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The 15 Best War Novels

KurbenKurben
in Free for all
OK, i felt like making a list today. I wont even try to claim i've read all good war novels. But if you see one that you think is missing or any other comment or critisizing the list, please do. Only rule i had was max one novel per author. The Order is random.

1. All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
2. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
3. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
4. From Here To Eternity by James Jones
5. Unknown Soldier (aka The Unknown Soldiers) by Väino Linna (finnish author)
6. Empire Of The Sun by J.G. Ballard
7. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
8. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
9. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
10. All The Light We Can Not See by Anthony Doerr
11. The Red Badge Of Courage by Stephen Crane
12. The Naked And The Dead by Norman Mailer
13. Guests Of The Emperor by Janice Young Brooks
14. King Rat by James Clavell
15. The Regeneration trilogy by Pat Barker (ok, here i cheated, as a trilogy it s really three books but they are an unit)

Here i stop which means several good ones does not enter. Hemingway for example but i have never really been a fan of him. Also Evelyn Waughs Sword Of Honor, Kurt Vonneguts Slaughter house 5 and several others, Boris Pasternaks Dr. Zhivago, Herman Wouks Winds Of War. Each of these and several others have been considered but i couldn't decide which to move outside the list. What do you think??


GNTLGNTFlakeNoir

Comments

  • GNTLGNTGNTLGNT
    ...good listing Kurb!....I would add:

    The Vietnam War Reading List 39The Things They Carried39 and More IndieWire
    FlakeNoir
  • KurbenKurben
    GNTLGNT said:
    ...good listing Kurb!....I would add:

    The Vietnam War Reading List 39The Things They Carried39 and More IndieWire
    I will admit to never having heard of this!! Thanks for the tip!!
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNT
  • Hedda GablerHedda Gabler
    Not really sure if my additions count?

    The Diary of Anne Frank
    Boys from Brazil
    Dr. Zhivago
    MAUS 1&2
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNT
  • KurbenKurben
    Hedda Gabler said:
    Not really sure if my additions count?

    The Diary of Anne Frank
    Boys from Brazil
    Dr. Zhivago
    MAUS 1&2
    They definitely count. Except perhaps Anne Frank it is not a novel but if it had been it would be a given. What a great book!!
    FlakeNoirHedda GablerGNTLGNT
  • FlakeNoirFlakeNoir
    Children's/YA story:
    The Silver Sword (or, Escape from Warsaw) by: Ian Serraillier.
    Hedda GablerGNTLGNT
  • Hedda GablerHedda Gabler
    edited January 2022
    A book and movie i keep running into reading and watching other things is Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. 

    Sounds horrifying — but like i said, lately this keep popping up in other things, so maybe it’s pretty important?

    have you read that one, kurben?
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTKurben
  • Hedda GablerHedda Gabler
    edited January 2022
    I absolutely love Empire of the Sun movie. I have not read the book but brilliant piece on screen. 

    Also love The Last Emperor but not sure if that qualifies as war novel? 
    FlakeNoirKurbenGNTLGNT
  • KurbenKurben
    FlakeNoir said:
    Children's/YA story:
    The Silver Sword (or, Escape from Warsaw) by: Ian Serraillier.
    Thanks for the tip! Another one i havent heard of. You see how many books i havent read! It is a saddening thought....
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNT
  • FlakeNoirFlakeNoir
    Kurben said:
    FlakeNoir said:
    Children's/YA story:
    The Silver Sword (or, Escape from Warsaw) by: Ian Serraillier.
    Thanks for the tip! Another one i havent heard of. You see how many books i havent read! It is a saddening thought....
    It's an anticipatory thought... 🙂
    Hedda GablerGNTLGNTKurben
  • KurbenKurben
    Hedda Gabler said:
    I absolutely love Empire of the Sun movie. I have not read the book but brilliant piece on screen. 

    Also love The Last Emperor but not sure if that qualifies as war novel? 

    Empire Of The Sun is one of these rarities that is both a great book and a great movie. I think you would like it if you liked the movie. Havent read The Last Emperor but Bertoluccis movie is great. I might be mistaken but think it is a biography of Pu Yi rather than a novel. Anyway i havet read it. You know with me history after about the year 1800 (sometimes earlier, in Sweden my limit goes at 1718!) starts to turn boring. Too recent and modern with the world wars as exceptions. The US is also an exception simply because you hardly existed before that ( you youngsters!!) so pushed my interest limit back a bit. Up til the end of the Civil War it is interestin and then my interest starts to vane. I have an end point at 1890 with the massacre at Wounded Knee as a marker.
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTHedda Gabler
  • KurbenKurben
    Hedda Gabler said:
    A book and movie i keep running into reading and watching other things is Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. 

    Sounds horrifying — but like i said, lately this keep popping up in other things, so maybe it’s pretty important?

    have you read that one, kurben?
    No i havent! But i have heard about it so maybe i should. Sounds horrifying!
    Hedda GablerGNTLGNTFlakeNoir
  • GNTLGNTGNTLGNT
    Johnny Got His Gun S3466 Dalton Trumbo Amazoncom Books
    KurbenHedda GablerFlakeNoir
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