The Reaper

Cover Artist: Alex McVey

Each morning, Marc wakes up, does a few pushups, takes a shower, has breakfast with his wife Isabel and his son and daughter, Luke and Carrie. Then he kisses his family goodbye, drives to Creech Airforce base, sits down at the UAV command center, and goes to war. For twelve hours a day, he flies the MQ-9 Reaper Hunter/Killer UAV and bombs targets in Afghanistan. He watches as the survivors crawl from the wreckage, often with missing limbs and severe burns. Sometimes there's collateral damage. Sometimes kids get caught in the blast, kids as young as Luke and Carrie. He has seen American soldiers die. He's watched helpless as entire squadrons were destroyed. Then, at the end of the day, he goes home to his family and tries his best to forget about the horrors of war. He tries to remember to pick up the dry cleaning. He tries to pay attention to the conversation around the dinner table. He tries to stay in the moment and keep the war and his family life separate, but it is getting harder. Everyday the line between The Reaper and the sensitive, god-fearing, family man grows thinner and the war comes ever closer to home.

Limited to 150 signed and numbered hardcover copies