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The Only War We've Got
Vietnam.
It may be a bitch of a war, bloody and hot, ambivalent in its intentions, unsure in its outcome.
But—think about it—it's the only war we've got.
The only one.
So what the hell…
The Only War We've Got is a brilliant, funny, vicious, and honest novel about the only war we've got. Derek Maitland knows this war intimately, and he writes as if there's no tomorrow—as, in fact, there is not for many of his warriors. Inevitably, perhaps, his novel is in essence a satire—some of its comic sequences are the most laugh-aloud in years. But death stalks laughter, and Mr. Maitland is a master of the gruesomely realistic battle scene.
Whether he is writing of the fighting men of both sides—among them Leaping Prick Smith, the pacifist medic who treats the wounded with marijuana, and North Vietnamese Colonel Khanh, who invades Saigon in a coffin; such big guns as the Vice President of South Vietnam, impressive in his black combat flying suit, a pearl-handled revolver in each hand; the long-awaited battle of Long Dong; or the bumbling Viet Cong attack on Saigon's Big PX—no matter what or whom he turns his pen upon, Derek Maitland reveals himself as a splendid writer, a thorn in the side of the war.
It may be a bitch of a war, bloody and hot, ambivalent in its intentions, unsure in its outcome.
But—think about it—it's the only war we've got.
The only one.
So what the hell…
The Only War We've Got is a brilliant, funny, vicious, and honest novel about the only war we've got. Derek Maitland knows this war intimately, and he writes as if there's no tomorrow—as, in fact, there is not for many of his warriors. Inevitably, perhaps, his novel is in essence a satire—some of its comic sequences are the most laugh-aloud in years. But death stalks laughter, and Mr. Maitland is a master of the gruesomely realistic battle scene.
Whether he is writing of the fighting men of both sides—among them Leaping Prick Smith, the pacifist medic who treats the wounded with marijuana, and North Vietnamese Colonel Khanh, who invades Saigon in a coffin; such big guns as the Vice President of South Vietnam, impressive in his black combat flying suit, a pearl-handled revolver in each hand; the long-awaited battle of Long Dong; or the bumbling Viet Cong attack on Saigon's Big PX—no matter what or whom he turns his pen upon, Derek Maitland reveals himself as a splendid writer, a thorn in the side of the war.
272 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 1970
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 21, 2023
It's good in parts but a complete farce on others. The good parts are excellent and the farce parts are very boring. It's not your typical Vietnam novel.
December 24, 2025
A book I read many, many years ago and thoroughly enjoyed both times.
This book definitely shows that military intelligence is a contradiction in terms.
Highly recommended.
This book definitely shows that military intelligence is a contradiction in terms.
Highly recommended.
August 3, 2008
Date read is approximate.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews