In a punchy collection of poetry packed with humor and grit, , former U.S. Army infantry-officer-turned-crime-writer into in the 21st century. Despite the of some of his war stories, his poems are also often . For example, he begins "A Ghost in an Arabian Desert" with ... Punchy, pithy, and poker-faced! Full of grit and heart and dogged determination! "As meditations on war, these poems are revelation. Soulful, hell bent, fearless, riddled with pathos and hard won psychological truth. While Stevens draws upon his combat experience in Iraq for source material, what illuminates these poems are his abiding humanity and his preoccupation with the mysteries of the human heart. True war stories, but make it poetry." ◆◆◆◆◆ "J.B. Stevens' writing is a unique fusion of war poetry, pulp fiction, and pop culture references. Sometimes, he's a red-star cluster warning of danger. Other times, he's an artillery-delivered illumination round. Regardless, his work is stunningly insightful and explosively entertaining. Read on for some mental fireworks, delivered on-time and on-target!" ◆◆◆◆◆ "Stevens' poetry is like watching old school fight clips on YouTube all night long. Like binge watching with your crush under the stars. It's going home after a long day of work and blasting Nirvana through your stereo. It's making the perfect s'mores after finally getting the campfire going. Which is to say, J.B. Stevens' is a haymaker straight to the heart, and it's beautiful." ◆◆◆◆◆ "War as close-calls, confusion and waste. These poems keep coming at you, relentlessly, like one punch after another. Collectively, they will leave you reeling." ◆◆◆◆◆ "'They are gone, and I hope it didn't hurt.' Through his honest and direct depictions of death, survivor's guilt, and the alluring simplicity of war, J.B. Stevens documents how to be a veteran is to forever miss a part of yourself still out on the unfinished patrol. You don't laugh in the face of death because you want to die, you laugh because it's the best way to go. Haunting and visceral images that stick with you long after reading."