I really enjoyed this book. If you are interested in military books, you will like this book. ( )

Received this book as part of the Early Reviewer program. The story lines could have been lifted from real world events. It was a fast placed action packed book and would highly recommend it. ( )

This review is of an Early Reviewer copy and - as such - may not reflect the released version.
Having read all of Young's previous Gold/Parson books, I was impressed with the latest issue as Young continues to grow and develop as a novelist. "Sand And Fire" is the first of his efforts to rely more on character development and plot as opposed to Young's previous personal experiences. As such, the novel moves with brisk pacing and continues to show the in-depth knowledge of military training, tactics, and equipment Young has shown in the past. Further, he expands his universe by focusing on Marine GSgt Blount as the protagonist as opposed to Gold/Parson. The story has a brisk pace and the characters and setting contribute to the storyline as opposed to merely being along for the ride. Young continues to impress and I'm looking forward to the next offering in the series. 3.5 out of 4 ( )

This book follows the story of three U.S. military members, who are pitted again a terrorist with chemical weapons in the desert terrain of northern Africa. The three main characters are Marine Gunnery A.E. Sergeant Blount, Air Force Colonel Michael Parson, and U.N. personnel Sophia Gold, formerly in the Army. Blount wrestles with the terrorists directly and with his own conflicting desires to stay in the Marines and return to family life. Parson and Gold work tirelessly to rescue captured military members, with lots of detective work and life threatening adventures along the way.

This was the first military adventure book I had ever read, and I liked it more than I thought I would. Action was well-paced. The characters were multifaceted with internal and external struggles. The setting was well described, and I learned something about a very interesting part of the world. (And now the "but"...) BUT, the gender stereotypes that kept me away from this genre in the past were out in full force. In the first few pages, Blount is described as, "...six feet, eight inches. Two hundred forty-five pounds." Okay, he's a big guy. Authors can write about big guys without being offensive, right? Sure, except he then rescues a woman who, "probably didn't weigh a hundred pounds. She'd have been gorgeous, Blount thought, if she hadn't just been poisoned nearly to death." So, the author sets us up right from the beginning with the idea that beautiful women should be about 1/3 the size of manly men. Call me sensitive if you like, but this idea turns me off. Also, the female protagonist, Sophia Gold, is described as tan, blonde and fit-- not exactly original. We are always told what she is wearing, even though the male characters' wardrobe is usually left to the imagination.

Overall, I would read another book by this author, but I wouldn't go as far as to recommend him. ( )

While Clancy reps are unfair (though the posthumous "Clancy" branded books are dragging down that reputation), Tom Young delivers a nice, quick-moving military action thriller starring a likeable character that's easy and fun to root for. The action and military knowledge are believable and come across as authentic. ( )