Part western, part war story, “Wynne’s War” by Aaron Gwyn guides readers through the hilly terrains of Afghanistan on horseback with a tale that’s uniqueness is sure to captivate.

The novel follows Corporal Elijah Russell on a covert, special forces mission led by the elusive Captain Wynne. Russell is instructed to train the horses, but is not given direction on what they need to be prepared for.

The novel reads with an echo of the style of popular western novelists such as Cormac McCarthy and Denis Johnson. Fans of those greats will love “Wynne’s War.”

While westerns tend to appeal to a niche audience, the themes of loyalty to old friends and duty to one’s country present in the novel know no bounds of genre. Gwyn shows that he has well-researched his subject and put a lot of thought into the story line.

Gwyn conducted interviews with numerous past and present special forces members including Green Berets and Army Rangers.

Whether familiar with the military and the war or not, Gwyn explains what readers need to know without bombarding them with enough information to make it feel like a history lesson.

The dialogue in the novel feels free and natural: he doesn’t hold back.

The characters come to life on the page. While Russell and Wynne are the two main characters, even the supporting characters are well developed and personable. Wheels, Russell’s best friend and battle buddy, provides a likable character that is easy to fall in love with.

The imagery is clear and concise. Gwyn describes things with precise detail without using overly flowery language or fluffing up the prose.

The fight scenes are graphic and intense, but they are executed with a close attention to craft.

In this must-read of the summer, Gwyn brought the mythologized wild, wild west the the modern day war on terror in Afghanistan. Overall, Gwyn poses a question about this current war: what are we fighting for anyway?