Sick of the Rogue Warrior

G

George Hill

Staff Alumnus
Okay - time for a another Kodiac Rant.
I just finished (took all of about two hours) the Latest book in the Rogue Warrior series.
At first I found Dick's books rather refreashing - low brow knuckle dragging action.
This last book... Was a SITCOM - and that isnt a milspec acronym.

Okay - we all know he was convicted of a felony... I dont think he can legally own a gun. If thats true - then we can all show some sympathy. If not - well - then cool. I wouldnt mind going shooting with the man.
But his books... have become TIRED.
In his latest he takes on Chinese evil persons... Okay - with the China Gate thing, its rather timely. But...
He writes himself in the story as CLOWN. Sorry, Dick. Look - stay on your feet. You fall over and off of things and into things so often - You drink that Sea Water you swim in? Your the clumsiest charicter in fiction next to "HERO" from "A Funny thing happened on the way to the Forum"!

Your stories are clever - But you make huge jumps of logic and your charicters are way too stereotyped. Here is an idea for you. Read some Tom Clancy books... See, his charicters can be fallible and not look like they are wearing Mc Donald's shoes.

Still... It was a fun and fast read. Light and airy... But I dont think I will bother with another.

When's the next Clancy coming out?


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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
We, the people, are tired of being taxed, penalized, supervised, harassed,
and subjugated by a federal government which exceeds the powers
enumerated in the U.S. Constitution.
 
If you knew Dick and the situation of his trial you would have some what of different feeling about him. As for his legal problems , I testified on his behalf at both his trials and can say with authority that he was railroaded all the way! Not just an opinion but a fact. I was there and know it first hand . That being said I will say that when he walked out of jail he was broke flat. His first three books were factual. The last were written to keep the cash flow going. As for his qualifications, He was the foremost authority on terrorism in this country. I spent a life time in the military and I never knew a man who commanded as much resect from his men as Dick did. There wasn't a man in 6 who wouldn't have followed him through the gates of hell. It is a shame that the system can take a Maverick like Dick who gave his life for his country and take his citizenship away from him because he stepped on too many toes to get the job done.
 
Gale - I understand full well what happened to him even if I wasnt at the trial. I respect him for what he gave up for all of us.
Railroaded is a nice way of describing what happened to him.
But my opinion of his latest works still stand. He has been there and done that - but his books have gotten cheesy. He should stick to the real salty stuff - true stories.
I am sure he has many many more that are worth reading.
By the way - I own all his books, hard cover, including his business books.
I like Dick Marcinko... but the Rogue Warrior line has gotten tired as I said before.
 
George, I hope the next Clancy is better than the last one...

CMOS


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GOA, TSRA, LEAA, NRA, SAF and I vote!
 
His last books have to have been written by the ghost writer that helped him with the first ones. I still buy them but haven't read any of the fiction books as they are just pulp. Since the rest of the group doesn't know the full story I will add a line to my previous post. Dick had an ongoing feud with the admiral in charge of NIS. It went way back and they each hated each other. There was a contract fraud case with two ex navy personnel One a ex commander and one was an ex Seal team 6 chief. They started a company to provide equip. . to Spec War and were dirty. When NIS took the Seal team guy down he made a deal with them to roll over to get off. The Admiral saw his chance and used their false testimony to even an old score. As it was a manufacturer of grenades and Dick who went to jail and the two guilty people walked.
 
George -
Just a matter of keeping things in perspective. The first one was the clear facts, the next two were fictional retellings of real events (only way to present secrets without revealing sensitive points that are largely irrelevant to the audience). Yes, the ones that follow are pulp; they're just a fun, fast, formula, pulpish read. Just don't confuse the latter with the former.

Gale -
Nice to see one of Dick's colleagues here! We just keep discovering new & nifty things about TFL members.
 
I was honored to met the man at a book signing here in Indianapolis. Personally I can see why he may not be as graceful as a ballerina, big man, big feet. And as he might say "Sh$t happens, Mr. Murphy, doom on you." Please take that with all the sarcasm I mean it with. ;)

I've read all his books and enjoyed each for what it was. Glad to know the first three were based on true facts. The action novels, while maybe not the best, have the grityness of reality which I love.

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Peace through superior firepower...
Keith

If the 2nd is antiquated, what will happen to the rest.
"the right to keep and bear arms."
 
All I can say is......look at my nickname......(no not a seal.....just an admirer).......read all the books.....love all of 'em.

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Star Trek nerd and proud of it
 
Haven't read any, will buy some now that I have learned a few things about them. Thanks George and Gale.

Waiting or another ROSS book.

Frog6 I got the same kinda name except I really am a KOMMANDO......the arm chair kind.
 
Sorry guy, but not everyone is a ballerina at all times, and stuff does have a way of jumping out at you when you are stressed. I haven't read his latest, but I don't find him being a clumsy, ungraceful, non-agile lumbering ox to be unbelieveable at all. You don't have to be great all the time, you just have to be good enough when it really counts.

I'll echo the other comments where the books are pulp and getting cliched, but I'll still read them because I can't get enough of this style of military fiction. Probably what keeps me coming back to the David Drake books as well...

Anyhow, he has my respect for what he's done for the country and my sympathy for what happened, and I'm not going to fault him for keeping food coming onto the table. There are a lot of worse ways to do it, right?

