Techno Ranger: A Sam Harper Military Thriller

" Techno Ranger starts with a bang and only becomes even more hectic from there on out. The novel opens with 1LT Sam Harper jumping out of a Seahawk helicopter into the ocean and trying to escort a "High-Value Target" past the Ranger Reconnaissance Company laying in wait. His goal is to prove the worth of the eSurfboard that he has designed after promising WARCOM it would destroy their existing equipment's capabilities. After this nail-biting escapade, Sam ends up in Korea, courtesy of his CIA ex-girlfriend who has an agenda of her own. Sam is tasked with analyzing any security vulnerabilities in a government lab in Seoul but struggles with fitting in. A childhood spent in and out of foster homes has left him with a lot of guts and determination, but also means that he's not exactly a team player.xa0 This struggle to prove himself while not being able to completely trust in others is something that Sam deals with throughout the fast-paced story. It also lands him in a lot of hot water, but thankfully Sam is resourceful enough to deal with all the curveballs thrown at him.xa0Although Sam Harper is the protagonist of Techno Ranger, the story is also told from the perspective of other characters. These not only include Sam's allies, but also the "bad" guys, which include a North Korean general and the Special Forces lieutenant he sends into South Korea to steal nuclear technology. These diverse viewpoints not only serve as a great counterpoint to Sam's adventures but also makes it very clear how high the stakes are.xa0Techno Ranger is well written and moves along at a breakneck pace, which makes it easy to get caught up in the non-stop action. It also helps that Sam is a very likable protagonist and, despite his brilliance, he has plenty of flaws that make him more relatable. The author, Thomas Sewell, dedicated this novel to Tom Clancy, David Drake, and Robert Ludlum, and their influence definitely shines through in his work. However, Sam Harper is a great protagonist in his own right, and fans of Jack Ryan or Jason Bourne will enjoy his adventures as well. Techno Ranger features the usual amount of military jargon, but Sewell has an easy to read writing style that keeps the action flowing. He managed to come up with plenty of unique plot twists to keep readers invested and it is entertaining to see how Harper uses his brains instead of pure brawn to tackle the obstacles in his way.xa0Most of Techno Ranger is set in North and South Korea, but the tension is kept up throughout and there is never a dull moment for Sam. While the book is completely self-contained, it also sets things up perfectly for the future adventures of Sam Harper.Overall, Techno Ranger is a must-read for fans of military thrillers or anyone who simply enjoys action-packed, yet realistic stories. The author clearly knows his stuff when it comes to the genre and this riveting tale will leave you looking forward to the further adventures of Sam Harper." - Heinrich Bolton, ManyBooks Editorial Review The 75th Ranger Regiment is under-appreciated by the public compared to many of the other Spec Ops forces in the U.S. military. One of my goals going into Techno Ranger (and Ranger Selection ) was to give them a little more well-deserved credit and publicity for what they are, the premier direct-action military unit in the world.On the other hand, I didn't want to write a straight military fiction book, complete with all the true horrors of war and hyper-realistic unit combat. Those are great, I've read many of them, but I enjoy even more reading the individual efforts of heroes with deeply personal and nation-changing stakes.So I hoped to capture the flavor of the military, the bureaucracy, the life and death decision-making, but without wallowing in death and destruction and organizational fine points. Living in technology over the last few decades, I prefer accurate current & near-future technical details as well.It's the same in the spy thriller genre. Ludlum's Jason Bourne isn't like a real counter-espionage agent. That's more George Smiley from John le Carré. Bourne or Bond are a lot more fun to read about than real spies are, though.Part of the magic of fiction is to have more fun while reading. Accuracy is important, but so is excitement, exotic locations, insane plots, even crazier solutions, and getting inside the points of view of people with a sense of humor when looking around at the fictional world they live in.We can mostly leave out the horrifying parts, just like we mostly leave out the tedious parts. Imagine suffering through a book where the main character's every action was described in detail, right down to putting on deodorant in the morning and tying his shoes. (Sam does non-allergenic odorless and double bunny ears, for the record...)One reader wrote in a review of Hitchhiking Killer For Hire , "When the SHTF, you want Sam Harper on your side." I can live with that.-Thomas Sewell, May 2020