"Miro" by A. E. Nasr

A gripping thriller of struggle against jack-booted occupation. A suspenseful, action-packed tale of war and insurgency. A battle against all odds of the just against the strong and arrogant. Miro is all these things, and something more. Anita Emile (A.E.) Nasr has produced a riveting story from the oldest of legends: the underdog slogging on in the face of overwhelming odds. This is a strong and remarkable novel, its pace sustained through a wide variety of plot settings, its deeper truths plainly on display.

The eponymous character is captured by an invading force when twelve years old and interned under maximum security with four other men for nine years. At the story’s outset, nine years into his imprisonment, he struggles to retain his sanity in the cell he shares with the other men. He provides a key to escaping when prison guard negligence and corruption combine to destroy an ammunition dump and blow out a prison wall. The fame of the five escapees spreads far and wide and gives hope to an oppressed population.

And: you will simply not want to miss the spectacular climax. It provides a fitting and gratifying conclusion to this fugitive journey, and proves that our intrepid author will command a large audience in the future. It’s that good.

Beneath the plot of torture and escape into fame, the book deals with five different personalities and backgrounds very well. These are not cardboard cutouts by any stretch. Miro, the youngest and most innocent, has been adopted as somewhat of a mascot by the group, one of whom is his older brother.

He (Miro) has the least experience with conflict and yet lays his life on the line time after time to save one character after another. We learn in one memorable scene with a national icon of a poet that his name means “peace.”

Miro also embodies the truth of sacrifice. The escapees are accepted in a mountain stronghold, in a village whose citizens would give their all for these heroes. When a nation needs a focus to catalyze its rage, Miro, the hope of a peaceful future, ends up providing it.

A sweeping, memorable story that will provide readers with a grand escape of their own, along with a deep appreciation of a highly skilled new author. Take up this marvelous book!