Doboro the Bottlenecker
Written by Kevin M. Kraft⎮ Narrated by Todd A. Thompson
Author: Kevin M. Kraft
Narrator: Todd A. Thompson
Length: 7 hour 55 minutes
Publisher: Kevin Kraft
Released: Feb. 1, 2021
Genre: Fiction
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Synopsis
The first two books in Kevin M. Kraft's cutting-edge faith based Doboro the Bottlenecker series (Doboro the Bottlenecker: Doboro Begins and Doboro the Bottlenecker: Louder than Words) together in one electrifying volume!
After surviving a devastating assassination attempt, family man Dave Granger is spirited away to South Korea to undergo intense rehabilitation under the harsh tutelage of a martial arts master by the grace of a merciful God.
Seven years later, with a sterling faith born out of adversity and a wit as razor sharp as the sword concealed within his walking stick, Granger returns to the U.S. and ekes out a modest living as a blind cigar box slide guitarist and street singer in Kansas City. But while he tries to live in peaceful anonymity, he is once again set upon by the very ruthless forces that killed his family and took his sight. But unlike the first time, Doboro is by no means defenseless, having been trained in the ancient Korean art of the Sulsa warriors.
But will his uncommon faith, indomitable spirit and breathtaking combat skills, pitted against highly trained assassins, be enough to save his life, let alone that of the one person whose life is dearer to him than his own?
Kevin M. Kraft is a Christian book award winner (MOMO) and an award-winning screenwriter. He is CEO of Heaven’s Wheel, a motion picture production company in Kansas City, Missouri, where he lives with his family. Doboro the Bottlenecker is based Mr. Kraft’s original screenplay and is in-development by Heaven’s Wheel.
Sophia Rose's Review
4 Stars
This audiobook was provided by its author, Kevin M. Kraft, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thanks, Kevin!
When a man gets entangled with the wrong people at the new, better job, he tries to do the right thing and it costs him his wife, his child, his old life, and his sight. Starting over is hard and painful, but it forges his character and leads him into a fresh start full of danger still and a bit of a surprise.
Trying new to me authors and narrators has always filled me with excitement as I get filled with anticipation that here might be new favorites. A storyline about a man who faces severe adversity and rises to meet it sometimes by grit alone while clinging to belief and hope really captured my imagination. Add to it, Korean martial arts and the eclectic cigar box guitar playing the blues had me excited to see Doboro’s story unfold.
Doboro is probably the average family guy trying to get ahead and not much to write home about until after he is left with a Korean doctor and martial arts’ specialist along with his daughter in their Korean town. The author took him from more dead than alive and let his time with this pair rebuild him brick by brick. Then his life takes another twist and he ends up as an itinerate blues musician with a cool persona. There is a twist at this point that didn’t completely surprise me and a second narrator came into story. Loved that.
There is good martial arts’ action when Doboro encounters his old enemy’s attempt to still get at him or the dangers out on the city streets. He is the only alive who ever defied a rich, powerful criminal after all. I love that he fights blind and in a style not even the most popular among Asians.
The strong music element with the unique instrument and music genre that comes from Doboro’s own African American history was part of his personality and not just what he did to earn his bread.
While this could be classified as Christian fiction, and Doboro’s faith is at the heart of what kept him going and drives his thoughts and actions, the story is not lost under any soapboxing.
The narrator, Todd Thompson, had a deep, full voice and he was versatile with pace, emotions, tone of the story, and changes in pitch. I loved listening to him tell the story, but I will admit that the Asian accents and the teen girl character was a stretch for him and not entirely convincing, though not bad. The production quality was also good.
Doboro the Bottlenecker leaves off in a good place and doesn’t leave the listener hanging, but it is obvious there is more to come and I am eager to press forward. I can definitely recommend Doboro the Bottlenecker as one of triumph with a good dose of action suspense and character-driven plot.
Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
Sophia has been devouring books for decades and the love for audio books in particular probably started with the portable turntable record player and hearing, ‘when the chime sounds, please turn the page’. In the last five years of reviewing, she has started listening for review and honing her narration tastes. Sophia is an equal opportunity genre lover though history and mystery, sci-fi and romance will always be the front runners.