The Best Books on War - Five Books Expert Recommendations

The Top 10 War Books of All Time

The 30 Best Books About War | HiConsumption

During the American Civil War, a Union regiment, including a new recruit named Henry Fleming, has been stationed along a river for weeks, waiting for orders. Henry is anxious about his own bravery and is worried he might flee when faced with battle. A rumor spreads that they will soon march, and eventually, they do, ending up near a battlefield. The enemy launches an attack, and surrounded by his fellow soldiers, Henry finds himself unable to escape even if he wanted to. He participates in the fight, his actions automatic as he becomes part of the war machine, and they successfully repel the enemy.

However, his calm doesn't last. When the enemy makes another charge, fear grips Henry and he flees across the battleground, convincing himself he made the right choice. As he roams, he hears that his regiment held their ground successfully, which fills him with shame. He then encounters injured soldiers and envies them, believing that their wounds are a symbol of their bravery. He runs into a man, Jim Conklin, whom he recognizes despite his serious injuries. He promises to support Jim, but when Jim runs off to die, Henry can only watch helplessly. He also abandons another soldier after being unable to handle his questions about Henry's own injuries.

Henry eventually reunites with his regiment after being mistaken for wounded when he gets hit on the head with a rifle by a fleeing soldier. The next day, they return to the battlefield, where Henry fights fiercely, driven by his memory of Jim. Despite some insults from an officer, Henry and his friend Wilson gain recognition as the regiment's best fighters after a successful charge where Henry carries the flag. They engage in more brutal battles, with Henry continuing to hold the flag high. Although he is proud of his bravery, he feels guilty about his earlier cowardice and abandonment of the injured soldier. However, he comes to accept his experiences as part of his transformation. As he anticipates peace, he feels a confident sense of maturity within himself.

The Red Badge of Courage

La Insignia Roja del Valor

The Art Of War

El Arte de la Guerra

The tale begins in the year 1805, amidst Napoleon’s expanding reign over Western Europe, which is causing distress in Russia. At a social gathering in St. Petersburg, we meet key players such as Pierre Bezukhov, the socially inept but kind illegitimate son of a wealthy count, and Andrew Bolkonski, the bright and ambitious progeny of a retired military officer. In addition, we encounter the deceptive and superficial Kuragin family and the Rostovs, a noble family from Moscow. As Napoleon's threat continues to loom, Russia allies with the Austrian empire, and both Andrew and Nicholas, the Rostov’s headstrong son, join the frontlines.

As the conflict escalates, Andrew gets wounded and presumed dead, while Pierre inherits his father’s wealth and ends up marrying the attractive but deceitful Helene Kuragina. Concurrently, the Rostov’s fortunes start to dwindle, leading them to consider selling their beloved estate. The narrative then shifts to Natasha, the vivacious daughter of the Rostovs, who experiences love, heartbreak, and the societal pressures of marriage. Meanwhile, Pierre grows disillusioned with his marriage and seeks solace in the spiritual practices of Freemasonry.

In 1812, Napoleon invades Russia, prompting Tsar Alexander to reluctantly declare war. Andrew returns to active duty, while Pierre grapples with a peculiar obsession to assassinate Napoleon. As the French draw near, the Bolkonski estate is advised to evacuate. However, Andrew’s father dies just as the French troops reach their doorstep. After the Russian army surprisingly defeats the French forces at Borodino, Pierre, overcome with distress, roams through Moscow witnessing widespread chaos. The story concludes on a hopeful note with Pierre and Natasha confessing their love for each other, leading to their subsequent marriage, and Nicholas marrying Mary, thus securing his family’s financial stability.


