Military Books

This book was absolutely spectacular. From beginning to end, the author captures you with the tale of how the subchaser came about and its pivotal albeit forgotten role in World War II. This book was a gift to me from a gentleman who served in the Navy aboard a WWII era subchaser. As a sailor myself, I thoroughly enjoy trading sea stories with other sailors....this book is a real treat as it contains story after story of the triumphs, failures, camaraderie, and perils of serving aboard a subchaser in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theatres of WWII. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a liking for the sea and its lore. There is a great deal of nautical and military jargon that may be difficult to understand if you are not already familiar with it. To all sailors out there, I promise you will not be disappointed.

A wonderful book. Full of facts and fun. Unlike many books I've bought, this one is a keeper for my library!

What a marvelous book. Capt Treadwell has researched this subject, leaving no stone unturned. This incredible mix of short stories depicting the lives aboard the "Splinter Fleet", tell us about World War II through the eyes of a writer who lived it. He took the enormous job of seeking out the details of each event, filtered them through his own intimate knowledge and draws you in. The accounts are so detailed which, as a "lay person" intrigued me. I came away with an understanding of life aboard these small wooden ships with these overlooked and unspoken heroes. I began to feel as if I was in the Navy reading about my fellow sailors lives. Ted's work is a must for veterans and more importantly for everyone to learn about these unsung heroes. I recommend this book highly.

Move over Tom Brokaw! A superbly written and tightly constructed account of human suffering, sacrifice, and bravery beyond description which made a substantial contribution to the Allied victory in World WarII. Largely unacknowledged and ignored by both government and war historians, the "little fellas"are brought to life brilliantly by Ted Treadwell as he poignantly captures the essence of the SC rolethroughout the war.Even as a landlubber I found myself immersed in the wonderfully human stories in every chapter. Ted's style skillfully allows you inside the heads and hearts of countless men who lend new meaning to the definiton of courage. Can I give this book 6 stars?

Imagine somewhere beyond a Pacific horizon, a World War II Navy destroyer, the size of a small stadium, is lobbing shells the size of small cars at an unseen enemy stronghold located on an island paradise. The shells are exploding at the rate and sound of a hellish, paradoxical nightmare. Imagine now that you are stationed on a smaller wooden Navy vessel 1/10 the size of the destroyer, and you are less than 1000 yards away from the beautiful beach that is being bombarded. Every sinew in your body is alive with fear, telling you, no imploring you, to turn your vessel around and get out of there. But, alas, you can't leave because you are a critical and strategic chess piece in the United States march to triumph in World War II. Welcome to "Splinter Fleet", a book so powerful with anecdotes that you will swear you are actually aboard these 110ft wooden subchasers as Treadwell does a delightful job of unraveling a series of historic, and almost forgotten, stories that will make you laugh at the sailors' antics and cry at the devastation and horror that these brave men faced during the war. "Splinter Fleet" takes an important seat on the shelf next to other Naval History books, yet it stands alone as a comprehensive narrative on these hearty wooden boats that served this great country so hard and so well. Thank you for the trip aboard this ship, Capt., you allowed me to travel on your flying bridge, tasting the salt, smelling the smoke, trembling with fear and rejoicing at the many important victories that were enabled by the heroic efforts of the proud men in the "Splinter Fleet".

This book has some details that are not found in other books on the subject. I like the style and content of the Canfield M1903 book better, but this earlier Brophy book on the subject is still very relevant and complimentary to the newer work. Brophy did excellent research on the firearm books he wrote.

Many books have been written about the U.S. M1903 Springfield Rifle, and this one is the very best, bar none. It gets down into the technical and minutiae without becoming a bore, and has enough of life inserted to make it readable. If you need a textbook on the M1903, this is The Book to own. now I have to consider disposing of several books I have purchased, as they are no longer needed>

The first center-fire rifle I ever shot was a Springfield '03/A3 my Dad got from the Division of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM) during the late 1940s. I got my first antelope with that rifle and I still have it.

Dad said that it was a replacement for an older M 1903 he'd sent back to the National Rifle Association in response to an appeal from them for the return of World War I surplus '03 Springfields. Our good friends the British, it seems, were in a spot of trouble after Dunkirk and desperately needed small arms like Dad's. Although we're more German than English, he reluctantly sent it back with the understanding that it would be returned "after the war."

