Platoon

by David Karp

"Great war novel -- of an iron-willed sergeant who drove 40 men up a hill 40,000 couldn't take."

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

David Karp was an American novelist and television writer. He also used the pseudonyms Wallace Ware and Adam Singer.

Reviews

[Bill Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre-breaking war novel. Talking about the ways it defies conventions would give too much away, though I'm not sure that's a consideration in a review of a book almost no one is likely to read. Start with the setting, an unnamed warzone that could be anywhere any time. Add the element of terminal, mutinous dissatisfaction; fragging is commonplace in this sortie, decades before Viet Nam. Almost a war novel without combat, a study of interpersonal politics under duress, the only cliche here is the protagonist, a sergeant out of a comic book, and his presence among the relentless grit and existential horror feels mostly ironic. Put this one in your uniform pocket, soldier, and you'll think twice before you climb that next hill.