Intense. Exhausting at times. But almost instantly engrossing each time you pick it up. They should add this to high school reading lists for the Vietnam era. ( )

Wow.

A brutal, compelling and believable (for all its unbelievable horrors and hardships) portrayal of the Vietnam war, through the eyes of a young Marine Lieutenant (closely based on the author).

In the early stages, it gives a convincing depiction of the banality and boredom of war. Then things start to get truly awful.

It is not without flaws - some of the characters were not tremendously convincing (one character never comes across as charismatic as we're told he is), and many more lacked distinction (ironically, an early point of the book is that the main character can't remember the names of the people in his platoon people's names - in the book, the names aren't the problem, it's telling the characters apart). Interestingly, one of the best defined characters is a fellow lieutenant with whom he has very little in common (although there exists a mutual respect).

But these feel like quibbles, and to dwell on them is to miss the point, and accomplishment, of the book: presenting a compelling and convincing account of the prosecution of the Vietnam war. It shows the waste and the pointlessness, but also demonstrates the pride, courage and commitment of the soldiers (the Marine Corps, interestingly enough). It shows the strains places on all levels of the military, and while it frequently shows the senior backroom military in a bad light, it also tries to show some of the circumstances they were working under, and hence contextualise their decisions. Finally, it also illuminates many possible reasons why the Vietnam war went so badly for the American military. ( )

Gritty. Raw. Violent. Tender. Heroic. That's war. That's what this novel captures and conveys. For those of us fortunate enough to have never experienced it first-hand, this book takes the reader as close to the action as most of us would ever care to be. We've seen some of this on television and in film. Yet in many ways this novel makes it more intimate, more personal, more real.

The descriptions are spot on and tactile. Some situations make the reader squirm. The story is heartbreaking. Boys grow into men in no time at all. Strangers become brothers. And then some of them are dead. This is war. Victory is elusive. Glory is fleeting. Heroism is unsatisfying.

The narrative starts by following the story of a Marine lieutenant fresh out of boot camp. Mellas is out of his depth, and so is the reader. You're just starting to get acquainted with him and his viewpoint when the perspective shifts to that of another officer and his ruminations about Mellas and the situation. That should be well and good. A limited third-person narrative can use multiple viewpoints. But the author gets a little liberal in his 'head hopping', handing the baton to any convenient character and sometimes doing it in rapid fire within a scene. The narrative even slips into omniscient viewpoint, describing things from beyond any single person. The overall effect created a distance between this reader and the characters. A tighter focus might have created more intimacy.

This could have been a great book. As it is, it's still quite good and I would recommend it. Just be ready to put some effort into slogging through the jungle with these grunts. ( )

The novel Matterhorn is an excellent example of what Edwin Star meant when he sang "War, What is it Good For." Some of the most gritty & realistic descriptions of battles, and them men & women who fight them, that I've ever read. ( )