[harvey]

I find I have lots of spare time these days, and would be interested in some suggestions for summer reading. I'm looking for novels that include good technical aspects of firearms usage, not the "smell of cordite" or "the safety on the revolver didn't work" stuff. I've read Stephen Hunter, Turtledove, Donald Hamilton, etc., but would like to expand my reading entertainment. All suggestions will be appreciated.

Harvey

 

[Tim Burke]

Unintended Consequences by John Ross.

 

[csmkersh]

Harvey, you say you've read Steven Hunter, but have you read all of these and in this order?

Master Sniper
Second Salidan

Earl Swagger
Hot Springs
Pale Horse Coming
Havana

Bob Swagger
Point of Impact
Black Light
Time to Hunt

There's ties from Master Sniper and Hot Springs to Havana.

Then there's always Ruark's "Use Enough Gun" or any of the dozen other books he wrote. If it was technical stuff you wanted and a fast method to fall asleep, I recommend "Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting" which is referenced in "Unintended Consequencies." The author of "F&FRS" is a character in Hunter's "Pale Horse Coming."

 

[harvey]

Tim:
Thanks for the suggestion.
Harvey

 

[harvey]

Harvey, you say you've read Steven Hunter, but have you read all of these and in this order?

Sam:

Thanks for your suggestions. I have read many of the Hunter novels that you listed, albeit not in that particular order. He has good knowledge of firearms, although he occasionally makes a stretch for plot furtherance.

I've also read a lot of Robert Ruark's stories a number of years ago when I traveled a lot on business. That was great airplane entertainment on long trips, prior to in-flight movies and CDs.

I'll save the technical stuff like "F&FRS" for the winter months! :thumbsup:

Harvey

 

[Alarmed]

Harvey, the author of Unintended Consequences, John Ross, lives in St. Louis & alot of the action takes place there.

Although some of the plots are out there, the Rogue Warrior series of books by former Seal Richard Marcinko are pretty good & highly detailed.

One of the best novels I have ever read is Without Remorse by Tom Clancy. If you have ever seen the movies Clear & Present Danger & The Sum of All Fears, you have already been introduced to John Clark. This book gives his background & how he became what he is. For that matter, anything by Clancy is pretty good.

 

[harvey]

Thanks for the information on John Ross. I wasn't aware that he lives in St. Louis, although I knew the protagonist in the book was a Missourian.

I'm a big Tom Clancy fan, and I think I've read most of his books, including the less entertaining Op Center and Net Force series. (John Clark is one of my favorite Clancy characters.) I especially liked that Clancy has used the 10mm S&W pistol in one of his books, and a 10mm H&K MP in another. A man after my own heart.

Harvey

 

[csmkersh]

Warning!

Ed McGiven's "Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting" is not an easy read. Clayton Cramer once mentioned he'd like to re-write it to make it easier going. Other than that, it's a good pistol primer.

 

[BigMike]

Old Guns, Big Guns

A bit of a leap for a firearm centered forum, but try _anything_ by Patrick O'Brian, specifically the Aubrey-Maturin series.

Wooden ships, iron men, and lots of action - mostly afloat, but also ashore.

Go to:

http://www.sea-room.com

for more information. If you have a decent local library, try the series in order. Otherwise, just dive into the first one you grab.

 

[csmkersh]

Captian and Commander is the first one. Far Side of the World the tenth. Once again Gollywood didn't follow the script.

FWIW, Captain Jack is modeled after a very real Englishman.

Then there are the Sharp's Rifle's series by Bernard Cornwell. Napolionic Wars with Britian. Nappy is the villian.

 

[harvey]

Re: Old Guns, Big Guns

A bit of a leap for a firearm centered forum, but try _anything_ by Patrick O'Brian, specifically the Aubrey-Maturin series.
.

Mike:

I'm sure the recent film of "Master and Commander" will renew interest in O'Brian's books. I haven't seen the film yet, but understand it is well done.

Harvey

 

[SpecialEd]

You might want to give Andy McNab a try. He is the e SAS Sgt. who wrote Bravo Two Zero. His other non-fiction book is Immediate Action also concerning the SAS but his fiction thrillers are pretty good:

Remote Control
Crisis Four
Firewall
Last Light
Liberation Day

re: Stephen Hunter, don't forget to read "Dirty White Boys" between POI and Black Light. There are also ties to Havana, etc., in The Second Saladin. I didn't like the pre- Point of Impact books by Hunter as much as the ones that came after but of the early ones my favorite is "The Day Before Midnight."

Ed

 

[harvey]

Ed:

Thanks for the suggestion on Andy McNab. I didn't know he also writes fiction. I liked Bravo Two Zero, so I'll give his fiction a try.

Harvey

 

[BigMike]

O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series

I'm sure the recent film of "Master and Commander" will renew interest in O'Brian's books. I haven't seen the film yet, but understand it is well done.

It is good, really good. I've seen it twice, got the DVD set, too, saving it for a really dull weekend. Lots of historically accurate details, lots of stuff from several books in the series -- but pulled together from several, with a new plot, by Hollywood, so seeing it won't spoil any of the books in the series for you.

There is a tremendous investment in the set and props. Lobby for Hollywood to put together a sequel to help amortize that investment.

'Fraid it ain't gonna happen. Sigh.

 

[Guest]

Rifleman Dodd by C. S. Forester.

A MUST read! (That is by CMC)

 

[Alarmed]

Although not really firearms related, What If? & the sequals of counter-factual history essays put together by Robert Cowley are excellant.

They avoid the fictional stuff like time travel i.e. Final Countdown & concentrate on a change in weather or a delay of a day in an attack.

 

[SpecialEd]

WHAT IF

My FIL gave me Volume II of "What If" as a book on tape. It was interesting.

Ed

 

[mikegunner]

I am in the middle end of reading Warrior Soul : The Memoir of a Navy SEAL -by CHUCK PFARRER --- you can see what it is about by clicking HERE

It is really interesting reading about some of the SEAL operations and some of what went on in Beiruit.

Mike

 

[SpecialEd]

Listed on that same page they have Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit by Eric L. Haney. I read that a year or so ago, it was pretty good. He spent time in Beirut also.

 

[harvey]

A MUST read! (That is by CMC)

Well Gunny, if the big dog says read it, then aye aye, sir! :thumbsup:

Harvey