Red Sky Mourning: A Thriller (Terminal List Book 7), Jack Carr, Sunday August 18, 2024

1. Future wars will have radically different elements. Fiction is a good place to warn of these strategies: This book explores those ideas considered within the framework of emerging technologies as applied to next-generation warfare. There are hazards on the horizon.

2. Beholding beauty is worthwhile: REECE STOOD AT THE end of his dock, hot mug of coffee in his hand, watching the world come alive with the first rays of light signifying a new day. The lake was glass, reflecting the blood-red hues of the early morning spring sky. Red sky at morning… He was leaning against a pylon and gazing out over the top of the Lake Buccaneer aircraft tied to cleats at his feet. He’d pulled on a pair of jeans after slipping from bed, careful not to wake Katie. A Schnee’s Duckworth base layer and light Sitka jacket helped ward off the morning chill. He was barefoot, as was his custom. He liked the feel of the cold grass, rocks, and the wood of the dock beneath his feet. There was something about the earth under bare feet and the first rays of sun that signified life, a connection to the past while living in the moment; a promise of the future.

3. The value and the literary detail of pushing yourself in sport is written well: REECE PUSHED HIMSELF UP the steep grade, his leg muscles burning from the exertion. He focused on the dirt road just a few feet ahead, not wanting to look to the top of the ridge. Just one foot in front of the other. Keep pushing. Keep moving forward. Always forward. He felt stronger than he had since leaving the SEAL Teams. Fresh air. High-altitude oxygen. Wild game. Fresh homegrown vegetables. Living in the mountains agreed with him… The cold-water immersion that he knew was quite popular had not quite caught on with him, nor had the sauna treatments. His swims in the alpine lake that abutted his cabin were cold enough, and cooking himself in a sauna didn’t sound too appealing regardless of the health benefits. Maybe one day… Why are you pushing yourself so hard? For Genrich? The Collective? For life. Just in case, Reece. Life has a way of ambushing you. Be prepared… Almost there. Sprint to the finish. Always sprint to the finish, his dad’s voice reminded him. Not just to the finish but through the finish. And not just in this race, but in life… Never collapse at the end of a race or at the end of a workout, no matter how hard you just pushed yourself, Tom Reece had told him. Stay standing. Walk it off, but stay alert. Collapsing signifies defeat. You never know what else life is going to throw at you. Understand? I understand.

4. Jack Carr has always found something key in reading for decades – that is why he writes: I did not read the masters as a student in the academic sense, rather I enjoyed them. I was inspired by the magic in their pages. This book exists because of their efforts.