Knockout Noel - Book Review

Knockout Noel is an example of how you'll find some real gems when reading indie books sometimes.

I met the author, Nobutaro Masai, at a recent convention I attended. He was my neighbor vendor, as we were both selling our books there. I decided to purchase his books and give them a shot, and I'm very glad that I did, because Knockout Noel is truly excellent.

The book follows a boxer as she works towards becoming the best in her league so that she can support herself and her little sister at home. The story takes place in Battletown, a world not unlike something you'd find in a 90s beat-em-up video game, and the book reads very much like a video game, too, as we see Noel casually taking on foes and encountering boss fights as she goes about her everyday life and works towards her goals. The world in this book plays by its own rules, and it even has its own unique language in certain regards, too.

The world building and overall creativity on display was top notch, and the action sequences are seriously epic at times, but more than that was the character work throughout. In addition to Noel, we meet quite the cast of compelling characters, both heroes and villains, who all bring their own ideologies into the fold that challenge Noel's purpose and worldview. She's hard headed and brutish, but she does have a heart, and little by little we witness as her inner softy gradually comes more to the forefront, without losing who she is at her core.

In many regards, the writing reminded me of my own writing, not just in its style of prose, but also in the way the story plays out. Perhaps that's why I personally found myself drawn so strongly to it, but I was honestly very impressed with how it all played out. Like my own writing, I get the feeling that this story was originally conceived as a comic book, but was translated into a novel format instead, likely due to availability of resources at the time. But whatever the case, I thoroughly enjoyed following along on the journey of this book, and quickly became a fan.

I have since reached out to the author to tell him my thoughts on the book, and to also confirm that a sequel was indeed in the works. He said that it was, which I was thrilled to hear, though there is also a spin-off book from the series to keep me occupied in the meantime. But as to this book? Let's just say that I have read many indie books over the years, and they run the gamut in terms of quality. I've read books that felt more like outlines than finished novels. I've started books that were so bad that I couldn't even finish them, or in some stubborn cases were a chore to force myself through. But on the other end of the spectrum, I've read some really great stuff, works that motivated my own creativity and really inspired me. But among all the indie novels that I've read, Knockout Noel may well rise to the top as the best of the lot. I'd highly recommend checking it out, as I would recommend giving a shot to indie novels in general.