Spark

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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com
www.bladeforums.com
 
If you have not read his latest...
I cant remember all the times, but i'll try:

1. Falls into a pallet on board a plane.
2. Falls down some stairs.
3. Falls down a ditch.
4. 3 Jams with his MP5?
5. Slides around in the back seat of a car smacking his head on things.
6. etc

There was others too.
If his Ghost writer wrote this - I thing he was getting Dick back for something. Obvious Punishment.

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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
We, the people, are tired of being taxed, penalized, supervised, harassed,
and subjugated by a federal government which exceeds the powers
enumerated in the U.S. Constitution.
 
No offense intended, but what is your point?? I've had weekends that were just as worse, and I wasn't under stress or fire. :-) "the best laid plans of mice and men..."

It was a great read for me, and topical with all the China-gate stuff happening, even more so now than ever before. I think Dicks comments to me when I asked him about that were something to the effect of "You cant change their history, they will be a thorn in our sides for a long time, the current admin. doesn't understand what they've gotten into."

HAMMERS SLAMMERS, great sci-fi. Wish they had a true-to-book game based on it. A high-budget movie would be better (but not another Starship Troopers, a good bad movie, but the books were so much better.)

[This message has been edited by KAM_Indianapolis (edited December 21, 1999).]
 
Had the pleasure of meeting Dickie and his ever present side kick Stevie Wonder, at a
C.T. training expo a couple of years ago in Atlanta, GA.

Great guys both of them. Went to Dickie's class and then to his book signing and a few beers.

As for his books, I agree the last left something to be really desired, but alass I still liked it well enough.

Good men that will do the work that he did are hard to find. Wished we had more of them.

Regards,

Highpower1

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No King is saved by the size of his army, No warrior excapes by his great strength alone.
 
My glasses are rose-colored regarding Mr. Marcinko. I read the first two books and the business book. Great reads all. Notice, though, that with the first two books Marcinko lays the foundation of a formula military story; formula fiction is nothing new, and neither is pulp fiction (pulp military, etc., etc.).

I like Marcinko for one reason:

TCB, baby, TCB.

I also admire him as a man versed in strategic treatises, notably The Art of War and Book of Five Rings. His take on combat has roots in those texts, and it's good to see a modern-day warrior pay a nod to the old books.

Maybe I'll leave the other books alone. Haven't felt the inclination to pick anymore up. I did learn lessons about training like you want to live, not assuming, being creative in a confining system. Hats off and a salute to Mr. Marcinko.

Gale McMillan, a nod to you.

[This message has been edited by Johnny Got His Gun.1 (edited December 21, 1999).]
 
Here's a thought: Dick's getting kind of "old" right? How much longer can we expect someone in there sixties to go full tilt?

Clancy he ain't. Nor do I believe did he ever profess to be. The autobiography was great. "Red Cell" was good, and they do go down from there.

Still it's a decent no energy read that takes what about 3-4 hours tops.

BTW was nice to see him put Names to Faces with the "Real Team" book.

Gator

Please no flames on the age remark. I know a few in their sixties that could whip my arse, my father being the first.


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Root Hog or Die Poor
 
Gale,
I learned ALOT from the Rogue Warrior series.
Sometimes Dick does get a little goofy in the books, but overall, I really enjoy them.

If you still have contact with Marcinko... pass a message along? I would LOVE to see him do a book along the lines of:

The Art of War... the modern version from a Navy Seal ... or something along those lines.

I sent him and his ghost writer an e-mail a while back about this. The man is a WEALTH of knowledge and I'd love to see some non-fiction books come from him.

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Stand against evil, lest evil have its way...
 
Just an observation on life in general and not a flame on Rogue Warrior Dick Marchinko.

After a while, every artist loses their creative edge. The originality of the first works are rarely matched in subsequent ones. Writers can loose steam and soon there is nothing fresh or surprising to be discovered. The same may be said of musicians. After a while, you'll get to know the composer's style and you can distinguish Tchaikovsky from Beethoven from Handel.

The same may be said of gun designers (John Browning being an exception). Some designers come up with a good idea, but rarely deviate from it. Kalashnikov developed an excellant battle rifle, but every subsequent design was still a Kalashnikov. Maybe with a few modifications and improvements, but the heart of the action remained Kalashnikov. The AK, like the M16, probably can't be developed any further. Sure you can change the sights and the materials used in fabrication (or the fabrication technique), but it's still an AK or M16.

Few folks can sustain that creative energy and formulate permutations or new developments which are continually at the cutting edge. Some plow away and somethings do and should receive their due credit.

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt
 
Clancy I think has lost some of that edge. Rainbow Six an exception.

Stephan Coonts is up and Down...
Dale Brown too.
Harold Coyle is great if your a ground pounder at heart. His stuff has gotten better but - hasnt written since Ten Thousand... that I am aware of.

I met Coyle and Clancy at VMI - Coyle looks alot like what you would think. Been there done that kinda look. Clancy, while a great writer - comes off looking more Pro-VIP guest to neat places but has never Done That. And in fact he hasnt done any of that. Has he ever even fired an weapon? Still - awesome writer. I talked to both at length. Coyle didnt have supierior attitude Clancy had.
Coyle is one of the coolest writers I have ever met.

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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
 
I learned a bit from Red Cell and Green Team--his opinion on the HK USP further influenced me to go ahead and buy one (I alreaady had it in mind, did the research, handled the gun, but Marcinko's "expert opinion" clinched it for me).

Agreed on the David Drake remark--his approach to AFV design came straight out of his experiences in the field. I like it when vets like that share things out of their own experience, even if only in a fictional work.

jth

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"And a Cartridge in a Bare Tree..."
 
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