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Enemy Combatant
A young girl with a traumatic childhood finds a home in the US Army. But her commitment to the Army goes beyond the norm, and her life spins off into uncharted territory.
Based on an award winning movie script of the same name (1st place - Terror Film Festival), this novel delves into the mind of a woman who has been fashioned into a weapon.
Based on an award winning movie script of the same name (1st place - Terror Film Festival), this novel delves into the mind of a woman who has been fashioned into a weapon.
190 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 2, 2014
I tend to be attracted to beauty and all things feminine, and the titles I read reflect that. I read poetry, vegan cookbooks, and women's fiction; never in a million years would I ever imagine myself gravitating towards political fiction, and certainly not books pertaining to military life and combat in Iraq. The violence, strategic missions and men's comradery existing between soldiers that have experienced combat together are lost on me. I see them as irrelevant in my own life, and frankly, boring.
I received a review copy of Enemy Combatant, and was attracted to it immediately because of its stunning cover art. I briefly skimmed the back face of the oversized paperback I held in my hand, looking for clues as to its content, but none were forthcoming. I was intrigued by more artful photography and the question, "Is she saving our country or destroying it?" I began to read.
Ron Albury's newly self-published novel,Enemy Combatant, begins in the unwinding of anti-terrorist agent, Samantha's, past self. As one of two siblings of a single mother, Samantha and her sister, Chris, live in shadows and silence, young girls whittled down into one, invisible presence trying to stay out of striking range of their drunken mother. One month to the day after 9/11, Chris is removed from the home and placed in state care following a brutal beating, and Samantha is left on her own, spending her days aimlessly wandering and contemplating suicide.
Samantha joins the military not to begin a new life, but to bring meaning to her death. What she discovers in basic training, however, is a level playing field with the other recruits, in which she was no longer identified as "the daughter of a drunken whore" or assigned temporary value based on her skills under the bleachers and on her knees.. Her former identity is stripped of her, and along with it, the inhibitions that kept her a prisoner of her low birth. She gives herself, willingly and in entirety, to the army, and is formed into a human weapon of worth and authentic, earned value.
The chain of events that followed were inhumanly brutal, and depicted with such a graphic, brutal telling that I found it difficult to continue.
With heart-rendering determination, Samantha resolves to adhere to the sense of purpose she's gained from her time serving our country, despite experiencing repeated disfiguring assaults. The decisiveness in which she remains intently focused on her role in eradicating terrorism was truly humbling and fostered in me a sense of gratitude for those who've served in the armed forces that I'd never before experienced a personal level. I can truly say with all honesty, that only halfway into this novel, the story within had changed me.
After her mission was ambushed, Samantha leaves Iraq worse for the wear and returns to the States. Struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), she is refused disability and her medical needs go unmet as she slips between the cracks. As powerful and intelligently written as I found Enemy Combatant to this point, I was unprepared for the character, Samantha's, continued battle on the homefront, where the badly disjointed crucible between nightmarish reality and the clarity of delusion exclude her from any other but the mission; to protect homeland security by any means possible.
***As a note, the author of this book,Ron Albury, has pledged to commit 50% of his own royalties from Enemy Combatant to benefit Iraq Veteran charities. It is available through Amazon in both Kindle and paperback, and is very reasonably priced. This title will challenge your perceptions and stay with you for days after you've read the last pages. Please consider making the small investment to purchase this book and to help vets.
http://www.amazon.com/Enemy-Combatant...
A physical copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author for purposes of review. To read my complete review, go to http://nakedconsciousness.weebly.com/...
I received a review copy of Enemy Combatant, and was attracted to it immediately because of its stunning cover art. I briefly skimmed the back face of the oversized paperback I held in my hand, looking for clues as to its content, but none were forthcoming. I was intrigued by more artful photography and the question, "Is she saving our country or destroying it?" I began to read.
