Military / Spy / War / Action Books

[Silent N Deadly 0]

I was just thinking that we should have a list with really cool books related to military and action themed genre. Everyone that wishes post a few books and why they deserve to be read.

One I like:

"Last Man Standing" by David Baldacci.

I like this one because it is really intense and non stop action. Very good book!

[iNeo 0]

David Baldacci is good. I've read his Absolute Power, Split Second and a third one I can't remember the title of, possibly Total Control.

[brgnorway 0]

I was just thinking that we should have a list with really cool books related to military and action themed genre. Everyone that wishes post a few books and why they deserve to be  read.

One I like:

"Last Man Standing" by David Baldacci.  

I like this one because it is really intense and non stop action. Very good book!

What's the Lancia Stratos doing in your signature mate?

[Silent N Deadly 0]

I was just thinking that we should have a list with really cool books related to military and action themed genre. Everyone that wishes post a few books and why they deserve to be  read.

One I like:

"Last Man Standing" by David Baldacci.  

I like this one because it is really intense and non stop action. Very good book!

What's the Lancia Stratos doing in your signature mate?

Im not sure what you mean...

@ iNeo: I am going to see if I can find anymore of his books. He's a good writer.

[The Frenchman 0]

Flanders by Patricia Anthony

[brgnorway 0]

Im not sure what you mean...

The car pictured in your signature is a Lancia Stratos!

It's not important apart from the fact that the car is very well thought of among us autophiles.

[MSpencer 0]

The Bear 'n the Dragon by Tom Clancy

Code Red by me. I'm just that great.

No ego either, can't you tell?

[bmgarcangel 0]

Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy

Note: By Far i think this has to be the best war book i've ever read in my entire life. War with the reds....if they made this into a movie without changing a thing....it would be the most awesome movie ever......more then 600 times better then any other movie made about war with the Russians...

Without Remorse by Tom Clancy

Note: If you like good war books that are realistic as hell and just plain old good storyline, read this book. Not to mention, remember Mr. Clark? Read to see where he came from......

The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy

Note: Amazing book....well, i'll just leave it at that!

[Akira 0]

All kinds I can think of.

A classic:

Team Yankee - I like the scene where the M1s are advancing faster than the Russian's can retreat. Intense and funny at the same time. If ya read it you know what I'm talkin' about.

[cozza 24]

Dark Winter Andy MacNab

Good book. I just finished it yesterday. the end is really sad

[Grizzlie 0]

Larry Bond - "Cauldron"

David Mason - "Shadow over Babylon" - outdated yet but still very good.

And of course all Clancys books about Mr. Ryan & Company

[WargamingNor 0]

Pretty much every Clancy book that's written.

(Although I was disappointed by his latest book "Teeth of the tiger" - Jack jr. doesen't convince me, too short and... well... not up to his usual standards...)

Personal favorites are:

-Red Storm Rising

-Rainbow Six

-The Bear and the Dragon

There are 2 books from Clancy that I haven't read yet - I'm in the middle of "The Cardinal of the Kremlin" right now, and after that it's "Without Remorse" waiting to be read.

Another favorite from older times, is a norwegian book (I don't remember the title). It's about a nuclear rocket from a defensebelt out in the sea off the northern norwegian coastline, that accidently gets launched and strikes a local community. The book deals with damagecontrol and the rising tensions between NATO and the Soviet Union - and ultimately ends in war... (sorry for the spoiler, but I think this book has only been released in Norway... or does someone recall this book?)

Another book I remember from my youth, was a huge 2 part book about the aftermaths of a nuclear war. It was kinda wild at times, the devil himself roamed the earth and supposedly started the war, and the president of the US ends up living in a cave after Airforce One gets shot down, etc... anyone remembers reading this book and its title? I found it entertaining at the time (could have been around 1987-1988 I read it).

I've also read many Alistair Maclean books, and many of his WWII books are great reading! (Where eagles dare, Guns of Navarone, Force 10 from Navarone, Partisans)

[MSpencer 0]

Oh yeah forgot Rainbow Six and Red Storm Rising.

[Placebo 29]

From my personal reading history the best "Spy" author is/was Robert Ludlum by a long distance

And yes I've read Clancy, they're enjoyable but you don't get sucked in like when reading a Ludlum

[Balschoiw 0]

Another author that I always liked is

John le Carre, a british spy novel writer.

[brgnorway 0]

Another author that I always liked is

John le Carre, a british spy novel writer.

Yes indeed! John Le CarrÄ is my favourite too - together with Graham Greene of course! "Our man in Havana" is hilarious. Also a good book if one want's to see the irony in the recent "hunt for false intel" .

[Silent N Deadly 0]

Air Force One - Max Allan Collins

Great plot, a bit too short (~200 pages) but a great book. Their is also a movie for this book.

[Gadger 0]

Favourite action book is Frederick Forsyth's Dog's of War.

Well I definetley didn't mean to delete all my post lol

[kavoven 4]

First the Tom Clancy Books of course, and then Patrick Robinson, I think his newest one is Scimatar SL 2

[Pathy 0]

Gadger the Bourne series were great, i read them WAAY before the films, but havent seen the films yet. As far as i remember the legacy was pretty good.  

I advise you all to read Holding the Zero by Gerald Seymour, one of my favourite war books of all time.  

Quote[/b] ]Publishers Write-Up

Gus Peake should have kept his job and stayed at home, but an old family debt of friendship draws him to the remote wastes of Northern Iraq and to a savage forgotten war between Kurdish guerrillas and Saddam Hussein's military strength.

To the brutal, no-quarter combat, Peake can bring the skills he has learned as a marksman. But there is no room for mistakes on the field of battle and he must quickly learn to deal out random death at long distance, and help the guerillas to reach their goal, the city of Kirkuk, the old capital of the Kurdish people.

From Baghdad, Iraq sends Major Karim Aziz, the most dedicated and professional sniper in Saddam's army. For both men their duel, from which only one can walk away, becomes an obsession. And it will only take one shot, echoing in the mountains and valleys, to settle the score…

[Gadger 0]

As far as i remember the legacy was pretty good.  

Sweet, just ordered on Amazon.

[WhoCares 0]

Are you just looking for novels or are you also interested in historical accounts?

If the latter, then you might check two threads of the "War in the Pacific"-Forum:

Thread one and thread two.

I can't suggest any of those as I haven't read them, but I ordered The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945 (John Toland); won the Pulitzer and got generally good ratings and reviews.

Notes:

1. Obviously, as the game covers WWII in the Pacific, the suggested books in those threads do so as well. You might check other games of a similar nature (wargames) which cover your theatre of interest for similar threads.

2. Wargames based on historical events tend to be a favorit playground for wannabe armchair generals and "hobby-historians" - take this into account when reading those suggestions.

[brgnorway 0]

For those of you that take great pleasure in books that evolves around the big issues in life as well as spying, war etc there are other great writers like John Le CarrÄ and Graham Greene. A writer really worth mentioning is Robert Wilson who is becoming my personal favourite of all writers.

Some of - if not the best books written by him:

"A Small Death in Lisbon"

"The Blind Man of Seville"

"The Company Of Strangers"

His books are not only very good litterature in the real sense - but they are sometimes hard to read as they include pure horror and shocking stories, good mysteries and moral dilemmas. Read his books and learn about the struggle of the fighting parties to get their hand on Portugals Wolfram, gold and smuggling, the spanish divisions fighting on the Russian front etc.

[4 IN 1 0]

"The Cardinal of the Kremlin" is a great story

[Guest]

It looks like you guys are all Clancy fan, where are the Frederick Forsyth fans? Am I the only one?  

You should read "Icon" by Forsyth. It's about the rise and fall of a new dictator in Russia. Jason Monk, ex-CIA agent, gets the task to prevent Igor Kamorov (probably another name) from taking over the power in Russia.

A great, great, great writer is Ken Follett. Read "Eye of the Needle". Thrilling.