I can’t believe the Blood Red Turns Dollar Green saga is over; well at least that’s what they say. One can only hope we will get to know who will be the ultimate kingpin of wrestling in this richly-created world by author Paul O’Brien. My wish did come true though and they are trying to get the saga on television, that would be amazing. What an incredible journey.
O’Brien’s fandom has grown by leaps and bounds, and now includes the likes of Mick Foley, William Regal, Finn Balor, Paul Heyman and Jim Ross. Even Bret Hart has high praise for his work: “Paul has a real gift. I could not put it down. Blistering pace, very suspenseful throughout. A great read.”
If Lenny Long, the star of Volume 1, doesn’t get much to do in Volume 2, there is no doubt he is the star of Volume 3. I could not be happier as a reader. Spoiler alert people: if you haven’t read the first two books, stop reading now.
As Lenny is finally free, the world he’s coming back to is quite different from the one he left all those years ago after the ending of his relationship with his old boss Danno Garland. He’s also smarter and tougher but also still knows more about wrestling than anyone gives him credit for. In fact, he’s the boss now.
Lenny is the owner — at least on paper — of the New York territory after the tragic death of Garland, but everyone else has been planning the destiny of the business, expecting him to sell and get out. That’s not what Lenny has in mind.Lenny wants to make good for what his family went through while he was in jail, and all of his shenanigans in trying to control wrestling in New York will ultimately only be a father’s attempt to tell his family he loves them.
Both of his sons are older now and both are attempting to enter different sides of the family business after being separated from him. As most fathers do, Lenny learns by trial and error, trying to do the best he can. In the end, he will figure out what’s really important.
The cast of character is once again amazing. My favourite is Ade Schiller, the widow who has inherited the San Francisco territory from her late husband. She may look like a victim at first, but by the end she will be pulling strings with the best of them.
The gentle giant Babu is back and while hurting, knowing full well that his career is almost done, he’s the one man trying to bring everything together for the sake of the people in the business. He will draw a tears from your eyes before it’s all done.
Much like the original Star Wars saga, this book is as good as the first but not as as good as Volume 2. Still, it’s well worth the read while introducing the missing elements and bringing back characters from Volume 1 to the forefront. The three books make one amazing story that I will one day reread in a row with great pleasure.Like the other two books, so much is going on in Volume 3 you might need to go back a few chapters and pick up all the clues along the way. There are a lot of people doing a lot of things in different eras, so it’s not easy to keep up, but at the same time it would not be Blood Red Turns Dollar Green if it was. Still, there were a few side stories I might have done without while giving more time to some others if I have to be critical.
Once again, I recommend this book to all the wrestling fans out there. If you have read the first two, you know what I mean, so just go and get it — you won’t regret it. If you haven’t reads the first two yet, I can only ask, what are you waiting for?
The book is available mainly via electronic format but if you are like me, you can always get a paper copy. O’Brien’s website paulobrien.info has all the details.
