Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War / by Karl Marlantes

Not unlike Charlie Sheen's character Chris Taylor in the movie Platoon, Karl Marlantes was a middle-class college graduate when he joined the marines to fight in Vietnam in 1968. The Rhodes Scholar with a degree from Yale began his tour as a Second Lieutenant, enduring some of the fiercest combat action of the entire war while serving as a Platoon Commander. His tenure prompted him to record his experiences in book form, intending the literary effort first as a response to the vigilant anti-war protests he encountered upon his return home. Eventually he re-evaluated his vision towards the formation of a novel. After literally hundreds of rewrites, retouches and rejection letters, Marlantes' Matterhorn, a labor of love over 35 years in the making, is here, inculminating the Vietnam War in all of its horror, tragedy, controversy and legacy.

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In 1969, the Matterhorn is a strategic hilltop in South Vietnam not far from the Demilitarized Zone and only 3 clicks from the border with Laos. It's where some of the most relentless, most ferocious combat of the Vietnam War is being waged, in part by the Marine Corps Company Bravo of the 5th Marine Division led by Platoon Commander 2nd Lt. Waino Mellas. Mellas is 21 and green, having just arrived in country and put in charge of the Bravo One platoon full of scared, ambivalent and often unpredictable grunts, most of whom are still teenagers. In brutal fashion under seemingly mad orders from a dithering, indolent Battalian Commander, the troops of Bravo Company have been ordered to take and hold the Matterhorn against a barrage of counterattacks implemented by the very determined, very unyielding and uniquely skilled North Vietnamese forces.

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Mellas doesn't remain a novice long. No one does in this environment. He and his corp of marines--troops of every race, from all different backgrounds--succeed in taking the hill only to abandon their position when further, likewise inane directives order them elsewhere. All the while, they contend against the might and muck of the jungle where leeches suck them dry, wild animals attack and eat them, their provisions deteriorate, their feet rot and their bodies starve. It is a putrid, ugly and dirty war--literally and figuratively. Dishonor and dissension are commonplace in the ranks where fear, bickering, infighting, self-preservation and emotional paralysis get the better of the men. After all, their circumstances are largely pre-determined, orchestrated above their heads through decisions out of their control.

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Few novels recreate the disaster that was the Vietnam War like Marlantes in this vivid portrait entailing absolutely everything. From the sheer confusion and chaos of combat to the reckless tactics exercised down the chain of command, the book manages both a macro and micro viewpoint of the conflict which accomplished so little at the expense of so much. Literature on Vietnam--fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, etc.--has long weighed down the shelves and no one will question the historical validity, or even the iconoclastic appeal, of the war. Its cultural impact as well as social and political reverberations are well-known just as its personal repercussions are still felt. Yet there are few truly good novels on it, and even fewer great ones. Matterhorn fills that void. It really is a great war novel perhaps destined to become a classic, but a book which won't be soon forgotten never the less. (FIC MARLANTES)

Michael Crichton

Little intro is needed into the career of the late Michael Crichton. Long one of America's brand-name authors, his uber-popular Sci-Fi/Adventure books have planted him securely among the Grisham-King-Steele-Clancy circle of defacto mainstream novelists. As with many of his contemporaries, accessibility is the clutch; Crichton's writing style (withstanding a good dose of formidable techie-speak) allows multiple ages and genre-likes to easily tap into his stories. While one could argue it was Jurassic Park which made him a household name, he's been on the radar since The Andromeda Strain was published in 1967, never not having a bestseller every three to five years or so.
Congo (1980)
On a specialized mission in the deepest African jungle, an American research team and their Congolese guide suddenly vanish without a trace. All communication between the 11-man team and their California base is permanently lost; the only evidence being a replay from the team's onsite camera filmed just prior to the signal's disconnection. Vaguely, amidst horrifying cries of terror and scrambled background noise, the image appears to show a peculiar subspecies of mountain gorilla roaming in the vicinity of the ruined encampment. When airborne surveillance and rescue efforts prove unsuccessful, it's decided that a new team--this time heavily armed and reinforced--will re-attempt the operation, simultaneously seeking answers to the previous team's demise. Surely, now all of their advanced technology and superior weapons will withstand any potential aggression. Right?

Jurassic Park (1990)
When extracts of Saurian (pre-historic reptilian) DNA are found in a remote region of Central America, a bold new vision forms in the mind of billionaire-scientist John Hammond. Kept strictly confidential, Hammond's new "theme park" is swiftly engineered, erected and made (theoretically) operational on the tiny Isla Nublar west of Costa Rica. Awaiting only the cooperation of reluctant investors, Hammond summons some of his closest friends, scientific experts and legal advisors for a sneak-peek, intending to reveal all the unique park has to offer in the way of "natural" fascination. But how can anyone, even Hammond himself, be sure that modern science will so easily prevail over such a "resurrected" species, especially one of "tyrannical" proportions never before encountered by humans?

Eaters of the Dead (1976)
In 10th century A.D., Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, a scholar under the Muslim Caliph al-Muqtadir was sent on an expedition to recently conquered territories in the North. Intent upon learning and interpreting details pertaining to the nomadic tribes of that region, Ibn Fadlan arrives at his destination only to have his party raided and slaughtered by Vikings. Though eager enough to kill off his companions, the barbarians take Ibn Fadlan captive, indicating his presence in addition to their 12-man group a "good luck" charm for the journey home. Gradually with time, Fadlan is integrated into the Norse tribe, essentially their "13th Warrior" accompanying them in their travels and ultimately battling alongside in the fight against their deadliest enemy--the 'wendol', or 'monsters of the mist'.

Sphere (1987)

Prof. Norman Johnson little suspected that his long-ago written magazine article on a potential alien encounter would land him and a 7-man research team at the bottom of the Pacific ocean where a sunken spacecraft of preternatural proportions has prompted a top secret investigation. Soon things become less a realm of the scientific and more a domain for the unimaginable as the ship--seemingly absent of any marine capabilities--proves to be more than just an interesting find with peculiar technology and nomenclature. Traumatic occurrences in form of a giant squid attack and jellyfish shock-currents soon force Norman and his team to reconfigure analysis concerning the mystery vessel; focusing not just on its origin, but on the singularly entrancing sphere-shaped artifact contained within. Now with time running out inside their underwater biodome, the team must solve the mystery of Sphere not just to satisfy curiosity, but to save their very lives.

The Great Train Robbery (1975)

The 1853 outbreak of the Crimean War between Russia, France and Britain indirectly resulted in large sums of money having to travel long distances (over land) from the London banks to troops in the Caucasus. What more fortuitous occasion could there be for exhibiting travel by Railroad than to safely transfer funds across the continent via locomotive? So was the thought prior to the Great Train Robbery of 1855 in which 12 million pounds (approx. $10,000,000 today) was successfully stolen from a heavily guarded and securely bulwarked train en route from London to Southampton. In this fictionalized rendition of the heist, Crichton recounts--in riveting fashion, though with obvious liberties taken--the details, circumstances and planning of just how the operation was carried out; and, ultimately how the money was eventually recovered.

Rising Sun (1992)

The murder of a beautiful woman atop an LA skyscraper attracts more than just routine attention, it unleashes a powderkeg of international drama as the American investigating authorities clash with an emerging Japanese business conglomerate. After being jerked around by faulty leads and more than a few desperate characters, amateurish Detective Peter Smith reluctantly relies (solely) on direction from former LAPD Officer John Connor, Smith's roguish Japanese translator and partner. Together they claw through a web of misinformation, deceit and cultural divide to find not only a murderer, but a far more grisly culprit undermining the very backbone of the global business infrastructure.