Of course he never got it back which triggered mumbled complaints about "Perfidious Albion", but I found pictures of the same type of rifle and its complete history in this excellent reference book by Colonel Brophy. I also found everything I needed to know about the M 1903/A3 which still enjoys a place of honor here and still goes out with me from time to time.

Brophy's book is the starting point for the study of the Springfield '03 rifle. You simply cannot find a better, more accurate, more comprehensive book about '03 Springfields. If you have such a rifle, or are interested in them, you will need this book.

I gave it five stars because it is well illustrated, exhaustively researched and the best single book on the '03 Springfield you will ever see. This is also the kind of book that tends to cost an arm and a leg once supplies of it have dried up. Collectors like me pass them down to their sons along witht the rifles they describe so well.

The book is really great, with a lot of work evidently put in on it. I would consider it a must for any serious collector's library. However, be forewarned, all of the photos are in black and white, and some are too dark to reveal the detail you would like to see for identification purposes. Having that been said, I still would want it as a part of my reference library, if not, but for the devotion that Lt. Col. Brophy put into it.

I'm a firm believer that you can never have too many reference works in your field of interest. I bought this book as I had very little information on the Springfield rifles. This is one of the most comprehensive single subject books that I've come across and I'm very happy to have it on my shelves. It gives a very full rundown on the history of the rifle, all the various versions, the accessories and users. Its lavishly illustrated, well written, well laid out and it comes in a proper binding that makes it a pleasure to use.

I can't speak too highly about this volume and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in military firearms.

Mr. Cheek returned me in time to 1952 and 1953 parts of which
I spent in Korea. The characters were people exactly like the
ones I knew. A Novel but most of it rings very true to the times. I could not put the book down. Very fast and enjoyable
reading.

I took the book STAY SAFE, BUDDY with me on our 2-week vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and sat up late one night to read it. It was so interesting that I couldn't stop reading until I finished the entire book.

I cried a lot and laughed too. That Mewman was some crazy guy. He also was a hero. I could feel the concern when the soldiers used the phrase, "Stay safe, Buddy." The book is a very good read.

Barbara Byzick
Atoka, Oklahoma

Having spent some time in Korea myself, I was utterly amazed by the author's ability to recall and describe people and situations with so much accuracy and authenticity. The book brought back a rush of memories. Most importantly, it illustrates that major projects, such as wars, consist for the most part of human relationships, sometimes significant and sometimes not, but always interesting. The author was obviously a "doggie" who knew what was going on around him. I purchased several copies for friends.

Dear J. Charles:

Just finished reading our book "Stay Safe, Buddy." Enjoyed it immensely. Having spent 14 months over there with 1st Weapons Company and then Chalie Company, 1st Marine Division, I could visualize the terrain as I read. My wife thought I was nuts beacause I would suddenly break out laughing in the middle of the night. I could see many of my buddies in similar circumstances.

Having been a Corpsman wht the Marines, I can visualize myself as Doc Teele except that I wouldn't know what to do as a full bird colonel.

Again, Thanks for writing the book. It made me remember.

Semper Fi, Buddy.
John "Doc Steele"

On the promise that he won't see combat, John Lefter enlists for a 3 year hitch in the Army Security Agency. I guess, since we are talking about the Army, you know what happens. He ends up in Korea. It doesn't take long until Lefter is in a bunker real close to the front lines. A lot of things happen then and most of them were not good.

Once I started Stay Safe Buddy, I had trouble putting it down. I went everywhere with Lefter. I shared a lot of his pain and hangovers. I even shared his hatred for Major Soss. This is a great tale of the way things were during the Korean conflict, or war or whatever you want to call it. Just read it!

