Pashtun

A Military Thriller

By: Ron Lealos

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

An adrenaline-filled war story that depicts the challenges of military special operations in a dangerous, boulder-filled landscape.

The Company has a special secret operation planned for one of their top agents: the leaders of the Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorist groups are hiding out in Pashtun country, and they must be eliminated. The job falls to a man they have named Frank Morganan agent who stood out as a recruit at Quantico and whose skills resemble those of the legendary Vietnam assassin. The other soldiers claim Frank’s abilities as a sniper and a tracker border on the supernatural and are more than willing to complete this mission with him.

Frank begins his adventure in Afghanistan with another Company-appointed soldier: An indestructible lyrical Irishman with a cutting sense of humor and a bottle of Jameson never far from hand. After the men rescue a burqa-clad young woman, they soon discover that the Company has not been honest with them and decide to take a second mate under their winga giant who quotes poetry and rap songs while he both enacts torture and lives through his own agonizing trials.

They know now that oil, drugs, and greed have led to this quest; assassinating the terrorists is not their main objective. However, this still must be done. After becoming dangerously acquainted with the heroin business in the frontier provinces, Frank and his comrades continue their mission. But the lines have now blurred, and the assignment is more complicated than they expected.

©2014 Ron Lealos (P)2014 Audible Inc.

An Intense Ride

Any additional comments?

Really well done, both performance and story. Please record the other two Morgan stories.

Good book, but to bad...

The book was very good, and as I hoped, the story of the 3 continued, to bad you didn't get Sean Runnette to narrate the rest of your books!

A Different Espionage Thriller

This book is well written and appears to be well researched. The protagonist is portrayed more realistically (not super human but has talents, flaws and doubts) than in many of this genera. Additionally the novel is more melancholy and some may even say depressing. Every time the protagonist seems to be making progress there are obstacles and setbacks even at the very end the heroes don't come out on top. And his own side more than lets him down. I would like to say this novel is more 'realistic' but I really have no idea if it is but do know that it depicts human nature accurately with power and greed being major players in motivation and behavior. Worth the credit for a well written book.

Character depth unmatched!!

Pashtun sets a new bar for depth of character development within this genre! Lealos does an amazing job of not only developing the plot, but also giving the reader a window into the psyche, the fear and the moral wars that rage inside the characters. The main characters are expertly brought to life and continually surprise the reader endearing idiosyncrasies.

There are only so many options with plot for a military / espionage thriller, before it surpasses the ability of most readers to suspend reality. However, the plot and storyline were excellent and teetering just on the edge of believability to make it thrilling, disturbing and yet fun.

The best part of the book is the ending…I won’t give anything away, but just when you think you know how it’s going to end, you realize you guessed wrong…again!

My only complaint is that the while the narrator does bring the book to life, the voice is far to old for the age of the main character. Additionally, there are some issues with his capability individualize certain voices, so at times it can be somewhat challenging to keep track of who is talking. However, it's more of a minor distraction than major issue and would not keep me from listening to the book a second time around.

Not much of a plot

What would have made Pashtun better?

Better plot development. The book is written in a simple retelling of events style. I finished it, but it was a real snoozer to plod through.

What three words best describe Sean Runnette’s performance?

Sean Runette is good at what he does. It was the only reason I forced myself to finish.

Sleeper

What would have made Pashtun better?

This was just a bit different than what I was expecting. There is so much deviation back to other subplots etc, that I found less than interesting, that if had trouble paying attention to this book. I actually couldn't listen in the car because it was putting me to sleep.

What could Ron Lealos have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

They possibly could have found a younger sounding narrator.

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

Disappointment

Anti-American Leftist Propaganda.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Nothing. One star is the lowest you can give and it doesn't even deserve that. It is the worst "military thriller" I have ever tried to listen to. I and any military person or family will be very offended by this book. Record yourself chanting "No blood for oil" or any other bumper sticker intellect anti-military-anti-American slogans and just listen to that for 10 hours and save your audible credit.

Has Pashtun turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. This is not a military thriller. It is political trash and should be in some other category. Actually is should be in the trash can.

Would you be willing to try another one of Sean Runnette’s performances?

No, he is the perfect voice for this POS and if he had any dignity, much less patriotism, he would have refused to read this. The author, the reader and anyone associated with this crap, including Audible.com, should be ashamed and definitely not supported in any way.

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

Anger and disappointment. It is leftist anti American anti military propaganda. Only the "Blame America First Idiots" would get anything out of this book.

Any additional comments?

A not so subtle promotion of the America haters agenda thinly disguised as a military thriller. I clicked on it in a hurry and wasted an audible credit. I will be more careful in the future.