(104 reviews)
$5.99
Quinn's Story
by Peter Young
Language: English
Categories: Fiction » Coming of Age
Content Rating: Older than 13
At thirteen years old, Quinn Norman had been through four placements, eleven months on the streets, and one night in a group home that left scars on his back and a permanent knowledge of what people were capable of. He was a boy who had made himself into something durable by keeping everything at arm's length — people, places, anything that could be taken away.
Then a retired Colonel with pale eyes and a library full of serious books came looking for him. And everything Quinn thought he knew about the cost of belonging was put to the test.
Quinn’s Story follows Quinn Norman through three years of an education like no other — classical texts and Krav Maga, Montana fence lines and Canadian wilderness, the Stoics and a and eighteen thousand rounds fired in the Nevada desert. It is the story of a boy becoming a man under the deliberate hand of a guardian with his own complicated reasons, surrounded by a small constellation of people who became something like family.
Review Book
Reader Reviews
gtedfwm
Great Book on an Evolving Teen
Reviewed it on April 12, 2026
A great book about a teen overcoming adversity and challenges, learning from intense customized training and becoming a better person.
I really liked this book.
A lesson about what a difference it can make if you really focus on your learning and training. I wish I had read this book when I was 14 rather than 80.
Unfortunately, there is at least one more book's worth of this story. Looking forward to book 2.
Great read
Reviewed it on April 11, 2026
Loved the pace and sparseness of the prose.
fwarant
Worth the price
Reviewed it on April 7, 2026
Great book. Resonated with me on several levels. As good or better than the Keeper series. This is on my will reread again to see if I missed anything list.
OMG
Reviewed it on April 7, 2026
I bought this book because it was worth it. Extraordinary.
Brings out the feels
Reviewed it on April 5, 2026
Like most of your stories, each of your characters brings strong emotional feelings out of me. All I can say is... Thank you for making me FEEL each and every one of them. Quinn has been one I can relate to the most and hits hoe on a few levels.I'm very much looking forward to book 2. Tim
paa
Excellent
Reviewed it on April 4, 2026
I have purchased nearly all of your books and have enjoyed them all. This book is by far your best work to date. Hope book 2 is here soon.
patcopaul
It would have been better if…
Reviewed it on April 2, 2026
it was COMPLETE!
thekurlands
The reality behind artifice
Reviewed it on April 1, 2026
I LOVE the serial stripping of both physical and psychological layers to the basic foundations. and then the building/growth of a sensitive soul
dzimmerman01
Exceptional as always
Reviewed it on March 30, 2026
Well written, well executed.
Many thanks.
Borochel
We need more!
Reviewed it on March 30, 2026
This was a great story that follows your other writing. I have enjoyed all of your “Story” writing and look forward to additional stories.
good read I need more
Reviewed it on March 30, 2026
I hope to more about Quinn in many more books
mharris827
Well-written and very engaging.
Reviewed it on March 29, 2026
Another great story. Really like this author. Would definitely recommend.
yomundongo
Exceptional Work of Writing
Reviewed it on March 29, 2026
As with your previous work — Exceptional!
Bought the book because I believe that good work should be rewarded and recognized!
Will be looking for book 2 in the life of Quinn!
Thank you!
garyofca
Great
Reviewed it on March 28, 2026
Like most of his stories, well worth the time and money
Oregonian
Nicely done again
Reviewed it on March 28, 2026
Another superb effort from this author. The wait for part 2 will be long and difficult.
pdbertram
Good read
Reviewed it on March 27, 2026
Enjoyable
jhdangler
Wonderfully written
Reviewed it on March 27, 2026
Looking forward to the sequel.
jimscott
Pretty good really
Reviewed it on March 27, 2026
Very good read.
Enjoyed the main characters, although would have liked a bit more of the Colonel and Sullivan.
Waiting for book 2.
jmcrann
Great book
Reviewed it on March 27, 2026
Another great book, my favorite so far. Looking forward to book 2
Thank you
Reviewed it on March 27, 2026
Next Please.
duncan.smith4889
gripping
Reviewed it on March 27, 2026
great story that captures you immediatly.
well written and flows well.
lookiig forward to the continuing story and adventures
rbvanburen
Outstanding
Reviewed it on March 26, 2026
I've enjoyed many of the author's books. In my opinion, this one is the best by far. I eagerly await Book 2.
bansol415
Waiting for book 2.
Reviewed it on March 26, 2026
A throughy enjoyable read and a good story.
sgmjoej8
Outstanding
Reviewed it on March 26, 2026
I enjoyed this book from cover to cover and well done is my avid indorsement.
Best Regards,
Joe J
bellis3
Another one hit out of the park
Reviewed it on March 25, 2026
A little different from his usual, but another great story from one of the best authors on the website today! I can't wait for the second volume this summer!
loftnl
A modern classic
Reviewed it on March 25, 2026
the story grabs you from the start and doesn't let go till the last word
I'm eagerly awaiting the next thrilling instalment
Inspires thought
Reviewed it on March 25, 2026
Excellent storytelling very emotive
computermad
Another Great Read
Reviewed it on March 25, 2026
An excellent novel. The author must have lived a good part of this life or was very close to someone who had. I don't think research alone could have produced this novel!
xplotrk
Come on SUMMER!!!
Reviewed it on March 25, 2026
I started this one when it was posted on SOL As soon as I found out it was on Zbookstore. I bought it.. Now I hate having to wait for the next installment.
bopschultz
Great Writing
Reviewed it on March 25, 2026
Full of insight. A wonderful story.
jee1049
Believable
Reviewed it on March 24, 2026
Very interesting, very good read.
levymarc227
Truly Enjoyable read
Reviewed it on March 24, 2026
This is my first time reading this author. I will seek out and read his other works. Like others, I'm not a fan of finishing a book with a cliffhanger only to then have to wait for the next book. That said, I will immediately purchase book 2 the minute it is available.
Buy and read this book.
Yesleks
Really Very Very Good
Reviewed it on March 24, 2026
I agree that this is his best work yet. Hits at a variety of levels - and hits them well. Can't wait for summer!
pencek
another great book from Peter Young
Reviewed it on March 24, 2026
Enjoyed it very much, and you will too. I agree with some other reviewers == I wish it were longer. I really like the characters, and our time together was all too brief...
SpartySAM
Another great book from Peter Young
Reviewed it on March 23, 2026
I will not repeat the most of the accolades presented by other reviewers. However, this book is extremely good. You meet Quinn - a young man that passes from the orphanage system to being adopted by his uncle (a fact that you find out later in the book). Quinn is a very unusual young man - someone who is always aware of things and someone who is good at learning because he has no ego. Once adopted, he is shaped by his experiences with his uncle, the various activities that the uncle gives, and his experiences with the other students at the new academy. There are several things that make this book different.
First, in the discussions with the uncle, Quinn (and the reader) are exposed to a different way of looking at learning, books, and reading. The lessons imparted are very interesting and important. I found myself reading over the discussions and thinking to myself - that is different and critical - I never thought of things that way. This difference in learning is also reinforced by Quinn's interactions with the other adult characters in the book. You get insights that you never thought of before.
Second, this is one of the few books that Young ends on a cliffhanger. That is, after an event that effectively forces Quinn to end his high school career, Quinn is sent away to Perth, Australia. The book ends there. The result is that you are left wondering about what is going to happen to him. This feeling is compounded by the third element.
Third, the characters in this book are ones that you really begin to care about. Quinn, the main character, is one that continues to intrigue you. He has developed capabilities and capacities that are not unusually associated with a 17 year old. You see someone who is analytical, calm under pressure, perceptive, and "good." You wonder if he can ever really establish a truly romantic relationship with someone in the future. Even the supporting characters are interesting. There is one chapter where one of Quinn's female friend comes down for breakfast after having been "rescued" by Quinn. The conversation that she has with her mother was something that I did not expect and that I found very moving.
As a final comment, this is a very, very good book. Get it - no ifs, ands or buts.
Highly recommended.
garyproctor5455
Single focused and deeply interesting
Reviewed it on March 23, 2026
Started reading Quinn while on StoriesOnline. Enjoyed it much, and when I had to wait for the next chapter, I got impatient and went to Zbooks, but couldn't find it by author or title. Went back and read other comments, and found I was not alone. Many were frustrated. Went back to Zbook, and wouldn't you know it, Quinn's story was in the number one, new position. Enjoyed every chapter and looking forward to the follow-on.
yumacolonel
Makes you wish you could be eloquent
Reviewed it on March 23, 2026
I have read everything of Young's I am aware of. It is consistently superb and always worth the read. This book personally resonates with me more than the others have, but that's just 30 years a grunt, 15 years a wildlife biologist, assignments from Alaska to Panama, Korea to Iraq, and a personal temperature range of -72 to 128 degrees F. Every part of this reads real to me and, like every other book to date, at some point brought me to tears. Well done.
rat
Best One Yet
Reviewed it on March 23, 2026
This is Peter Young's best story yet.
mogrith
He is not OP he is being honed to a peak. A purpose not revealed
Reviewed it on March 23, 2026
Author mentioned elsewhere that he needed to stop fixing it and publish it. A few fixes otu instead of out. ally instead of elle or realy (maybe).
