Fields of Fire
Book description
Hailed as the most important novel to emerge from the Vietnam War when first published in 1978, this book launched a spectacular writing career for James Webb that now includes four bestselling novels. A much-decorated former Marine who fought and was wounded in Vietnam, Webb tells the story of a…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Fields of Fire as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I expected this novel by a decorated Marine combat veteran to depict the Vietnam War vividly, and it did. But it made me feel something more profound. Bitterness and resentment pervade this story.
I couldn’t stop reading, even though the book constantly made me uncomfortable. Marines distinguished themselves in the field, but their efforts came to nothing. The novel made me realize that no matter how valiant or brilliant people are at the small-unit level, they’re on the path to angry regret if there’s intellectual abdication at the top.
From John's list on people who want the Marine Corps to get smarter.
When I wrote my first book, I thought long and hard about what land combat would look like to a soldier or marine.
When my brother came back from AF tech school, he gave me the book Fields of Fire by Jim Webb (A platoon commander in Vietnam). Although it is fiction, it reads like it could be memoir, but moving smoothly from the point of view of each of the three main characters.
The characters are written so deeply and deftly that it was possible to identify with any one of them. The storytelling is so deep and immersive,…
From Joe's list on how future near peer combat will look.
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