![]() The Global War on Terror has ensured us ample practice, sharpening our skills in the hunting and killing of man. And, I have been the hunted, caught in an ambush in the Al-Rashid District of Baghdad at the height of the war. I have been the hunter, building target packages and developing patterns of life on our targeted individuals, using disassociated human intelligence networks corroborated by technical means to ensure we were taking the right player off the board before launching on a mission to capture or kill them. On the battlefield, I witnessed the best and worst of humanity. When I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle.” Warriors can relate. Is it the guilt of no longer being in the fight? Not standing shoulder to shoulder with brothers in arms? Or is it missing the sense of belonging that only comes from being part of a team that has spilt blood in war?Or is it something darker? Is it because of the kill? Is it because that is the only place one can truly feel alive? Martin Sheen’s line from Apocalypse Now, the movie my BUD/S class watched before going into Hell Week, rings true for those who have answered the call: “When I was here, I wanted to be there. Much like the hunter, deep in the backcountry, often thinks of his family by the hearth, so too the warrior on the distant battlefield longs for a homecoming.Similarly, when they return home, the hunter dreams of going back to the woods, just as the warrior yearns for battle. The reason each and every one of us is alive today is the martial prowess and hunting abilities of our ancestors. ![]() Those who picked up a spear to defend the tribe were the same ones who used that spear to provide food for their families. Similar tactics are used to hunt both man and beast. The same tools developed to defeat rivals in combat are analogous to those used in the quest for sustenance. Throughout most of human history, defeating an enemy in battle led to the survival of the tribe and the continuation of the bloodline. Death begets life, and in defense of oneself, one’s family, one’s tribe, or one’s country, killing is often a part of the equation. Is James Reece a warrior, a hunter, a killer? Perhaps all three? I needed to develop him through a journey, first of revenge and then of redemption, before I could explore the dark side of man through the medium of the modern political thriller. For that first outing, I knew my protagonist was not yet ready for what I had in store. The plot for Savage Son was among several of the storylines I was contemplating as I decided how to introduce the world to James Reece. As I prepared to leave the SEAL Teams, I laid out all my ideas for what was to become my first novel, The Terminal List. Perhaps that is why “The Most Dangerous Game” resonated with me at such an early age, or maybe those primal impulses are in all of us, which is why Richard Connell’s narrative continues to endure almost a century after it was first published.įast-forward thirty years. Providing for and defending my family and country are hardwired into my DNA. Upon that initial reading, I was determined to one day write a modern thriller that paid tribute to this classic tale, exploring the dynamic between hunter and hunted. Connell, a veteran of World War I, published his most celebrated short story in Collier’s Weekly in 1924. I was first introduced to Richard Connell’s masterpiece, “The Most Dangerous Game,” in junior high school. It is the feelings and emotions from those most primal of endeavors that form the foundation of Savage Son. Experiences in combat and in the backcountry helped shape me into the citizen, husband, father and writer I am today. I was, and remain, a student of war and of the hunt.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |