Way of the Reaper: My Greatest Untold Missions and the Art of Being a Sniper

by Nicholas Irving, Gary Brozek

From the New York Times bestselling author and co-star of Fox's American Grit comes a rare and powerful book on the art of being a sniper.

Way of the Reaper is a step-by-step accounting of how a sniper works, through the lens of Irving's most significant kills - none of which have been told before. Each mission is an in-depth look at a new element of eliminating the enemy, from intel to luck, recon to weaponry. Told in a thrilling narrative, this is also a heart-pounding true story of some of The Reaper's boldest missions including the longest shot of his military career on a human target of over half a mile.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, Nicholas Irving earned his nickname in blood, destroying the enemy with his sniper rifle and in deadly firefights behind a .50 caliber machine gun. He engaged a Taliban suicide bomber during a vicious firefight, used nearly silent sub-sonic ammo, and was the target of snipers himself. Way of the Reaper attempts to place the reader in the heat of battle, experiencing the same dangers, horrors and acts of courage Irving faced as an elite member of the 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, while also examining the personal ramifications of taking another life.

Readers will experience the rush of the hunt and the dangers that all snipers must face, while learning what it takes to become an elite manhunter. Like the Reaper himself, this explosive book blazes new territory and takes no prisoners.

Genres: Military Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, War, Military History, Memoir, History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published August 9, 2016

Reviews

[Shannon Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicholas "Irv" Irving writes his second book about being an Army Ranger sniper in his new book "Way of the Reaper". Nicholas got 33 kills in one deployment, which is a record for direct-action snipers. Let me start by saying this. Direct-action sniping is different from the sniping that Chris Kyle of American Sniper fame did. Chris Kyle did long-range sniping. Direct-action sniping occurs in a smaller distance than long-range. Direct-action snipers usually set up from 50 to 300 yards. They use different guns and tactics, but the outcome is usually the same for the bad guy on the receiving end of the bullet.

Irv's book is not long, but it is a compelling read. It is a different perspective from the Tier 1 special force operators (Think Seal Team 6, Chris Kyle, etc.) Irv was an Army Ranger, which is special forces, just not the ones who do the really dark stuff. One reason I particularly liked this book is Irv's honesty. He talks about ego and the fog of war and the second-guessing that all soldiers do to themselves, especially when something goes wrong.

Irv is brutally honest about what it's like to come home from war. He talks openly about the suicide of one of his service mates and his own near suicide and the help that his wife and his mother, in particular, gave him that lead him to seek help for PTSD. If more soldiers were as open about their struggles and had a wife and family that was as supportive, we wouldn't lose as many soldiers to suicide.

I liked this book very much. It was a quick, but engrossing read. It gives you a definite feeling of what war is like and how battle changes people. It also is a reminder that there are certain people who are soldiers and there are certain people who are not.

I won this book from Goodreads. I received no other compensation for my review. The views expressed herein are mine and mine alone.

[Bon Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally gripping. Written in easy to follow, factual style. Will read first book for sure.

[Kevin Starbuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the book recounts a series of special operations missions in Iraq and Afghanistan from a tactical snipers perspective, the true merit of the book is the final chapter. Nicholas Irving opens up in the final chapter highlighting the struggle that he and many veterans of the GWOT have had with the transition to civilian life. It is his depiction that provides a brief insight into the lasting impact of conflict that will require our nation to step up our support of the brave men and women that serve our Nation and protect our freedom. Thank You for your service to our Country!

[Sean McKenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the ending of the book is what really sealed the five stars for me. Most of the way through, I picked up a handful of lessons:

- War is awful.

- It’s easy to get caught up in the future and what we want, instead of being thankful for what we have now — and those projections can keep us from giving 110% to the job in front of us.

- Have gratitude for the people who helped get us where we are today.

- The importance of critical thinking.

- And the final one, which we can all learn from: we all have the ability to change, and we need to be able to see things from other people’s perspective before we criticize.

[Chris Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tremendous book and a great follow up to The Reaper! Nicholas Irving does a great job telling stories from his time as a newbie to a seasoned sniper team leader. There is emotion, battle, and more importantly a great lesson at the end of this book! Great read!

[Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way of the Reaper
This book retells the true stories of Nicholas Irving's record-breaking Army carrier as a sniper in the 75th Ranger Regiment. The book goes in-depth of some of his biggest decisions and lessons learned in the field from the beginning of his career to the end in certain missions that could've changed his life forever if it went wrong. These stories are not for the light of heart as they go through some of the kills he got and how he felt about killing a real human and some of the saddest times he's had in his life. His bad times are taken over by his adrenaline pumping descriptions and moments in his time in the field that will leave you with a new look on life and new life lessons that he figured out fast in the field.
This was a very good book. I've always liked the true military action-packed books that re-account the lives of the heroes that serve us. The description is amazing in this book and the lessons he learns, and the way he learns them, are very interesting. The way he talks about his kills and how he feels about them is very in-depth and will make anyone think hard about how they do what they do in the field. It is an easy read in the sense of reading but the thoughts and how in-depth he goes isn't the best for people who aren't good with hearing the bad things that go on in the field.
Another book that is similar to this is American Sniper. It is another military book that goes in-depth of another veteran's career (Chris Kyle) so if you liked that one definitely check this one out.

[Dylan Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reaper was an extraordinary novel describing the events before and after Nicholas Irving earned the label “The Reaper”. Events such as Irving's time as stryker driver during the hotel party as they called it, or Perkins stepping on an IED so close to the end of his deployment are just a few events from Irving chaotic deployments.
Yet again in this book, the difference in equipment and training between regular grunts and special forces is brought up. This reminds me of comments from Chris Kyle, made when he was working alongside jarheads during his deployments. In the book, Irving discusses how the normal army had less protective/ advanced equipment to protect against IEDs compared to the special ops groups or ranger battalions.
I like how Irving explains how he worked his way through the system from a Stryker driver, to machine gunner, to designated marksman, and then finishing out as a sniper. I feel not anybody can pick up a book like this and read it and understand the events and even begin to imagine the feeling behind them. Besides that fact, I would definitely recommend this book if you want to see someone else's deployments. It was a great action packed book that I never got bored at.

[Ben Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Likes:
Shows an honest account of wartime without any extra frills or gimmicks
Very personable and relatable throughout the entire story
Does a great job of adding humor in spots where it helps the reader to understand relationships and personalities

Dislikes:
I only wish there was more.

Overall Impression:
I thoroughly enjoyed reading through the wartime experiences of the author, Nicholas Irving, and hearing his account of the many operations he served on during his deployments. The book is his recollection of his time in the service and does a great job of giving an honest portrayal of the training, service, and dedication that is required in the armed forces, as well as the struggle of adjusting to life back home once he returned from overseas. Irving really drives home a theme that the best personal growth often comes while in the service of others. The way his experiences are written keeps the reader turning pages until the very end, and the only problem with the story is that I wish I was able to keep turning the pages and reading through his experiences forever. Overall, this book is a great example of modern military service, and is a wonderful read for anybody interested in specialized military service.

[Ty Dettman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reaper was an extraordinary novel describing the events before and after Nicholas Irving earned the label “The Reaper”. Events such as Irving's time as stryker driver during the hotel party as they called it, or Perkins stepping on an IED so close to the end of his deployment are just a few events from Irving chaotic deployments.
Yet again in this book, the difference in equipment and training between regular grunts and special forces is brought up. This reminds me of comments from Chris Kyle, made when he was working alongside jarheads during his deployments. In the book, Irving discusses how the normal army had less protective/ advanced equipment to protect against IEDs compared to the special ops groups or ranger battalions.
I like how Irving explains how he worked his way through the system from a Stryker driver, to machine gunner, to designated marksman, and then finishing out as a sniper. I feel not anybody can pick up a book like this and read it and understand the events and even begin to imagine the feeling behind them. Besides that fact, I would definitely recommend this book if you want to see someone else's deployments.

[Luis S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn about htis book. On the one hand, the author has a gift for telling stories that captivate the reader (at least captivated me) in a way that it is hard to put down the book. On the other hand, and I mean absolutelly no disrespect or judment towards the military, of any branch or specialization, but some passages are somewhat disturbing in the sense that the author freeely admits that he was willing and eager to kill other human beings. Now, I undertand completelly that this is, ultimatelly, the goal of a soldier, to vanquish and destroy the enemies of the country, but in my view there is a differnce between being aware and ready to perform any action, gruesome and terrible as it may be, in order to achieve the objective and being eager to kill. Albeit the author makes it clear that his thoughts and attitudes upon entering the army may not necessarelly been the same as when he left, or later in teh future, I was very moved by the way, even when aknowledging that his time at war changed him deeply, the author does not seem to question his desire to kill (bad guys, but human being nonetheles) at any point. Not a bad book, but much food for thought.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

The GWOT books are starting to all run together in my head, though as they are consistent with their descriptions of firefights and missions in Iraq and Afghanistan I believe I am getting the truth of what it was like.

