For non-fiction military: Band of Brothers, Steven Ambrose. The mini-series did an excellent job but the book goes into details that the show doesn’t cover.
Low Level Hell by Hugh Mills. A book by a Viet Nam Scout helicopter pilot.
here
Aboutface by David Hackworth. Regardless what you think of what he has done since, his military career was worth reading about. Beware of inflated egos though.
I’m glad to see Alistair Horne has already been mentioned and will note that *The Price of Glory * forms part of a tryptich on Franco-German relations, along with *The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune 1870-1871 * and To Lose a Battle, about the invasion of France in 1940. I recomend all three. Byron Farwell has written a number of books about the British army, of which my favorites are *Queen Victoria’s Little Wars * and Mr. Kipling’s Army.
I heartily recommend the now-seemingly-forgotten The Winds of War and War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk.
And if you enjoy epic fantasy, a light and easy but still fun series is The Belgariad by David Eddings.
The Life of Johnny Reb
and
The Life of Billy Yank
both by Bell Irvin Wiley.
The poor SOB who is a private has a tough time in any war. See what his life was like in the American Civil War.
I second John Marco’s Tyrants and Kings series. It has lots of nice plot twists, and it’s not always a straight cut good vs evil. His next series isn’t all that good though.
For military I liked Web Griffin’s Brotherhood of War series. I also liked War of the Rats.
I’m not sure if it counts, but I once read a rather interesting Sci-fi military book called The Forever War, detailing the possibility of a war fought using FTL drives and the effects that would have on those fighting in it.
I’ve heard three different people say this, which is why I’m avoiding it.
Thanks for all the Suggestions… will check 'em out.
Bumping this old thread… any new suggestions ?
Sure. Here’s some good non-fiction…
The Face of Battle - John Keegan
The First Casualty - Phillip Knightley
Dispatches - Michael Herr
And a good novel…
The Short Timers - Gustav Hasford ( Full Metal Jacket was based on this book, but is nowhere near as good).
Did you read any of the recommendations? Did you like anything? Hate anything? Have any recommendations to return?
I second these books, but with a warning : if you are not very familiar with Soviet geography, better get a good atlas. Erickson is very, very skimpy with his maps.
Maybe you’d like Fox on the Rhine by Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson. It’s a WWII military novel but it’s also an alternate history novel - the authors base it on the idea that Hitler was killed in the July 20, 1944 bomb plot and follow the possibilities from there. So it’s a straight forward military book but because of this change you don’t know what the outcome of the battles will be. There’s also a sequel, Fox on the Front, but I haven’t read it yet.
For shear salted peanut military fiction you can’t beat WEB Griffin A total of 36 books to choose from.
Excellent book. ** Team Yankee ** by Harold Coyle is another one that is very good.
The Aubrey/Maturin novels by Patrick O"Brian are good for Napoleonic-era naval combat (as well as being eminently entertaining), and so are the Hornblower books.
“Goodbye Darkness” by William Manchester is an interesting memoir of WWII USMC life.
“Forgotten Soldier” by Guy Sajer is another interesting memoir, although there are some questions as to its veracity.
The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan
The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Ralph Sawyer)
Strategy by Basil Liddell Hart
Tad Williams is good, at least in Tailchaser’s Song and the Dragon Bone Chair. I found the Otherland series to drag though.
Good point … sorry… I read only a few… I certainly was ungrateful for not mentioning Gates of Fire. It is spectacular ! Great fiction on the 300 spartans vs Persia. **Team Yankee ** I’ve purchased more than a decade ago… and its still great fun. Stephen Ambrose is on my “to read” list.
Many I checked out on Amazon and I ended up choosing to buy them later… or they simply weren’t my style. I’m picky. Unfortunately I’m quite fed up with books on the US military for political reasons of my own… and Tom Clancy too. (Tom Clancy has become utter garbage). The last book on the US military I enjoyed was Black Hawk Down. (very well written and makes the film more enjoyable).
A book that wasn’t mentioned here but is great stuff is “Upfront” by Bill Mauldin a well known WWII cartoonist. He talks about the day to day lives of GI “doggies”: Amazon Link Here
As for Fantasy Books… I took some time to be captivated… but I loved the first 2 books of “Farseer Trilogy”: **Assassin’s Apprentice ** & Royal Assassin. Ordering the third book this week.
I was so totally bored by Patrick O’Brian… and I don’t understand why. I’m interested in the Era and naval warfare… but it was the first fiction on the topic… and I found it so dragging along I quit before getting to half the book. I loved the movie with Russell Crowe though.
The Kagan books seems interesting… is it a bit dragging ?
I read the reviews yesterday of the Basil’s Strategy… and it seems a bit simple or basic no ? How much will it benefit more intermediate readers ?
I liked Kagan’s book. It has lots of maps which I found really helpful when you’re trying to piece together where the fleets met or how the Syracuse disaster happened. It also provides an intersting look at how the people invovled led to the type of strategy/war attempted by the Athenians. If you’re really eager he has a multi-volume work on the subject.
Liddell’s strategy book is good if for nothing else than its focus on maneuver and leveraging surprise and indirect attack.
The Kagan multi-book is better ?
I read about Scipio with Lidell… and I enjoyed it… but a general book on Strategy seems to “beginner” to me… I’m probably wrong then…