Norma? is that a incomplete name change?
I love is internal world. I mourn his external one up to meeting you know who
geared62
Riveting novel
Reviewed it on March 23, 2026
Peter Young has written yet another fascinating story. This time it is of a boy having grown up in foster care and orphanages. He is found by an individual who has a personal interest in him specifically. This is his continuing education both in a new school and at home in a more classical education, which the author further expands making the reader reflect upon. The protagonist is also immersed in different learning situations to further expand his knowledge and test his capabilities.
I have to mention that there are a few typos, and the book could use another proofread. Otherwise it is well written. It was difficult to put down and essentially finished it within a day. Unfortunately, a first in these character stories by this author, this is just the first in a series as the second will be released later in the summer of ‘26. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.
sturek
Next book please!!!
Reviewed it on March 23, 2026
Great story that I couldn't stop reading - excellent writing and very much left me wanting more. Since it seems I'll have to wait until the summer I'm thinking to read this again and see what I've missed or can look at differently.
johnnmarg
This is more than the other outcasts stories
Reviewed it on March 23, 2026
Starts very much like the outcasts stories then transforms into a realistic version of Lachlan's training. Where will the second volume take us?
Joe B
Waiting for book 2
Reviewed it on March 23, 2026
enjoyed. looking forward to book 2.
bill.gilpin
Exceptional read!
Reviewed it on March 23, 2026
Everything I've come to expect from Peter Young and more. I'll be waiting impatiently for book two. My thanks to the author.
ishbelmairi
Riveting!
Reviewed it on March 23, 2026
Very interesting characters and situations. I can't wait for Book 2.
derrel.weaver
A page turner
Reviewed it on March 22, 2026
The story draws you in. Realistic characters. A few spelling and grammar errors, but mostly well written.
d_oh_7
Exceptional
Reviewed it on March 22, 2026
As always. Looking forward to book two.
sacketts86
Awesome
Reviewed it on March 22, 2026
My only complaint is that it was too short and the next book isn't available immediately
kfn388
great depth of character development
Reviewed it on March 22, 2026
Outstanding , incredible read ! Can't wait for part 2.
Stephan
Ready for the next one.
Reviewed it on March 22, 2026
Yes, it would benefit from a formal editor, but who cares. Excellent storytelling. Wonderful character study.
martin.theo974
Very nice story
Reviewed it on March 22, 2026
Very nice story
daleddog
as ever, well written, consequential, training for life manual
Reviewed it on April 13, 2026
This regemin should be requiste for all young people.
duquedeosuna
Good Book, but different than what I expected
Reviewed it on March 30, 2026
I have read an all of this author’s work, either here or on SOL and this one was different in that the main character, Quinn, did not have agency. In the other stories the main character made his own choices and had a goal in mind, or at least a passion. Here Quinn seems to have no control, he just goes with the flow and does whatever his uncle tells him to do. I would like to see him ask why he is being sent certain places. He seems to think so critically about his readings and introspective about his experiences, but never about what comes next. Like, is he being groomed to be a soldier?
lalitnirula
A
Reviewed it on March 24, 2026
Good
Anything written by this Author is well worth reading.
Reviewed it on March 23, 2026
The only reason for awarding 4 stars rather than 5 is that Quinn's story isn't complete and in this instance there is no clear ending. I know there is more to come and I look forward to it, but I feel somehow shortchanged. Probably my state of health, hope I am around to read the rest of it.
Chatfield
Excellent plot and characterizations. But too short.
Reviewed it on March 22, 2026
I could hardly wait for this story to show up on ZBookStore. Quinn is a well-drawn character. Good plot. But the story is too short. More a novella than a novel. Looking forward to part 2. Many, many plot line, backgrounds, and characters to resolve.