Following up on Books for Gun Guys in last Tuesday’s edition of The Outdoor Wire, here are a few more book recommendations for your favorite gun nerd. Order now, and you should have that new read wrapped and under the tree in plenty of time.
Once again, in no particular order but starting off with a very recognizable author…
Julie Golob
From a name you probably already know, and an author you may have met before, check out Julie Golob’s book Shoot: Your Guide to Shooting and Competition (Amazon). I have a copy—stashed away somewhere among the books I kept when I last moved—which is signed by Julie.
Julie’s kind of an expert—if her many shooting titles and trophies are any indication—so if you’re planning to jump into shooting in a more serious way, her book is a good one to grab. Pro Tip: If you’re attending one of the big trade shows, like SHOT Show or the NRA Show, you might want to bring it along and get your copy signed. Julie’s really cool about that.
Another book, especially for those of you that are parents, is Julie’s Toys, Tools, Guns & Rules: A Children's Book About Gun Safety (Amazon). From the description: ‘Toys, Tools, Guns & Rules helps parents break the ice with kids about this taboo topic by comparing firearms to other potentially dangerous adult tools. Colorful illustrations help guide children as they learn about firearms, how they work, and who uses them.’
Julie was introduced to shooting by her father, and as a mother has passed that tradition on to her daughters, so she knows what she writes about. Dads looking to raise their kids to be hunters and shooters can be assured that a wary mom may be less so knowing you’re trusting Julie to help educate them through her book.
Ryan M. Cleckner
Ryan Cleckner’s book Long Range Shooting Handbook: The Complete Beginner's Guide to Precision Rifle Shooting (Amazon) was recommended to me by Michael Bane when we got to talking about my interest in the dark arts of distance shooting.
There is great complexity in shooting at distance—and doing it well. Sure, you could teach yourself if you have enough time or are preternaturally inclined to the way of the rifle, but unless your nickname is Bob Lee, you might want a little help climbing that particular learning curve.
James Tarr
James Tarr is another author you are probably familiar with if you’ve read a lot of gun magazines over the years. Besides reviewing the latest firearms, Tarr is also a novelist—and a pretty good one at that.
He’s written several books, but his novel Bestiarii (Echoes of Pangaea) (Amazon) is one that Michael Bane recommended to me, noting that in it ‘he wrote a dinosaur book that isn’t about the dinosaurs.’
One Goodreads reviewer said of Bestiarii, “This is a story of people and their trials in a harsh land of man-eating monsters and heartless rebels. I loved the characters, the plot is well executed, and the author's writing style is so vivid that I can easily picture each scene in my mind.”
Another called it ‘a masterful work of storytelling.’ If you only know James Tarr for his gun magazine articles, don’t sleep on his fiction writing, and maybe follow Bane’s suggestion and start with the book about a Mexican civil war, U.S.-backed private contractors, a hunting trip gone wrong, and—well—dinosaurs..
Victor Gischler
As with many of the best books I’ve read, I had never heard of author Victor Gischler, but when Michael Bane told me to add Gun Monkeys (Amazon) to my reading list, I soon found out why I trust his recommendations.
Gun Monkeys has one of the best opening lines: “I turned the Chrysler onto the Florida Turnpike with Rollo Kramer's headless body in the trunk, and all the time I'm thinking I should've put some plastic down.” How do you not fall in love with a book that starts like that?
While Gun Monkeys is my favorite of Gischler’s books, Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse (Amazon) is a close and well-deserved second. It’s a post-societal-collapse and rebuild story with colorful characters like Joey Armageddon and great storytelling. If you are a fan of Jack Daniels, there is a fantastic rewrite of the famous brand’s story from its bottle label that I think you’ll really enjoy.
Boston Teran
God Is a Bullet (Amazon) by Boston Teran is a horrifying look at the underbelly of an ugly California culture, featuring a satanic cult that kidnaps a fourteen-year-old girl. Her father, a small-town cop, sets out on a desperate mission to find her.
Boston Teran, who has been nominated or won over 17 awards, is an Edgar Award winner for Best First Novel. In 2023, God is a Bullet made it to the big screen, though like most film versions of good novels, it pales in comparison.
Marc Cameron
Finally, a late entry from the friends-with-recommendations list. John Richardson of the No Lawyers - Only Guns and Money blog reached out after reading last week’s feature and suggested author Marc Cameron.
John reminded me that Cameron, like Andrews and Wilson, has written titles in the ongoing Tom Clancy - Jack Ryan series, and noted that his Arliss Cutter series (Amazon) deserves a place on this list. The series follows Deputy U.S. Marshal Arliss Cutter. When it comes to tracking someone down—or taking someone out—Cutter’s the best, but his newest assignment takes him far out of his comfort zone to southeast Alaska. There are currently eight books in the series.
Cameron’s other protagonist is Jericho Quinn, a USAF Special Investigations Officer. He’s an Air Force veteran, champion boxer, trained assassin, and hand-picked for a new global task force that, officially, does not exist. Quinn answers only to the Director of National Intelligence and the US President himself. This series (Amazon) also features eight books.
— Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network
