Posted: 9/19/2002 7:50:40 PM EDT
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Fellows, Was wondering if any of you guys had some good book recommendations. Not really interested in Pulitzer or Nobel or Faulkner award candidates, just some thriller-type reads along the lines of Clancy or Forsyth or DeMille. Lemme know what's out there. Thanks, IMHO |
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For Clancy type thrillers, Larry Bond wrote "Red Pheonix", "Vortex", and "Cauldron". "Let Us Prey" by Bill Branon. ( Anti IRS [^] ) "Warriors" and "The Sixth Battle" by Barrett Tillman. ( These two are interesting, all his new books suck. [:(] ) "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross.[^] |
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Quoted: Its not really a action type book but still one of the best one's I have ever read. Its about a severly injured soldier. "johnny got his gun" by Dalton Trumbo Keving67 It was a cool movie too, though not really a winner of the "feel good movie of the year" award. Unintended Consequences is required reading, closest thing to gun porn out there. [:)] Not a Clancy type, but a cool book none the less is Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven. Great SHTF book about the earth being hit by a comet. And of course Black Hawk Down. Oh, and the Dick Marcinko line of books, Rouge Warrior, Red Cell, etc. About the same literary level as Conan the Barbarian books, but entertaining. |
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If you really want to lose yourself and read for sheer enjoyment, I too recommend the Richard Marcinko books. They are roughly comparable to women's romance novels, but are great for passing time and are pretty much "can't put 'em down" thrillers. I think there are six of them. Try to read them in order as they are easier to follow that way. The characters repeat and references are made to past events. It is not necessary to the story, but makes you feel like an "insider." Again, very entertaining. Edit: Oh, if you blush at "bad words" bring earplugs. He swears like a, uh, sailor! [:D] |
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Soon to be non-fiction - [b]Unintended Consequences[/b] by John Ross. It's so good the ATF tried to prevent it's publication. I read it twice, bought 3 copies & gave them way. Information - [b]Boston's Gun Bible[/b] by Boston T. Party. Every reviewer on Amazon.com gave it 5 of 5 stars! |
| I recently read [u]Mission Compromised[/u] by Lt. Colonel Oliver North (ret.). I thought it was awesome for a novel. Last night I just got finished reading [u]Inside Delta Force[/u] by Command Sergeant Major, Eric Haney (ret.). It, too, was a very good read. Oh yeah, [u]Black Hawk Down[/u] rocked. |
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Quoted: I like the Jack Grafton books by Coontz. Can't think of hid first name. Dean Koontz? I still remember a passage in "Phantoms" where the bad guy pulls up a floorboard and finds a "Smith & Wesson Combat Magnum, quite possibly the most powerful and effective handguns around." Or something very similar. May I recommend Robert A. Heinlein? I've only read 2 books (Starship Troopers, Moon is a Harsh Mistress) and they were each read in one day apiece. Literally couldn't put them down. |
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[img]http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0922915490.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg[/img] [b]Guaranteed to piss ya off[/b] and make ya understand why the latest commentary on the Governments 9/11 investigation in today's current USA Today, by Walter Shapiro begins with this paragraph: [b][red]"Even by the murky standards of most government documents, the interim report of the congressional intelligence committees examining the pre-Sept. 11 warnings is maddeningly opaque. The 31-page document, released Wednesday, is filled with references to vague entities called "the Intelligence Community" and "senior government officials."[/red][/b] Wake-up, expand your thinking beyond "Fiction" and check on your government at the same time, they need some constructive modification before we all become subjects. Mike |
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Any of the Burke novels by Andrew Vaachs STONE CITY by Mitchell Smith POINT OF IMPACT then A TIME TO HUNT by Stephen Hunter THE COBRA EVENT and THE HOT ZONE, by Richard Preston BLACKHAWK DOWN Mark Bowden WAR OF THE RATZ David L. Robbins GOD'S CHILDREN, TEAM YANKEE, SWORDPOINT by Harold Coyle DESCENT by Jeff Hall...weird but believable at the same time. Just about any book (non-fiction) by John Mcphee My 2c, but that should hold you through a couple of transatlantic flights. Hope you enjoy. Stay safe |
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"Band of Brothers" by Steven Ambrose (need I say more....and NO I didn't see the HBO special) as mentioned anything by Larry Bond Any of the Clive Cussler "Dirk Pitt" series (real fun) I've just finished the third book in the series "The Corps" by W.E.B. Griffin (he's a WWII vet and a Marine) "Blackhawk Down" and for something I'm reading now, it's heavier but AWESOME....The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris (this book got a Pulitzer...the same author that wrote "Theodore Rex" and "Dutch"). Fascinating. We sure could use more men like Teddy now. HOpe this helps Rich |
| I can't believe that nobody mentioned any of the Clive Cussler books. These are adventure stories borrowing something from historical events and relating them to current time. Fun sometimes cheesy but you have to like the main character. He collects old cars, always has his trusty 1911 and he usually gets the girl. Very fun books. |
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"About Face," "Hazardous Duty," (both autobiographical, and "The Price of Honor" - all by COL David H. Hackworth, USA, (ret.) Excellent reads. The entire "Left Behind" series, LaHaye & Jenkins. WARNING - it's 10 books so far... "Man Without A Face" - bio of Markus Wolff "Relic," "Reliquary," "Ice Limit," "Mount Dragon," "Cabinet Of Curiosities," and anything else by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child "Up Front" by Bill Mauldin - just for fun. Mauldin was a cartoonist and grunt in WWII, and I think he's actually still around... The Marcinko books... (nonfiction) "Rogue Warrior" "The Real Team" (fiction) "Rogue Warrior: Red Cell" "Green Team" "Task Force Blue" "Designation Gold" "Option Delta" "Echo Platoon" "SEAL Force Alpha" (I'm not sure if that is a chronological listing, but it's pretty close...) FFZ |
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Science Fiction: [b]The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein[/b] Same guy who wrote Starship Troopers but I liked this book much better. Basically it's about a lunar colony that stages a revolution against Earth. Of the 4 main character's. Mike, the computer who has a conscience but only let's the othe three knows he has one is the key to the whole plan for independence. Fiction: [b]Unintended Consequences by John Ross[/b] Loved the way he took actually historical events and told the story through fictional characters. Great story line however I do not like the idea that has been made this a how too book in regards as to how to take back our 2nd Amendment rights. Non-Fiction: [b]Send In The Waco Killers by Vin Suprynowicz[/b] Don't let the title fool you. It's a collection of essays on the freedom movement covering everything from the IRS, trial by jury, the war on drugs, 2nd Amendment and how every registration in history has led to confiscation. Gives an explanation of how we got to where we are and how to peacfully get ourselves out the situation we're in. Autobiography: [b]Called To Serve by Col. James "Bo" Grtiz[/b] America's Most decorated Green Beret Commander. Biography/History: [b] John Adams by David Mcullough[/b] Just starting this one. Starts before the Revolutionary War to after his presidency. Philosophy?: [b]Sun Tzu: Manual For War[/b] Can be applied to all aspects of life! Especially if you're in business for yourself. Just started reading this one again along with the one above, for the I forget what #ed time. War/History: [b] Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides[/b] About a daring rescue behind enemy lines of what were some of the last survivors of the Bataan Death March in the Phlippines. IIRC, it just as they were planing this rescue operation that the U.S. learned that the Japanese were killing all POW's as the Americans progressed to push the Japanese back which put a high priority on the mission. Self Help/Business: [b]Self-Made In America by John McCormack[/b] One of my favorite books for whinners that complain they can't make it in life. Tells you eaxcatly what it takes to go into business for yourself by living through the author's life and the advice he took from some old Irish imigrant and through the lives of immigrants that came to this country with nothing but the clothes on their back yet became millionaires. Some of the things that these people went through to get where they are today, is what 90% of Americans just aren't willing to do. ...and yes they pay taxes and interest on loans. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I like the Jack Grafton books by Coontz. Can't think of hid first name. Dean Koontz? I still remember a passage in "Phantoms" where the bad guy pulls up a floorboard and finds a "Smith & Wesson Combat Magnum, quite possibly the most powerful and effective handguns around." Or something very similar. May I recommend Robert A. Heinlein? I've only read 2 books (Starship Troopers, Moon is a Harsh Mistress) and they were each read in one day apiece. Literally couldn't put them down. Yea, I read Phantoms too. That book also had a scene in the beginning, where the doctor found the body of the deputy. The deputy's gun was next to his body. The doctor picked it up and saw 3 of the chambers were empty. Then she saw 3 empty shell casings in various places, nearby. Koontz wrote the scene as if a revolver ejected spent casings. What an idiot! Anyway, the Jack Grafton books are by a different author. Something Coontz. I think the first Jack Grafton novel was "Flight Of The Intruder." |
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The Steven Hunter books "Time to Hunt" and the other books with his Bob Swagger are very gun oriented, the character being a former vietnam sniper. Writing is okay also. The WEB Griffin books-I like 'em and read them all, but you can basically pick one series because they have the exact same characters in each series, just with different names (I think Griffin is a life NRA member) Harold Coyle-he was an Army officer and VMI graduate and is sort of the Tom Clancy of land warfare (okay I stole that) although out of order "God's Children" about a couple of infantry squads that run into trouble with some eastern european units while on a peacekeeping patrol is my favorite of the bunch so far. Andy McNabb-he is the SAS commando who wrote Bravo Two Zero and upon whom the movie is based. He was also a consultant on "Heat" and Osama Bin Laden is mentioned frequently in these pre 9/11 books. They are sort of like the Marchinko books, but better written, in my opinion. I get a kick out of the Marchinko books, but these have a more distinctive plot v. Marchinko's video game feel (now marchinko fights boss # 3) and McNabb's character (which like marchinko I think is sort of him, but hopefully a bit dumber in the books) is a bit more interesting-he screws up constantly when women are involved, he screws up and gets his friends in trouble, gets his ass beat and left alone in a ditch etc. |
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Fantastic! A great response. I really do appreciate the time you guys have taken to get back to me on this one. Some of the titles are familiar, and I've been meaning to read many of them for some time. The new ones are certainly worth investigating: I like the variety, and it appears as if you guys knew exactly what I was looking for. I'll take the recommendations seriously, and will bring along a list of titles and authors to the bookstore when I head out tomorrow. Great group we've got here. Thanks again, very much, IMHO |
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Rainbox Six (Clancy) was really good, and Red Storm Rising is excellent. My well-worn copy of RSR is currently winging its way to Afghanistan as part of a care package for an A-10 Warhog unit stationed there. Heinlein - I've read Starship Troopers (really good), Puppetmasters (good, easy read, nothing fancy) and Stranger in a Strange Land (boring!) READ THIS BOOK - Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse. About halfway through and it's excellent! [url]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/156384155X/dvdtracker[/url] |