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War Fiction

A

ALI

New Member
I have always been drawn to war films/books, Birdsong being my favourite book and Apocolypse Now my favourite film.

I am particularly interested to hear of other good war books in the same mould as Birdsong, or, just any war book if you found that it blew you away, fiction or non-fiction.

P.S. my interest heavily leans towards books written within the last 25 years or so.

Regards
ALI
 
Go with a couple of classics.

Anything by Hemingway on the Spanish Civil War. I picked up a book of short stories for a buck or 2 20 years ago. Still memorable. "Tactics is attacking from the front. Strategy is attacking from the side." (You got to read the story, but it's very poignant.)

If you're more into strategy, than the grunt's point of view, I highly recommend "the Art of War."
 
I remember reading a book about Vietnam called "Better Times Than These." It's written by the same author who wrote Forrest Gump. Pretty good story.

I think "Chickenhawk" was written in the past 25 years. It's not fiction, but its a autobiographical narrative about a helicopter pilot who goes through training and then into 'Nam. Very interesting viewpoint.
 
I was very taken with the story "The Things They Carried" (I think that was the title at least). I don't have my anthology with me at the moment so I can't tell you the author yet, but I'll get back to you on that, when I get my book back.

Takes place during the Vietnam War.

Edit: Nevermind my Anthology, I suddenly remembered. It's written by Tim O'Brien.
 
Pat Barker's trilogy (The Eye in the Door, the Ghost Road, and Regeneration) make Falks look like soap-addled melodrama. Barker's research and her portrait of the damage done to the human psyche are enormous.
 
How about this for non-fiction:

SOG:The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam by John L. Plaster.
or
Breakout:The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Korea by Martin Russ.

Both held me spellbound.
 
I second the recommendation for The Things They Carried. It's one of the few books I've read that uses language very artfully, yet is extremely easy to read and holds the reader's interest through the entire book (even if you don't like war novels!). It's simple and profound. Great book.
 
I have read 'The things They Carried' by Tim O'Brien, i enjoyed reading the book, thanks. 'Chickenhawk' is on my 'to read' list, i have read only good comments about it, its time now that i went out and actually bought a copy.

Thanks for the other recommendations, i will check them out.

Regards
ALI
 
Band of Brothers - Stephen Ambrose
Finest Hour - Tim clayton & Phil Graig
Forgotten Voices of the great war - Max Arthur
Fighter Pilot - Paul Richie DFC

All excellent reads
 
Also check out Tim O' Brien's Going After Cacciato, my favorite Vietnam novel. I think it won the National Book Award. I need to read it again.
 
For fiction how about:

"A Midnight Clear" by William Wharton. A good, quick read that is like no other ww2 novel that I have ever read.
 
Just this year I read a great book about World War I, with a dash of romance on the side. It’s titled "Losing Julia" by Jonathan Hull. The narrator is Patrick, who lives in a nursing home; he's in his eighties and slowly dying of stomach cancer. He knows he’s old but doesn’t feel that way. Most of Patrick’s memories focus on a woman named Julia, the fiance of his war buddy, Daniel. Part of the story is about the Great War, and how he came to lose his friend Daniel; the other part of the story is about Patrick finally meeting Julia at a war memorial service, and how he fell in love with her.
 
Battle Cry, by Leon Uris is good. It's about the war in the Pacific.

Also, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is a very good WW1 book, writen from the German perspective.

Heels in Line by J.E. Pryce, I haven't read, but my husband first began reading after reading this book.

There is an excellent one on the Battle of Lon Tan and I am certain it is actually called this as well, but I lent the book to someone who never gave it back, so unfortunately I can't tell you the author.
 
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