Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway: A Brothers in Arms Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

~ John Antal (Author)
Key Phrases: minstrel boy, silver haired lady, assault guns, Bren Carrier, Irish Guards, Corporal Ackers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

“With sharp insights into history, combat, and human nature, this enthralling novel can stand beside even the best chronicles of that fabled ‘band of brothers.’ ”
–Ralph Peters, author of Wars of Blood and Faith

It’s 1944, and the German war machine is on its heels but still lethal, while the Allies pry the Netherlands from the Nazis’ grasp. Operation Market Garden will be spearheaded by the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles. But if you’re one man in one corner of this battle, it’s a plunge into chaos–at a place called “Hell’s Highway.”

Sergeant Matt Baker is a recon leader from the 101st, in charge of a team of Brits, Americans, and Dutch resistance fighters sent on a desperate reconnaissance mission. For Baker, every step behind enemy lines means dozens of critical choices, firefights that explode out of nowhere, and facing down one ruthless German who knows his war is lost– and who is as fierce as he is brilliant. To both men, it’s a battle to get out of hell alive.

From the struggles of the men and women of the Dutch resistance to a pitched fight for one critical bridge, Hell’s Highway is the suspense-packed, surprise-filled version of the bestselling video game–and an intense epic journey into the true nature of war.

About the Author

John Antal, U.S. Army (retired), served thirty years in the military and earned the rank of colonel. He is an airborne ranger and served as a tank officer in combat units around the world. A prolific writer of military history and military historical fiction, he has published more than two hundred articles and eight books, and he is the historical director for Gearbox Software’s mega-selling Brothers in Arms video games. Send any comments you have concerning Hell’s Highway to Colonel Antal at [e-mail].

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press (July 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345503376
• ISBN-13: 978-0345503374
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #637,817 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Exploding Barrel's Review, October 15, 2008

By	David Keating "Perfect Consumer" (Denton, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

From TheExplodingBarrel's Review of Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway: A Brothers in Arms Novel

We don't normally write about books here at the ole' Barrel, but since Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is a book based on a video game, I figured I'd make an exception. Although I didn't know it until picking up the 300 page novel, Col. John Antal [retired] (who has served as Gearbox's military advisor for many years) also happens to be a prolific writer who has published 80 articles and a half dozen military books prior to writing Hell's Highway. In his latest effort, Antal blends fact with fiction as he intertwines the struggles of series mainstay Sargent Matt Baker, the British XXX Corps, the German army (both SS and Wehrmacht), and members of the Dutch Resistance during Operation Market Garden. Hell's Highway illustrates the Allies' attempt to put an end to fighting in the European Theater of operations by reclaiming Holland and crossing into Germany in full force. It was the largest air-drop operation in American history, and the last major victory the Germans were able to muster.

Initially, I was concerned that Antal's fictitious narrative could never provide the same level of authenticity and historical accuracy one would expect from strictly non-fiction accounts of the 101st Airborne. Still, my love for the Brothers series, and WW2 history in general, compelled me to give it a read regardless of my trepidation. As it turns out, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that by writing historical fiction, Antal capitalizes upon his artistic liberty to convey the inner worlds of his characters in a more personal light than other popular accounts of this conflict. For instance, protagonist Baker's post-traumatic stress disorder is explored with a level of sophistication and depth that strict non-fiction seldom approaches. Never does the story venture beyond the boundaries of the credible, and one gets the feeling while reading Brothers in Arms that the plot progression always has one foot firmly planted in actual history, which is the result of many years of research on the author's part.

I was also a bit concerned that the novel would ruin the plot of the game, but I've watched practically every bit of Hell's Highway video available on the Internet, and as far as I know, many scenes, characters and set pieces portrayed in the promotional trailers never seem to pop up in the novel. Corrian, the assault team leader who has been in the previous Brothers titles, is present in the cut scenes Gearbox has released, but entirely absent (at least in name) from the text, for example. I may be wrong, but it seems like the novelization of Brothers in Arms is anything but, instead fleshing out the game's ancillary narratives with additional exposition. It's meaty stuff, but it doesn't appear to be the author's intent to spoil the game with a blow by blow account of the game's plot. Instead, much of Brothers focuses on the various soldiers' downtime, combat tactics, and personal thoughts.

