The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: Marshal Halloway on December 28, 2009, 04:51:24 PM
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Bob Lee Swagger is back!
Watch this interview with Stephen Hunter only on DRTV: http://www.downrange.tv/blog/?p=937
Reference: I, Sniper on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1416565159?tag=cascityinassociw&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1416565159&adid=1YJ92CC7Y871QFSJJQNE&)
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The book is supposed to be released tomorrow. ;D
Too bad I have to work.
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very cool
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Excellent price, too.
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Thanks Marshall for posting that. Another copy sold.
I'm kinda glad gun magazines are the "red headed step-child", of journalism, it keeps it real.
Sounds like another movie will be down the road...
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So, Steven Hunter got to kill off Jane Fonda, and 2 of BO's Cronies, ;D Cool ;D
I'd like to see him do some more books about Earle Swagger.
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I read the first few pages on Amazon. I'm in! The Bill Ayers like character get his as well in the first 5 pages. Good stuff.
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I like the way it starts...............Jane Fonda, Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dorn all assuming room temperature in the first 5 pages. THis is gonna be a GREAT read!! ;D
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Happened to be in a Barnes & Noble Wednesday in Macon and grabbed "I, Sniper" along with a few other Hunter books. Can't put it down. Great read so far.
I see MB got first dibs on the "Tip of the Hat" page in the book..........COOL!!!!!! ;)
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Just finished it! (Am I the first, apart of course from Michael)?
Another ripping good Swagger yarn, but then we expect no less!
Some very familiar names in the last chapter. ;)
Spoiler Warning: Don't read this one before Time to Hunt, lest the latter be spoiled for you.
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" Time to hunt " excellent, Welcome back Snake, long time no hear.
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Hunter usually makes one groaner gun mistake in every book, but I didn't find one in this one (I WAS reading it fast, though). Closest I found was he made several references to "three ounce" trigger pulls on sniper rifles. That sounds light to me. I'd think one pound might be closer.
I don't have any experience with "pro" sniper rifles, but I have a Rem 700 with about a two-pound trigger on it and it's a little scary. Maybe I'm just used to heavier.
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I finished it last night. Great read.
I have no idea of proper trigger weights for sniper rifles, but given all the gun writers in the dedication (starting with MB),I would guess it's spot on. I sure don't recall any errors.
I'm ready for the next---sooner than the last, I hope!!
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just downloaded it from Audible
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I bought it too. Have to finish one that is not quite as easy to get through, first.
I have a list of different series I read and this one is definitely up there. I just wish that some of these guys would write faster :)
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Just finished it! (Am I the first, apart of course from Michael)?
Another ripping good Swagger yarn, but then we expect no less!
Some very familiar names in the last chapter. ;)
Spoiler Warning: Don't read this one before Time to Hunt, lest the latter be spoiled for you.
Thanks.
I stopped and started Time to Hunt instead.....since I bought them both at the same time.
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Pegleg, you will LOVE the ending of "Time to Hunt" ;D
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My copy finally came today. :D
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Reading Night of Thunder right now. Good stuff so far.
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On Pg. 152. Really good read!
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Thought you might be interested in this list: http://listverse.com/2009/11/13/top-10-snipers-in-history/
I will be the first to acknowledge that the list only includes snipers we have a history on. Who knows if there were others not recognized.
With all that said, Bob Lee remains one of my favorites in fiction.
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Thought you might be interested in this list: http://listverse.com/2009/11/13/top-10-snipers-in-history/
I will be the first to acknowledge that the list only includes snipers we have a history on. Who knows if there were others not recognized.
With all that said, Bob Lee remains one of my favorites in fiction.
This ol' boy was hardcore.........
From the Link:
How Häyhä did all this was amazing. He was basically on his own all day, in the snow, shooting Russians, for 3 months straight. Of course when the Russians caught wind that a shit load of soldiers were being killed, they thought ‘well this is war, there’s bound to be casualties’. But when the generals were told that it was one man with a rifle they decided to take a bit of action. first they sent in a counter-sniper. When his body was returned they decided to send in a team of counter-snipers. When they didn’t come back at all they sent in a whole goddamn battalion. They took casualties and couldn’t find him. Eventually they ordered an artillery strike, but to no avail. You see Häyhä was clever, and this was his neck of the woods. He dressed completely in white camouflage. He used a smaller rifle to suit his smaller frame (being 5ft3) increasing his accuracy. he used an iron sight to present the smallest possible target (a scoped sight would require the sniper to raise his head for sighting). He compacted the snow in front of the barrel, so as not to disturb it when he shot thus revealing his position. He also kept snow in his mouth so his breath did not condense and reveal where his was. Eventually however his was shot in the jaw by a stray bullet during combat on March 6 1940. He was picked up by his own soldiers who said half his head was missing. He didn’t die however and regained consciousness on the 13th, the day peace was declared.
