What if the Joint Special Operations Command had its own aircraft carrier, and its own air wing? What if one ship was tasked with poking and prodding in the corners of the world where everyone already knew evil was happening, but no one had the proof yet? In the shadows of a second Cold War, one man dared to ask for the unthinkable: his own aircraft carrier, his own squadrons, and complete autonomy under JSOC. From the boneyards of Arizona to the depths of the Pacific, Deep Scythe follows the rise of Carrier Air Wing Zero, an off-the-books air wing forged from resurrected jets, retired legends, and a handful of pilots too reckless for the modern military. Aboard the USS Leviathan, CVW-0 doesn't exist on any official manifest. Their aircraft wear no nation's markings. Their orders come with a built-in expiration date. Deep Scythe follows the pilots, crews, and commanders of CVW-0 through Operation Diamond Harvest, a multi-axis, zero-attribution strike built on layered deception, carrier-based precision, and the kind of trust that only forms under sustained fire.
“Fridge and Wilbor are going to conduct the loudest silent assault these radar towers have ever seen. Their job is to blind the eyes and break the ears.” — Col. Pete Donnelly
PRAISE FOR DEEP SCYTHE
“Top Gun: Maverick meets The Dirty Dozen. Deep Scythe will throw you into the deep end of next-generation conflict, where peer adversaries, covert operations, and bleeding-edge tech collide across the global commons and hostile skies. Jarred Taylor delivers captivating action, authentic tactics, and geopolitical intrigue. Tactical. Entertaining. Unforgettable.”
“Deep Scythe is a fifth-generation asymmetric punch in the mouth. It perfectly encapsulates what makes the modern American fighting man second to none. This book isn't just an entertaining read — it's the playbook for modern warfare.”
“If you are curious about the creative nature of the modern-day warfighter, this book is for you. This isn't non-fiction, but it also isn't fair to call it pure fiction either. Deep Scythe is a peek into the psyche of the American soldier and aviator.”
“What starts as an insane idea morphs into a wildly unauthorized “friendly” training exercise and quickly turns into a full-scale naval panic when a handful of sarcastic aviators armed with expired energy drinks, fake radio call signs, and an unhealthy knowledge of Navy bureaucracy manage to penetrate a US Naval carrier's defense systems. Get ready for a ride!”
THE AUDIOBOOK
Deep Scythe is available as a fully produced, cinematic audiobook, recorded and scored by Jarred Taylor, with the original motion soundtrack woven directly into the narrative. This isn't just a reading. It's a mission briefing, an author's note, thirteen chapters, and a score built to put you on the deck of the Leviathan.
13 Chapters + Author's Note · Original Score Woven In · Opening & Closing Credits
WHO'S IN THIS BOOK
Jarred Taylor
Jarred “ESSP” Taylor is a combat veteran, author, entrepreneur, and the creator of the Wet Boys universe. Long before Deep Scythe existed, Taylor's life was closely tied to military aviation and the people who make it possible. He served in the United States Air Force as a Tactical Air Control Party specialist, working alongside ground forces and military aviators in an environment where communication, trust, and precision could determine the outcome of a mission. Those experiences, and the friendships built through them, would eventually become a major influence on the characters, humor, culture, and authenticity found throughout his writing.
Taylor's fascination with aviation never disappeared after leaving active military service. He remained connected to the fighter aviation community and continued surrounding himself with pilots, operators, veterans, and aviation enthusiasts. That world gave him an unusual perspective as a storyteller. Rather than approaching military aviation strictly from the outside, he writes about the personalities behind the machines, the friendships built between people who operate them, and the irreverent humor that often exists alongside extremely serious work.
In 2020, Taylor and a group of friends began flying missions together in Digital Combat Simulator. What started as friends getting together to fly virtual combat aircraft quickly developed its own identity. They became the Wet Boys. Callsigns became characters, inside jokes became traditions, fictional squadrons received their own patches and histories, and increasingly elaborate missions began creating a mythology around the group. Taylor continued expanding that mythology until the collection of aircraft and personalities became Carrier Air Wing Zero, CVW-0, a fictional special operations carrier air wing assembled from aircraft recovered from America's military boneyards.
That universe eventually grew far beyond the simulator. Taylor began combining real military culture, fictional technology, aviation history, artwork, music, humor, and the personalities of the people around him into a connected fictional world. The USS Leviathan, the squadrons of CVW-0, and the pilots who fly from her deck became the foundation for Deep Scythe, the first novel in the Wet Boys thriller series. What began as an elaborate story between friends had evolved into something much larger, a universe where readers can encounter the same aircraft, patches, music, artwork, missions, and characters that exist beyond the pages of the books.
At its heart, Taylor's work is about the people behind the hardware. The fighters, carriers, weapons, and classified technology may provide the spectacle, but the Wet Boys universe is built around friendship, loyalty, sacrifice, dark humor, and the personalities that emerge when extraordinary people are placed in impossible situations. Deep Scythe represents the beginning of that story in print, but for Taylor, the Wet Boys have always been more than fictional characters. They are a reflection of friendships, experiences, and a shared love of military aviation that began long before anyone thought to turn it into a book.
INCOMING · BOOK TWO
The Leviathan has returned from Diamond Harbor. The story isn't over.