Good Holiday Read...Peace on Earth and All That

Another book post. Or more accurately, another author post. I think I might have recommended John Ringo's New Centurion already....but I just read another of his titles, A Deeper Blue, and enjoyed the hell out of it.

Off hand, I'd say it was written for guys. It's a very guy story. But being, well, the sort of girl I am, I often somehow find myself in the consumer demographic described by marketing types as: "males between 18 and 35" when choosing books and movies, and even TV shows. Go figure.

Anyway, appreciating A Deeper Blue requires that you seriously enjoy the idea of killing, without mercy, and without hesitation, and with a certain fierce joy and satisfaction, terrorists and other contemptibles. You have to like action, and not be annoyed by a lot of military-type letter designations: OIC, NCOIC, CJCS, JTF, JDTF, NVG, HS, MOPP, FDLE, SOCOM, HAZMAT, FLARNG*, etc.

There is the standard cast of badass dudes who are former SEALS and other motley special ops types, and beautiful, sexually available, assassin women...

But the best and most important part is ATTITUDE. The author, John Ringo is seriously politically incorrect, and it's just a joy to behold. Discussing a hazardous gas of some kind, the protagonist, Mike "Jenkins", remarks that it is not terribly dangerous in small doses, "except to a Berkley Environmental Scientist, who would probably get cancer from it."

You gotta love a guy who thinks and writes like that. I laughed out loud. And his books are peppered with stuff like it. A brief incident in the book represesnts Wal-Mart as self-sacrificingly patriotic. And he makes sure they get public acknowledgment from the President, too.

Where else are you gonna see that?

I'm going to get the rest of the series and read them in chronological order. I gather that he starts out a SEAL, quits and ends up a merc that the United States and friendly governments call on for "no questions asked", "money is no object", "must be completed at all costs" missions. (I say " I gather" because apparently I read the last book in the series first, and so I'm trying to fill in the gaps based on references in it.)

Git'er Done Guys, Killer Gals and lots of Guns. What's not to like? Oh...and bad, bad vehicles. A Deeper Blue featured a cherry red GT with white stripes, an "upgraded" Hind (helicopter), various Cigarette-type boats. (Did I mention the 2 click sniper, Lazko and his Barrett, and Mike's .50 caliber "elephant" handgun?) Hehe.

Seriously, for a good, politically satisfying, action read that will make you laugh, you could do worse.

Here's the list of books, in chronological order. Apparently the lead character's name is actually Mike Harmon. "Jenkins" being an aka he uses in A Deeper Blue. According to Ringo's website, this series is called, "Paladin of Shadows".

Ghost
Kildar
Choosers of the Slain
Unto the Breach
A Deeper Blue

*Officer In Charge; Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Joint Task Force; Joint Drug Task Force; Night Vision Goggles; Homeland Security; Mission Oriented Protective Posture; Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Special Operations Command; Hazadrous Material; Florida Army National Guard

Here's a website that will help decipher some of them if, like me, you're not in SOCOM or FDLE: Acronym Finder

If you've got recommendations along the same line, Politically Incorrect Fun killing Terrorists and other Scum, let me know.

The Gunslinger