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Reviewed by Stefan Vucak for Readers' Favorite
Charles Bourne, thinking he has terminal cancer and life has nothing left to offer, despite having Sarah and a baby on the way, teams up with several people and embarks on daring stunts that could potentially end in death - and does. Sarah tries to talk him out of doing this, fearing for his life, but Charles is determined to live to the fullest, even when he finds out he does not have cancer. Despite having Sarah who loves him, he gets smitten by the vivacious Lorelei, knowing he is making a terrible mistake. This ends with Sarah losing her baby and walking away from him. He realizes he has been a fool, but this awakening comes too late.
The Dare Ring has much to offer. Initially, the reader is sympathetic to Charlie’s plight and empathizes with his desire to live to the fullest. After a while though, his stunts border on being merely self indulgent, especially as he has Sarah and a baby to think of. This is brought into stark relief when he discovers he does not have cancer, but knowingly gets involved with Lorelei and does more stunts, destroying his future with Sarah. The book could have been far more effective had the author explored in depth the relationship between Charlie and Sarah during his imagined crisis, rather than concentrating on the Dare Ring stunts. Nevertheless, this is a strong work that explores some of the motivations behind taking potentially deadly risks when life seems empty, when in fact a person has everything, but is too self-involved to see it.
Titus Powell is a gifted writer with a flare for making scenes come alive. For those who feel their lives have little meaning and want to try crazy stunts, this book will appeal. It will be interesting to see what Powell comes up with next.
