The Fireballer, Mark Stevens
The Fireballer, Mark Stevens
List: $42.99 | Sale: $30.10
Club: $21.49

The Fireballer
A Novel

Author: Mark Stevens

Narrator: Shea Taylor

Unabridged: 13 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/01/2023

Synopsis

A poignant story about hopes, dreams, and how far one man’s talent takes him before he realizes it’s about what you do—and how you do it.Frank Ryder is unstoppable on the baseball field—his pitches arrive faster than a batter can swing, giving his opponents no chance. He’s being heralded as a game-changing pitcher.But within the maelstrom of press, adulation, and wild speculation, Frank is a man alone. Haunted by a tragic incident from years past, he yearns to be the best but cannot reconcile the guilt he carries with the man everyone believes him to be. Frank’s path to redemption leads him on a journey back to where his life changed forever, to visit his family, his high school coach, and his brother. Through reconnection and reconciliation with those also deeply affected by the devastating event of Frank’s youth, he finds peace and his place in the world both in and outside the game.The Fireballer is a lyrical, moving story of undeniable talent and the life-changing power of forgiveness and a subtly romantic ode to America’s favorite pastime.

About Mark Stevens

Mark Stevens is CEO of MSCO, a marketing and strategy consulting firm. The author of the Business Week bestseller Your Marketing Sucks, Mark is totally unique in a plain-vanilla world of business experts. He has evolved from being an adviser to clients on specific issues such as marketing programs to being their "secretary of war," advising them on personal and professional strategies that will get them to the next level of success. Mark is also the author of such prominent books as The Big Eight, Sudden Death: The Rise and Fall of E.F. Hutton, and Extreme Management.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Karen on October 19, 2022

In fresh, evocative prose, Stevens spins the story of Frank Ryder, a young phenom major-league baseball pitcher whose 110-mph fastball makes him a national sensation but also threatens to upend the game. However, he is haunted by the memory of a fast pitch he made at age 12, which hit another player......more

Goodreads review by Joshua Taj on January 24, 2023

First off, this one was dragged out too much. It could have been told in about 200 pages, not nearly 400. It got tiresome and very repetitive. I am not a big sports fan, but I do watch baseball every now and then, and it is, by far, my favorite sport. I go to Rangers games here in Dallas (Arlington......more

Goodreads review by Margaret on January 04, 2023

I loved this story! Mark Stevens has created a novel with compelling and memorable characters and set them within a plot that keeps you on edge with emotional tension. My brother was a pitcher in high school and college, and boy did this story take me back! Well researched, well crafted, and stunnin......more

Goodreads review by Kate on October 18, 2022

Mark Stevens knocked it out of the park with The Fireballer! While not a baseball fan, per se, I've watched the sport for decades and appreciated learning about the nuances and politics behind the game. Frank Ryder was a compelling and intriguing protagonist I couldn't help but root for, and I just l......more

Goodreads review by Wes on April 02, 2023

This was a literary fantasia for anyone who enjoys reading about baseball. But it is the human drama that makes this book so compelling. If I weren’t so manly, I would probably have cried. Twice.......more

Quotes

“Shea Taylor is outstanding with every voice. He excels at differentiating men's and women's voices and keeps straight Ryder's two girlfriends, a widow, his mother and brother, a team owner, and assorted players and executives. Author Mark Stevens, while a bit heavy in the cynicism department when it comes to the media, has created a well-written book with an intriguing premise and a fascinating plot that is shaped wonderfully by Taylor's narration. Great baseball action, great writing, phenomenal narration.” —AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner“Readers looking for sports fiction heavy on the baseball will enjoy this book.” —Library Journal“Like the game of baseball, the great American pastime, there is much to love in The Fireballer by Mark Stevens…a book to enjoy like it was the seventh game of the World Series and your team won.” —New York Journal of Books

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List