Character's and Plot
In the book, Nicholas Irving is a sniper in the Army's Special Operations 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He recounts his experiences of combat and life after the Army. Nick and his spotter, Mike Pemberton, are credited with killing high ranking terrorists of the Taliban. In the book, Nick is selected for a few time sensitive missions. He must conduct over-watch for the unit that is assaulting the objective. Many times during a mission Nick has to eliminate a hostile from a situation to prevent them from attacking the unit on the ground. But Nick is never alone during over-watch. He always has a spotter, the spotter has a critical role in helping the sniper. He tells him how far away the target is and if there are anymore outside the sniper's point of view. On Nick's tour, his original spotter, Mike, fell into a trap pit. His replacement, Brent, was a soldier in the British Armed Forces. On their first mission together, Brent's rifle malfunctions, forcing him to recalibrate it in the field. (Page 183). They finished up each of their combat tours together as a sniper team. Both of Nick's spotters used the same weapon as Nick did, his weapon of choice was the SR-25.
Important Themes & Symbols
In the book "Way of The Reaper", perseverance is the main theme. Nick had to deal with being shot at, friends being injured, the guilt of war, survivor's guilt, and trauma such as PTSD. When he came home, Nick started drinking heavily to deal with his traumatic experiences. After his book was released, it turned Nick's life around for the better. Nick still deals with PTSD but now he does it without influence of alcohol. Nick has persevered through addiction and guilt.