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Lone Survivor  By  cover art

Lone Survivor

By: Marcus Luttrell, Patrick Robinson
Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
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Publisher's summary

Four US Navy SEALS departed one clear night in early July 2005 for the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border for a reconnaissance mission. Their task was to document the activity of an al Qaeda leader rumored to have a small army in a Taliban stronghold. Five days later, only one of those Navy SEALS made it out alive.

This is the story of the only survivor of Operation Redwing, SEAL team leader Marcus Luttrell, and the extraordinary firefight that led to the largest loss of life in American Navy SEAL history. His squadmates fought valiantly beside him until he was the only one left alive, blasted by an RPG into a place where his pursuers could not find him. Over the next four days, terribly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell crawled for miles through the mountains and was taken in by sympathetic villagers who risked their lives to keep him safe from surrounding Taliban warriors.

A born and raised Texan, Marcus Luttrell takes us from the rigors of SEAL training, where he and his fellow SEALs discovered what it took to join the most elite of the American special forces, to a fight in the desolate hills of Afghanistan for which they never could have been prepared. His account of his squadmates' heroism and mutual support renders an experience for which two of his squadmates were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for combat heroism that is both heartrending and life-affirming. In this rich chronicle of courage and sacrifice, honor and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers a powerful narrative of modern war.

©2007 Marcus Luttrell (P)2012 Hachette

Featured Article: The 20 Best Military Audiobooks from History to Fiction and Beyond


The titles that fall under the designation of military audiobooks are more varied and diverse than you might think. From firsthand combat accounts to imaginative works of fiction, these listens cover a lot of ground on both domestic and international disputes, scientific and sociological analyses, male and female perspectives, lessons from victory and loss, and more. What they have in common, though, are themes of courage, loss, and determination.

What listeners say about Lone Survivor

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Excellent read

Riveting and engaging. A great story and a great story teller. Truly fascinating. Makes one proud to be an American.

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Awesome!

It was one of the best books I have ever had the privilege to read. Finally someone that calls out the crap the media does and the stupidity of rules of engagement. The idea is great but the reality is we are likely the only country in the world that will send a soldier to war and then crucify him when he comes back and charge him with murder - that is what he was sent to do. You don’t go to war to lose. I thought the book was well written and his sense of humor is one of his best qualities!

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Must read!

This story of Marcus's life will have you rolling over laughing one minute and have you crying tears of sadness the next. It's a true patriots story. I promise this read will encourage,motivate, inspire you to be all you can be and have deep respect for the United States military. Hoorah

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Gripping and Emotional

Pro; The narrator was beyond excellent. I thought it was the actual author reading it because the narrator even got emotional when recounting emotional details. Con; the author seem to imply the liberal media was responsible for his fellow SEAL's death. Overall a very good retelling a true events that made you feel you had a front-row seat to the firefight, and you felt the pain that he was feeling.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Too much whining from a Navy SEAl

Would you try another book from Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson and/or Kevin T. Collins?

no

Would you ever listen to anything by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson again?

no

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. I expected a Navy Seal to be more mature, less judgmental and stay away from politics and berating others who have different beliefs or body types as he does. Yes, smaller physiques tend to be convenient when doing "recon" but we also need big dudes.
We are all one team to get the job done.

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Don't waste your time, there are better books

Any additional comments?

Only about 1/3 of the book actually contains story. Maybe 1/2 if you count his discussion of training in high school and BUDS. The other 1/2 to 2/3 of the book basically political soap-boxing and moralizing of the level I would expect from Rush Limbaugh. I understand that Marcus was actually a Seal, but the story part is so simplistically told and filled with bravado and embellishments that it could just have easily been written by someone with no military experience at all.

If you want an excellent combat narrative written by a Navy SEAL from a thoughtful and self-aware perspective, try reading "The Red Circle" by Brandon Webb or "Men in Green Faces" by Gene Wentz, both of which deal with issues like rules of engagement and civilians in combat zones from a much more thoughtful and much less myopic perspective that "Lone Survivor." If you want to know more about BUDS or SEAL training, then you want "The Finishing School" by Dick Couch (this is the only book I am recommending that I have not yet read... though I have read 3 of his other books special forces training). The above mentioned book by Brandon Webb also has a decent description of the training regime.

If you don't mind an author who is not a SEAL but still wrote about their combat experience, try "The Reaper" by Nicholas Irving, "The Mission, The Men and Me" by Pete Blaber, or "House to House" by David Bellavia. Being an Army veteran myself, these books all ring very true.

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Loved the book!

Amazing story of courage! Not a fan of the narrator but I would recommend. 5 stars for the story, 3 stars to the performance.

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Thank you Marcus Luttrell for this account

Excellent detail. Saw the movie first, and was pleased to hear the actual events as they truly happened. As the father of two In service in the U.S. Army, my heart goes out to all that have lost friends and family in service of our country. F the liberal media.

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What a story, what a book.

I watched the movie prior to reading the book. I had heard about Marcus and Operation Red Wing, but didn't know the full story. My god, what the SEALs and SOF communities go through is nothing short of harrowing. These are the real world superheroes. Very glad I picked up his book. Kevin does a great job narrating as well. The movie does not begin to do justice to the events that unfolded in the mountains of Afghanistan.

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THANK U FROM THE STEVENS FAMILY!!! And yes I was yelling!

Heroes is what you will hear about in this book. Everyone you hear is one. Very well done. Thank u for you sacrifice!!

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