Every bookstore in the world never ran out of war novels. Somewhere along their shelves, there are always books about war that are sitting and waiting to be read. Hence, war novels prove that they can get along the tight competition in literature, as well as show everyone that they still have a wide range of patrons.
Hence, war books can be found in two of the biggest genres — which are fiction and nonfiction. There are many thrilling books that tell stories about the chaos, bloodshed, deaths, bravery, and survival of the different wars that the world has been through; some are products of the authors’ imagination while others have happened in real life. So, without further ado, listed below are the best war novels that you should never miss reading!
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Published in 1990, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is one of the greatest anthologies of short stories of all time. This book contains multiple short stories that center on a troop of US soldiers that are combatting on the battleground in the Vietnam War. Although it is a fiction book, he also incorporated his experiences as one of the troops in the 23rd Infantry Division during that time but he mixed it with a dash of imagination to fit the standards of fiction. Several characters of the book are part-autobiographical. They share a likeness with the people in his memoir titled If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home. Furthermore, The Things They Carried has won many awards, like the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize. It also became one of the finalists of the National Book Critic’s Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
Erik Larson’s In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin was published by Crown Publishers in 2011. It is a nonfiction book that documented the career of William Dodd, the American Ambassador to Germany, specifically from 1933 to 1937 when he resided in Berlin with his family. He was the chair of the University of Chicago’s History Department that hoped that the new political system in Germany, which is Nazi, would become more moderate even in its Jew persecution. Dodd’s daughter, Martha, got swept in the elegance and anticipation of the social environment in Berlin while her divorce is in the process. To her cynical colleagues, she justified the government. However, Dodd is regularly argued and is opposed to the government when he began to be aware of the horrors of the Nazis shortly after they arrived in the country.
Donut Hole by RC Le Beau
This nonfiction book about war records the life of the author that aims for readers to recall the hard moments that the country has experienced. Donut Hole by author, RC LeBeau doesn’t discuss the religious factors of the warfare. During these battles, your entire confidence is challenged, you have to destroy your enemy, or your opponent will kill you — that’s plain, hard, and cold truth. Fighting some of the biggest obstacles in our country’s history just to let the world see that it was because of heroes like Le Beau, who have served as our country asks for their assistance, that we are the significant force on the planet. Each war has a long path for the war veterans to heal from the battles that they have faced. Readers will surely get drawn into the happening of the war through a Marine’s eyes and his experiences through life and among the prolonged and deadliest wars of our country.
Scourged Souls by Keith Niles Corman
In 2017, Dorrance Publishing Co. Inc. published Keith Niles Corman’s book about the American Civil War titled Scourged Souls. It is set on the course of the Civil War; but, the story is not really only focused on the war. Instead, it brings the readers to the personal lives and locations of the figures whose lives intersect for a couple of days when the war occurred. It focuses on the innocence and everyday activities of the people in the story, as well as their private thoughts, beliefs, and plans.
Oliver’s Twist 