Irving is a sniper, and we see the difficulties of haste makes waste vs a stitch in time saves nine. Do I shoot the guy on the roof? Is he a friendly? A curious villager? A cowardly asshole trying to blend in until I drop my guard so he can fire on my position? I do not know how these guys managed to do as well as they did when weighing the need to act decisively vs the limited info available in the fog of war.

The book is best towards the end, when a mission for what turns out to be nothing at all gets someone wounded, and the author later has to deal with his own trauma after ex-filing and hearing of former comrades in arms who have unalived themselves. It would be good if we did a better job re-acclimating our warriors into society and giving them purpose. It would be better if we left the forever wars in the past, and didn't engage in new ones because a 5'3 cokehead actor found every life but his own expendable.

[Oscar Cecena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got Way of the Reaper for research on snipers (spoiler alert: my novel's protagonist is one), and I got a lot of good information from it. The author has a real talent for pulling you into his story and explaining what the sniper life is like. He literally shows you the "art of being a sniper."

That said, I do feel this book was written for an American audience for a couple of reasons. First, he uses a lot of military acronyms, and if you're not familiar with the jargon, you have to keep stopping to Google what they mean.

The second reason is more subtle. The narrative draws a very clear line between good and evil, and of course, he and the American soldiers are on the good side. While that might be compelling for people who believe the American way is the right way, it just didn't resonate with me.

All that being said, if you want a detailed story of what it’s like to be a sniper and part of a brotherhood of soldiers who literally risk their lives for you, this is a good read.

[norcalgal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I've read other books about Special Forces and thought it might be an interesting read. Maybe I just have to be in the right frame of mind, because I got half way into "Way of the Reaper" but could go no further. It's not really the fault of Nicholas Irving or Gary Brozek. Rather, I think that because what I read so far didn't cover much new ground from my other readings of SpecOps, I just decided to stop.

The only part of this book I thought was interesting was Irving's varied roles (and upward rise) in the military. I'm glad the author got to live his dream and become a sniper, but once I learned that, the book had nothing else to compel me to continue reading.

Still, I would recommend "Way of the Reaper" for anyone who has an interest in military non fiction, and the wet work of the Special Forces in particular.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband and I listened to this on CD during a road trip. I have no military experience, but my husband served in the Army for 13 years with 5 deployments under his belt. I don't know which one of us got the most out of the book. I learned so much about the mindset of soldiers and why, when they come home, they have such a hard time talking about what happens over there. It also gave me a slight peek as to what my husband has been through and why so many soldiers come home angry, drink, fall into a deep depression, all three, or worse. I can't speak for my husband, but I think hearing Irving's story allowed him to reminisce about his military career and maybe even gave him perspective and hope for the future. Thank you, Nicholas Irving, for sharing your story and helping me better understand my soldier.

[Medusa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually liked this book quite a bit more than Irving’s first book, which was kinda heavy on chest pounding and locker room talk. Sure that comes with the territory, but there’s less of it in this book. It lands as more introspective and honest. There are also some good technical shooting reminders -eg even The Reaper has to remember mechanical optic offset after putting some rounds in the dirt - if he needs to remember these fundamentals and can make that mistake so must we remember. Irving’s sharp intelligence and wit also come through more clearly for me in this book, more glimpses of the man who once said (as retold in The Killing School) he hallucinated that George Foreman was with him and offering some meat cooked in a Foreman grill when Irving was sleep deprived) are here. I appreciated that and really enjoyed this book. I may well give some of his fiction a try. Recommended.