Ron Albury's newly self-published novel,Enemy Combatant, begins in the unwinding of anti-terrorist agent, Samantha's, past self. As one of two siblings of a single mother, Samantha and her sister, Chris, live in shadows and silence, young girls whittled down into one, invisible presence trying to stay out of striking range of their drunken mother. One month to the day after 9/11, Chris is removed from the home and placed in state care following a brutal beating, and Samantha is left on her own, spending her days aimlessly wandering and contemplating suicide.
Samantha joins the military not to begin a new life, but to bring meaning to her death. What she discovers in basic training, however, is a level playing field with the other recruits, in which she was no longer identified as "the daughter of a drunken whore" or assigned temporary value based on her skills under the bleachers and on her knees.. Her former identity is stripped of her, and along with it, the inhibitions that kept her a prisoner of her low birth. She gives herself, willingly and in entirety, to the army, and is formed into a human weapon of worth and authentic, earned value.
The chain of events that followed were inhumanly brutal, and depicted with such a graphic, brutal telling that I found it difficult to continue.
With heart-rendering determination, Samantha resolves to adhere to the sense of purpose she's gained from her time serving our country, despite experiencing repeated disfiguring assaults. The decisiveness in which she remains intently focused on her role in eradicating terrorism was truly humbling and fostered in me a sense of gratitude for those who've served in the armed forces that I'd never before experienced a personal level. I can truly say with all honesty, that only halfway into this novel, the story within had changed me.
After her mission was ambushed, Samantha leaves Iraq worse for the wear and returns to the States. Struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), she is refused disability and her medical needs go unmet as she slips between the cracks. As powerful and intelligently written as I found Enemy Combatant to this point, I was unprepared for the character, Samantha's, continued battle on the homefront, where the badly disjointed crucible between nightmarish reality and the clarity of delusion exclude her from any other but the mission; to protect homeland security by any means possible.
***As a note, the author of this book,Ron Albury, has pledged to commit 50% of his own royalties from Enemy Combatant to benefit Iraq Veteran charities. It is available through Amazon in both Kindle and paperback, and is very reasonably priced. This title will challenge your perceptions and stay with you for days after you've read the last pages. Please consider making the small investment to purchase this book and to help vets.
http://www.amazon.com/Enemy-Combatant...
A physical copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author for purposes of review. To read my complete review, go to http://nakedconsciousness.weebly.com/...
January 21, 2014
Samantha is an amazingly strong character who goes through hell throughout this book. This book will make you think, and will get under your skin. This book is very difficult to read at times. It is violent and brutally graphic. It is a must read for every American to understand and realize that freedom isn't free. You may not pay for it yourself but there are others who gladly pay it for you.
It is hard to know who to recommend this book to because of the subject matter. It is a hard book to read but it is worth it. I would just suggest using your own common sense you know what you can take.
I won this book through goodreads.
It is hard to know who to recommend this book to because of the subject matter. It is a hard book to read but it is worth it. I would just suggest using your own common sense you know what you can take.
I won this book through goodreads.
January 12, 2014
A strange but good book. I did not get the full implications of the stories until after I finished reading and thought about it. It is very hard to talk about the affects of this book had on me without using spoilers, which I will not do. Suffice to say that I will re-read this book at a later time, more slowly. Everyone should read this book, very informative.
February 8, 2014
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Loved this book at times, but hated some of the things that happen to Sam too! Poor girl. Want to rant about some of the injustice but don't want to ruin this book for someone that has not read it. Could be a sequel...will be watching for more....
January 13, 2014
I loved the various perspectives! I found it very interesting and moving. Definite thumbs up.
September 23, 2022
Major trigger warnings for rape, violence, domestic abuse, etc.
I absolutely loved this book. The origins of mental abuse trace an eerie path with twists and turns with heartbreak and tension. The audience in our colleges wouldn’t handle the darkness and path this book takes but I think this story teaches a lot.
I absolutely loved this book. The origins of mental abuse trace an eerie path with twists and turns with heartbreak and tension. The audience in our colleges wouldn’t handle the darkness and path this book takes but I think this story teaches a lot.
