Masters of war
In Paris, an elderly man is assassinated as he takes his morning walk. In the war-torn cities of Syria, government forces wage a bloody war against their own people. The Russians are propping up the government, the French are backing one rebel fraction and the British are backing another. And in north Africa, young SAS trooper Danny Black is coming to the end of a gruelling tour of duty, or so he thinks. Danny has a new mission. An MI6 agent needs to make contact with Syrian rebel forces, and also with the private military contractors who are - unofficially - training this rebel faction as it struggles to bring down their government and establish a new regime that will be favourable to British business interests.
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In Paris, an elderly man is assassinated as he takes his morning walk. Danny discovers a world where death is dispensed by the highest bidder and individuals will betray anybody if the price is right.
This was the first (ex SAS soldier) Chris Ryan book that I had read. I suspected before I started that it would be like an Andy McNab thriller. And I wasn't far wrong. It was fast paced and it manages to grip you right from the first page. The main difference I found between Ryan and McNab was Ryan increased the amount of crude graphic violence. Ryan's villains was also nastier and he ramped up weapon details and military tactics too. I never thought I would say this, but McNab was more of a literary read. In fact, at times Masters of War reads like a video game in book form. But saying that , I suspect there is a large dose of an uncomfortable truth in this tale. I'm sure governments must use ‘private military contractors' aka mercenaries to do their off the record jobs?
The title of the book itself refers to the politicians and high ranking officials who send soldiers into battle and let them take all the risks. SAS soldier Danny Black leads a small team accompanying an MI6 agent in in war-torn Syria. The depiction of the daily atrocities is uncomfortable, and very detailed. The mission (or so it seems) it to contact the rebel forces. As we learn the real reason for Black being there, things quickly turn pear-shaped.
My one criticism is that some of the characterisation is a little lazy. Upper class MI6 operatives have generic posh names: Oliver Carrington and Hugo Buckingham. Is MI6 really only staffed by students of Harrow or Eton? And who refer to people as ‘old sport'? But to be fair Ryan manages to portray a well rounded, strong female character, Médecins Sans Frontières doctor, Clara Macleod. He also tries to flesh out most characters, so you care about them when they inevitably die.
All in all, if you want a gory, action-packed thriller with lots of surprises then you can't go wrong with this. A decent novel from author who has first-hand experience of the reality of war. Who knows the corrupt greed of those looking to profit from it.
