A Time of War

by Michael Peterson

In the months before the Tet Offensive, seasoned diplomat Bradley Marshall travels to Vietnam to bring back critical information that will empower the United States president and end the conflict. Reissue.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, War, Novels

752 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael Iver Peterson was born near Nashville, Tennessee, on October 23, 1943. He graduated from Duke University with a bachelor's degree in political science. While there, Peterson was president of Sigma Nu fraternity and was editor of The Chronicle, the daily student newspaper, from 1964 to 1965. He attended classes at the law school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

After graduating, Peterson took a civilian job with the United States Department of Defense, where he was assigned to research arguments supporting increased military involvement in Vietnam. That year he also married Patricia Sue, who taught at an elementary school on the Rhein-Main Air Base in Gräfenhausen, West Germany. They had two children, Clayton and Todd. In 1968, Peterson was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps and served in the Vietnam War. In 1971, he received an honorable discharge with the rank of captain after a car accident left him with a permanent disability.

Peterson wrote three novels based "around his experiences during the Vietnamese conflict": The Immortal Dragon, A Time of War, and A Bitter Peace. He co-wrote the biographical Charlie Two Shoes and the Marines of Love Company with journalist David Perlmutt, and co-wrote Operation Broken Reed with Arthur L. Boyd.

Peterson also worked as a newspaper columnist for The Herald-Sun, where his columns became known for their criticism of police and of Durham County District Attorney James Hardin Jr., who would later prosecute Peterson for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen.

Reviews

[Russell Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first became aware of author Michael Peterson via a documentary on Netflix. The subject matter of that film had nothing to do with his writing, but I was curious to see if this man I was watching could actually write. And write he can! Michael Peterson’s novel A Time of War reminded me of James Jones’s From Here to Eternity. A Time of War did for me what From Here to Eternity did—gave me a clearer picture of wartime (Eternity, of course, is World War II, while Time of War is Vietnam,) plus both novels give us beautiful portraits of those who fought, died, and lived through these wars. Peterson, who fought in Vietnam, has unique insight into the war. His characters are rich-blooded people who may or may not have been thinly veiled actual people he encountered. Certainly, his story is peppered with real people among his fictional ones. There is General Westmoreland and there is President Johnson. I was a teen during the Vietnam War, and I didn’t really know Johnson. I don’t know if Peterson captured the real Lyndon Johnson, but his painting of the man shows us a President who was funny, a bit bumbling, certainly not refined, and very concerned about how he would be perceived by his constituency and by history because of this war. I can believe, because of Peterson, that this is exactly Lyndon B. Johnson. The other, fictional, characters are created with detail that makes us care about them, feeling so deeply that we shudder when they are in danger, worry for their safety, and rejoice when they survive. But make no mistake, this is war, and some do not survive. And there is Michael Peterson’s skill as a writer. This almost 750 page novel moves along with fluidity and purpose. And Peterson throws in literary allusions from time to time that make us realize this writer is more than a hack who decided to throw together a book. And I have to say, his treatment of homosexuality, though never graphic, is quite satisfying indeed, for amid the expected characters who think it disgusting, there is an equal number, many of them prominent characters, who show understanding and acceptance. This, I’m sure, since the fight for equality has been with us probably since time began, was unusual for the 1960s, when the gay rights movement was just getting started. Yes, Peterson wrote this in 1990, but his portrayal of the gay “dilemma” seems accurate for the ‘60s and wartime. My only criticism with the book is that Peterson’s character names are a bit heavy-handed: the man who thinks he is God is named Lord; the saintly woman who is trying desperately to save the children is named Theresa; the main character is named Marshall, for he is trying to bring law and order back to the world in his efforts to stop the war. But in a huge epic novel, perhaps we need such character names to remind us of who we should be cheering for and who we should be booing. I’m surprised some enterprising, insightful movie maker has never found this novel, for it could be a star-studded blockbuster, as celebrated as the film of From Here to Eternity. A Time of War is the quintessential Vietnam War novel, in my humble opinion.

[sniksnak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another outstanding Vietnam book by Peterson that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was his second novel; the first being The Immortal Dragon. This one, though, takes place during the Vietnam War and, IMO, isn’t nearly as good as the first one, yet it’s one that I’ve reread numerous times.
It’s set before and during the Tet Offensive. If you enjoy war historical fiction, this will be your cup of tea.

***END OF REVIEW***

At the time of this book’s writing, the author was an honorably discharged Vietnam veteran with the rank of captain living in West Germany with his first wife and two children.
He went on to write two more outstanding books, A Time of War and its sequel, A Bitter Peace, Vietnam War fiction. He co-wrote a memoir about his time as a Marine in Vietnam.
In 2003, he was found guilty and sentenced to life without parole for the murder of his second wife. Then his books went out of print.
He had a retrial and was released after pleading to an Alford Plea. After his release from prison, he wrote a “poor pitiful me” book entitled Behind the Staircase, mainly about his years in prison. There have been numerous documentaries regarding his case.
His last book was written in 2020, another memoir, Beyond the Staircase. Oh my, but he *does* protest too much!
As much as I love his books, I personally believe he is a cold hearted bastard and is guilty of killing a female friend of his in Germany. And I absolutely believe, sure as God made little green apples, that he killed his second wife.
What a frazzling waste of a wonderful author…

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmmmm.....it’s a really mixed bag. This is a “dad pick” in that It came into my life through my father-in-law throwing out books.

It’s a good war story about Vietnam. The first 80% of it is quite compelling. Then the story just peters out...we slog through a bunch of plot lines that aren’t compelling. The story rallies a bit in the final few dozen pages but, the last 20% of the book doesn’t live up to the truly compelling nature of the first 80%.

Gritty, interesting, but in the end disappointing...

[Devyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I have reread it countless of times!

[Tom Andersson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Och jorden färgades röd är en bok som handlar om vietnamkriget och flera olika personer som på ett eller annat vis är involverat i det. Premissen är dock fiktiv med ett sändebud från President Johnson som skall rapportera tillbaka om man borde avsluta kriget eller ej.
Boken har en intressant handling och gör sig bäst när det handlar om de militära delarna av storyn. Kärleksskildringarna eller vissa lite mer högtflygande filosofiska resonemang är antigen så plumpa att det blir dumt eller så pretentiösa att man knappt orkar läsa dem. Däremot skildrar författaren väldigt väl skräcken hos soldaterna som befinner sig i strid med fienden.
Tyvärr är den med sina över 700 sidor hoplöst utdragen. Den huvudsakliga konflikten löses upp 100 sidor innan den sista vilket gör att slutet inte får något schvung utan är en 100 sidig pyspunka.

[John Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the writing to be excellent, and the story somewhat interesting. However, I felt bogged down at many points throughout the book. I skipped around when the story stopped moving. With that said, every section I skipped to was interesting and well-written. I just felt like reading two or three pages equaled a chapter because of the amount of substance and detail. A patient reader would probably enjoy it much more than I did.

**Keep in mind that I did not read the entire book.

[Knivens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best vietnam war-related novel I've ever read. Amazing storyline, characters, feelings and tension. I will surely go back to this book. The way it is written made it a very enjoyable reading.

[Mr Roy Davidson · Rating 2 out of 5]

624 pages

[Diane Tidd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. Much detail about Vietnam war, the author was skilled enough in his delivery that I found myself very engaged.

[Jim Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned of this book via the Netflix serious The Staircase. An opinion on this book, like any book, is subjective but even more so with this one. There's a ton of characters. But then the characters bring in more characters. Plus, it's extremely sexual in nature, gratuitously so. In conclusion, it's a book for someone out of work or retired, who has patience.

[Lysergius · Rating 3 out of 5]

The realities of a futile campaign are portrayed in this novel of the Vietnam War. The action ranges from the White House to the jungle, from the American Embassy in Saigon to the front lines. Michael Peterson has also written "The Immortal Dragon".

[Cris]

Just let me see this book man!

[Linda]

Fictional Vietnam War novel through eyes of numerous characters in country.