Blog Tour: Review - Along the Watchtower by David Litwack

A Tragic Warrior Lost in Two Worlds… The war in Iraq ended for Lieutenant Freddie Williams when an IED explosion left his mind and body shattered. Once he was a skilled gamer and expert in virtual warfare. Now he’s a broken warrior, emerging from a medically induced coma to discover he’s inhabiting two separate realities. The first is his waking world of pain, family trials, and remorse—and slow rehabilitation through the tender care of Becky, his physical therapist. The second is a dark fantasy realm of quests, demons, and magic that Freddie enters when he sleeps. In his dreams he is Frederick, Prince of Stormwind, who must make sense of his horrific visions in order to save his embattled kingdom from the monstrous Horde. His only solace awaits him in the royal gardens, where the gentle words of the beautiful gardener, Rebecca, calm the storms in his soul. While in the conscious world, the severely wounded vet faces a strangely similar and equally perilous mission—a journey along a dark road haunted by demons of guilt and memory—and letting patient, loving Becky into his damaged and shuttered heart may be his only way back from Hell.

I found this book to be particularly interesting because I am a fan of World of Warcraft. My fiance is a HUGE fan of WoW. When the opportunity to review Along the Watchtower by David Litwack came up I was excited. Here was something I knew. The fantasy aspect of it at least. I can't even imagine, however, what it's like to be a war veteran, let alone a wounded one in a hospital trying to recover from a traumatic injury.

Freddie has lost everything that means anything to him. First his family, then his squad, finally the use of his leg. What else could possibly be taken from him? Trying to escape from the literal pain and the horrifying realities of being awake, Freddie retreats in to a familiar dream world when he manages to fall asleep. When he dreams, he is Frederick, the Dauphin of Stormwind and future king. As part of the Alliance, he must over come the trials that come with the position he has inherited from his father who has recently passed on and save the kingdom from the Horde. When he wakes up, he's Freddie. Trying not to remember the day that put him in that hospital, or the times that led to the loss of his father, mother, brother Joey, and the disappearance of his brother Richie. He is a broken man. Completely broken... in more ways than one. But with the help of Ralph, Dinah, and most of all Becky, he starts to put the pieces back together again. Both when he's asleep and awake.

It's not easy to write two stories in one. Stories that seem to be so completely different but end up being incredibly similar after all. It's not easy to read about the kind of pain that Freddie was in at the beginning. And it was not easy to watch the pain he went through trying to rehabilitate. It was also nervewracking to watch Frederick trying to find a way to save the kingdom from certain doom at the hands of the evil Horde (insert sarcasm here a bit, because not all of the Horde is evil, i.e. Taurens).

Freddie was determined though. As was Frederick. Although Frederick seemed a little bit more quick to doubt himself. While Freddie was resigned to the fact that he HAD to put the work in. It's weird to talk about them like they are separate characters when, in essence, they are the same person, just different parts of him. But I did like how almost every chapter (if not EVERY chapter) skipped back and forth between perspectives. That way you got the full story behind each "characters" struggles to achieve their respective goals.

There were a few things left unanswered for me at the end. Or perhaps I just missed how it all got tied up. But other than that I would recommend this story to anyone. Especially WoW fans or people who find themselves in similar situations as Freddie. One way or another. Go check it out!