Rachel, and attends classes taught by an eccentric professor, all while trying to get to know and understand who he is becoming. The novel takes a very interesting twist when tragedy (inevidibly) strikes, and Connor's character is forced to make changes and develop into something the reader might not expect...

I spoke with Daniel when I finished the novel, and I hope I was able to give him some advice as a reader. I appreciate his writing style and creativity--he has such a unique and interesting voice, and he should keep writing and developing it. The story was interesting and action packed, while at the same time commenting on universal themes like love and friendship. While I felt that the change in Connor's character needed to be developed more throughout the novel, Daniel did an excellent job of creating a story from beginning to end. This was an entertaining read with lots of interesting pieces that show the author's style and passion for writing.