Not badly written but the main character/narrator is hollow. A camera and recorder would tell the same story: been there, done that. It's frustrating because each scene stands, I could visualize what happened but the characters don't stand. The hero goes from slums to army without a glitch, nothing of his past seems to stick. Why did the author chose a first person narration if we're given nothing but the "here and now"? Maybe Andrew Grayson is a model for zen life and mindfulness!... but that doesn't make him interesting or credible. ( )