[Teagan Prochnow · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Way Of The Reaper is written by Nicholas Irving. This book is written about his time as a sniper when he was in the army. Nicholas served in the army from 2004 to 2010. Nicholas was 17 when he joined the army and was 23 when he quit.
I really connected to this because I have had multiple people in my family in the military and a couple of them were snipers. This book has helped me understand some of the stuff that they went through when they were deployed.
I like this book because it gives you that feeling of war and how it affects people. It also talks about how ego affects you. He was very open to talking about suicide when the soldiers got home and he talks about his struggle with suicide and how his wife and mother helped him get through it.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book from Nicholas Irving. This book discusses his career as a sniper in the United States Army Rangers. Irving is certainly a very skilled marksman and proved that with his record during deployment for direct-action kills. I found the book to be interesting and not nearly as egotistical as I imagined. This book is not for everyone, but for those who are interested in military history, you would probably like it. I am trying very hard to clear off some of my military history unread books this year, so if you are not interested in that.... skip my reviews for this entire month of April 2025.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very impressed with Nicholas Irving's new book, "Way of the Reaper". Not only because of the straight forward action but because of how he told the story. Nick was able to tell us about his missions with extreme detail that makes you feel like you are there. I found the description of all of his tools very in depth and interesting. Nick shows us that at a young age he was doing more than most people older than him will ever do. Nick is very humble in his books and really honors his brothers instead of himself.

[Alex Frisbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way of the reaper is Nick Irving's 10 most dangerous missions. This book goes over in more detail missions he talked about in his first book "The Reaper". My favorite story was one where Nick was stuck in a more experienced sniper for hours and almost didn't make it out. I would recommend to anybody over the age of 15 or 16 because there is swearing and graphic imagery about dead bodies and shooting. I would recommend this to any gender and anybody who is interested in military or is thinking about becoming a sniper. 10/10

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A continuation of the war stories from The Reaper. Nick goes deeper into what he was feeling while on his deployments, especially during the final one prior to his separation from the Army. He talks about the mission continuing after soldiers leave the service and try to assimilate into "normal" life, and how it can be too much. He is vulnerable here, and it's heartbreaking. He talks about his fallen comrades, both in the field and off. Nick is a very honest person, and that comes across in his few stories from his family.

[PizzaCaviar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced, informative and thrilling this autobiography of a sniper in the US Rangers was a fascinating and easy read.

I was skeptic at first due to some critics accusing the author of being a bloodthirsty hothead. Nicholas Irving does offer some hindsight on this subject throughout most chapters and although it is clear that he enjoyed what he was doing, it is hard to believe he relished in killing as some might want you to believe. Highly recommend if you are interested in the subject.

[Ben Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is book two by author Nicholas Irving and follows his first book, The Reaper. Irving is a sniper operating in both Afghanistan and Iraq. This book follows some of his more memorable recollections from both theatres of war. Nor for the faint hearted!

If you enjoy combat books, especially about sniping, you'll definitely enjoy this book.

"Without warning. Without remorse."

[Cody Puckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading “The Reaper: autobiography of deadliest Special Ops Snipers” I was skeptical going into this book, thinking, there’s no way Irv has more to tell. Boy, was I wrong! I was pleasantly surprised by this sequel and additional exploits of this lethal Sniper kept me very engaged in this book! I think this book is worth a read as it describes real accounts of what things were like for an American Hero in Afghanistan.

[Vitali Voughan Vazquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action packed to best summarize this book. There was never a dull page to read.

Irv definitely did a great job describing what it means to be part of a spec ops sniper, one that sees 10x as much action as a regular sniper would.

Reading this book only gave me a newly found respect for our men and women in the Army rangers.

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a first person account of an Army Ranger's tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He eventually becomes a sniper in his unit. The stories are suspenseful and engaging. The book's organization is its only weak point. It seems to end abruptly as the author ends his service and returns home.

[Matt Borneman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just an amazing real world account of what it was like to be one of the best snipers in the military. An intimate and raw look at what war is really like. And what coming home for our soldiers is like. Just a great book overall.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is somehow a lot better than Irv’s first book. It was basically a bunch of incidents throughout his deployments, ostensibly less of a coherent narrative than the first book, but actually ended up both having better individual anecdotes and a more meaningful overall message.

[Don Doak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read,kudos to the author for such a heartfelt book.l will be reading any and all of his future books.

This is a great read for anyone interested in combat veterans and their struggle to put their actions and their feelings about those actions in a constructive way.

[rebecca johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me riveted and it was so good.
My husband and I listened to the audiobook on our way to/from Colorado this weekend and we were completely hooked.
Thank you for sharing your stories and mostly, Thank you for your service and sacrifice!

[Barry Medlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding read!! Simply could not put this down! Great reading about first hand accounts and missions. Brought back memories of deployed locations, Camp Bastion, Kandahar and Ranger competitions at Benning.
Rangers Lead the Way!