618 pages
Spanish language
Published June 3, 2015 by Océano.
Esta aventura de la guerra comienza en las selvas de Vietnam y se desarrolla hasta finales de 1968 y principios de 1969. El autor nos lleva a una base militar conocida como Matterhorn, que se encuentra en las montañas de la lejana provincia de Quang. Allí, un joven teniente está decidido a convertirse en comandante de su compañía, tratando de promover su futuro político. Esto lo lleva a mantener una rivalidad con algunos de sus compañeros y a convertir la guerra en una guerra de ambiciones personales. Sin caer en planes simplistas y demagógicos, Marlantes produce una novela impactante que no sólo toca el horror del camino, sino también la búsqueda del poder, el coraje, la cobardía y la compasión.
Well, the best I've read anyway. Excellently conveys the tedium and the terror of war. Characters are very well drawn, and like their comrades we mourn their deaths when they inevitably occur. Not for the faint-hearted but a wonderful read
I gave it 5 stars but really feel like 4 1/2. The fact that this is the first "war book" I ever read, and actually wanted to keep reading says a lot. It was a good story, gave a real visceral feeling of what it was like to be in the bush. And it gave a glimpse of the politics and positioning, behind the scenes ,of the men who made the USMC their career.
Not one for reading books from a Marine officer's perspective, I did not think I would enjoy this, and I'm not even sure why I have it. But it was a stunning read. Really captured the absurdity, brutality and inanity of the war. It felt honest, which is what I appreciate most. And if things were this messed up from the invader's side of things, imagine what was inflicted on the Vietnamese, who hardly enter into the equation in this novel. Well, that actually doesn't have to be imagined, as it has been well documented.