War And Peace

Guerra y Paz

9 awesome war novels everyone should read - We Are The Mighty

In the latter part of the Second World War, an airman named Yossarian is assigned to an Air Force unit on the Pianosa island, close to the Italian coast in the Mediterranean. Yossarian, along with his comrades, is trapped in a surreal, chaotic reality shaped by red tape and hostility, being perceived as mere expendable assets by their blindly ambitious higher-ups. The unit is recklessly dispatched into violent combat scenarios and bombing sorties, where capturing high-quality pictures of detonations takes precedence over annihilating their objectives. The commanders persistently escalate the count of operations they must accomplish before repatriation, effectively ensuring nobody ever gets sent back. Nevertheless, Yossarian seems to be the only one cognizant of the ongoing war, with his insistence that countless people are out to kill him deemed insane by others.

The narrative predominantly revolves around Yossarian's experiences, hence most occurrences are seen through his lens. Yossarian perceives the whole war on a personal level: he is incensed that his life is persistently hanging by a thread due to reasons beyond his control. His will to live is potent, and he is firmly resolved to either attain immortality or perish in the attempt. Consequently, he spends most of his time pretending to be ill in the infirmary, to evade the war. As the story unravels through its loosely linked sequence of recurring tales and anecdotes, Yossarian is continuously haunted by his recollection of Snowden, a comrade who perished in his arms during a mission that extinguished Yossarian's will to contribute to the war. Yossarian finds himself in ludicrous, absurd, desperate, and sorrowful situations—he witnesses comrades disappearing or dying, their unit getting bombed by its own catering officer, and higher ranking officers using their men as cannon fodder to bolster their own reputations.

Yossarian discovers an ironic rule, referred to as Catch-22, which stipulates that one can be exempt from military duty on grounds of insanity. Grasping at this potential loophole, Yossarian asserts his insanity, only to learn that by declaring his insanity, he has demonstrated his sanity—since any rational person would declare insanity to avoid deadly bombing assignments. Simultaneously, other plots unfurl around Yossarian. His comrade Nately courts a prostitute from Rome despite her persistent indifference and constant interruptions from her kid sister. Tragically, just as she reciprocates Nately's affection, he is slain in his next mission. Upon receiving the unfortunate news from Yossarian, she holds him responsible for Nately's demise, attempting to stab him upon each subsequent encounter. Towards the climax, Yossarian, stricken by Nately's demise, declines to participate in further missions. He roams the streets of Rome, witnessing every imaginable human atrocity—violation, disease, murder. Eventually arrested for being in Rome without a permit, he is given an ultimatum by his superiors, Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn. He can either confront a court-martial or be honorably discharged and sent home, provided he endorses Cathcart and Korn and their policy mandating eighty missions for all squadron members. Despite the temptation, Yossarian realizes that agreeing would jeopardize other innocent lives. He opts for an alternate escape—deserting the army and absconding to neutral Sweden, thereby rejecting the military's dehumanizing system, the absurdity of Catch-22, and aiming to reclaim his own life.

Catch-22

Trampa-22

Nine years into the Trojan War, the Achaean army seizes control of Chryse, a town allied with Troy. Two captivating maidens, Chryseis and Briseis, are taken captive in the clash, with Chryseis falling into the hands of Agamemnon, the Achaean leader, and Briseis taken by Achilles, their most formidable warrior. Despite a hefty ransom offered by Chryseis's father, a priest of Apollo, Agamemnon refuses to release her which results in a plague being unleashed on the Achaean camp by Apollo. Agamemnon eventually concedes to returning Chryseis but demands Briseis from Achilles as recompense, leading to a furious Achilles retreating to his tent and refusing to participate in the war. Having his mother, the sea-nymph Thetis, call upon Zeus to aid in the Achaeans' downfall, the war takes a dramatic turn with the Trojans violating a cease-fire agreement and receiving Zeus's protection.

With the Trojans backed by Zeus and Achilles still refusing to battle, the Achaeans suffer great losses. Despite several days of intense combat including face-offs between Paris and Menelaus, and Hector and Ajax, the Achaeans make no headway. The onslaught of the Trojans forces the Achaeans to retreat behind their ship-protecting ramparts. While a nighttime reconnaissance mission by Diomedes and Odysseus provides a glimmer of hope, disaster ensues the next day with several Achaean leaders wounded, the Trojans breaching the ramparts, and a ship set ablaze. With the ships crucial to their survival, defeat seems inescapable for the Achaeans. 

