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Dangerous
This adventure thriller explores the complex love-hate relationship between flamboyant combat photographer Sean Ryan and idealistic war correspondent Hugh Webb. The relationship endures over three decades, in Vietnam, El Salvador and Bosnia.
This book is out of print.
This book is out of print.
484 pages, Hardcover
First published February 16, 2013
22 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Colin Falconer
68 books737 followersColin Falconer writes fast-paced historical adventures that sweep readers across centuries and continents, from the battlefields of Rome to the intrigues of forgotten empires. His novels blend action, danger, and unforgettable characters in richly imagined worlds.
Born in London, Colin now lives in Australia with his wife and their cocker spaniels. Click FOLLOW for updates on new releases, or join his mailing list for exclusive offers.
Born in London, Colin now lives in Australia with his wife and their cocker spaniels. Click FOLLOW for updates on new releases, or join his mailing list for exclusive offers.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 21, 2010
Nice story about a journalistic photographer that takes him to Vietna, El Salvador and Bosnia. Didn't much like the private story line of Sean Rayan
July 22, 2017
I received a free advance e-copy of this book and have chosen to write an honest and unbiased review. I have no personal affiliation with the author. Wow! Another well-researched piece of historical fiction by Colin Falconer, one of my all time favorite authors. We see the reality of war, beginning with the Vietnam War, through the eyes of war correspondents and photojournalists who seem to become addicted to battle. There is a certain amount of camaraderie among them as they return again and again and fight for survival through horrendous circumstances. The author lets us see the best and the worst of human nature. Colin Falconer also tells us the life story of a ‘war baby’ of mixed race from the Vietnam War. This book is at times very graphic and difficult to read but a very important read as we see the stark reality of war, its horrors and tragedies, and how it adversely affects the survivors. ‘War Baby’ is another extremely well written novel by Colin Falconer that is well worth the read, a book that everyone should read. I look forward to reading more of Colin’s books in the future.
March 18, 2013
My adult life began with the VietNam war. I was sixteen when I finally figured out for myself that my government had been lying to me for quite some time. War Baby also begins in VietNam, which is exactly where a modern novel approaching the difficult subject of battle addiction, should start. Initially, I was drawn comfortably into what almost seemed like an homage to Graham Greene's Indochina stories, but my complacency was soon jarred loose when I realized the tale was spinning well past the fall of Saigon.
Falconer's art here is deeply connected with all the things we tell ourselves, silently, when confronted with fear and need beyond our ability to control. That these well-conceived, recognizable main characters are war correspondents and photographic journalists comes as no surprise. Their story provides the perfect combination of questionable judgment, questionable ethics and un-knowable motivations in the face of incredible evil. Only battlefields can exhibit terror equally so personal and so senseless and random. That there are people who make it a choice to be there is a fact I have always had great difficulty getting my mind around. The dark camaraderie, seeming easy and genial, that forms in this kind of environment has certainly been the subject of fiction before, but what is revealed in War Baby is the sense of the inevitability of the characters returning to it again and again, though the geography and hatreds have changed completely. Through relocations in theatre and over time, the characters and relationships return, again and again, to well-trodden paths of survival. In their passage, they inflict lasting damage to each other and to themselves. Luck plays an increasingly important role here, as does the forced burial of self-loathing and blame. I appreciated the author's use of a comfortable gathering of compatriots around cocktails while sharing their stories. It served as a useful, grounding device allowing this reader to rest between barrages.
War Baby is well-paced and gripping, but it's also a significant, disturbing book that mirrors the best and the worst human beings are capable of. It's a book that needs to be read, and read again, especially by young men and women who may be attracted to the appearance of justice and honor in warfare. There is no justice upon any battlefield, and Falconer shows us exactly how unrelentingly empty the lives of those who must make a living there, can be. Doomed to live out each terrifying moment again and again. Doomed to always be found wanting, to be unable to satisfy the hunger driving them. The possibility of redemption for any of these characters drove me towards the ending from the first few pages. Was there any satisfaction waiting for me there? There was, but lasting peace may well be just a mirage we all cling to.
Falconer's art here is deeply connected with all the things we tell ourselves, silently, when confronted with fear and need beyond our ability to control. That these well-conceived, recognizable main characters are war correspondents and photographic journalists comes as no surprise. Their story provides the perfect combination of questionable judgment, questionable ethics and un-knowable motivations in the face of incredible evil. Only battlefields can exhibit terror equally so personal and so senseless and random. That there are people who make it a choice to be there is a fact I have always had great difficulty getting my mind around. The dark camaraderie, seeming easy and genial, that forms in this kind of environment has certainly been the subject of fiction before, but what is revealed in War Baby is the sense of the inevitability of the characters returning to it again and again, though the geography and hatreds have changed completely. Through relocations in theatre and over time, the characters and relationships return, again and again, to well-trodden paths of survival. In their passage, they inflict lasting damage to each other and to themselves. Luck plays an increasingly important role here, as does the forced burial of self-loathing and blame. I appreciated the author's use of a comfortable gathering of compatriots around cocktails while sharing their stories. It served as a useful, grounding device allowing this reader to rest between barrages.
War Baby is well-paced and gripping, but it's also a significant, disturbing book that mirrors the best and the worst human beings are capable of. It's a book that needs to be read, and read again, especially by young men and women who may be attracted to the appearance of justice and honor in warfare. There is no justice upon any battlefield, and Falconer shows us exactly how unrelentingly empty the lives of those who must make a living there, can be. Doomed to live out each terrifying moment again and again. Doomed to always be found wanting, to be unable to satisfy the hunger driving them. The possibility of redemption for any of these characters drove me towards the ending from the first few pages. Was there any satisfaction waiting for me there? There was, but lasting peace may well be just a mirage we all cling to.
February 16, 2014
I'm a big fan of Colin Falconer, and this story was a goodie.
Starting in Vietnam, it follows the story of journalists and how their lives intertwined through various conflicts, leading from Saigon to El Salvador and Sarajevo.
Webb was green when he started in Vietnam. Ryan showed him the way, but Ryan's arrogance and lifestyle upsets Webb, and a friendship based on mistrust and miscommunication ensues.
Ryan's womanising ways, self serving and selfish ways manages to upset Webb and those he cares about, including the vietnamese girl he adopted from a refugee camp in the Phillippines.
The story is interesting and very well researched. The horrors of war brought to life through the lens and the characters of the story.
Starting in Vietnam, it follows the story of journalists and how their lives intertwined through various conflicts, leading from Saigon to El Salvador and Sarajevo.
Webb was green when he started in Vietnam. Ryan showed him the way, but Ryan's arrogance and lifestyle upsets Webb, and a friendship based on mistrust and miscommunication ensues.
Ryan's womanising ways, self serving and selfish ways manages to upset Webb and those he cares about, including the vietnamese girl he adopted from a refugee camp in the Phillippines.
The story is interesting and very well researched. The horrors of war brought to life through the lens and the characters of the story.
May 21, 2014
I read this a while ago. I found it enjoyable with a good story line.
The story of a war photo journalist and his colleagues through the trials dangers and hardships of life near the frontline of various conflicts around the world.
The story of a war photo journalist and his colleagues through the trials dangers and hardships of life near the frontline of various conflicts around the world.
April 14, 2007
Great airplane/beach/holiday fiction. Falconer keeps you gripped in the twisted plot again.
Synopsis available at [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/c..."
Synopsis available at [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/c..."
August 30, 2014
War Baby
I didn't like the dirty language in the book and THE story was not as interesting as his other books have been
I didn't like the dirty language in the book and THE story was not as interesting as his other books have been
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews