The Master Sniper (original 1980; edición 1996)

Really weird sniper story. Weird mission, very weird kit. No likeable characters. I'll try another of his. ( )

Keep in mind this is Stephen Hunter's first novel, and the characters appear in this book only. But it is still better than most other thriller writers, and a crackling good read. It deals very realistically with real issues from WW2, which was really not that far away in terms of real history, so for those of you who are younger, read it and learn about what happened not so long ago. (p.s. the sniper technology used by the Germans in this book was a REAL item, and lead to the current generation of night scopes). Learn your history, so you can understand current events. The Serbia-Bosnia conflict was in many ways a final eddy of the evils and rivalries of 19th century Europe, WW1 and WW2. Over one hundred years of history and hatred does not disappear in one or 2 generations. ( )

I liked this better than the last book of his I read, "Havana" but not as well as the first Bob Lee Swagger book. This has nothing to do with the Swagger characters that I could see. Just a straight WWII yarn. The narrative is 3d person & from basically 2 separate POV's; a German sniper's & an American Intelligence man who is tracking him. I found the sniper's thought processes pretty well done - scarily so. His dedication, hatred & motivations seemed very real. Surprisingly, I didn't feel that way about the 'good guys'. I don't think they were as well portrayed. Hemingway makes another caricature appearance. Hunter doesn't seem to like him much. There was a lot of good action, some of it surprising, some sickening, all of it fairly realistic. It portrays the last days of the war pretty well, I think. I'm no expert, but it seemed right to me. All in all, it was an OK read, but I don't think I'll bother again. I'd give it 2.5 stars. ( )

This is a good read set primarily in Barcelona, Spain, during the Spanish Civil War that preceded WWII. Both Fascists and Communists struggle for politocal supremacy utilizing any and all methods within their grasp

Though far from my favorite Stephen Hunter book, the serpentine plot keeps the reader involved and turning pages. ( )

From Publishers Weekly:
"In the spring of 1945, Lieutenant-Colonel Repp, the titular sharpshooter of this compelling thriller, has been charged by his Nazi superiors in the collapsing Third Reich to commit a particularly despicable assassination. Aided by the deadly creativity of German military engineering, Repp, a cold-blooded killer, hones his skills on hapless death camp inmates before embarking on his mission, which will imprint the dark ideals of Nazism on the postwar world. It falls to Jim Leets, an American small-arms intelligence agent, to unravel the mystery of Repp's new weaponry and sinister assignment. With his fully realized characters, from the depressed but determined sleuth Leets to the ruthlessly dutiful Repp, Hunter has crafted an engrossing and vividly written tale that touches on the nascent Zionist movement and Allied indifference to the Holocaust on its intriguing path to a tense and satisfying climax."

Not bad, but not his best. If you like this kind of novel, start with "Point of Impact" - I could just not put it down. Fast-paced, action-packed, great entertainment. "Master Sniper" is still good, but a far cry from "Impact". Plus I did not really develop much interest in the story line. Bob Lee Swagger, the hero in his other novels, is a lot more fun... ( )