Ghost (Paladin of Shadows Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)I found myself voting "helpful" for reviews with one star and reviews with five stars. I'm definitely conflicted over this book.
As the author says in his own review on this site, the book reads well. The stories are pretty carefully plotted, although the third one kind of skips around a little too much.
And how many nukes does one guy just happen to stumble across? In that respect it reminds me of the murder mystery genre, where amatuer sleuths just happen to trip over bodies every time they go on vacation. Suspension of disbelief is integral to the idea. These are "tall tales", not psuedo-realism.
And yes, there is lots of sex. Very dark sex, too. And it gets darker from story to story.
And yes, there is lots of violence. Very dark violence, too. It also gets darker from story to story.
Not only is the book not "politically correct", but it is an over-the-top right wing fairy tale. The hero is always right, the Bush-like president is noble and wise, all liberals and the French are weak and stupid, and all the positively portrayed characters make comments about how they are now going to vote Republican for life. The book is also relentless about showing the bad side of Islam: the villians in all three stories are Muslim terrorists. There is not a single sympathetic portrayal of a Muslim in any of the stories.
But ... well that's what this book is about. It is not about plot realism, political moderation, or cultural understanding. It is about darkness: rage, sexual dominance, the seductive joy of killing your enemies, and most of all it is about the relationship of the wolves to the sheep.
It is well executed, but very disturbing. I'm not surprised the author had to be talked into publishing it. It reads more like a private exorcism of personal demons than something intended for public consumption.

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Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice Review

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(More customer reviews)In "Spec Ops" William H. McRaven has written a comprehensive, thoughtful, theory of special operations. In so doing, he has taken a field of arms that is shrouded and myth and bravado, and applied rigorous logic to it; the end result of which is both a useful tool for the analysis of past operations, and a guidebook for future ones.
The key to this work's success is that it cuts through the mayhem, and "seat-of-their-pants" view that most people have of special operations, and breaks them down using simple, constant analysis. First McRaven considers the overall mission: Was it worth the risk? Was it executed according to plan, and if not why? What could have been done better? He then goes on to identify six key components of any special operation: Simplicity, Security, Repetition, Surprise, Speed and Purpose. He correctly points out that weakness in any one of these areas can be compensated for, to a degree, by strength in the others, but they all must be present to some degree.
Finally he considers the most critical aspect of any special operation; Did/can the attacking force achieve and maintain relative superiority over the enemy? I say critical because by definition the special forces will never have absolute superiority, it is only in their ability to temporarily achieve superiority that they can have any hope of success. McRaven, observes that failure to achieve relative superiority must inevitably result in a failure to achieve objectives at the minimum, and disaster at the worst.
By analyzing eight classic special operations, McRaven proves the merits of his theory time and again. Over the course of fifty years and a host of political environments, he illustrates the overarching validity of his arguments. In so doing he has provided both the special warrior, and the military historian alike with a powerful, valuable tool.

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Vice Adm. William H. McRaven helped to devise the strategy for how to bring down Osama bin Laden, and commanded the courageous U.S. military unit that carried it out on May 1, 2011, ending one of the greatest manhunts in history. In Spec Ops, a well-organized and deeply researched study, McRaven analyzes eight classic special operations. Six are from WWII: the German commando raid on the Belgian fort Eben Emael (1940); the Italian torpedo attack on the Alexandria harbor (1941); the British commando raid on Nazaire, France (1942); the German glider rescue of Benito Mussolini (1943); the British midget-submarine attack on the Tirpitz (1943); and the U.S. Ranger rescue mission at the Cabanatuan POW camp in the Philippines (1945). The two post-WWII examples are the U.S. Army raid on the Son Tay POW camp in North Vietnam (1970) and the Israeli rescue of the skyjacked hostages in Entebbe, Uganda (1976). McRaven—who commands a U.S. Navy SEAL team—pinpoints six essential principles of "spec ops" success: simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed and purpose. For each of the case studies, he provides political and military context, a meticulous reconstruction of the mission itself and an analysis of the operation in relation to his six principles. McRaven deems the Son Tay raid "the best modern example of a successful spec op [which] should be considered textbook material for future missions." His own book is an instructive textbook that will be closely studied by students of the military arts. Maps, photos.

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Hunters & Shooters: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy SEALs in Vietnam Review

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(More customer reviews)The great thing about this oral history is that you get a personal feel for the characters as they talk about their experiences. The wide range of experiences are reflected in the wide range of personalities that the history is drawn from. The accounts are honest and sincere. Each account begins with a brief editorial introduction and summary of a different aspect of the SEALs unit formation and operational history in Viet Nam. This helps the reader to understand the subject as a broad total of experiences rather than just a bundle of yarns slapped together. The editor did a great job of putting the accounts in an informative sequence which gave this reviewer a greater background understanding of the following accounts as I progressed through the book.
I bought my copy during a visit to the SEAL/ UDT Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida and I strongly recommend other interested military buffs to buy this book and check out the museum. Well worth it.

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All Roads Lead To Baghdad: Army Special Operations Forces in Iraq Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a stunning, comprehensive, and readable account of the war in Iraq in 2003.
To the book's credit, it is loaded with details without becoming overwhelmed by military jargon. It takes a long view: providing focus to both operational planning/management while being full of first-hand detailed accounts of grunts on the ground.
The snappy design includes something like 400 color illustrations (none of them huge, obviously) maps, charts, portraits, some sketches, and a timeline. 517 pp, List of Figures, Glossary, Index.
Here's some of the blurb from the back cover. "This historic book details the planning and direction provided by General Tommy Franks to the U.S. Special Operations Command Central and on down the line to the two Combined Joint Special Operations Task Forces (North and West), and a Naval task force -- and then, as in all campaigns, how the units and individual soldiers executed their specific missions with courage and skill. To ensure accuracy in their reporting, the authors received unparalleled access to classified documents and personal accounts from soldiers on the battlefield."


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All Roads Lead to Baghdad was written in a clear and concise style, free of military jargon, by U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) historians to document the exploits and achievements of individual Army special operations soldiers and units in their traditional role of supporting the conventional force during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. It is the second in this USASOC series; the first (Weapon of Choice: ARSOF in Afghanistan) chronicled the invasion of Afghanistan shortly after September 11, 2001, and is also reprinted by Paladin Press under the title U.S. Army Special Operations in Afghanistan. This historic book details the planning and direction provided by Gen. Tommy Franks to U.S. Special Operations Command Central and on down the line to the two Combined Joint Special Operations Task Forces (North and West), and a Naval task force - and then, as in all campaigns, how the units and individual soldiers executed their specific missions with courage and skill. To ensure accuracy in their reporting, the authors received unparalleled access to classified documents and personal accounts from soldiers on the battlefield.

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