Once again total kills…. 505 sniper + 200 submachine = 705 total Confirmed Kills…all in less that 100 days.
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Pegleg, you will LOVE the ending of "Time to Hunt" ;D
"Daddy's home!"
Best Hunter line ever!
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"Daddy's home!"
Best Hunter line ever!
I don't want to spoil anything by going into the context of that line but you may be right about it being the best line he has ever written ;D
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I don't want to spoil anything by going into the context of that line but you may be right about it being the best line he has ever written ;D
Hunter is (or was) a film critic by trade. You just know he wrote that line with the movie version in mind. ;D
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I'd love to see "Hot Springs" and "Havana" made into movies. ;D
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Excellant read.
I finished yesterday and gave it to a coworker who's a vet.
I bet him if he read the first chapter he would not put the book down.
If only life followed fiction. ;D
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Finished my copy. Good read but I always have that empty feeling of not knowing when or if another book will come along.
How long can old Bob keep going?
I think I have an idea for the next book. Please feel free to plagiarize.
"Incontinent Sniper II"
Bob Lee awoke. He lay perfectly still, a calmness that only a seasoned vet, a sniper could possibly have attained. Something was wrong. As Bob lay, listening for any sounds that didn't belong. He slowly looked around, realizing he was completly alone, the curse of the sniper.
It was then that he realized it had happened again. Sometime during the night someone had snuck into Bobs room and crapped in his pants. Who could it have been? Bob had many enemies, most of them in the ground. Bob slung himself into his wheelchair. Slowly Bob wheeled down the nursing home hallway, eyeballing Gertrude along the way. She was a $hitter. She could have done it. So many possibilities......
And so the story goes.
;D
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I'd like to see more stories about Earl, his Father, of course Bob Lee's daughter has been around guns all her life......
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I haven't read "Havana" yet. Been meaning to.
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It kind of picks up where "Hot Springs" left off. But the CIA guy is from "The Master Sniper", and Speshnev is from "The Spanish Gambit" both are very early books that do not involve any Swaggers and you are not missing any of the back story if you can't find them.
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I'd like to see more stories about Earl, his Father, of course Bob Lee's daughter has been around guns all her life......
I think we'll eventually see some Nicky books. In this last one, he set up several characters for possible spinoff books or series.
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It kind of picks up where "Hot Springs" left off. But the CIA guy is from "The Master Sniper", and Speshnev is from "The Spanish Gambit" both are very early books that do not involve any Swaggers and you are not missing any of the back story if you can't find them.
Agreed. Those two are the weakest Hunter books.
Have you read The Day Before Midnight? No Swaggers in it, but a ripping good yarn nonetheless.
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Yes, I read "Second Saladin" as well. I've been keeping an eye out for "Dirty White Boys" but have not found it yet, It isn't a Swagger book but gives the background for one of the Characters in "Black Light".
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Great interview with Hunter in the new issue of American Rifleman. And a hint that he'll be writing for them in the future! :D :D :D
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I've been keeping an eye out for "Dirty White Boys" but have not found it yet, It isn't a Swagger book but gives the background for one of the Characters in "Black Light".
The Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, OH, has several copies available.
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Thanks Don, I already made a deal with 1911 Junkie to swap my "The Master Sniper" for his "Dirty White Boys"
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Thanks Don, I already made a deal with 1911 Junkie to swap my "The Master Sniper" for his "Dirty White Boys"
Pending "rediscovery" of 1911's copy. :-[
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I gotta say, I picked up Point of Impact after watching "Shooter" and have been hooked on teh swagger characters since. To this date 47th Samurai is my favorite, even without the guns, with Havanna a close 2nd. This will be next for me as I have already started reading The Black Cross by Greg Iles. Its kinda lengthy and i dont get to read much, so it might be a while, but this is on my list now for sure.
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Hunter usually makes one groaner gun mistake in every book, but I didn't find one in this one (I WAS reading it fast, though). Closest I found was he made several references to "three ounce" trigger pulls on sniper rifles. That sounds light to me. I'd think one pound might be closer.
I don't have any experience with "pro" sniper rifles, but I have a Rem 700 with about a two-pound trigger on it and it's a little scary. Maybe I'm just used to heavier.
One thing that drives me crazy in movies/books are the mistakes concerning guns and such. That being said, "I, Sniper" has contained the fewest mistakes that Ive seen in a book/movie. The "three ounce" trigger pull is definetly a mistake. Ive never even heard of a benchrest shooters using a pull weight that ridiculously light. From most of my reading, 3 pounds would be more correct. Aside from that, the only other mistake that jumped out at my was the Anto Grogan character using a twist-type throttle on his Honda Foreman ATV(motorcycle throttle) when they use a thumb throttle. I realize thats getting extremely nit-picky, and i have to say i really enjoyed reading a book that was obviously meticulously researched. Im almost finished with the book and being is it is my first Stephen Hunter novel, it has definetly been an awesome read.
I guess being around guns my whole life has left me shaking my head at almost every action movie ive ever seen. The "Sniper" movie starring Tom Berringer was really hard to watch as u can tell the scenes and dialogue were written by someone with little or no knowledge of firearms. I hate to listen to the dialogue between Berringer's character and the other guy. Two characters that would have that level of firearms knowledge definetly wouldnt have to "over"-explain the ins and outs of shooting as they do. Of course Im sure thats more for the benefit of the audience as im sure a big percentage of them know very little of firearms or marksmanship.
+1 for Stephen Hunter!!!
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My wife wont watch movies with me because i pick apart anything wrong involving firearms, aviation, or cars....it makes her pretty angry.
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I haven't head anyone point out the Carl Hitchcock, the prime suspect in I, Sniper, and Carlos N. Hathcock II, the who's record matches Hitchcock's in the book.
Hathcock is included in the list of snipers linked to above.
As Hitchcock did in the book, Hathcock pulled seven other Marines from his burning vehicle and was severely burned, which ended his sniper career.
I have read much about Hathcock and have found nothing indicating he received royalties from any product or that he sold autographs; that would seem out of character for him. He refused the Silver Star for his actions in pulling his crew mates from the burning vehicle, stating anyone of us would have done it.
He did have a sniper rifle named in his honor, M25, I think, called White Feather, which was his trademark.
He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and died in 1999.
Sorry if this is common knowledge here, but wanted to present the legend behind the character in several of Hunter's books.
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I don't believe Ted Turner shoots in the cowboy fantasy leagues, either. (And a quick googling turned up no evidence that he does.)
It's called fiction for a reason. ;)
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pretty darned ticked off that I will now have to wait so long for another Swagger book. this me getting a book and taking 1 day to finish it is starting to get on my nerves..errrr mr hunter could you do 3 or 4 of these a year please ,,,,?
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I don't believe Ted Turner shoots in the cowboy fantasy leagues, either. (And a quick googling turned up no evidence that he does.)
It's called fiction for a reason. ;)
Snake, wasn't complaining about any inaccuracy in the story, just giving information about who was the real life person portrayed here.
And since so much of the real life person was used, I did wonder where fact and fiction ended, that is all.
I am familiar with Carlos Hathcock's history and some what of the last years of his life. I was just wondering if, indeed, he was more attention seeking than I had been aware of.
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Solus, My understanding is that he was a very private person who actively avoided attention and was somewhat embarrassed when it found him
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So I am 1/4 way through the book and am loving it. The author does mention that a book was written about Carl Hitchcock named Marine Sniper. This is correct.
I read Marine Sniper:93 Confirmed kills years ago. It is an excellent biography of Carlos Hathcocks time as a Marine sniper. It is authored by Chrles Henderson as best i can recollect off the top of my head, and a sequel to it called Silent Warrior is not quite as good, but contains some good stories as well. You guys should all read those.
As for I Sniper, Mr Hunter has done it again, captured my attention to the point that I spent 90% of my 12 hour shift reading (dont worry, my job includes doing absolutely nothing unless my pager goes off...im not a lazy a$$)