Mash Mania

M*A*S*H #15

by Richard Hooker

Vintage TV tie-in paperback

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Comedy, War

175 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Richard Hooker is the pseudonym of Hiester Richard Hornberger Jr. who was born February 1, 1924 and died November 4, 1997. He was an American writer and surgeon. His most famous work was his novel MASH (1968). The novel was based on his own personal experiences during the Korean War at the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. It was written in collaboration with W. C. Heinz. The novel took 11 years to write. In 1970, and then again from 1972-1983 it was used as the basis for a critically and commercially successful movie and television series of the same name.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
Richard^Hooker

Reviews

[Christopher Rush · Rating 2 out of 5]

If one reads the M*A*S*H series in the order written, one will most likely will be surprised at how embarrassingly poor Hooker's characterizations of the 4077 gang are: according to him, they are bigoted, racist misogynists and not funny at all. They think rape is humorous, too. Had these been the characterizations of the show, it would definitely not have survived its attempted first-season cancellation and for good reasons. Thankfully, though, Hooker doesn't seem able to continue the disgusting versions of the Swampmen up for too long, and most of the middle sections of the book, though very much satirical and reminiscent of the movie/first book, isn't too shabby. The short story format is a nice change from the longer book, since it is missing the enjoyable supporting cast of the Butterworth installments, and that means no matter how dumb the story is it will be over soon. It is nice to see Ho-Jon again and Henry - though Henry doesn't do or say much of anything. Duke and Chucker take over most of the narrative, even though Hooker is the narrator and acts like he was with them at the 4077 and is in charge of their hospital. Trapper is virtually nonexistent, as usual, and Hawkeye is there mainly to move things along or start ridiculous problems. Overall, the book is a disappointment mainly because it treats so many unfunny things as supposedly funny and the Swampmen are mostly loathsome, except for the moments when Chucker and Duke are mildly noble and selfless. It's worth reading for completism but only once.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third and final novel written by the original author - safely skip the intervening dozen tv exploitation volumes for now to keep a clear continuity. A decidedly different version of Hawkeye and his troupe from that presented on the boob tube, and all together a better cast of characters - not the homogenized and bland ham that most people know but a smorgasbord of ethnic and racial diversity that the tv show preached but never actually practiced.

[Smoran8m · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun to read. I have seen both the movie and the TV show. The book is richer than either. Funnier than the movie. Darker than the tv show. It has many of the beloved characters, but as so often happens, they are more multi-dimensional in the book. You have these three crazy doctors, using humor to get through what is a terrible situation but you never really forget that you are in a war.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating about 2.5 probably.
As the final book in the series I would definitely say this was a disappointment.
The episodic nature was not a problem, as the original novel was similar in its approach. However this time the novel feels more like a series of short stories collected together for publication rather than a sequence of diary entries extracted at random.
Also curiously I found it to be noticeably dated in its language and characters. Whereas the original novel didn’t, perhaps the setting being Korean War and on the front line made the novel feel more real?!?Whereas this title set in mid 1970’s America (New England area I think) in a small town just feels ‘off’ to a non American reader.
I would say do not read if you really like Alan Alda’s interpretation of the character on the tv, and probably only read if you are working your way through the series and have reached this point.


2024 re read rating 3.5
Final title in the MASH series and have read one book per month throughout this year to complete the series.
Compared to the majority of the titles this was quite good. Definitely dated but since it’s 50 years old hardly surprising. Since last read have changed my mind slightly, especially after reading the other titles written by Butterworth. This is closer in time to the first 2/3 titles and probably better for that.
Still a bit hit’n’miss and not for anyone who only reads current era fiction.
Glad I have finally finished the series and overall it was a mixed bag.
Do not think I will be re reading it again in the future.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than "Goes to Maine" though I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe because I read them back to back and I needed that long to get into the non-TV versions of the characters. Maybe the pacing was a little better, the stories a little more memorable. The surprise visit from an old friend in the final chapter certainly didn't hurt!

[Erik Deckers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed with this book. It turns out that the author is a racist and makes jokes about rape. At least the characters he wrote about expressed racist language and made rape jokes.

I read this when I was in high school and had forgotten much of what the book was about, but when I read it again, I was very disappointed in what I saw. Several of the characters use the N-word frequently about their colleague and friend, and while he gives the same treatment back to them, I was still disappointed to see it.

Yes, the book was written in the 1970s, but that doesn’t make it appropriate or OK.

[Russell Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never expected to see MASH short stories so it was a pleasant surprise.
As long as the reader understands that the books' characters are different from the movie and TV adaptations, then these short stories are enjoyable.
The last novel in the MASH novel series, they do contain racist terms and are non-pc in parts.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never been this happy to finally finish reading a series. Such an outdated book and I disliked almost everything.
And I don't think I would recommend it to anyone except Americans who were in their 30's in the 1970's.

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 15th and final MASH novel signaled the return of the original author, Richard Hooker. Hawkeye, Trapper, Duke, Spearchucker, Henry, and Ho-Jon all make appearances. After reading the series, I think it is evident that they should have stopped after the first book.

[Marti Martinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the hell did I just read? And where the hell was Sidney Freedman?

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grew up watching the tv series. Liked the movie. I liked the book. Each chapter I can picture the episode. Ending surprised me. Glad I read it.

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last Mash book to be written by Hooker. It is entertaining but like Catch 22 the sequels will never live up to the original.

[William Bevill · Rating 1 out of 5]

God awful. He should have stopped at the first one.