Still reluctant to join the fight, Achilles agrees to Nestor's plan to have his dear friend Patroclus don his armor and fight in his stead. Despite initial success, the counterattack falters when Patroclus is killed by Hector. A battle ensues for the body and armor of Patroclus, with Hector securing the armor but the Achaeans retrieving the body. Learning of Patroclus's death at the hands of Hector sends Achilles into a fit of grief and rage, prompting him to reconcile with Agamemnon and reenter the war. With a new suit of armor forged by Hephaestus and brought by Thetis, Achilles returns to the battlefield, leading the Achaean army against a terrified Trojan army. Finally, after a dramatic duel, Achilles slays Hector and drags his body across the battlefield. After a period of mourning with athletic games in honor of Patroclus, Hector's body is returned to the Trojans following a plea from his father, King Priam. A temporary truce is agreed upon and Hector is given a hero's funeral.

The Iliad

La Ilíada

On War

Sobre la Guerra

A Novel

Una Novela

Born in 1922, Billy Pilgrim leads a rather ordinary life in Ilium, New York, attending night school for optometry and eventually being drafted into World War II. After his father's tragic hunting accident, Billy is shipped overseas and thrust into the infamous Battle of the Bulge in Belgium, where he is captured by the Germans. Amidst the chaos, he has his first experience of time-shifting, seeing his entire life play out at once. He is then transported to a POW camp in Germany, and later to the city of Dresden, where he survives a horrific bombing by hiding in a meat locker of a former slaughterhouse.

After the war, Billy returns to his hometown, completes his optometry studies, and marries Valencia Merble, a wealthy optometry school founder's daughter. Despite seemingly achieving the American dream of wealth and family, he struggles with war memories triggered by simple events in his life, like a barbershop quartet at his eighteenth wedding anniversary. Interestingly, Billy claims to have been abducted by aliens, known as Tralfamadorians, who took him to their home planet and introduced him to new concepts of time and life. 

Following his return to Earth, Billy keeps his alien experiences to himself until a plane crash in 1968 leaves him the sole survivor among his optometrist colleagues. After a brain operation and the accidental carbon monoxide poisoning death of his wife, Billy feels compelled to share his extraordinary experiences with the world. He goes on a radio talk show, writes letters, and even predicts his own death in 1976, alleging that he will be assassinated at the behest of a wartime acquaintance. Billy is unwavering in his belief, stating that he will merely experience the hum of death and then time-shift to another point in his life.

Slaughterhouse-Five

Matadero Cinco

At Peleliu and Okinawa

En Peleliu y Okinawa

With the Old Breed

Con la Vieja Guardia

History of the Peloponnesian War

Historia de la Guerra del Peloponeso

A youth named Paul Bäumer, along with his schoolmates, enlists in the German military during the First World War, convinced by the patriotic speeches of their teacher, Kantorek. They soon face harsh instruction from the sadistic Corporal Himmelstoss and witness the horrific realities of war, leading them to question the nationalist ideals they once revered. The hardships of war and the need to survive desensitize them, compelling them to detach from emotions such as fear, sympathy, and grief. After significant losses in their company, they meet their former tormentor, Himmelstoss, at the front, leading to conflicts and discussions about the corruption and arrogance in the power structure of war. 

They endure grim experiences at the front, including a haunting mission laying barbed wire amidst heavy artillery, causing corpses to unearth from their graves. Despite the horrors, they find moments of relief in simple pleasures like a large meal, a swim, or a brief interaction with French girls. However, the notion of war's end seems a distant fantasy, and Paul struggles with the idea of returning to normalcy after his experiences. He takes a brief leave, returning home only to find his mother terminally ill and his hometown alienating. He spends time at a training camp with Russian POWs, empathizing with them and questioning the purpose of war – a sentiment echoed when he kills a French soldier, Gérard Duval, in self-defense and feels immense remorse upon discovering his personal life.

