A.U.S. Vietnam veteran presents the war from his enemy's perspective: a platoon of 15-year-old boys ordered to carry a ton of cargo 650 miles along a primitive network of trails.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The recent restoration of relations between the U.S. and Vietnam may spur interest in Campbell's debut novel, which deals with the journey of a North Vietnamese supply platoon down a torturous 650-mile trail. Campbell, a retired Marine colonel who served in Vietnam, tells the story through the eyes of combat-hardened platoon leader Pham Van Duan, who must lead a band of new recruits, laden with critical cargo, to the end of the trail. Along the way, the soldiers encounter dangerous terrain, jungle predators, shortages of food and medicine?and the hovering presence of the American enemy. Campbell is a competent storyteller who observes most of the standard war novel conventions, including an emphasis on action at the expense of character development. This slows the story, especially in its first half, as the drama of the platoon's difficulties barely balances a multitude of stereotypes and overly familiar scenes. The novel's latter half, however, races along after an American attack traps Duan and his charges between a group of deadly U.S. planes and regular North Vietnamese forces seeking to shoot them down. Throughout, Campbell offers an excellent analysis of tactical issues, and with richer characters the novel might have been a genre standout; in any case, it's of note as one of the few books to tell of the Vietnam war from the other side.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a refreshing, gripping tale about the mysterious Vietnam war,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Old Man's Trail: A Novel about the Vietcong (Hardcover)
Tom Campbell's book is extremely well written. The narrative unfolds quickly, bringing the reader into the mysterious maze of the Viet Cong supply route that belied the powerful bombing capacities of the U.S. military. It is written from the eyes of the teenagers conscripted into military duty, beginning with their grueling boot camp and their seasoned drill instructor. Scenes of the trail are spendidly presented, and readers will find themselved caught up in the suspense of the outcome. The book is an amazingly keen observer of minute details and larger conflictual perspectives. It is not overly sympathetic to either side, but quite human in presenting the nitty-gritty daily decisions soldiers from both sides were forced to make. You will find this book disturbing and stimulating. A high recommendation.
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