Recommendation: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Tim Hancock is the Director of MWLA, a Reviewer and Author

As a college student, (Junior) working towards a degree in History, I found Stingray, by Major B. H. Norton, USMC, to be a well-written and informative book on one aspect of US military history. While I wasn't even born during the Vietnam War, I have now gained a better sense of history and underdstanding by reading this, and other, books written by Major Norton. Stringray describes a military concept used by reconnaissance Marines during the Vietnam War. The author begins by setting the political and military tone of the times, and then describes how the Marines had to change their "concept of operations" to match wits with the Viet Cong, and later, the North Vietnamese Army as it invaded South Vietnam. With the help of first-hand accounts and by having other Marines' explain their understanding of the Stingray Concept, Major Norton has produced a book that paints the entire picture; from those recon team members who went out on patrol, to the officers who were involved in "fine-tuning" their plans. I found this book to be enlightning and very useful in undestanding what happened during this time in our nation's history. I'm looking forward to more books by Norton. He seems to know how to put it all together. A very good book.

I found Stingray to be a well written description of what Marine Recon teams were doing during the course of the Vietnam War. The research that Major Norton has done helps novices, like me, who served in a different branch of service, understand this part of the Marine Corps' history in warfare. I would recommend this book to anyone interested, not only in Marine Corps history, but in understanding how military doctrine and tactics are developed. Now, I am intereseted in reading the other books this author has written. I would rate this work as a 5-star effort -- well done. PRJ

Stingray is the story of how a "Fighting-Tactic" was born and used to great advantage as a "force multiplier" against the NVA during the course of Vietnam War. Written by Maj. B. H. "Doc" Norton, USMC, a former recon team member, this history is complete and extremely well-written. As a student of military history, this is one book that is a welcomed addition to my library of military history books. Major Norton has taken the time to research the Stingray concept and introduces General Nickerson, Alex Lee, C. C. Cofman, and other Marines who designed and reformed the concept on the battlefield. I would hope that Marine small unit leaders would be wise enough to carry this book around with them and use it as a teaching aid for field Marines. This is, in my opinion, another very successful book by one of the Marine Corps' best authors.

I was given the book as a gift by one of the contributing writers It was good to hear about people that I served with in 3rd Force Recon Co. from Nov.65-Dec.68..... I think that books that are written in this style lack emotion and color, sorry but I have to be honest. Also,concerning the subject( stingray patrols) though I am not a military scholar I did participate for 20 months in both Stingray and Keyhole (4 man team) patrols. We suffered less casualties using the Keyhole approach and still inflicted many casualties on the enemy. I don't share the praise given to this concept of warfare, all it did was waste many good friends of mine. Although I don't care for this sort of effort, it is probably interesting to many other people and I am sure that it is worth the price but not 5 stars..... Sorry but that is how I feel about the book.....

This is by far the weakest book I have read by Bruce. I enjoyed it, but I think anyone that has never been in Nam would have trouble understanding it. After having read the other books by Bruce I was mildly dissapointed in this one. I am not saying it wasn't a good book,but I think Bruce has put out better books.

Roadrunner 6 Out

There are no words adequate to convey the effect THE STONES CRY OUT had on me when I read it in 1986. It haunted me for years. I wanted everyone I knew to read it.

Just several years ago I met a woman whose entire family - her husband and all her children - died under the Khmer Rouge monsters.

Amazingly, after the stories Miss Szymusiak recounts: of the young girl who was killed for being too pretty, of those murdered for daring to exhibit signs of affection for one another, and of unspeakable tortures inflicted upon absolutely helpless and innocent people of all ages, the chapter which really drained my blood was the one detailing her witnessing the beginning of the purge. The author notes the young Communist cadres being themselves called in for interrogation and torture and disappearing one by one.

This is a chilling account of the darkest period in 20th Century history.

One of the earliest (1986) accounts from the survivors of the Pol Pot regime, "The Stones Cry Out" seems to have set the style and standard for another more recent child's-eye perspective on the same era, "When Broken Glass Floats". The minute details of everyday life, not abstract poltical assessments, form the basis for our childhood memories. The author's account carries an unvarnished realism which draws the reader into her film-like image of daily life under threat of starvation and execution. This is probably as close as a reader can come to the truth of events in Cambodia during 1975-79. Oral histories such as "The Stones Cry Out" are perhaps the best way for survivors of human rights abuses to indict the perpetrators. Sadly, tribunals driven by international politics are unlikely to have the same impact as the simple testimony of a victimized child. Highly recommended reading for all those with an interest in human rights, Cambodia, and Southeast Asian culture.

You need a strong stomach to read the grueling ordeal of a 12 year old girl in Cambodia under the Pol Pot regime.
The latter and his cronies turned a whole country into a concentration camp guided by the iron fist of a centrally planned economy which was based on rice production quotas.
Starvation and killing of whole families including babies were part of normal daily life. The author herself lost nearly all her family.
The slogan was 'be deaf and dump if you want to survive'.

Exceptionally, this book also relates the disturbing facts which happened in a Red Khmer camp in Thailand until one year after Pol Pot's defeat by the Vietnamese.

Molyda Szymusiak tells only the facts. She doesn't explain the overall picture of Pol Pot's regime, politically, socially, economically or internationally.
Therefore I highly recommend the eminent works of David Chandler as well as Philip Short's magisterial biography of Pol Pot (Saloth Sar).

This book shows painfully the disastrous consequences of a power grasp by ideological fanatics who created a one party state bureaucracy which wielded total uncontrolled power over the population.
This regime was a terrible shame for the left.

A very disturbing read.

My heart sank lower and lower with each successive chapter. This is certainly not a book one can read while couching comfortably on a sofa. If you are familiar with Cambodian history of the Khmer Rouge regime, this book is indeed a chilling read. But at the same time, one can't help feeling admiration for the author's fortitide in the face of unimaginable hardship and horror.

Actualy I would rate this 4 and 1/2 stars.

Having read "First they killed my father" by Loung Ung It would be difficult for me to review this book with out comparing it to Loung Ung's memoir.

Both are essentially the same story, a young upper middle class girl living in Phnom Phen in april of 1975 when thier life, family and happiness are torn from them by the khmer rouge.

Many of thier experinces are similar as you might expect (long hours in forced labor, family deaths, witnessing murder ect..) but each has a unique story of thier own.

The writing styles also vary greatly and this is where Loung's "First they killed my Father is the better" book. Molyda tells her story in a very straight foward manner. Her discriptions of murder, torture and rotting corpses are alomost clinical in tone as if she is afaid to visit or express her real feelings at the time (and who could realy blame her) we are giving only hints about her family and life before April 17th 1975 (to be fair this may be in part to spare distant family members still in Cambodia from retalation)

In Loung's book however we are treated to two light hearted chapters discribing her life in Phnom Pehn before April 17th 1975 this gives the reader a chance to feel they realy know her, her brother's, sisters and parents thier strengths and weakness'.

Loung's memoir is far more emotional in tone and feeling leaving the reader almost gasping for air at points.

For those overly squimish that makes "The Stones Cry Out" the better of the two books. It is also the better of the two books if your sole interest is the surrounding history of the killing fields.

But for those just wishing to read a great emotional book "first They killed My father" is the better choice but I would highly recomend both to all.

Surprisingly well written.
Informative.
I especially liked the comparisons between the belligerents and the role of tactics in the different armies. It takes into account the "intangibles" of combat which makes this more interesting than mere technical descriptions of what, where, when and who.

The German Army's prewar focus was on operational matters, and tactics were neglected. This changed with trench warfare and the resultant lack of vulnerable flanks to attack. Because Germany was a new nation, formerly composed of a myriad of small states, the army was decentralized. So in small units, commanders tried different things; they were told the objective - but not how to accomplish it. The prewar lack of officers, and a belief that men had to be controlled - influenced perhaps by the rise of socialism - reinforced the early use of company columns which, upon contact with the enemy, deployed into closed order lines. This system lead to high casualties, poor results, and a search for a better way. From the beginning, however, some units used open order lines and suffered much less under fire. Without a centralized command telling low level officers how to do their jobs, new ideas were tried, and successful ones were spread. Because of shortages of artillery ammunition, short bombardments which kept the enemy's heads down were developed - essentially shock action. Trench mortars, developed from observation of the Russo Japanese War, served the same purpose, and poison gas was developed. More importantly, through the influence of limited objective attacks and special raiding units, the traditional infantry companies were no longer composed solely of riflemen. Flame throwers, grenades, and light machine guns were added, and units were allowed to advance as far as possible into the enemy position, with squad leaders given much more freedom to act on their own. Gudmundsson focuses attention on these sorts of developments up to 1917 but relatively little on the great 1918 attacks, which brought the new methods into use on a massive scale.

