Book Review - Killing Rommel by Steven Pressfield
Category Book Review Steven Pressfield Killing Rommel
Looking for some recreational reading, I pulled out one of the review book I've gotten lately. The one I chose was Steven Pressfield's Killing Rommel. This is the first novel of Pressfield's that I've read, but I don't think it'll be the last. He does war novels grounded in historical facts, so the books have a real "first person account" feel (or at least Killing Rommel did). I thoroughly enjoyed this book set in the African desert campaigns of World War II...
The story is told in a manuscript written by R. Lawrence Chapman. Chapman, or "Chap" as he's known by, signed up in England to fight against the Nazis who were closing in on conquering Europe and Mother England. He ends up on assignment with the Long Range Desert Group, a real-life British special forces unit that is sent out on a primary mission... stay mobile, stay hidden, find Rommel, and kill him. This means that they are behind enemy lines, often with little to no support, almost always with equipment that's seen better days, and constantly in danger of being spotted and attacked by Panzer divisions. These days you expect that aerial recon and satellite communication would make coordination easy. But back then, radios involved major setup of antennas (with the associated risk of being spotted or heard), and maps of the terrain were non-existent. Chap and his unit endure horrid weather (both stifling hot and freezing cold), little sleep, and constant injuries following the ever-changing orders from central command. They spend more time fixing their trucks than they do driving them, and that driving usually has to be done at night in pitch dark conditions to avoid German patrols who know they are in the area. Through it all, Chap goes from a volunteer soldier who is unsure of his abilities to a solid leader who pulls his men through conditions that would have caused most men to give up. He also learns the honor and chivalry of combat, and ultimately has to make a choice over what's right and moral versus what's easy and safe.
Not having read any other of his books, I don't know if this one is indicative of the level of action you'd find in one of his novels. While he brings a sense of realism to the ugly side of war, the driving force of the story is Chap's transformation. I was impressed that he pulled off that amount of introspection without bogging down the action part of the story. Once I got started with Killing Rommel, it became the only book I was reading at lunch, on the bus, and in bed. It didn't last very long. :) I think I'll be hitting the library to check out his other books...
Looking for some recreational reading, I pulled out one of the review book I've gotten lately. The one I chose was Steven Pressfield's Killing Rommel. This is the first novel of Pressfield's that I've read, but I don't think it'll be the last. He does war novels grounded in historical facts, so the books have a real "first person account" feel (or at least Killing Rommel did). I thoroughly enjoyed this book set in the African desert campaigns of World War II...
The story is told in a manuscript written by R. Lawrence Chapman. Chapman, or "Chap" as he's known by, signed up in England to fight against the Nazis who were closing in on conquering Europe and Mother England. He ends up on assignment with the Long Range Desert Group, a real-life British special forces unit that is sent out on a primary mission... stay mobile, stay hidden, find Rommel, and kill him. This means that they are behind enemy lines, often with little to no support, almost always with equipment that's seen better days, and constantly in danger of being spotted and attacked by Panzer divisions. These days you expect that aerial recon and satellite communication would make coordination easy. But back then, radios involved major setup of antennas (with the associated risk of being spotted or heard), and maps of the terrain were non-existent. Chap and his unit endure horrid weather (both stifling hot and freezing cold), little sleep, and constant injuries following the ever-changing orders from central command. They spend more time fixing their trucks than they do driving them, and that driving usually has to be done at night in pitch dark conditions to avoid German patrols who know they are in the area. Through it all, Chap goes from a volunteer soldier who is unsure of his abilities to a solid leader who pulls his men through conditions that would have caused most men to give up. He also learns the honor and chivalry of combat, and ultimately has to make a choice over what's right and moral versus what's easy and safe.
Not having read any other of his books, I don't know if this one is indicative of the level of action you'd find in one of his novels. While he brings a sense of realism to the ugly side of war, the driving force of the story is Chap's transformation. I was impressed that he pulled off that amount of introspection without bogging down the action part of the story. Once I got started with Killing Rommel, it became the only book I was reading at lunch, on the bus, and in bed. It didn't last very long. :) I think I'll be hitting the library to check out his other books...
Comments
Steven Pressfield
Posted by Steven At 12:44:49 On 27/06/2008 | - Website - |
Glad you have discovered him. And it seems he has discovered you too!
Posted by Kitty Elsmore At 13:14:54 On 27/06/2008 | - Website - |
@2... Consider this one on its way to Scotland.
Posted by Duffbert At 19:56:24 On 27/06/2008 | - Website - |
Posted by Kitty Elsmore At 13:21:28 On 28/06/2008 | - Website - |
Posted by Kitty Elsmore At 08:39:04 On 10/07/2008 | - Website - |