Moore and galloway have written by far and away the best piece of military history on one of the early battles of the vietnam war. Gulf war fiction mainly bears the names of exsas soldiers in big letters over a huge explosion on the. What struck me about it is the similarity of the feeling between people who just by the grace of god, by luck, were on. Oct, 2015 it doesnt feel historical in the same way that, say, the second world war does. Philip caputo was a marine who later became a very wellknown journalist. Fighter pilots and special forces warriors try to do their best but are hampered by president johnson, secretary of defense mcnamara, and their staff members who. Their thoughtful responses, some of which are quoted herein, resulted in a long list of worthy, mustread books and a clear consensus on the 10 best, which are listed on the following pages in chronological order. One of my favourites from this list is the beauty of humanity movement, it might be an oldie but it is a great book that tells an interesting story about key characters and their lives in old vietnam. To remain true to the genre, historical fiction should pay close attention to the manners, social. Hellgate press a leading independent publisher of books. We polled a panel of contributors to military history for their choices of the top 10 war books of all time. What is best historical fiction book written about the.
Before the sympathizer won the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, many readers didnt know any authors or books written from the vietnamese perspective. Before he penned the screenplays for jarhead and castaway, a young william broyles enlisted to serve in the vietnam war. A bright shining lie is a sprawling, powerful account of the peril and folly of the vietnam war. Matterhorn by karl marlantes, the things they carried by tim obrien, the th valley by john m. Oct, 2017 as always, books, both nonfiction and historical fiction, can be a great entry point.
From americas conflictswwi, wwii, korea, vietnam and iraqto her mountains, rivers and people, hellgate press has just the book for you. Mar 06, 2015 dog soldiers won the 1975 national book award for fiction, the first vietnam war novel to do so. The best historical fiction books penguin random house. War and peace is an indepth study of the napoleonic wars effects on five russian aristocrats and their families. In my mind its one of the first really wellwritten books that describe the moral ambiguities and difficulties faced by a young marine officer in this particular war. Booktopia buy vietnam war books online from australias leading online bookstore. Get lost in another time and another place with these beloved historical fiction novels. Here iggulden tells the epic story of king henry vi and richard, duke of york, who believes he should be the ruling monarch and begins a civil war. It is difficult to commit to one without dwelling on what the others could have offered. Vietnam war, 19611975 engineering and construction base development in south vietnam, 19651970 1991, by carroll h. Mar 20, 2020 historical fiction books have a way of transporting readers to another place and time. The vietnam war has produced as much literature as w. In vietnam, all us forces were ordered to cease fighting and that included air assets as well as the ground troops.
Its characters range from men in the field to the pentagon and the white house. The recipient of the national book award and the pulitzer prize for nonfiction, neil sheehas book stands among the best accounts of the war, bringing to light the experiences of lt. The most anticipated historical fiction of 2020 she reads. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. Booktopia buy vietnam war fiction books online from australias leading online bookstore. Hellgate press offers you the best in books about the military, including military history, veteran memoirs and military fiction as well as non fiction adventure travel and historical adventure fiction. Novels and memoirs set in vietnam feet on foreign lands. Its a shame, because although there are many excellent books written by american authors about the conflict, they dont give you an idea of how a vietnamese person saw the war. John paul vann who arrived in vietnam in 1962 and witnessed firsthand the corruption, deception, arrogance. Newsmaxs top 5 historical novels of the last decade.
Fighter pilots and special forces warriors try to do their best but are hampered by president johnson, secretary of. The second in a series of true war stories by a marine who arrived in vietnam at the age of 18. Project gutenberg etext accessed 052014 a selection of historical novels set by epoch and author. A novel of the vietnam war intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailersthe naked and the dead and james joness the thin red line. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. The narrative moves between scenes and characters, at one glance discussing a moscow drawing room and in another the brutality and chaos of war. Search results for vietnam war download free fiction. The fictitious characters and circumstances provide an entertaining read for those who lived through the era as well as those for whom vietnam is only a. A guide to the best historical novels and tales by jonathan nield 1902. Apr 10, 2019 the best historical fiction books about world war ii you havent read yet due to the ongoing covid19 pandemic, our coverage will be reduced. Winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, this debut novel could fit into half a dozen genres of vietnam war books from war narrative to immigrant story, from mystery to political, from metafiction to historical and even dark comedy. This book is widely viewed as the best concise history. See more ideas about historical fiction, fiction and vietnam war.
Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. A slew of war memoirs stand with the best writing of that genre. This is a great piece of writing and the guy is obviously a talented writer. Tell me about the first book on your list, a rumor of war 1977. The best historical fiction books about world war ii you. Rolling thunder is an historical novel about the decisive role politics played during the vietnam war. Spend some time in 17thcentury norway, 1960s new york, the spanish civil war, and more. Five great historical fiction series posted on 16th march 2016 by asa wheatley with the release of bloodline, the third book in the brilliant war of the roses series by conn iggulden, this month i thought what better time than to take a look at some other fantastic historical fiction for those looking to delve into the past. More than a decade later, he returned to his former battlegrounds and recorded his journey in goodbye vietnam. Feel how this story takes you back in time during carsons experiences.
The definitive collection of fiction and nonfiction on the war 1998 by stewart onan diving into a book about the vietnam war can be a daunting task. The inspiring true story of green beret medic gary beikirch, medal of honor recipient. Larry heinemannthe awardwinning novelist much of whose work reflected his experiences as a workingclass kid from chicago who was drafted into the army and served a 196768 vietnam war tour of duty with the 25th. Now that ken burns pbs documentary has concluded, were rereading the classics of the vietnam wars literary canon. Rolling thunder is an historical novel about the crippling role politics played during the vietnam war. From his encounters with exvietnamese soldiers to interviews with victims of his own violence, broyles memoir is a reminder of how the brotherhood of man can. Hellgate press offers you the best in books about the military, including military history, veteran memoirs and military fictionas well as nonfiction adventure travel and historicaladventure fiction. An historical novel is defined as any work of fiction that takes place in the past, and is generally written at least 30 to 50 years after the event or time period has taken place.
Ten vietnam war novels to read council on foreign relations. The fictitious characters and circumstances provide an entertaining read for those who lived through the era as well as those for whom vietnam is only a curiosity out of the distant past. These include winners of national book awards and pulitzer prizes, both fiction and nonfiction. This fall our reading into history family book club is reading two books related to the war, one from each genre, but weve got a few more ideas for great reads on this complicated topic. Although conditions varied widely during the ten years of the war, the historical fiction genre allows veterans to recognize historically correct settings in vietnam during 1971 and 1972. Nonfiction history war, nonfiction history military in january of 1973 we in the defense attache office in the american embassy, phnom penh, cambodia, found ourselves in an unusual situation. The best vietnam war books five books expert recommendations. Americas wars have inspired some of the worlds best literature, and the vietnam war is no exception nonfiction. In the fiction section, you will find the best books on vietnam war, other vietnam bestseller novels as well as novels set in vietnam. Discover the best vietnam war history in best sellers. Anyway, this book is the only dear america with a specific companion book, which ill cover next weekthat being the journal of patrick seamus flaherty, united states marine corps, khe sanh, vietnam, 1968. This intervention would become one of the most divisive decisions in u.
Historical fiction database, divided by time period. Consider adding a few of these new historical fiction reads to your reading list. The best historical fiction books of all time prowritingaid. The ultimate 2020 list of best vietnam books to read. Bloodline, released this month, is the third book in this stunning series by historical fiction royalty conn iggulden.
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