The Ranger

Jason Kasper is a guy with a gift for writing. His ability to craft words into captivating, intriguing, highly readable prose is beyond that of many of the popular writers out there. And his creativity, his ability to think up unique stories with unpredictable turns and eminent readability is again at the top of the heap. His first book, Greatest Enemy, was an astonishing work, especially as a first novel. It had the power to actually make you like and root for a guy who, in effect, went from being a decorated soldier to an alcoholic, suicidal criminal and murderer. I am not sure anyone would like to be in David Rivers position, but the authors ability to write compels you to invest yourself in the story and hope that Rivers survives and continues to pursue his new, deadly occupation.

This short story, however, is a let-down. What it amounts to is in essence what should have been a single chapter from any of the four full size books in the series. The high level prose, full of striking, memorable descriptions of scenery and action, and a sense of immediacy found only in the writing of accomplished writers, is still present in abundance. But the story really shows nothing of how David morphed into what he is today.

It opens with David reflecting on his recent past, in which he entered the Army and became a Ranger following the terrorist attack in 2001. The story then transitions (so abruptly that you wonder whether the publisher made a mistake) to a scene in which he is on a patrol with his Ranger teammates in Afghanistan. The group comes under fire, David runs off and takes care of business, and thats it. The whole thing is twenty-some pages (the second half of the book is an excerpt from Greatest Enemy) and actually reveals nothing of why he is the way he is, only how he behaves when he sees his first real combat action.

What we learn about David is that he is brash, brave to the point of recklessness, perhaps is missing something from his soul, and possesses such a case of initiative that when under pressure he ignores orders. The story ends immediately when David neutralizes the threat, but what should have followed, what would have actually explained what caused him to embark on his destructive, perhaps nihilistic course, would be a chapter explaining what happened next. No doubt he would have received a glorious dressing-down and reprimand for deviating from the orders of his superiors. I suspect that a chapter detailing the consequences of the actions in that scene would have been far more telling about his future prospects than that single episode, which could have been appended to any of the previous four books in Kaspers series.

The Ranger Objective smells like a commercial for the series that the reader must pay for to view but which tells us very little that we could not ascertain by reading the first real book.

Jason Kasper is a great storyteller! This prequel to the David Rivers series takes place on the one-year anniversary of 9/11. It is a glimpse at David Rivers as a young Army Ranger on patrol in Afghanistan.

The story is an action-packed quick read! Readers learn a little about who David Rivers was before he became an assassin. THE RANGER OBJECTIVE shows David’s propensity for getting the job done his way…

AfterThought: I am a huge fan and looking forward to the next book!

Author Jason Kasper writes dynamic action thrillers…every time. The short story, The Ranger Objective, gives the reader a peek at a younger David Rivers. Combat, conflicts…the struggles and hostilities of war never let up. The character never gives up. The Ranger Objective, is an incredible story.

I always enjoy reading a story about How the protagonist became the bad-azz operative. David Rivers is heading out on his early deployments as an infantryman. He is learning the ropes, the fighting skills he will need to stay alive, complete his mission and help his unit brothers survive. He does a pretty impressive job, fresh out of the gate.

This was a good explanation in a very short story on how David Rivers got his start in the U.S. Armys Rangers serving as a machine gunners ammo bearer. In this story he shows his unwavering fearlessness going after a Chechen sniper on his own.

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