The Fire Dream

Book excerpt: For the past several years many remarkable novels about the Vietnam War have appeared. But none has the epic power of THE FIRE DREAM, written by an author who himself fought in Vietnam and who has demonstrated a stunning mastery of the storyteller's art. There is Stuart, who believes that danger, no matter how terrifying, must never be avoided; Coles, who is torn between his pride as a black man and his desire to excel in the white man's Corps; Hunter, whose own inner demons may kill him before the enemy can; and Moser, who possesses an uncanny second sight into his combrades' destiny. They will be led through the nightmare of war by the hard driving Blackjack Beaurive, who will teach them the ultimate lesson: if men at war preserve their honour, their reward will be glory.