A book to be read again Two words. Great book. I am a gigantic fan of all of the Swagger books by Stephen Hunter. This is actually the first book I read by him a few years ago, and when I found out there were other Earl and Bob Lee Swagger books, i read the rest of them. I'm actually reading "Black Light" for the second time, now knowing a little bit more history from all the previous swagger books. This book is great alone, or even better if your familiar with the Swagger family. My only disappointment is that there's not more Earl and Bob Swagger books!
If you liked......you're gonna luv...... Lots of great reviews with detail regarding the story line and excellence etc. So I'll keep it short. IF you enjoyed Point of Impact you will enjoy this book as much or more. If you enjoyed Dirty White Boys the same. If you enjoyed both order this book immediately and set aside time to read it nonstop.
If you have not read either book then start with Point of Impact , then DWB, then Black Light. One notable thing about this writer that either from personal experience OR research he knows small arms-very well. Unlike a recent murder mystery I read in which the heroine clicks off the safety on her Glock 9mm, this writer would know that Glocks don't have a separate safety at all! This writer knows the difference between a 308 and a 223 and is very descriptive and blunt about the terminal effects of both on fragile things like humans.
If you know nothing about firearms this level of accuracy won't impress you since you won't know the difference. If, however, you have even moderate knowledge you will appreciate that the author makes no mistakes ( at least that I caught ).
One thing I really like about this book was the many generations represented by the characters and the back and forth in time that takes place. Connections are made that you don't necessarilly know are such only to learn later etc etc. This guy is good. I hope you agree.
I especially enjoyed the honor the dishonorable "Red" is allowed to bestow upon Bob Lee. It didn't seem implausible to me in the least.
Great end to a trilogy! I loved POI. Then I had a hard time with the brutality of DWB, but was glad I finished it. Black Light was the best of the three to me. It seamed the books together smoothly. Having Russ as a "protagonist in training" was fun. Like Russ, we could all learn the lessons of BL Swagger. Confident, realist, focused, morally anchored, and forgiving to a large degree in the faults of others. Make sure to read the trilogy, in order, and prepare to become a Swagger groupie! I just loved the ride through these books.
I wish I read these books earlier. Earl and Bob Swagger in a great story of Heros. The combination of Point of Impact and Dirty White Boys put together in a gripping story of men. Richard (from Dirty White Boys, son of Bud Pewtie) looks for Bob Swagger to do a book on family genetics, born from good then good and vice versa. Again I hate giving anything away in books and movies so I will not give out to much story. Anyway they get together and the action begins. First going through the story of Earl and a conspiracy. Then to Bob and Richards adventure and findings. Finally some tasty gun fights. That's about all I'm saying. It's really good and I say its worth the money. Plus if you read other Hunter books this will put somethings into there place.
Hunter and Swagger - A Winning Combination Going back through some of my recent reads, I remembered that I was really happy with Stephen Hunter and his character, Bob Lee Swagger. Time to revisit both with Black Light.
The novel begins with Earl Swagger, Bob Lee's father, in 1955. Earl is a Medal of Honor recipient for his efforts in the Pacific during World War II. 1955 finds Earl on patrol as an Arkansas State Trooper. On one particular day, he finds a murdered child and later, he is gunned down in a battle with a two criminals. The Swagger family never recovered, and Bob Lee enlisted in the Marines nine years later where he went on to become one of the country's best snipers. Because of his skill as a sniper, Bob Lee gained quite a bit of notoriety. A writer, Russ, comes calling on Bob Lee and the story is set in motion. Russ doesn't want to do a book on Bob Lee, he wants to focus on Earl. To get some backstory, Russ and Bob Lee head back to Arkansas. But there are some very powerful people that don't want the story written and will stop at nothing to see that it isn't. But Bob Lee isn't a person you want to be fighting against.
Bob Lee is a tough character. He lived the early part of his life alone with his rifle. When some traps are being set, he has a knack for seeing beyond the obvious and is able to choreograph the outcome. It was a lot of fun to see how he is able to get out of some very tight spots, and Hunter delivers the prose. The story moves between 1955 and the present with skill. Learning about the early Bob Lee and his father makes this a very interesting story. Hunter adds some little items throughout the novel, which will take on significance later in the story. That was a very cool touch. Further, there are plenty of plot twists to keep your attention.
This is another Bob Lee Swagger novel that I found hard to put down. The action, the characters, and the plot really makes this a fun read. However, some of the language may alienate readers - remember, a portion of the novel takes place in 1955, before the Civil Rights movement. The attitudes of the characters were in line with the times, which may justify it.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
