Customer Reviews

The 13th Valley

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If one were compiling a list of great novels dealing with the Viet Nam War, I believe that John M. Del Vecchio's harsh and gripping novel of infantry combat, The 13th Valley, would have a high place on that list. It is one of those novels that seems so realistic, both in its presentation of character and in the action (which literally wears the reader down just as it does the soldiers who are at the heart of the story). Unlike the view of Viet Nam taken in such books as Stone's Dog Soldiers and the movie "Apocalypse Now", this story doesn't dwell on the fringe craziness of drugs, secret missions or exaggerated characters for the sake of social commentary. It focuses on the lives of grunts in the bush and how they are transformed by the harsh reality of repeatedly facing and delivering death as their daily job. The universal questions don't have to be asked. They are implicit in the life or death struggle that Del Vecchio recounts so well. This is a stunning book; harsh, gritty, realistic, touching and disturbing. I you thought there was anything romantic or "exciting" about this war, you won't after experiencing this book. I highly recommend it.

If you want to be picked up and dropped in the jungles of Vietnam in the middle of a major operation, then read this book. It was one of the best Vietnam War books I have ever read. Written with both detail and compassion for all involved, it is a brilliant portrayal of the soldiers who fought in the "boonies" during that horrible war. Unlike many Vietnam novels that concentrate heavily on the psychological effects of fighting an invisible enemy, this novel is also about the military aspects of the war, and makes the often-overlooked point that our military had some brilliant successes brought about by the heroic actions of the thousands of valiant soldiers who fought the battles. I highly recommend this dramatic and finely written novel.

I have read many military fiction and non-fiction books and none I have encountered present a more poignant and lucid picture of war. The characters are wonderfully brought to life.

It does a fantastic job of illustrating the experience of jungle warfare (and all the horror it entails). The march of the "boonie-rats" through the valley is exciting and described in magnificent detail. You really feel that you are marching along with them. The battles are vivid and intense.

It is also a touching love story with keen insight on romantic relationships.

Most importantly, it attempts to answer the philosophical question of how and why familial/racial/global conflict happens. It does this in a brilliant way and comes up with some TRULY FASCINATING ideas.

Read James Webb's "Fields of Fire" for another illuminating account of the Vietnam war.

The author unabashedly states in his "Author's Note" that Vietnam was "the most moral war this nation has ever engaged." There are merits to that view in spite of "those in the media, in the arts, and in education who continue to perpetrate the cliches" (p. xi). This is not the venue for a debate on that topic, but if you read this book, you will understand the camaraderie and heroism of the men who heeded their country's call and fought there. The novel chronicles thirteen days of Company A, 7th Battalion, 402nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. As you hump with the boonierats, you will come to understand the psychology of survival that men like Egan, Cherry, Doc, Jax, and Lt. Brooks employ to keep from going insane: "Don't mean nothin. Drive on." The author's turbo-charged prose plants you right there in the Khe Ta Laou Valley up in I Corps. You feel the elephant grass slice your hands as you move into the valley. If you read before bed, you may wake up in the middle of the night imagining that you're being attacked by insatiable blood-sucking leeches crawling into your poncho. The descriptive language alone is a tour de force, while the characters seem so real they materialize before you as you read. The maps help you keep track of unit positions and movements, and the "Activity Reports" at the end of some chapters aptly summarize the military activity of each day in the valley. I just finished reading this novel today, and already I'm going back and re-reading certain passages that I liked. This is the way Vietnam was. The language of the grunts is authentic. I know. I was there during the time frame within which the story takes place. You can go there, too, if you read this novel. In the beginning chapter, Cherry asks a clerk, "Oh-deuce?" The clerk responds, "Yeah, Man. Oh-deuce. Four-oh-deuce. That's where you goin, cherry. That's where you goin." I challenge you to follow along.

This book is getting some age on it. I am glad to see it is still available. The events in this book are based on a real operation carried out in I Corps (northern South Viet). Like Jeff Shaara, Del Vecchio takes history and turns it into a very readable novel. Speaking as an infantry veteran of the Viet Nam War, "The 13th Valley" is the best novel written thus far on the Viet Nam War and I've read most of them.

As a student in High School we had guest speakers from the Vietnam War come in and speak to us. They had mentioned that "The 13th Valley" was the most accurate account of what really happened in the war. I had never read another war book before, and thought that this may ake as an interesting read for our class. I was awe stricken. The detail and accuracy amazed me, and I couldn't wait to pick up another War Novel. I have now read multiple War Novels, and nothing compares. I have passed my copy around the school to teachers, all say that this is a marvelous book. DelVecchio combines awesome writing skills with great detail, resulting in a Novel worthy of careful reading.

This book has to be one of the greatest war novels ever written. I read it over a decade ago then recently reread it. It was amazing how vivid and fresh the book's impressions remained with me even after all these years. It has helped me understand and appreciate what my veteran patients went through. It is a beautifully written, gripping, graphic book that captures the horror and madness and random bravery of war.

I served in the army myself and although i haven't expirienced war myself i expirienced a lot during my service in the IDF.
This book takes you inside the heads and lives of the grunts who went through the hell of vietnam. The figures changes during the story and you learn more and more of them, feeling like you are walking in the jungles by them.
Someone told me this was a "hard book to read" and i didn't know what he'd meant until i finished it. this is one of my favorite books and almost the only one i've read more than once.
a must for anyone interested in the vietnam war.

An extraordinary novel, richly detailed, intricately plotted, coarse, brutal and very shocking. Years ago I read a great best seller, 'The Caine Mutiny,' and was captured by the images of World War II as seen by its engaging and complex characters. This book simply dwarfs 'The Caine Mutiny,' and for that matter, 'Catch-22,' as well.

Although Del Vecchio isn't a very polished author, and he's surely no Tolstoy, 'The 13th Valley' may ultimately be seen as the 'War and Peace' of the late 20th century. Its overall effect is that powerful.

I read this book upon the recommendation of my sister. At the time I didn't know a lot about the Vietnam War but wanted to learn more. It was perhaps one of the best books I can say I've ever read. I've never read a book that made you feel like you were right there with the author, but this book did me that way. I felt like I was in the jungle, I could almost feel the dirt hitting me in the face as the supply choppers landed. It made me see what war is really like, not just the Vietnam War, but I'm sure a lot of this applies to all wars. I also learned how a frightful soldier could be overwhelmed with just surviving and be willing to kill anything in sight that was related to the enemy as I felt myself become this way as I read this book. It was definitely a GREAT book to read and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to know what our soldiers lived day-in-day-out while in the valley.