This is an
amazing book. A brilliant book. BUY THIS BOOK!
Really,
I could leave this review just there; those three sentences sum up all you need
to know. But that wouldn’t really be a review now, would it? The Writer’s Guide
to Weapons does what it says on the tin. You know all those action films where
people do improbable things with guns? You don’t need to be a master gunsmith
to know that firearm’s occasionally need reloading, or that cars don’t just blow
up as soon as they’re zinged by a stray bullet. But wait, do you know the
difference between a bullet, a shell, it’s casing? Why do character’s pump
their shotguns in that badass way to scare the baddies/goodies? Should they
even be doing that?
Then there
are the practicalities. When writing a scene, just how should your character
handle a firearm? Do they pull the hammer back? Rack the slide? Should they
tilt their gun on its side like some gangbanger? And what gun or knife should I
give to my hero or villain?
If
you’re a writer and have ever grappled with these or a myriad other problems,
or if you’re just a reader who’s darn well interested to know what is real and
what is b*******, then never fear, for Ben Sobieck is here! Along with a few
friends he’s brought along for the ride, notably Maynard Soloman and Bill
Robber (more on them in a sec.) Ben, an editor on various US firearms
magazines, has penned a manual for those who know nothing about knives and gun,
a bolts and all account that takes the reader from the basics and on through
the mechanics of guns and knives. Along the way he slays myths – no don’t pump
the shotgun in that badass way, you’re just ejecting a perfectly good shell –
and helps you choose the best weapon for the characters of your story.
You
might fear that this is some dry technical manual, but no. Everything is
explained in no nonsense and plain English. And just so you get it, hapless
P.I. Maynard Soloman and his arch-nemesis Bill Robber are on hand to show you
how NOT to do it. These sections are often hilariously funny and go to show
just how wrong many writers of fiction can get it. Afterwards Ben reiterates
just Soloman & Robber got it so wrong and just what they should have done
instead, so there’s no real excuse for us writers to ever write it wrong again
(Hollywood action movie script writers, take note).
But
that’s just the book, there’s also an associated website which Ben updates
regularly. And if all that isn’t enough there’s Ben himself. Like D.P. Lyle MD
for writer’s forensics needs, Ben Sobieck is there for any writer’s queries
about weapons. Example: in my novel I have a scene where the hero uses dead
bodies from an earlier firefight as a physical barricade against a military
SWAT team. So I emailed Ben and I asked him how long my character could survive
when assailed by trained guys with military grade firearms. And Ben asks what
type of body armour the corpses are wearing – military grade like the new
attackers –goes away and crunches the numbers, consults colleagues. The he
comes back and answers me and posts the whole thing on his blog. In other words
he takes my crazy scenario seriously and the website continues to grow, a
resource for all us writers. How cool is that?
So in
conclusion you can see why I say this book is awesome; why I suggest writers
and readers alike purchase a copy.
Without
hesitation I give The Writer’s Guide to Weapons an outstanding 5 out of 5 stars
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