God's Children [Hardcover]

Harold Coyle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 2000

It is from the biblical saying that Harold Coyle has take the title of his new novel, God's Children. Yet peacekeeping is not child's play. a tale of high-tech warfare set in the near future, God's Childrenis the story of the 3rd Platoon, c. Company, 2nd Battalion of the 13th infantry, and two young officers who attempt to keep a peace that is falling apart before their eyes.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

For those who went to war with an M-1 rifle, a carbine, or a Colt 45, and who don't know a BMP from an M-16, Coyle writes in a foreign language. But for professional soldiers, active or otherwise, wanna-bes, armchair generals, and general military buffs, Coyle wrote the book--this one and others--on land warfare. The God's Children of the title--peacekeepers, according to the biblical saying--are the Third Platoon of C Company, part of a NATO force in near-future Slovakia attempting to keep the lid on a boiling pot nobody seems to care much about. Coyle's main protagonists are First Lieutenant Nathan Dixon and Second Lieutenant Gerald Reider, fresh from West Point. The good news is that both young men survive the firefights that are part of their peacekeeping mission. The not-so-good news is that Coyle's story could be uncomfortably close to actual happenings in the year 2000 or slightly beyond. In any case, when it comes to military techno-thrillers, Coyle is as good as it gets. Budd Arthur

From Kirkus Reviews

Another penetrating dissection of the passion and terror of warfare from the modern master of life-under-combat, this time on a snowbound Slovakia, where a mixed bag of US Army infantry, acting as NATO peacekeepers, cope with murderous ethnic cleansersand a far more threatening conflict between commanding officers. After examining battlefield bravado in American history, Coyle goes back to the near future, picking up the adventures of Army Lt. Nathan Dixon, son of his series hero Scott Dixon (Code of Honor, 1994, etc.). Nathan's cushy job as a battalion staff officer, is interrupted when hes ordered to accompany a platoon led by greenhorn Lt. Gerald Reider on what is supposed to be a routine show of force mission. Sparks fly long before the two lieutenants leave their battalion base: The product of the Virginia Military Institute and his father's hard-won wisdom, Dixon is put off by Reider, an elitist martinet fresh out of West Point. Meanwhile, Reider views Dixon's presence as a meddlesome imposition on his command. The two are barely speaking as their platoon trudges off into Slovakian hills to rendezvous with a trio of American tanks 25 kilometers away. Their orders are ambiguous: protect civilians, don't start any conflicts, be prepared to return fire if fired on. Coyle uses the escalating squabbles between the two men to illustrate contrasting styles of leadership, delivering intricate if long-winded asides about how crucial a commander's slightest twitch can be in maintaining control. Reider makes several mistakes, barely escaping calamity. When Dixon finds the burning hulk of a US tank, and can't contact the base on the platoon radio, he concludes that war has finally broken out. The platoon is then torn apart after a series of heartstopping, brutally realistic firefights, and the two officers, separated by hostile forces, must fight their way back any way they can. A grunt's life that, despite too many lectures on military mores, and a distracting romantic subplot, succeeds as an engrossing, uncompromisingly suspenseful tale of heroic adventure. ($150,000 ad/promo; radio satellite tour) -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (February 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312862962
• ISBN-13: 978-0312862961
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,838,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Something Missing, March 3, 2000

By 

Brian W. McLean (Prattville, AL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: God's Children (Hardcover)

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Coyle's modern warfare novels, including this, his latest one. I really enjoy the character development on all his books. Coyle makes them come alive and makes you care about whether or not they survive. Although not as long as some of his earlier works, God's Children was still a very good read. That said, however, I felt that there was something missing, perhaps a book unwritten? God's Children brings out the next generation of soldiers, building upon the characters begun in Sword Point through Code of Honor. The protagonist, Nathan Dixon, is obviously Scott Dixon's son. But what happened to the rest of the ensemble? Is Scott Dixon still on active duty? We know that Harold Cerro died in Code of Honor (bummer! I hated that part!) and there are references to Nancy Kozak's promotion to Lt Col and continued success as a combat officer. But Nathan Dixon bursts upon the scene as an experienced 1st LT, with references woven into God's Children of his previous success as a platoon leader, presumably in Nancy Kozak's battalion. But what happened? Where is the intervening book? I want to know! God's Children, while not quite as good as The 10,000, is a great way to pass the travel time on a boring business trip, but I really wnat to see the book between Code of Honor and God's Children.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hand grenade close, but not quite on target, July 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: God's Children (Hardcover)

Coyle heads down a great path, but doesn't quite get there. Myfirst platoon happened to be 2nd platoon, Co B, 2nd Battalion, 13thInfantry, so I enjoyed the "fictional" unit designation. And Coyle does get some things right...the worries of a 2LT taking his first platoon; the tension between the 2LT and the 1LT, especially one from the S3; and the S3 itself (I spent some time there too, and he's right on.) However, the ending is atrocious. Many years ago I read an article in the National Lampoon entitled, "How to Write Good". It suggested that if you get tired of writing, and don't know how to end, just write, "Suddenly, everyone was run over by a truck", and be done with it. Coyle pretty much does that here. It's too bad. Fleshed out properly it could have been a GREAT read, instead of just a good one.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Loyal Coyle Fan Expect More, February 22, 2000

By 

Tim Charlesworth (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: God's Children (Hardcover)

Normally Harold Coyle is such a good read it is hard to put the book down. As a serving military officer, I was looking forward to the subject matter of this book for several months. In my opinion the book fell short of my expectations for an author of his caliber. I got the feeling that the book was written as a labor of love for the first 150 pages and then was shelved for a period of time before it had to be finished in a hurry. Readers need to know up front that the book will fall short of expectations in the end. The book even had some editing and proofing errors that are not normally seen in his work. Normally Harold Coyle's books exceptionally balances the drama of fiction with military realism to a very high degree. This one lost out to drama in a several ways. I will continue to look forward to his next effort, but I will not jump as quickly to buy it as I did this one.