Reading Lists - War Fiction

Looking for a good war novel but you've already read all of the old classics?  Here's a list of war fiction that you may have overlooked:

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

Faulks deftly blends romance and war in this stirring epic of World War I. The story follows Stephen Wraysford, a young Englishman living abroad in France who joins the army when jilted by his lover.  Assigned to a unit that tunnels beneath German trenches to place mines, Stephen’s only respite comes from the companionship of his fellow soldiers.

The Boat by Lothar-Günther Buchheim

The inspiration for the film Das Boot, this novel draws heavily from the author’s own experience as a lieutenant on a German U-boat during World War II.  Buchheim shows exactly what life is like on a submarine, from the feelings of claustrophobia and the bouts of prolonged boredom to the brief periods of intense action in warfare. 

The Fort by Bernard Cornwell

Fans of Cornwell’s Sharpe series won’t want to miss The Fort, his excellent novel about a little known Revolutionary War campaign fought in New England in 1779.  When the British move a small force of Scottish soldiers into a fort at Penobscot Bay, the Americans stage an attack that is marred by strategic blunders and sloppy execution.

Gates of Fire by Stephen Pressfield

Gates of Fire is an impressive fictionalization of the legendary Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., in which 300 Spartans bravely fought against 100,000 Persians.  Told in flashback by Xeo, the only Spartan survivor, the action packed story is brought to life by Pressfield’s ability to capture the feverish intensity and sheer physicality of ancient warfare.

The Gates of the Alamo by Stephen Harrigan
The Gates of the Alamo is a fascinatingly unique take on one of the most famous battles in American history.  Rather than focus on the renowned heroes of the Alamo, Harrigan depicts the events primarily through the eyes of three civilians who become unwittingly involved in Texas’s fight for independence from Mexico.   

The March by E.L. Doctorow

Versatile author E.L. Doctorow has a knack for weaving fact and fiction in his novels of the American past.  In The March he sets his attention upon the Civil War and Sherman’s march to Georgia, using a host of characters, both real and imagined, Northern and Southern, black and white, to tell the riveting story. 

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

It took Marlantes over thirty years to write and publish his epic Vietnam novel about the boys of Bravo Company.  Led by the inexperienced Waino Mellas, one of the oldest members of the troop at age 22, they face not only the danger of combat but also the perils of jungle predators, tropical storms, starvation, and internal feuding and racial tension.

Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara

Author of the classic Civil War novel Gods and Generals, Shaara proves himself equally adept at recreating the beginning years of the Revolutionary War in Rise to Rebellion.  From the Boston Tea Party to the Battle of Bunker Hill, Shaara covers all of the important events, on and off the battlefield, of the struggle that gave birth to a new nation. 

Shiloh by Shelby Foote

Shelby Foote, author of the three volume The Civil War: A Narrative, narrowed his focus for this insightful novel about the two days that made up the pivotal Battle of Shiloh in April 1862.  In contrast to the detailed history of the former work, Shiloh aims to give the reader a glimpse of what exactly went through the minds of soldiers from both sides  as they engaged in one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin

An elderly man walking along a dirt road meets a young boy and starts to tell his life story.  Thus begins A Soldier of the Great War, an enthralling account of Alesandro Giuliani’s amazing experiences as a soldier during World War I.  Readers will be kept on the edge of their seats by the remarkable twists and turns of Alesandro’s tale. 

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

A collection of interwoven short stories that reads like a novel, The Things They Carried gives the reader brief snapshots of soldiers’ lives before, during, and after the Vietnam War.  The  title story is pure genius— a seemingly dispassionate inventory of items carried by soldiers that takes on a heartbreaking poignancy as the narrative unfolds. 

War of the Rats by David L. Robbins

As the Russians and Germans battle over Stalingrad in 1942, two expert snipers face off in a tense strategic showdown amid the  destruction of the city.  Inspired by real events, the supremely suspenseful War of the Rats investigates the inner workings of men trained to be cold-blooded master assassins.

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

The Yellow Birds stands out as one the best novels on the recent conflict in the Middle East.  Powers, a veteran of the Iraq war, uses his firsthand knowledge of combat to create a work that illustrates the fragile emotional and psychological states of soldiers as they witness horrific violence on a daily basis.   

