Who doesn’t love a heroin deal gone bad? Journalism, Vietnam, Merchant Marines, an assortment of odd characters, just enough violence, and show me where to sign. Robert Stone’s “Dog Soldiers,” brings the time and place. It brings the grit of war and the questionable choices one makes when it’s time to “get what’s mine.” Everyone is doing it. It’s not that big of a deal until it is. And when the deal goes bad and the habit has formed, it’s almost impossible to get out.
The 1970s in America was an odd time.
Wars and politics, the residue of civil strife, and a country coming to grips with the fact we were no longer the good guys. Fractures in social norms, hippies, and the restructuring of government oversight. Deals and dealers, killers, and those on the fringe of the underbelly. What’s not to like? Get it, read it.
Comments 4
Great review! Glad you liked the novel, and I hope more readers come to the book because of your enthusiasm for it.
Author
Thank you! Turns out a friend photographed him.
It never hurts to return to a past which is even more twisted than your memory. The early 70’s were a time in America which lacked a moral compass. Then again, when did American’s even have a true north set on our collective moral compass?. I thought I was reading about a drug deal gone bad – the allegory goes much deeper than a mere bad idea, poorly executed. Here we have a book about a generation which has truly lost their bearing. Another solid review and recommendation.
Author
what’s a moral compass?