Author: James Ross

ISBN: 9781933449876

Publisher: Nightengale Press

Click Here To Purchase Opur's Blade

For some people golf may seem to be a silly game involving a bunch of guys and gals walking around a beautifully landscaped venue trying to hit a tiny white ball into a hole. However, after you read James Ross's fourth novel, Opur's Blade, you will no doubt agree that the lessons emanating from golf parallel those from the game of life where we learn a great deal about ourselves as well as others.

Ross steps inside his comfort zone with his recent novel that focuses on a young lad, Owen Purler Jr., who was introduced to golf at the age of twelve, just as the author himself took up golf at the same age when his family moved to a golf course development in the western suburbs of St. Louis. And as Ross's love for the game grew from that moment on, similarly, Owen's golf passion took over his life even to the extent of curing his stuttering problem. Although much credit for Owen's success can be attributed to his unyielding perseverance, not to be forgotten is the immeasurable value of his excellent mentor, J Dub Schroeder (nicknamed J Dub), the golf pro at the Prairie Winds Golf Course located east of St. Louis in southern Illinois, where Owen first took up the sport. Dub was astonished as to his protege's natural golf talents and his innate ability to sink putts with an old, worn-out putter that Dub found in a lost-and-found barrel, earning him the name Opur.

As the story unfolds, we follow Opur's growing up, his close relationship with his mother Raylene, his parents divorce, and his experiences with some unsavory characters that were introduced to him by J Dub, who wanted to give him a taste of the scruffier side of life. Through all of his, Opur becomes a successful golfer, eventually leading him to compete against the world's number one golfer, Tank Oglethorpe in the coveted Classic golf tournament that, as we discover, winds up being the fight of his life in more ways than one. And it is during this important competition where the many important principles of golf that he learned during his young life such as focusing, going with the flow, patience, discipline, accepting the good with the bad, creative and analytical thinking, following through and not quitting, all come together in helping him face some overwhelming and compelling challenges.

Even if you don't understand every detail about golf, the fact that it is cleverly interwoven, gives this absorbing novel, with its balanced amalgam of action and philosophy, a strong dimension. Moreover, Opur's Blade feels so real that you actually want to believe that it is true, particularly the match between Opur and Tank, where Ross recreates a blow-by-blow account of all eighteen holes and the drama that ensues. In addition, the author's talent in revealing character in small gestures and touching reflection adds to the authenticity.

James Ross is also the author of Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, Tuey's Course. His fifth novel, Pabby's Score is underway for a 2011 release. Ross informs us that when he is not writing he is always out looking for a golf game around town or traveling to some warm weather destination to enjoy an amazing life.

CLICK HERE TO READ NORM'S INTERVIEW WITH JAMES ROSS