Walk-On: OU football novel is mediocre
A few weeks ago, I rated all the OU football books that I knew of but mentioned a novel, Walk-On, that I owned but had not read.
Well, during my vacation last week, I read it. D. Mikels’ book is not great but not awful.
It’s a fantasy, and I don’t mean fantasy football. I usually prefer my science fiction with time travel or spaceships, but by the end of Walk-On, the fantastic nature of the book makes a little more sense.
The plot centers around Justin Chastain, a Sooner walk-on who becomes a superstar. Frankly, the plot is a little too Hollywood; too many things happen that never would happen in a real game. You expect to see that in a theater, not read it in a 385-page novel.
Things like a 3.98 40-yard dash. Things like a player on the kickoff team reaching the kick returner just as the ball arrives inside the 10-yard line. Things like a player stabbing an opponent with a screwdriver during the game.
The book also fails to provide any insight about college football. The players and coaches largely are one-dimensional and stereotypical.
Also, for a novel about OU football, all kinds of things are off that won’t matter to some but will drive fans crazy. Like a player going in the NFL draft after two years of college and a bowl game that decides it doesn’t have to follow the BCS system of post-season matchups.
And it’s disappointing that for a novel set in Norman, not much of Norman’s flavor is captured. The athletic dorm, the practice field, the stadium, that’s about it, and you don’t ever really feel you’re on the inside of those.
However, the book does have its strengths. The main characters are interesting; this had the making of a good story even without football, which becomes 80 percent of the book. The main characters come from the fictional town of Plains, which obviously is Woodward; Mikels is from Woodward and clearly knows his hometown. The best parts of the book are set in Plains. Mikels knows a lot more about Woodward than he does OU, and it shows.
If you love Sooner football, you might enjoy this book. If you’re from Woodward, I think you most definitely would find this book interesting. Otherwise, you’re better off picking up something else.
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How time flies. Seems like just yesterday I was on your morning show on KREF (actually, it was 3 1/2 years ago). Off the record, I miss that show (total honesty seems to be in short supply on talk radio these days); listening to you some 40 minutes per day (and sharing talk time with Traber and Eschbach) on the Sports Animal is not enough.
Thanks for your comments, both pro and con. I take no issue with the theatrics of the story; I realize there is a very big suspension of disbelief pill the reader must swallow. And I sincerely hope the theatrical aspect of the story bears fruit; even now, the novel sits in the slush pile of director Ron Howard (and he can call me anytime to negotiate the film rights). And everyone’s favorite coach, Bob Knight–who has a knack for sports fiction–has a complimentary copy (and a strong opinion, by the way).
I knew a diehard sports fan, such as yourself, would be bothered by several intentional fouls on my part. For openers, I openly mislead by having the Rose Bowl take place in the LA Coliseum (just orneriness on my part). And yes, I kind of condensed the time frame from high school to the NFL draft (I needed to do so to fit the story); but will say, at the time the story was written, strength of schedule was still very much a criterion in the BCS polls. (But yes, the Championship Bowl definitely broke the rules.)
The main intent, having said all of the above, was to entertain the reader with a fast-paced, action-packed tale. Football was a prop–an important prop. You say there is no insight into college football; all I can say in response is I relied heavily on the information conveyed to me by my brother, who walked on at Oklahoma State and played for Jimmy Johnson, by a dear friend who was a manager/trainer at OU for several years, and by another friend who walked on as a DB at OU. I admired (and still do) all three, very much.
Thanks again for taking the time to read ‘Walk-On.’
Your fellow curmudgeon,
D. Mikels