One of the book's main strengths was it's ability to humanize the Wehrmacht, delineating the regular German military from the brutal SS soldiers who routinely killed Dutch civilians, and even German soldiers perceived as being unpatriotic. Much of Brothers is told from the perspective of a highly decorated Wehrmacht Fallschirmjäger officer named Graf, who at one point does battle with his Nazi superior over ideological differences. It is an interesting glimpse into how fragile Germany's unity was during those dark days, and Antal provides his readers with fascinating insights into the complex infrastructure of the German war machine that has yet to be tackled in any of the numerous video games set in WWII. I also particularly enjoyed reading the chapters written from the perspective of a 16 year old Dutch girl named Mira, who aided the allies with a small band of child resistance members called `The Bicyclists'. Much like the Call of Duty games have clung to the notion war is a collaborative endeavor, one gets the sense that the game play in Brothers in Arms will depend on the cooperation of individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds to a greater extent than previous iterations in the series.

Whenever I buy a book based on a video game, I get feelings of shame one would normally associate with the procurement of pornography. "Are books based on games considered books at all?" I silently ask myself during check-out. In this case, the answer is a resounding, "Hell yes!" With Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, the narrative is the spoonful of sugar the helps the historical medicine go down, and Antal succeeds in entertaining readers while dropping little bombs of knowledge throughout. It isn't just the best book I've ever read that was based on a video game, it's one of the most entertaining books I've read on the subject of the 101st Airborne, and I can whole-heartedly recommend Antal's novel to fans of the games and WWII history buffs with no interest in ever laying hands on a video game controller alike.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb WWII Action Adventure Novel, July 29, 2008

By	R. Kim "aceattorney" (Downey, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Like many others, I am a huge fan of the film, "Saving Private Ryan," and of the HBO series, "Band of Brothers." There is something amazing about stories of heroism during the Second World War that never tires or bores. But Colonel John Antal has managed to do something phenomenal in this setting by writing a fictional story based around historical events.

With "Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway," Colonel Antal captivates and intrigues readers by shaping historical events through the eyes of fictional characters from the Allied forces, the Dutch resistance, as well as the truly fascinating perspective of the German forces.

Without belittling the true story of the Allied heroes that fought in WWII, and without glorifying the evil Nazi regime, BIA:HH exposes the tremendously wide range of emotions soldiers from each side struggled with. The result of this exposure in the moments of victory and defeat the characters face make this novel not only educational, but captivating.

Colonel Antal writes in a action-paced, cliff-hanger driven fashion, jumping from perspectives, ensuring that any reader will be on the edge of his seat. In fact, besides being billed as "the first official companion novel to the thrilling video game," BIA:HH would no doubt be a perfect fit as a feature film for the big screen.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, September 14, 2008

By	Shawn F. Graves (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Absolutely the Best book I have read in years. John Antal is not only a Soldier and Leader - he is an insightful writer who places the reader on the terrain and in the action. You have received your orders, briefed your international Team and now the hard part begins. At each step you "feel" what Sergeant Baker feels and experience the exchanges between the Team and their seasoned enemy. John captures the little nuisances that soldiers understand - the hot coffee; the radio communications; the soggy field; the inerdependence between professionals; the pain they experience when a friend is lost and the professional courtesy shared between enemies.
John takes the war away from the global map board and briefing room, and places it where the real war is prosecuted - in the field with Soldiers and their Leaders.
If you are or were a soldier, or if you want to "see" what soldiers do and feel - this book is manditory reading! Sergeant Baker is a Leader and you will understand why his Team follows him through Hell.
I can't wait for the next one.