This short story was meant to give readers a look at how the task force was formed for a series of Pike Logan novels. It was an unusually quick read. I finished it in about an hour. The premise was good, but it seemed rushed and confusing to me. The beginning was drawn out, I didn't understand a lot of the military jargon, and the end seemed to come too quickly when the action started and excitement was building. Some of it seemed highly unbelievable, but I suppose no different than things you may see in a movie and say, “No way that would ever happen.”. I have not read any of the full length novels, so perhaps, if I had, the story would have been better. In fairness, I prefer full length books and I didn't realize this was only a short story. There were some good action scenes. My favorite bit of comedic misunderstanding did give me a bit of a chuckle, him talking to one of his men who divorced young because of his wife's occupation. I was given a copy of this story for free in exchange for an honest review. I have been reading Brad Taylor's writing for a while now. I took a chance on him when I saw his book in the PX and I was very pleased to find that he had a style that was both incredibly authentic and highly entertaining. When I heard he had an eBook short story available, I immediately snatched it up and downloaded it to my iPhone."The Callsign" is indeed a short story, true to form, and can be read in a little under an hour. It shows the formations of the Taskforce, some of the problems that they had during their standing-up period, as well as their first operation overseas. The pace moves at a high rate that keeps you turning the page. In fact, I might go so far as to say that it moves a little too quickly. Fans who have been reading Taylor's work for a while should be able to step right in and get to reading, though new fans might want to pick up ONE ROUGH MAN to familiarize themselves with the characters. I think Taylor could have afforded to slow things just a notch to flesh out the characters a tad more, but it barely detracts from the fast paced, authentic prose.I do want to commend Taylor on inserting moments of humor between Pike and Reaper. Two scenes in particular stand out that I won't reveal here, but they do offer some solid laughs. As always, the action is relentless and Taylor is a master of alternative first and third person perspectives (not an easy task), achieving a totality of perspective while keeping the reader immersed in the plot.All in all, "The Callsign" is a must-have for long-time Taylor fans, and it also includes an excerpt to his latest book, ENEMY OF MINE, which just makes the pot that much sweeter. It's worth the price and it is an entertaining way to pass a little time.
What do You think about The Callsign (2012)?
a little slow going.. lays the groundwork for the back story of the Task Force..
—nikki
Great short read..I like getting the background stories on the main character
—becca
A great short story about the early days of Pike and his team. Nice filler
—Kerry
Good short story, gives some of the backstory on the team.
—mom1234
