Reviewed by Mick

Iron Youth is an interesting tale of two youths, Blake and Fitz, who find out a little about life in the unlikely setting of a supermarket. It is more than a simple stroll down the supermarket aisle, it is a journey down the aisle of life. The action weaves flashes from past with the here-and-now to an enlightening resolution.

Be warned, this story contains mild scenes of coarse language, drug references, sexual activity and one scene involving incontinence pads! If you can get past these warnings you�re in for a great read. Iron youth is story about friendship, relationships, and the quest for a path in life. It seamlessly incorporates flashbacks. The reader is gently moved from one time and location to another without having been aware of their journey.

One of the highlights of the story is the way that it constantly remains a powerful narrative without going over the top. Simple words such as �The summer brings a stillness that slows life, makes it crawl through the humidity of July, where action is scarce and time abundant� reflected a style that was maintained throughout.

The relationship between Blake and Fitz is strong and you can feel it in Mark�s writing. For me the relationships made the story. We are introduced to past events of infidelity and they are nicely resolved at the end of the tale with a �feel good� ending.

As you�ve probably gathered, I enjoyed Iron Youth immensely and the worst part of this story was trying to find something constructive to offer. Style � nothing wrong there, Dialog � neat, succinct, believable, Content � engrossing, and there�s even a message to be learned!

So after wracking my brains for a time I hope to have something to offer. Initially I was going to suggest that the mock Shakespeare contained within the dialog i.e. "What didst thou fill yon prate's wagon with?" could be dropped. I didn�t feel as though it furthered the story and at times stopped the free flowing style of the narrative. Yet I liked it enough to disregard any recommendation to disregard it!!

I�m a big fan of multi layered stories, a story within a story. It might be possible to give purpose to the Shakespearean style dialogue with a subtle reference to a particular play. You might draw upon the parallels between the relationships in Iron Youth and those in a Shakespeare play (one that comes to mind is A Midsummer Nights Dream � a landmine of confused relationships and interactions). I know � It�s a big ask. You can take or leave this advice since I have a tendency to go over the top (it�s my background in scriptwriting you know). Yet I do feel it�s an option worth considering.

Don�t miss Iron Youth. I�ve read it four times and consider it very worthy reading. In fact I�ve given it the �highly commended� award.