I’ve written about quite a lot of Roy Griffis’ work here on upstream in the past. He’s a fascinating character whose body of work proves he can write anything, from sweeping historical fiction to the most original horror comedy you’ll ever read. It seems the former Coast Guard rescue swimmer had been feeling some combination of inspired and nostalgic, because the first book in his latest The Long Watch series, Holding the Line serves up a New Adult adventure that’s original, heartfelt and thrilling.
The Story
Danny Miller is a legacy admit to the Territorial Military Institute in one of the remotest parts of the Wyoming badlands. His dad’s got an office there; the door reads “janitor”. His old man keeps the grounds, on the odd occasion he’s sober enough to, and the two share a living space in the basement. His mom died when he was too young to remember her. Danny’s been a part of the place longer than most who graduate it, but this year he turns 18 and qualifies to attend as a plebe, the inspirational title you receive before you’ve earned the honor to be called a cadet.
Despite his plan to become “Plebe Wallpaper” and keep as low a profile as possible until graduation, his first day as an actual student sees him orienting a fresh load of trust fund admits who are only there because their parents are threatening to cut them off if they don’t straighten out. He winds up eventually fighting one and falling in love with another, and generally has his hands full just trying to stay out of trouble with his keen-eyed Major, and if that were that, it would still make for an interesting and well-written if standard coming-of-age story with a unique setting and perspective.
But this is Roy Griffis. Ain’t nothin’ about Roy “standard.”
No sooner is Danny getting settled into academy life when strange things begin happening around him. Scratching sounds from behind walls. Figures staring back at him in the darkness during his night watch rounds. Bathroom mirrors exploding when he goes near them. Apparitions standing out on the plains beyond the school. And unimaginable primordial horrors that stalk the woods at night, waiting to reclaim what was once theirs. Because it turns out the training that goes on at Territorial—unbeknownst to its cadets—isn’t merely preparing them for conventional warfighting—the soldiers within and without its walls are about to enter a battle against an ancient enemy that lurks in places unseen.
The Characters
While there are quite a few well-realized individuals throughout the story, the majority of the action rests on three central figures. In our protagonist, Danny Miller, Griffis has constructed a more complex personality than one might be lead to initially think. Having grown up around military culture, he’s very much aware of the ethos and values that are drilled into the institute’s hopefuls. While he has a somewhat easier (albeit at times fumbling) time adjusting to life in the barracks, we’re still taken through his struggles through P.T., making friends, getting into fights with the rich kids and falling in love. Which brings me neatly along to . . .
Tatiana, one of said rich kids. Shy, demure, and beautiful despite the obvious eating disorder ravaging her when she arrives. Danny does his best to not get too close to her, but fate has a strange way of repeatedly putting them together. She probably has the most dramatic arc of all the main characters, going from almost leaving soon after she arrives (even at the expense of her hedge fund) to standing shoulder to shoulder on the battlefield with her brothers and sisters in arms by the book’s climax. Between those two points however, their budding relationship is allowed to unfold at a natural pace, allowing their two personalities to grow and play off one another as their feelings gradually deepen, and she is drawn into the supernatural strangeness that pops up around the school.
Cadet Corps commander Major Bonney is the guy running things. He brings a quiet brand of no-nonsense discipline to his sizeable task of whipping the plebes into shape. While impartial to Danny, he has naturally developed a mentor relationship with him from his time being around the Citadel. The two have a shared love of the history of the place, and he sees potential in his young charge that even he isn’t aware he possesses, and has a much deeper spiritual and mystical connection to the land and its past than he initially lets on. The two play off each other well, and it’s difficult not to be drawn to him as a stabilizing force in the lives of many of the young cadets.
The World
Almost all of the novel takes place within the confines of the citadel. Though the scope of the book is small, it is incredibly rich. Griffis has clearly done his homework, and describes the deepest interiors of the hundred fifty year old fort in vivid detail, from the verdigris coating ancient sabers stowed away in a long forgotten storage area to the grit on the cold damp stones in its lowest levels. Griffis’ choice to make Danny a history buff about the place wound up giving his MC a chance to exposit on the past and local fables surrounding the area while comedically boring Tatiana on their first ever date.
The two scenes that take place outside of its walls are fraught with danger; one a nighttime search for a plebe who made the ill-fated decision to go AWOL, the other near the last quarter of the book where a friendly school bike ride winds up becoming a viscous fight for life while the plebes are at their most exposed and vulnerable. I really can’t say too much without spoiling things, but it’s a masterpiece of a tension-filled setup.
Politics
None.
Content Warning
The supernatural elements in the book are fantastical, as is the violence. People do die and get injured, but I don’t even recall reading much bloodshed. Despite it taking place in a military setting, there’s no cursing, with Danny even having the humorous habit of swapping out the f bomb with “foxtrot”.
Who is it for?
This is Griffis’ first venture into the somewhat new “New Adult” genre, fiction considered as a bridge between YA and full-blown adult reading. Aimed at people new to adulthood who are largely still figuring independent life out and dealing with all that comes with that, I’d say Griffis certainly hit the mark in terms of characters and themes. All of the plebes, rich, poor and otherwise are literally struggling to make it through the academy and come out the other side of it as stronger and better people while making a few close-knit friends along the way. Who can’t relate to that?
While it’s aimed at a somewhat older audience than YA, I didn’t see anything that would be objectionable to a YA aged reader. Danny and Tatiana’s budding romance is kept mostly friendly and on the sweeter side, and even the single appearance of Danny’s alcoholic father winds up being heartfelt and wholesome. While it would find a home on the shelf of a fan of any of several genres, it would make an especially excellent adventure read for young teen boys.
Why buy it?
This is a solid adventure written with Griffis’ trademark humor and brisk pacing, along with a delightful romance woven into it that would please fans of both genres. There’s nothing the man can’t write. Griffis’ storytelling is a guaranteed good time.