A Reckoning For Kings: A Novel of Vietnam (Wars of the Shannons) [Paperback]

Chris Bunch (Author), Allan Cole (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 2009 | Series: Wars of the Shannons

Down a thousand miles of jungle trail the enemy came. The Tet Offensive was about to explode:

THEIR SIDE: The attack, their long awaited General Offensive, will begin during the traditionally peaceful celebration of the Vietnamese New Year - the Year Of The Monkey. Their leader is General Vo Le Duan, a soldier who knows his patriotic duty, but knows also he will never see, in this messy, endless war, the glory that he dreams of.

OUR SIDE: Blooded and ready, all they need now is an enemy. Not one that murders from the ditch, or from the darkness of the night, but an enemy in the open. One of the men who must lead the ranks is Major Dennis Shannon, who discovers vital information that could nail the enemy - but no one on his side is listening.

WITHIN THE SPAN of four short months, during the lightning quick, bloody campaign known as the Tet Offensive, two vastly different cultures and two bitterly opposing armies - the generals, the guerrillas, the grunts - will clash in an epoch shattering encounter that will alter the course of the war and change the shape of the world forever.

"A Classic war novel." - San Diego Tribune

"An excellent piece of work." - Los Angeles Times

"Sets high standards for other Vietnam War novels." - St. Louis Post Dispatch

"It has an enormous cast of characters and a compelling plot enhanced by an intimate knowledge of the land and people of Vietnam." - Chattanooga Times

"An authentic action story." - San Diego Tribune

"Rings with authenticity." - Austin American Statesman

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While it breaks no new ground in the crowded genre of Vietnam Warera fiction, this sprawling novel set at the time of the Tet offensive in 1968 ultimately proves a compelling, if conventional, story of men at war. The authors use a wide array of characters on both sides to map out the conflict. Of these, the most interesting are a North Vietnamese general, a West Pointtrained intelligence officer who has already become wise to the futility of the American effort and a company of "grunts" trying to survive their year in the jungle. Building toward a battle over a fictional provincial capital, ironically a "set battle" in a war that saw few of these, the book follows the intrigues, corruption, bureaucratic bungling, pettiness and everyday heroics that were part of the war, as an army from the north moves south in anticipation of the Tet attack that will signal the general offensive, an event that the Communists presume will end the hostilities. Often relying too heavily upon stock characters and cliches of conventional war fiction, the book nonetheless generates excitement and suspense as it crashes toward the final battle scene.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A kaleidoscopic treatment of the Vietnam War, this long novel maneuvers back and forth between the American viewpoint and, to a lesser extent, the Vietnamese. From October 1967 to January 1968 the military on both sides, as well as Vietnamese civilians, struggle to kill each other and/or survive. Major Shannon and General Sinclair and men of the first squad are highlighted, as are General Duan and his aide Lau. There are brief flashbacks to civilian life. The authors have created a frighteningly realistic overview of battle, punctuated with vignettes of individual triumph and failure. The climax is the Tet Offensive and bloody recapturing of a city. Three things finally emerge: the necessity for survival, the stupidity of war, and the suggestion that America might as well have been on the other side. Recommended.Robert H. Donahugh, Youngstown & Mahoning Cty. P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 468 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse.com (February 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440109907
• ISBN-13: 978-1440109904
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,676,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars military fiction at it's best, June 22, 2001

By 

Jeff Cordell - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Reckoning for Kings (Mass Market Paperback)

Like one of the other reviewers I was actually born at the tail-end of the Tet Offensive. My father had been there and served his tour of duty in 65-66. But this book is on the mark. I first read it in 87 when I was in the R.O.T.C. program at Boise State University.

Just young cadet fascinated by all things having to do with the Army.At the time I felt that the book captured the feel and the rythms of Army life. Whether that be the peacetime Army or the wartime Army. At the time there were still many Vietnam vets in the service and I gave this book to one of the cadre members(a sergeant major) to read. He had served two tours over there and when he finished reading it he told me that the authors had done a better job of capturing the war in all it's nuances then all the other Vietnam novels he had read. No weird musings on the nature of man and no bizzare drug induced fantasies that so many other authors were turning out in the seventies and early eighties. Just a straight forward story.I've since reread this novel twice. The first time was about three years ago and then just last week. I'm older now and my attitude towards things have changed.I have found that often those things which seemed so impressive to me at the age of nineteen are diminished at the age of thirty-three. Well this novel hasn't lost anything. It's still wonderfully detailed, suspenseful, humorous and intelligent. One could do far worse this summer then reading this book. Unfortunately it's out of print, but I still see copies floating around in used book stores - both in paperback and hardcover. Good luck and, when you get a copy,enjoy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst Kindle book ever experienced, November 28, 2010

By 

P. von Fischer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Reckoning For Kings (Kindle Edition)

OK, I really loved this novel. I wore out my paperback a while ago and was excited when I saw that it was back in print and even more pleased when I saw there was a Kindle edition. However, when I started reading it quickly became clear that this was scanned and either left unedited or the editor spent more time picking his nose than editing. There are mis-scans on every page. Words like 'die' convert to 'the,' the name Fuller converted to Poller -only sometimes, 'them' becomes 'mem' and on and on... I have never bothered with a review before. However, I care enough about this book that I felt I had to say something in the hopes that others are able to enjoy a truly excellent story. Save your money. Buy the actual book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breaks New Ground, November 12, 2010

By 

Allan "a. scribe" (Boca Raton, FL, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Reckoning For Kings: A Novel of Vietnam (Wars of the Shannons) (Paperback)

Just to set the record straight: Most critics - from the Los Angeles Times, to the San Francisco Chronicle, to the St.Louis Post Dispatch - very much agree that A Reckoning For Kings does, indeed, break new ground in Vietnam War fiction. For the first - and still the only - time both sides of the war are shown. There are thirty major characters, fully half of which are Vietnamese. One minute you are looking through the eyes of a young American soldier, the next from those of a teenage Viet Cong guerrilla.