Sympathy for the devil

Hanson is an effective killing machine in Vietnam. He exults in the chase, the surviving, the countryside, and a few buddies, like Quinn and Silver. In a series of episodes the cruelty and madness of war mold him into almost a nonhuman. The scenes of his basic training and the idiocy of his various officers strengthen his inner resources. In the dramatic climax his buddies die, but Hanson is "doomed to survive the war." There are plenty of passages of power and almost unbearable descriptions in this deeply felt first novel; but the organization of the material is shaky, and some of the transitions are weak. Still, a potent study of men at war. Robert H. Donahugh, Youngstown & Mahoning Cty. P.L., OhioCopyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.