It’s not every day that a physician writes a novel. But Ian Blumer did just that with Unto the Breach (Sidney Gale, 2010) , written under the pen name Sidney Gale. It will be no surprise to readers of this post to find out that I love young adult fiction. It’s not Gale’s first book (he’s written or cowritten six nonfiction books), but it is Gale’s first foray into fiction. [caption id="attachment_14657" align="aligncenter" width="217"] The best part is the disclaimer: Surgery should only be performed by appropriately trained and suitable qualified medical personnel. You should never attempt to carry out the surgical procedures described in this book.[/caption] Haha the disclaimer makes me laugh. But seriously, a doctor who writes good books? Honestly, people like this make me feel like I am a lout. I mean, I'm a writer/editor, but I can’t cure you of anything except hopefully, boredom. Back to the book. Here are the Top 5 reasons why I like this book. 1. I like the premise of the story: three teen boys and their teacher take a sailing trip. Two of the boys don't really like each other – but the story gets hairy when they have to perform a surgery out on the water. 2. It’s written for adolescent boys, which is a nice change, as so many books are written for girls. It’s a tale of adventure and suspense with some good gore thrown in, too. But the surprise here is that adults like it, too. 3. I love the detail in the book. Gale doesn’t hold back, especially when he talks about the emergency surgery that must be performed. And, perhaps, maybe even probably, because he is a doctor and knows the language of that world, it rings true. It doesn’t sound phony. 4. All the subplots. I like how the boys are forced to deal with each other, the story about sailing and their interactions with parents and their teacher. Really, it’s all the detail that he writes with that make it so interesting. 5. Some fresh things that I have never seen before in a novel, such as Chapter 36. Which only has one line. I read this book in a weekend, it was a fun, easy read. Something a little different. Send me a comment: tell me what you’re reading now and you could win a copy of this book.