This is and excellent text on German Infantry tactics of WWI (1914-1918). The Germans were always innovators when it applied to warfare, in WWI with the trench war at a stale mate the Germans formed these elite infantry "Stormtroop" units to infiltrate and breakthrough the lines to make way for their follow on troops. In this highly detailed account of the tactics employed by these Stormtrooper you will read how they were employed in mountain and fortress warfare, how they were organized and their special assault units. It is amazing to see a lot of these types of tactics are still employed today.

The German Army of World War I created some of the most basic principles of what we call today 3rd Generation Warfare, which many armies worldwide are still unable to implement or even understand its essence. The book is a great contribution to the history of the innovative stormtroop tactics, how they came to prominence, what kind of problems they solved and why the Germans were the first among the belligerents to find such revolutionary solutions. The focus of the book is not so much on «assault battalions» but on their tactics, although the various personalities are well covered. Gudmundsson presents also some examples of battles on the Western and Eastern Front (First Ypres, Cambrai, Kaiserschlacht, Riga, Caporetto etc.) in a clear and fascinating way and gives ample evidence of the good results that the German Army reaped from its new doctrine. I found most interesting the part about the nature of German delegation of authority and the culture of personal iniative cultivated among the NCOs and the junior officers. It is one of the best «force multipliers» ever conceived! There are no photographs in the book, only a few diagrams and also a few primitive and rather crude maps, but the text is worth the money.

I have read this book three or four times since I first purchased it in 1989, and it never fails to impress me with the attention to detail and meticulously researched origins of modern infantry combat. The book covers events leading up to WWI that cause turmoil in the German High Command regarding the use of infantry, and how scrutiny of specific tactical employments in various battles in the early to mid stages of the war led to the first experimental stormtroop unit. The book goes on to document the unit's successes and the eventual adoption of special stormtroop units to spearhead attacks at the division level, and finally how complete divisions were organized in the stormtroop fashion. All the major personalities, weaponry, and tactics involved are described in detail, and while dramatic descriptions of the gory and macabre business of trench warfare are omitted, one can easily infer from the descriptions of sharpened entrenching tools and flame throwers how violent and terrible it was to be on the receiving end of one of those attacks. Author Gudmundsson's work interjects some objective scholarship on this subject in an age where it is not politically correct to acknowledge the German military's pioneering efforts in both world wars in establishing modern combined arms tactics.

I consider myself a WW2 buff, I never really got into Submarines until as another reviewer pointed out, til I got the Silent Hunter 4 PC Game or simulation.Submarine life in WW2 must have been rough to say the least.
I wanted to educate myself further as to what these men went thru in WW2 and the Submarines they dedicated there lives too.
Submarine by Captain Beach was a great start as he introduces its readers his own Adventures aboard Trigger,Trante and the Piper. Throughout the book in different chapters he tells it readers about the Great WW2 American Subs such as the Wahoo, Tang Etc.
It set the stage for me at least to continue reading the books dedicated to each boat such as the Wahoo, Batfish, Tang..
Nothing but respect for these fine men that Served.

I picked up this book after seeing a recommendation over at the SubSim gaming forums. Being a fan of the Silent Hunter 4 submarine simulation game, I wanted to learn more about how submarine warfare really was in World War 2. Needless to say, hearing the stories from someone who was really there is incredible.

Edward Beach does a great job of describing life on a submarine. Everything from the utter boredom of fruitless patrols to the sheer terror of being depth charged by multiple enemy destroyers is here. I particularly like how the book is divided up. Every other chapter talks about a particular ship's triumphs or tragedies, while the chapters in between discuss the USS Trigger, a ship on which Mr. Beach spent a great deal of time.

If you like World War 2 history, and you want to learn more about US submarine warfare during that time, this book is for you. It's a book that I found very hard to put down.