September 17, 2015
As an Army veteran, I could easily relate to most of the events, characters and emotional impacts of this book. I quickly developed a strong sympathy and empathy with and for Samantha. While the book could use some editing, there were no cases whereby a grammar error, typo or plot disconnect threw me out of the story. It was a quick, edge of your seat read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The psychological condition of Samantha through several horrifying, life-changing events naturally contributed to how easily and thoroughly she became brainwashed upon entering the Army. Her warrior instincts and will to survive were extremely well described. Her subsequent descent into a near robotic condition of sociopathic action, decidedly linked to PTSD was heartbreaking. Underlying all of this is a true-to-life storyline that pits a good detective against a rogue government agent. The agents concepts of what constitutes terrorist activity is all out of whack. Unfortunately for Samantha (now known as Jennifer), this man is also her controller. His bent ideas further push Samantha to extremes, even to the extent of torturing and eliminating non-terrorists. This part of the story has an almost ‘Gestapo SS’ feel to it, and that’s scary!
An excellent story, relatively well written that I would recommend to all mature readers who enjoy military and action psycho-thrillers.
The psychological condition of Samantha through several horrifying, life-changing events naturally contributed to how easily and thoroughly she became brainwashed upon entering the Army. Her warrior instincts and will to survive were extremely well described. Her subsequent descent into a near robotic condition of sociopathic action, decidedly linked to PTSD was heartbreaking. Underlying all of this is a true-to-life storyline that pits a good detective against a rogue government agent. The agents concepts of what constitutes terrorist activity is all out of whack. Unfortunately for Samantha (now known as Jennifer), this man is also her controller. His bent ideas further push Samantha to extremes, even to the extent of torturing and eliminating non-terrorists. This part of the story has an almost ‘Gestapo SS’ feel to it, and that’s scary!
An excellent story, relatively well written that I would recommend to all mature readers who enjoy military and action psycho-thrillers.
March 3, 2014
The setting for Enemy Combatant is present day US, before and after a tour through the Mid-Eastern war zone. Chilling experiences of of a troubled childhood lead the main character into joining the Army where the transformation of a victimized female into an extraordinary warrior takes place. The forces it takes to forge and then hone a deadly, and in this case a female, weapon are barely survivable and make fascinating reading.
On its surface the book's theme is about an abused child transforming into a weaponize human. Underneath that is a message of a Government agency's opportunistic abuse of its citizens told through the plot's twists and turns as the story unfolds.
This book came to me by word of mouth as the best reads usually do. The author's writing style and pace kept me thinking about the book when I was reluctantly forced to put it down.
IMHO the author needs to crank out a sequel posthaste, highly recommended!
On its surface the book's theme is about an abused child transforming into a weaponize human. Underneath that is a message of a Government agency's opportunistic abuse of its citizens told through the plot's twists and turns as the story unfolds.
This book came to me by word of mouth as the best reads usually do. The author's writing style and pace kept me thinking about the book when I was reluctantly forced to put it down.
IMHO the author needs to crank out a sequel posthaste, highly recommended!
January 5, 2014
I enjoyed this book, but it left me stumped on what to write as a review. Combat, whether it be in the field or in some homes always makes life hard to live on the outside. This women has had her share of hard times but make no mistake she is not some pushover. It does bring up some important questions with minor results. Do we care for our Veterans the way we should or are they left to their own fate because their use is over? Is she saving this country or destroying it? Another good question which is asked on this book. The ending will leave you in wonder but I recommend this book as a great read.
June 9, 2014
Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. This felt so real to me and makes me worry that this is truly happening to our vets. This is such a well written story that I kept looking for it to say it was based on a true story. I also appreciate that 50% of the royalties go to help Iraq Vets.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
January 10, 2014
This was a thought provoking book that asks the question "who is the enemy?" Reader do need to be warned though as this is a book that deals with a lot of violence, rape in particular. This book will make you think, question & it will definitely get under your skin.
February 3, 2014
This was a very interesting read. The main character is very believable and really makes you think about what our troops go through in battle and after coming home. I would recommend this to anyone.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews