Matt McAvoy Book Review

I’ve read and helped out on several books from this author now, and all are tagged as “Rob and Tex” adventures.  Still, set over thirty years later than Bullets and Bandages, Rob Marrino is now once again a young man, and part of a Special Forces unit sent to fight the Taliban in Iraq, following the 2001 World Trade Center attack.  And, why not?  This is fiction; if James Bond and Jack Ryan can transcend time and generational progress, there is no reason why Rob and Tex can’t, too. 

In many ways this instalment is written far better than its predecessors (prequels?), as Saniscalchi appears to have improved considerably as an author, maturing with each new title, as we all do.  Another simple, entertaining and thought-provoking tale; when Robert doesn't complicate his plots, his writing is like a shot of coffee: it does what it sets out to - which in this case is to celebrate the patriotism, togetherness and resilience of the American people, and wreak righteous revenge on the monsters who slaughtered them in 9/11.  There is a nice, easy pace to this simple tale of terrorists and a desert mission to hunt them, and that is when Robert is at his best.  I stormed through the book and its mission in one night – much like those guys in the desert.

You feel this is a very personal book for Saniscalchi.  The language is emotive and subjective throughout, both on the part of the author and the characters, as the anger, disbelief and nauseous realization of man’s propensity to inhumanity are perused over and over.  Saniscalchi reminds us unambiguously of the way we all lost our innocence that day, and how the sadness at this loss has lingered in the background ever since.  But Western society’s success is rooted in its resilience, and he wittingly turns this despair into channelled purpose, as Freedom’s Light is fundamentally a celebration of the brave U.S. forces, for whom this author undoubtedly has nothing but the utmost respect and pride.  Back-slapping and air-punching fill this book, with lots of talk about “payback” and “kicking terrorist butt” – and, when eradicating the scum of the Earth, I agree with Robert that these men deserve to feel good about themselves.