You could populate a small city with people who were introduced to submarines with this book and an even larger city with those that stuck around for Ned Beach's subsequent works. I have recently re-read this book after who knows how many years and am blown away by all of the aspects that pulled this thing together! The writing is as knowledgeable as it is visceral, it packs a punch like a torpedo's warhead! It is also personal, technical, emotional and (auto)biograhical as Beach weaves his own story into that of the greater "silent service" of the World War II years. The book staggers the experiences of Beach's boats against those of notorious skippers like Morton, Dealey, O'Kane and others. There is a small amount of sanitizing of events (guess which!) which is understandable given the original date of publication. You owe it to yourself to re-read this epic! Lucky you if you are a first-time reader, it won't be your last!

I have read many books on submarines and how they were used in World War II, and this book gives great short stories on some of our best subs, interwoven with stories of the author's own sub. This book will lead you to want to find out more about the other subs in the book, and get the full story of their exploits.

"Submarine!", by Edward L. Beach, tells the story of several submarines of the United States Navy during World War II. The overarching narrative begins in 1942, with narrator Beach "fresh out of Submarine School." We watch Beach rise up the ranks as we learn of his fellow submariners and their ships.

Beach treats the subs as characters themselves; he notes, "All ships have souls, and all sailors know it" early in the book. He develops this theme throughout the book. The interwoven stories of the subs are arranged as chapters, each focusing on one or two ships.

Beach's prose at its best is exciting and action-packed, at times reminding me of an old-fashioned motion picture adventure serial. Yet at times he also attains an epic gravitas, and ultimately the book is quite moving. The one criticism I will make is that at times the book felt like it could have used a more judicious editorial hand; I believe that the book's 354 pages might have been reshaped into a leaner and more efficient text without sacrificing the essentials of the narrative.

I found "Submarine!" especially fascinating for the wealth of technical and tactical details that are interwoven into the adventure; it's a virtual encyclopedia of submarine information. Among the many topics covered are test diving, the use of a sub to plant a minefield, dealing with defective torpedoes, how two subs can work together to attack a target, the uses of the periscope, "silent running," and much more.

Within the book are certain chapters that really stand out, and can even stand alone as self-contained mini-epics. Among these is the story of the encounter between the U.S. sub _Archerfish_ and the Japanese supercarrier _Shinano_, a behemoth 50 times as massive as the sub. This section contains some of the book's best writing. "Submarine!" is an important and entertaining contribution to the canon of American war literature.

Like the rest of this series, this novel is full of action, and gives a clear answer to the problem of terrorism; hunt them down where they live, and execute them, and their entire families with extreme prejudice!
If we are ever to have peace in this world again, we must root out, and destroy terrorism, and those who support it, and not let politics get in the way of what is a military problem.
All known terrorists must be put on a bounty hit list, for millions of $$$$ and hunting them down, and killing them should be a highly profitable business!
There was no crime a hundred years ago, because criminals were put on a bount list, and hunted down, and killed, for a financial reward. Hunting down terrorists should be treated the same way! If they're on the run, they can't plan, or execute their next attack on our country, or our interests!

In the ultimate chapter of this short but magnificent four volume series by Mack Maloney, we see both the author and his characters achieve a near-rapturous level of comprehension and undersatndomg of what it takes to destroy evil.

After being loosed by the governemnt to punish Islamic fundamentalists in a way we - all right-thinking Americans, that is - would want to do, Bobby Murphy and his band of brothers finally realize and accept you cannot kill all your enemies. (If only those self-same Islamic fundementalists would learn that!)

Instead, the story closes - after a thrilling plot, in which external and internal bad guys are eliminated - with the team learning that change must come from within if it is to be lasting.

Maloney's writing continues to improve with every volume. While this book is - as are all his others - not politically correct, they are still marvelous entertainment in the John Wayne mold.

Let me start by saying that this author is the same author of the RAPTOR FORCE series. That series is a very good series. I had a very very big problem with the ending of that series and I wrote the author. He answered my post and told me to try this series. The only book of this series that I could get was this one.
This book is one of the best of this genre. The author in a very few pages and with quick strokes creates fully developed charaters that the reader imediately likes and then charges on with the plot and action. This is a simple revenge plot, however the reader is fully on the side of the good guys. The attack on the stronghold of the terrorists by a small handful of soldiers is great and one that stays with the reader.
HOWEVER, the ending resulted in me throwing the book across the room and cursing the author for doing it to me again. The author is very frustrating. He writes great series and then he ...... well let me say tha you have been warned!

from Mack. if you haven't started with "Alpha" and worked your way thru Delta, you need to start aat the beginning. he has a sense of continuance thru all his books, and personaly I can't wait till "Echo" comes out- hopefully there will be an Echo and more!

This book is more than just an exhilarating read for armchair warriors and teenage Rambos, it also contains the solution to international terrorism.

Alongside the highly-believable storyline, Maloney has cleverly constructed a blueprint for winning the war against insurgents/terrorists/guerrillas/rebels and all the other bad guys hell-bent on overthrowing the forces of law and order.

If only my ancestors had followed his sound military strategy of indiscriminate mass slaughter, the illegal insurgency led by that terrorist Washington would have been ruthlessly crushed by King George III, the rightful ruler of the American colonies.

I did not know what to expect when I ordered this book but wanted it just because I know the author personally. It is a very detailed day to day account of what he and his unit had to endure. The journalistic way it is written makes you feel like you are right there with them living through the hell they had to live through.

I am only a couple of months into his life in Iraq and can't wait to pick the book back up to see what happens next. I know that it had to be hard for his parents to hear how close to death he was every day but at least they knew what was going on. It is a lot harder not knowing.

An aquaintance from his childhood.

I picked this up to read on a month long travel trip. I ended up reading it in one sitting! Consequently, Im very glad I had also purchased a few other titles on the same topic. I really good read, disturbing and terrifying at times with a great deal of insight, but a great read.

I ordered "Surviving Twilight" after reading that it was about a soldier stationed at Camp Victory, etc, during 2004. My husband, Mark, was a civilian trucker hauling mail with military escorts, the 1544th Transportation Company, Illinois National Guard, the same time Shane was there.
Shane's book is a heartfelt, honest, well-written account of the life of a soldier in Iraq. I remembered many of the instances Shane wrote about - my husband was in the May 23 convoy attack - and it was interesting to read Shane's thoughts.
I highly recommend "Surviving Twilight".
Renee E. Taylor
[...]

Not to say that it was a trip to the Circus, but he keeps it on the light side and never loses his sense of humor, even during mortar attacks. Shares with you the sadness of losing another soldier, you can feel it. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry. Well worth the read. Had friends and an Ex, in theater, good to really know what life was like. Glad they too returned safely.

We were stationed together in hell known as Camp Seitz, Iraq for a whole freaking year. I can't believe you were able to put your thoughts of what happen in words and never the less on paper. I give you major props, and you are still my battle buddy Bernie. Always keep Sgt Melvin Mora in your thoughts and forever in your heart. I will always love you and I got Your book Keep it rolling Baby. Spc Johnson, Jessyca P. 245th Maintenance Co "ALWAYS FIRST". OIF II

Well I purchased this volume at the same time at the first book of the series. While I liked the initial book this is actually much better and more within the genre - I admit I gave it 5 stars as 4.75 isn't available but I'll give the man credit.

This book is much more light hearted and altogether more "fun" then the previous volume. For those that have a dark humour vein you'll find yourself laughing , even out loud, at times in this book.

The setting is much different then the first - rather then the wilds of some dusty lawless part of the world our heroes head to Romania. Of course this presents its own problems, punch ups with street criminals, shootouts in castle dungeons, shootouts between moving vehicles, getting arrest and so forth.

The descriptions of Romania ring true, and some could almost be used as a travel guide (if only as a warning to would be tourists of some of the dangers to be aware of).

It appears that the authour had much more fun writing this book, and even indulges himself with puns between the main characters.

I will admit this book falls well within the genre and towards the more light hearted end - but no where as light as the Remo Williams series of years ago.

If you want deep from this authour try his science fiction works Freehold or The Weapon (I can't comment on The Hero with John Ringo as I haven't read it yet).

Mind you I do have to question the authour being photograph with an Armalite decendant on the end page - everyone knows the FAL is better ;).

The second book in this series was everything one could expect from a good author. The main characters remained the same personalities intact. The author also presents them in an entirely different environment and faces them with different challenges. He avoids the most common trap of this style of work, i.e. having the same situation occur over and over again. I consider this work a worthy incarnation of the original Mack Bolan works.....

