There’s something about the Vietnam War era that has really led to some of the best works in both film and literature. Perhaps it was the polarizing viewpoints, or the access the media had to the war, or the overall civil condition in the US. Whatever the cause, we can’t deny that there was some great art to come from this era. In fact, there are quite a few excellent novels and autobiographical books written about this war, and I have easily read 50+ novels on the Vietnam War, and I have also served and been deployed overseas into a combat theater, so I think I have a pretty good appreciation for what is the best Vietnam war book (novel or otherwise) ever written. Hands-down, it is my selection below. By a long shot.
Matterhorn
By the time I read Matterhorn, I had already been deployed and returned (safely, thank goodness) from Afghanistan. I had also voraciously read every Vietnam war novel I could get my hands on—mostly as a teenager—but never passed on a book that caught my eye.
So when I came across Matterhorn in a bookstore, I picked it up and read the flap. I was intrigued; the foreword said the author had taken over ten years to write the novel, that it was based on his personal experience as a Marine Platoon Commander in Vietnam, and that it largely paralleled his own combat experience.
To be honest, I was a bit hesitant to make the purchase, as it is a THICK book. Not that I am opposed to reading thick and long novels, but to take that type of time-commitment leap, I want to make sure the goods are there. So I bought a coffee and sat down to read the first chapter.
A few hours later, I walked out of the bookstore with the novel and went home to read for a few hours more. It was that good.
The novel does an excellent job of portraying the Vietnam War for what it was: a war largely fought by young conscripts that had zero experience past boot camp. And when I say young, it is a concept that is easily forgotten by those that didn’t live through the decade-plus of war: most of the Marines in the character’s company were late teens and early 20’s.
You had 24 year-olds in charge of entire rifle companies of 160+ Marines. In the jungle.
Never before has anyone written so poignantly about the jungles of Vietnam. My god. The details of the jungle, and spending weeks patrolling in them, are absolutely chilling.
But the crux of the novel is the ludicrous nature of war: the conditions, the brutality, the incompetent leadership that seems to plague every war, and the struggles of the men that fought.
The Vietnam War was a bit of a peculiarity in American warfare history: for the first time you had a serious diversity amongst the ranks. Keep in mind, that up until the Vietnam War, most units were segregated between black and non-black units.
So when the Vietnam War rolled around, there was a very intense social and political climate in the USA. Civil Rights, the War itself, communism, hippies, class warfare, you name it. And this social struggle made its way to the jungles of Vietnam in the draftees that may not have wanted to be there.
And Marlantes ( the author) did an excellent job of capturing this and it is an integral part of the plot.
Then there is the pure military aspect of the novel. It describes the difficulties of combat in a way that can only be done by someone who has actually been there and done that; which clearly Mr. Marlantes has.
The combat is one aspect that he captures very well—just like hundreds of books have—but what sets this book apart from other war novels is the description of the struggles of Soldiering in between the big firefights and battles. Which is the everyday slog of a grunt’s life; the austere conditions, the loneliness, the comradery, the never-ending days of boredom followed by hours of absolute terror.
This book is right on par with All Quiet on the Western Front in that department.
Overall, if you are a fan of war novels, or just literature in general (this is a literary novel, easily) then seriously consider Matterhorn. It will leave you with a much higher appreciation for the Vietnam Combat Veterans. And you will be happy that this novel is very long.
Happy reading!