Intense, powerful, and compelling, Matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead and James Jones’s The Thin Red Line. It is the timeless story of a young Marine lieutenant, Waino Mellas, and his comrades in Bravo Company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of Vietnam as boys and forced to fight their way into manhood. Standing in their way are … Standing in their way are not merely the North Vietnamese but also monsoon rain and mud, leeches and tigers, disease and malnutrition. Almost as daunting, it turns out, are the obstacles they discover between each other: racial tension, competing ambitions, and duplicitous superior officers. But when the company finds itself surrounded and outnumbered by a massive enemy regiment, the Marines are thrust into the raw and all-consuming terror of combat. The experience will change them forever.Â
Written by a highly decorated Marine veteran over the course of thirty years, Matterhorn is a spellbinding and unforgettable novel that brings to life an entire world—both its horrors and its thrills—and seems destined to become a classic of combat literature.
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One of the best books I have read about the Vietnam war. A bit of Catch-22 within the realism of an author who is writing from true experience.
This book is the real deal. Written by a Marine veteran, another veteran can feel the truth coming off the pages. It is not like in fiction and the movies: the reality sucks. I wish more civilians would read this; particularly the young who envision military service as some wonderful journey. It’s horrible. It’s boring. It’s the mundane that makes …
A young Marine officer is sent to Vietnam. He wants to further his political career by his service in ‘Nam. He soon finds his unit has two leaders in addition to him. One is a well liked Lieutenant who loves being with his men but wants to go back home. The other leader is a radical black leader. Conflict is there all the time between the two …
Written by a Vietnam War veteran, “Matterhorn” is a visceral and insightful look at what it means to be a young man at war. At war with nature, the NVA, and (at times) his own men, Waino Mellas is tested repeatedly.
This is not the re-telling of one man’s war story, but a timeless and universal story of camaraderie, sacrifice, and redemption.
I …
According to friends who served there, this is a very realistic account…
This is a book about a Marine company in Vietnam.
The story told by Malas, a relatively young platoon commander.
He tells of impossible conditions of life and fighting. On this infrastructure is added the task of the leader he holds. Malas identifies the racial tensions, the seniority relations, and especially the individual problems of the …
One of the best novels about Vietnam.
A brilliant look at the Vietnam conflict – searing, sad, deep characterizations.
A must read.
Manages to bring together the realism of war memoirs, the action of genre war films, and the insight and introspection of literature. It’s wonderfully written, gritty, truthful, and incredibly engrossing.
Mixed emotions about this. Some gruesome things are dwelt on too much.
very good and informative
This book was beyond excellent. I couldn’t put it down. My dad recommended it and I wasn’t sure because it’s not my normal read, but I am so thankful that I read it. Haunting, real life, it puts you right in the middle of the story and you feel it. Would give it more stars if I could.
Brilliant, terrifying, shattering story of the offensive move in Vietnam Nam of capturing a destination. Wonderful prose. Reminds me of Band of Brothers.
Full of the despair that our men must have felt trying to navigate goals as senseless as they were obviously unnecessary
Interesting insight into the war
Educational. Skimmed some parts as recall got redundant.
Great depiction of the “war” in Vietnam.
I was rheir. This is how it was.
Great book. I love historical novels. I especially love to find a good one that has nothing to do with WWII. Some of the most amazing books I’ve read are about WWII. . .it’s just that I have read sooooo many of them.
The most informative novel you will ever read about the life of a ground-pounder in Vietnam. This incredibly detailed and realistic account of that experience will tell you exactly what it was like to be there. Karl Marlantes is the real deal!