I’m a fan of Stephen Hunter’s Bob Lee Swagger character, and I was excited to learn about Dead Zero a number of months before it was released. After finishing it this morning, I’m hoping Hunter writes more about the characters in this latest novel of his. It was interesting that Bob the Nailer doesn’t “nail” anyone in this book, at least not from behind a sniper system, but it was still an enjoyable read and I have liked seeing where Hunter takes Swagger as he ages. He’s not the same man who appeared in the first novels, nor can he do what he did when younger. To fill the gap of an almost superman sniper, Hunter does introduce another sniper that could easily be featured in a future book. Sure, there were parts where reality was stretched and certain conveniences allowed the plot to progress, but when it comes down to it, this was simply a fast paced action tale that furthered the story of the memorable sniper, Bob Lee Swagger.

You can nitpick about some of the things in the novel, but I don’t read this type of book for reality or as an educational text. I don’t go to action movies for anything other than escapism entertainment either. I like that he had the new sniper character shooting offhand, because when I used to teach at the 2nd Infantry Division Scout Sniper School, we used to practice shooting offhand at times. Now, we didn’t have the skills this superman sniper has, but it is a skill that was practiced. (We were not raising are sniper rifles and taking shots in blindingly fast “quick draw” fashion, but rather controlled shots from offhand position without being timed)

The book is fast paced with a lot of action. There are some parts that are predictable, and other twists that caught me off guard and surprised me a bit. Hunter does a great job of describing things, but at the same time, sometimes I wanted a bit more development of certain elements of the characters and plot. However, you only have so many pages to work with, so writing a novel is always give and take as to what you describe, what you leave out, and how much development each character and setting can have.

The bottom line is that I really enjoyed reading about Bob Lee Swagger again. I like the character, and I like Stephen Hunter, and this book did not disappoint in the least. It was a fun, action packed yarn, that entertained and allowed me to escape into Swagger’s world for a short time and root for the sniper heroes. For me, Dead Zero was Dead On.