If there's one thing Michael Z. Williamson does well, it's take you INTO the environment about which he writes. In Freehold, he plopped the reader square into a libertarian society on another planet - a picture so vivid, that you feel like closing your eyes and taking a deep breath and half expect to open your eyes and find yourself on Grainne. In Scope of Justice, he dropped us off in Pakistan, in the middle of tribal warfare, a Muslim society, dust, danger and despair.

In his latest, Targets of Opportunity, Williamson gently places his reader in Romania - a meld of old world charm and modern-day crime. Once again, we join Army snipers Kyle Monroe and Wade Curtis as they take their next assignment - the elimination of terrorists who are planning the mass destruction of innocents.

Just as in Freehold, when you felt that you were with Kendra Pacelli, fighting the tyranny of the UN on Grainne...

Just as in Scope, when you could almost feel the dust of Pakistan on your face and the smell of tribal warfare and native food on your clothes...

So it is in Targets. You feel like you are descending along with Kyle and Wade into the darkness of Castle Bran. You feel their tension and revulsion as they discover human remains in what was once apparently the castle of Dracula. You feel fear, stress and adrenaline, as the snipers are discovered. And you are fascinated with the melange of old and new as Williamson transports you inside an ancient castle at one point in the book and into an Internet chat room during another.

Once again, the action in the novel keeps you turning pages, unable to stop until you've devoured the entire work. Once again Williamson effectively and realistically describes weapons, missions, breaches of security and ultimately, success.

Targets of Opportunity is a fun read. It's a page turner, but, once again, a realistic one. Mike knows his guns. He knows his security. He knows his military. And you can tell he loves it.

Michael Z. Williamson extends his modern military action/adventure series with Targets of Opportunity. As the second book in the series, this book is more complex, a bit slower-paced, and full of the same layered complexity Williamson brings to his characters regardless of genre. This is not a mindless shoot-'em-up. These characters are real, and they live and breathe on the pages of Targets of Opportunity as their non-fiction counterparts live and breathe in Afghanistan, Iraq, and wherever else their country needs them to be.

If you want bang-bang, go read something else. This is bang-bang PLUS!

Walt Boyes
The Bananaslug. at Baen's Bar

Halfway between spy and military fiction, Williamson's Target: Terror trilogy is a well-executed and very well-researched set of stories about the 'War on Terror' that avoids making a lot of the mistakes that other writers in the genre have done.

Islamic terrorists weren't rare bad guys in spy/military fiction before 9/11 and, of course, after the attacks they became a lot more common; topicality and all that. Covert missions, espionage, etc. Seeing stories about fighting them isn't rare; seeing those stories done *well*, however, is. Too many authors draw their 'good and evil' lines WAY too clearly: if you're not an All-American Hero you're an Evil Skulking Terrorist. Good-guy Muslims appear as tokens. And the stories are all about technology, not people - more words are spent describing, in loving detail, the weapons and sensors that the main characters are using, than what's going through the main characters' heads as they use them.

Williamson makes none of these mistakes.

Which isn't to say that we're talking about a tremendous amount of moral ambiguity here: Targets of Opportunity is about Good versus Bad, but the good guys are realistic and all the more likeable before it; they're people, not idealized caricactures. The bad guys are scum, but they're plausible scum, not cardboard stereotypes.

The research is as good as anything Clancy's ever done - the difference being that Williamson does it to support the story, and you have the impression that he knows ten times as much as he sees fit to put down. The technology plays a support role to the people using it, which is as it should be.

Plot-wise, Targets of Opportunity is set in modern-day Romania, twelve or fourteen years after the Ceausescu government fell. The setting is well-drawn and the story moves along fast - unlike the first book, The Scope Of Justice, which takes a while to get going. The action is very nicely-done; one car chase scene should be excerpted in textbooks as an example of *exactly* how such things should be done.

Thoroughly recommended; enough military detail to keep technothriller fans happy, but the covert stuff is as nicely-done as anything by LeCarre. I had some doubts with Scope of Justice, but Targets of Opportunity proves that Williamson he can do present-day just as well as his sci-fi, if not better.