Read-alike Guides - The Hunt for Red October

If you liked The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy, you might enjoy one of these books:

The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins
One-time British Army soldier Higgins introduces Liam Devlin, an IRA gunman, poet, scholar, and anti-hero. Devlin is one of various spies who assists a small force of German paratroopers when they land on the Norfolk coast in 1943 and attempt to kidnap Winston Churchill. This is a convincing alternate history with detailed characters.

Fade by Kyle Mills
Directed to re-recruit a former agent who was shot in the line of duty, Homeland Security associate director Matt Egan faces a difficult task. The agent, known as “Fade,” becomes a fugitive in a dangerous act of revenge. Fade is a new kind of hero—a tough, loyal American agent and former Navy SEAL of Arab ancestry. Mills has written an exciting terrorism thriller with a twist.

Flight of the Intruder by Stephen Coonts
Coonts often uses themes and plot devices similar to Clancy’s, as well as accurate technical details. In the first novel of this series, Jake Grafton is an A-6 Intruder pilot during the Vietnam War. Enraged at his bombardier’s meaningless death, Jake’s anger and bitterness grow until he decides to do things his own way, which leads him to the riskiest mission of all.

Flight of the Old Dog by Dale Brown
In the first novel featuring Patrick McLanahan, Pat navigates a B-52, attempting to survive waves of Soviet surface-to-air missiles and MiG fighters in order to drop a bomb on a laser installation in Siberia. A former USAF captain, Brown knows his airborne and naval high-tech equipment, as well as the cockpit bantering of crews.

I, Sniper by Stephen Hunter
Hunter's signature blend of cinematic language, action-packed suspense, and multifaceted characters is evident as retired Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger fights to clear the name of a fellow soldier-in-arms. Swagger faces off against one of his most ruthless adversaries yet—a sniper whose keen intellect and pinpoint accuracy rivals his own.

More Than Courage by Harold Coyle
When the members of his special forces unit are captured and scheduled for execution deep in enemy territory, Lieutenant Colonel Harry Shaddock is charged with going behind enemy lines to rescue his men and complete their mission. Coyle, a VMI graduate and army veteran, is a master of characterization and accurate detail.

Rolling Thunder by Mark Berent
Three Air Force pilots go to Vietnam in 1965 and face the horrors of the jungle, but when they return home they face the hostility of Americans against the war. Former USAF pilot Berent, who served three tours in Vietnam, writes nonstop action with convincing technical details and military jargon.

Semper Fi by W.E.B. Griffin
The first of The Corps series tells of the Marines between the World Wars, as they were about to become America’s first line of defense after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. While heavy on action and suspense, Griffin also manages to create lifelike characters and provide detailed description of the culture, relationships, history, and traditions of men at war.

Targets of Opportunity by Joe Weber
Elements of espionage and mounting suspense, high-tech details, action, and adventure are common in Weber’s work. Here, Marine pilot Brad Austin uses a North Vietnamese MiG-17 to fly into Vietnam and infiltrate the Air Force, but once there, he has a difficult additional assignment. A former Marine pilot himself, Weber writes the pilot's perspective realistically.

The Threat by David Poyer
Military details, adventure stories out of today's headlines, and series characters that readers can root for make Poyer’s books great. So great, in fact, that some are used as textbooks at the United States Naval Academy. In The Threat, Medal of Honor recipient Dan Lenson is assigned to serve in the White House, where he uncovers a horrific terrorist plot to smuggle a dirty bomb into the U.S.

Also by Tom Clancy:

Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit
Clancy offers a unique inside view of the Marines, including their history, recruitment, training, arms, equipment, and strategies. His main focus is the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). The USMC maintains seven MEUs, rapid-response units that patrol the sea while waiting for the president to send a "911" call for armed intervention. Clancy’s vivid detail works just as well in nonfiction.

Into the Storm
Clancy traces the organizational success story of the U.S. Army's rise from the slough of Vietnam to the heights of victory in the Persian Gulf. He analyzes the art of modern warfare as seen through the eyes of General Frederick M. Franks, Jr., an armor and infantry commander during the Gulf War. Franks is a man of great courage, integrity, and thoughtfulness. This is a great read.

The Teeth of the Tiger
The most recent Jack Ryan novel actually features Ryan’s son, Jack Jr. When a terrorist leader and a drug warlord form a dangerous alliance, FBI agent Dominic Caruso, his Marine captain brother Brian, and their cousin Jack Ryan, Jr. encounter unexpected dangers. Clancy writes with the exceptional realism and cutting-edge authenticity that are his hallmarks.