• Carnivore

  • A Memoir by One of the Deadliest American Soldiers of All Time
  • By: Dillard Johnson, James Tarr
  • Narrated by: John Pruden
  • Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (741 ratings)

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Carnivore  By  cover art

Carnivore

By: Dillard Johnson, James Tarr
Narrated by: John Pruden
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Publisher's summary

As commander of the Carnivore - the most lethal Bradley Fighting Vehicle of the Iraq War - Dillard Johnson was at the forefront of the 2003 invasion. Awarded a Silver Star with Valor for his heroic efforts to save the crew of a crippled Bradley, he was personally responsible for 2,000 confirmed enemy kills. But surviving the enemy was only the beginning. Johnson would use the intensity, focus, and humor that kept him alive on the battlefield to fight stage three Hodgkin's Lymphoma - which developed from the radiation poisoning he suffered discharging 5,000 uranium rounds in combat - despite learning he had a 1 in 4 chance of survival. A man determined not to die, Johnson made a miraculous recovery - and then returned to Iraq for a second combat tour as an Army sniper. Performing overwatch protection for his fellow troops, he is officially credited with 121 snipers kills, believed to be the most ever by a U.S. Army sniper and second only (across all branches) to Chris Kyle. After finishing his 21-year career in the military in 2006, Johnson became a private contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, in Carnivore, this decorated hero tells his amazing story.

Funny and exciting, Carnivore offers fresh insight into the mind and heart of a warrior and offers a look at the lives of troops on the ground not seen before. It is the story of a poor kid from Kentucky who has beaten extraordinary odds and a loving husband and a devoted father of four children, including a son with cerebral palsy. It is a story only one man can tell.

©2013 Dillard Johnson and James Tarr (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

This should fall under fiction, not biography

I had to stop listening after he described his first battle in Iraq. As a combat vet of U.S. Army Field Artillery, I started to sense B.S. when he started misusing terms and phrases even Privates would know. How could he keep identifying the Iraqi "G5" as a "D5". PMCS is another term he described incorrectly. Anyone that works with a vehicle in the Army knows what PMCS stands for... except him. It only got worse when started describing his first battle. I would say 80% of his story is B.S. After some light research my suspicions were confirmed. He is widely discredited by others that served with him.

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30 people found this helpful

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Wish I could have my money back

Would you try another book from Dillard Johnson and James Tarr and/or John Pruden?

Not even if my life depended on it!

What was most disappointing about Dillard Johnson and James Tarr ’s story?

Starting out I found this larger than life character fascinating. With total disregard of his own safety, and that of his crew, Dillard mows down huge amount of enemies single handedly that that just happen to run up in front of his multitude of weapons. You name it and he's using it! At first I was like "Damn, the beginning of the war was worse than I imagined and I ever read about from everything from fighter pilots, SEALS, snipers and Special Forces operators!" I started to believe that it was a Bradley IFV commander I should have become. I had no idea they went through tougher schools than most Tier 1 units! My gut even started telling me that this guy might be the closest to John Rambo as any human being the world has ever seen! Dillard does what Dillard wants apparently! Going on solo raids with his Bradley filled to the brink with ammo and when he can't shoot enough bad guys from the protection of the vehicle he jumps out among hundreds, or maybe thousands, of savages and start picking them of with his always jamming pistol. When running low on ammo for his M4 he sees no problems and just head over to some enemies he just killed and pick up their weapons to continue his one man fight against Iraq!

Well, after just a few chapters and countless hordes of killed enemies you slowly start to think to yourself: "Hey! Wait a minute now!" And as your BS meter starts screaming in your head, you find yourself urged to look up some facts. This is when things start to make more sense. Just a few minutes of research on the internet and you will find many accounts from Dillards former army buddies telling a whole different story about this guy. He seem to be anything but liked among his peers and have a reputation as a mythomaniac and a terrible leader. Now, I don not know the man so I can not tell what's true and what's not. But apparently just the number of kills claimed in this book is 500 more than the whole battalions combined number of kills during the whole campaign. It seem the publisher did not spend many minutes checking facts to get the book out and make money from trusting readers. I wish I had done my research before buying this book and supporting such an obvious fabrication from what, from many accounts, seem to be a big fraud. Audible, which I trust, should also be more on the ball in situations like this! I really want my money or credit back.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Narrator was Ok

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

Angst from giving my hard earned money to fraud!

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15 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Just bad.

Absolutely horrible book. Some of the most exaggerated cartoonish stories I've ever read. couldn't even finish the book,it was that bad.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

was needing a better military read

amd this was it. Nothing crazy or movie stylish, Just good stories told from the heart.
thank you for you service to all who have and currently serving.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

bulletproof

This book is meant to be on the big screen. What a hard headed push forward mini might, great stories of the Battle's and struggles he went through.Great insight and depth in to the making of a Tank man.


I really loved this book and the Performance of the reader was great, easy to get into and follow.

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

An entertaining audio book

I bought and listened to this before reading any reviews and thoroughly enjoyed it. Some parts did stretch belief a bit; an armoured vehicle crewman operating in an almost infantry role and racking up a high count of marksman/sniper kills seemed unlikely. Reading others' comments afterwards I learned that he was not well liked by colleagues and considered to be a liar, but this doesn't diminish the fact that I found his story to be greatly entertaining. You'll have to decide for yourself whether the fact that the story is quite fictionalised puts you off or not.

John Pruden's narration is fantastic as always; this being the third book I've listened to that he has narrated, American Sniper and Viper Pilot being the others.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Not a bad story

As a 19D the served with 3ID (HHC 1/64 AR) during OIF/OIF III. I will say that his story is highly embellished. With some of it being nothing more then bullcrap. The author also uses the wrong acronyms quite a few timez. Which twlls me he didn't have a fact checker.

It's a decent story though.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Raw and Visceral Excellence

Very real, uncut and personal storytelling. Really brought me back, put me in his shoes.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Amazing story.

As an Iraq war veteran of the campaign, this book hit a sweet spot. I can't vouch for the facts but I can say it's a great read!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

cocky and I like it

loved it couldn't put it down. finished it in one setting. God bless our troops and wonderful Americans like this man.

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2 people found this helpful