Product Description: Deep in the mountains of Afghanistan, a dozen Russian Special Forces soldiers race their British opponents for a secret neither of them can imagine. The Russian leader, a war weary Colonel who knows no other life but conflict, carries old ghosts that refuse to let him be, but the battle that awaits him deep in this ancient land will change his life forever, and send him on a violent journey no sane man would contemplate. The ultimate soldier meets his destiny, in 303!
Masterful storytelling I don't know what it is, but when I finished 303 I felt like this was perhaps one of the most well-written stuff Ennis has ever done. The story's on a nameless, aged Russian colonel that starts out leading a dozen Russian Special Forces into Afghanistan to retrieve some secret documents from a downed US airplane. Interestingly, the English SAS are after it, along with the American military. It leads to some smart conversations and narratives between respectable men who seem to be in the wrong place and time of the world.
The dialogue is direct, rarely caustic or vulgarly fun like you get in classic Ennis characters; it serves for the foreboding mood created by the end of the first arc. There is a wonderful point of view on the War of Iraq and how it is to be seen historically. In fact, history is very much a strong theme hanging over the Colonel, as well as the Sargent you meet in Part two. It's built up to haunt (you'll see this in many ways, not just in apparitions) the characters, to remind them that the world seems to have outgrown them.
The art, of course, is still very much in line with the rest of Ennis' gory realism. Jacen is a cool partner to Ennis. I'd love to see more from the two, like a longer series.
I recommend this to anyone whose anyone with a brain for its universal appeal and grade-A storytelling.
A great war story This is one of Garth Ennis's best novels. I found this a very enjoyable read and in my opinion the artwork is fantastic. The story is well written and thought provoking and the art style fits it perfectly. The book is a little short but it makes up for it with a really good ending. Not as light hearted as much of Ennis's work but none the worse for this.
Good plot but too short The story is about a Russian SPETSNAZ Colonel haunted by the ghosts of those whom he had killed plotting to assassinate a key political figure in the United States with a 303 short barreled Lee Enfield rifle. The book does a great job in telling the story but it was too short and not enough time was spent on plot development in overall I give it a B.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This book works as it delivers what it says. it is not too fast-paced and not too dragging for you to want to put down the book. this book is not about heroes and yet it is not about villains in the classic sense of the megalomaniac. In itself is a realistic look on what happens after old men meet in secret locations. Grit your teeth, dig in, it will be a hard but enjoyable ride.
As a guy who grew up on books like Doomsday Warrior, and movies like Red Dawn I was immediately pulled back to the "cold war" paranoia with this book and marvelled at how we still have the dirty little secrets and not so secrets out there in the sand dunes of the middle east. Garth has given us a new tale based on the old deeds and by doing this given a new perspective on that war torn region and Russia as well as gained a new fan. And (what I like to term) a "hell of an ending". this book ranks very highly for me as it is not about costume dudes with way out powers, it's about a man trying to find his honour and about balancing out some kind of inequity in the world.
Two shades of Garth Ennis In my eyes, there are two types of Garth Ennis stories. The first type are the violent, humorous ones, ie, The Boys, Preacher, and The Punisher, where he skewers everything and makes it all a parody. The other type, like Enemy Ace, Troubled Souls and Just a Pilgrim, where this book falls, is the kind where every passage is deadly serious.
In this book, a Russian soldier has to fight British and Americans because of a crashed helicopter. It just goes downhill from there, as the soldier is forced to kill everyone to keep the item that was hidden in the helicopter. A bomb? Some sort of exotic weaponry? Worse. A tape the purports to show the planning of the Iraq war before the election of a certain president.
Eventually, he makes his way to America, where he confronts the reality that he is a killer, nothing more. And that he has to live up to the role he has made for himself in life.
This series touches on many of the themes prevalent in Garth Ennis's work, old soldiers, killers, men of their own dubious honor, who do horrific things because it must be done. This one is no less. The "hero" of the story ends up killing a corrupt foreman, and then, killing the most corrupt foreman of them all. The ending is a little shocking. I did like it, but I would not recommend it.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
