here<\/a>) is Keith Lee Morris\u2019 third book. An associate professor of English and creative writing at Clemson University, Morris has also had several short stories published in the New England Review and Story Quarterly, among others. And, most important here, he knows darts \u2013 having played for years. He even once founded a league.<\/p>\nAnybody whose been around the sport of darts understands that success at the line has a whole lot more to do with focus and, as the British say, \u201cbottle,\u201d than technique. And anybody who takes the game seriously has at one time or another suffered the result of lost concentration. Over time most of us learn to manage the inconveniences of a juke box that suddenly starts blasting during mid-stroke, a pat on the back at the wrong time, a chalker who can\u2019t stand still, a beer too many, or a pretty girl in halter top.<\/p>\n
In the Dart League King such distractions are minor.<\/p>\n
Russell Harmon is The Man in his small town Idaho dart league. His team, which he captains, is the 321 Club and they are about to face the Garnet Lake Monsters. The Monster\u2019s captain and power is a former serious circuit player named Brice Habersham who owns a convenience store and gas station in the community. Harmon and Habersham are undefeated on the season and set to face each other on this final night for the league singles championship.<\/p>\n
The 270-page story is set in the 321 Club and unfolds over a single night \u2013 and it\u2019s a page-turner that took me just one night to complete. Vivid life flashbacks and the indelible impact they have on the hopes and dreams of the five main characters collide in a mano-a-mono thriller of a match between the two protagonists.<\/p>\n
Harmon\u2019s is unhappy in his job, doesn\u2019t have a steady girl and is basically broke. What he does have is three consecutive league championships under his belt and this night he is competing for his fourth and, as he sees it, if he can not repeat the future holds little hope. Darts is Harmon\u2019s life. It\u2019s all he has. He\u2019s stoked. He\u2019s ready.<\/p>\n
But there are distractions of the major league type.<\/p>\n
Harmon is a coke freak who owes his dealer, Vince Thompson, a couple thousand bucks \u2013 and the Beretta-packing Thompson is on a quest to settle the score. One of Harmon\u2019s teammates, Tristan Mackey, is involved in the death of a co-ed and shows up at the bar with Harmon\u2019s ex-girlfriend, the short-skirted and amply endowed Kelly Ashton. Add to all of this Harmon\u2019s shock when he learns that he is the father of Ashton\u2019s young child and you\u2019ll appreciate real distractions.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s one more and I won\u2019t spoil it here. Let me just say that Harmon\u2019s nemesis, Habersham, has a secret and it threatens to destroy the already complicated and pretty much nowhere lives of several of the characters we find so endearing, despite plentiful cause to feel the opposite.<\/p>\n
Let there be no doubt that Keith Lee Morris knows the game. His darts discussion is on the mark, although the knowledgeable reader will find reason to debate, as we always do, some of the strategic references.<\/p>\n
But the real strength of this book is in the prose and one might only hope to be as adept at their craft as is Morris. While there is an ever-present darts thread, this is much more a tale about real people with real lives struggling, as the publisher puts it, \u201cto find balance between accepting and controlling their destinies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whatever your interest \u2013 be it darts, life or just a damn good read \u2013 The Dart League King is worth every penny of the $14.94 list price.<\/p>\n
From the Field,<\/p>\n
Dartoid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the history of time, at least in the English language (I am including British-speak as English, to be kind) there have been less than 75 books written about darts. Of course there are several about the old Dodge Dart and poison dart frogs but they don\u2019t count.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4122,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[15],"class_list":["post-6622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dartoid"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":2647,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-1.jpg?fit=520%2C513&ssl=1","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-1.jpg?fit=520%2C513&ssl=1",520,513,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-1.jpg?fit=300%2C296&ssl=1",300,296,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-1.jpg?fit=520%2C513&ssl=1",520,513,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-1.jpg?fit=520%2C513&ssl=1",520,513,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-1.jpg?fit=520%2C513&ssl=1",520,513,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-1.jpg?fit=520%2C513&ssl=1",520,513,true],"rpwe-thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-1.jpg?resize=45%2C45&ssl=1",45,45,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Dartoid","author_link":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/author\/dartoid\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"In the history of time, at least in the English language (I am including British-speak as English, to be kind) there have been less than 75 books written about darts. Of course there are several about the old Dodge Dart and poison dart frogs but they don\u2019t count.","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":15,"user_id":2,"is_guest":0,"slug":"dartoid","display_name":"Dartoid","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2024-02-13-12_01_31-Dartoids-World-_-The-most-widely-read-column-about-darts-in-the-world.png","url2x":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2024-02-13-12_01_31-Dartoids-World-_-The-most-widely-read-column-about-darts-in-the-world.png"},"first_name":"Paul","last_name":"Seigel","user_url":"http:\/\/www.dartoidsworld.com","job_title":"","description":"\"Dartoid\" is the pseudonym of Paul Seigel, a prominent chronicler of darts for over 35 years. His columns are celebrated for their wit and insight, often detailing his quest for a game in exotic locales worldwide. His writing offers vibrant commentary on the competitive darts landscape, including players, organizations, tournaments and the sport's unique culture. Dartoid's articles are highly regarded among darts enthusiasts, solidifying his role as a pivotal figure in promoting and documenting darts as both a recreational pastime and professional sport."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6622\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6622"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=6622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}