In the subsequent days, Paul and his friends guard a supply depot for a respite, but the relative peace is short-lived. Following a battle, Paul and his friend Kropp sustain injuries, leading to Kropp's leg amputation and their return to the front after recovery. As the Allied forces continue their onslaught, one by one, Paul's friends fall. The hopeful whispers of Germany's impending surrender and the prospect of peace do little to comfort Paul, who feels unprepared for a peaceful life. In the quiet fall of 1918, Paul, the last survivor of his comrades, gets killed on a day of minor fighting, his face peaceful in death, signifying a respite from the relentless horrors of war.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Sin novedad en el frente occidental

The tale starts with the main character, given the name Tim O’Brien, who recalls a significant event during his time in Vietnam. He lists the various items, both physical and emotional, that his comrades in Alpha Company carried during their assignments. Physical items ranged from matches, morphine, rifles to M&M’s candy, while emotional burdens included feelings of guilt and fear. 

The narrative consistently features the same characters. Ted Lavender, a low-ranking soldier in Alpha Company, is the first to die. Lavender, who managed his war anxiety with tranquilizers and marijuana, was shot dead while returning from the restroom. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, his superior, blames himself as he was preoccupied with thoughts of Martha, a college crush, at the time of Lavender's death. Cross’ feelings for Martha, whom he had briefly dated before being deployed, were unreciprocated, a fact that even after twenty years, along with his guilt over Lavender’s death, still haunts him. 

The narrator, O’Brien, shares the events that led to his deployment in Vietnam. Having received his draft notice in 1968, he was confused and considered fleeing to Canada to avoid the war he didn't believe in. However, his guilt of evading the war and fear of disappointing his family outweighed his political beliefs. He returned to his hometown in Minnesota, before eventually heading to Vietnam. During their time overseas, a few other Alpha Company members also lost their lives, including Curt Lemon and Lee Strunk. O’Brien vividly remembers how Lemon fainted during a routine dental checkup with an army dentist and insisted on having a perfectly good tooth pulled to save face. Strunk was fatally injured by a landmine, despite a pact with fellow soldier Dave Jensen to quickly end the other’s life if either were gravely injured. When Strunk is wounded, he pleads with Jensen to spare him, which Jensen does, only to be relieved when Strunk dies quickly on his way to treatment. 

The death of Kiowa, a treasured member of Alpha Company and a close friend of O’Brien's, is given the most attention. Its retelling is through the memory of Norman Bowker, years after the war, who blames himself for not saving Kiowa. Bowker, struggling to find meaning in life after the war, prompts O’Brien to tell his story along with Kiowa's. O’Brien grapples with his guilt over Kiowa’s death, finding it different than Bowker's. O'Brien also confronts his guilt over killing a man outside the village of My Khe. He imagines the life of his victim, from his childhood to what his life could have been, had he not thrown a grenade at him. He also imagines how he would confess this to his daughter, Kathleen. O’Brien uses these stories to reckon with his guilt and confusion, believing in the power of stories to bring salvation.

The Things They Carried

Las Cosas que Llevaban

The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

Las Memorias Personales de Ulysses S. Grant

The Best War Books of All Time, from the Revolutionary Era to Today

The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I

El clásico ganador del Premio Pulitzer sobre el estallido de la Primera Guerra Mundial

16 Best War Books of All Time

The Red Badge of Courage

The Art Of War

War And Peace

Catch-22

The Iliad

On War

Slaughterhouse-Five

A Novel

With the Old Breed

At Peleliu and Okinawa

History of the Peloponnesian War

All Quiet on the Western Front

The Things They Carried

The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

The Guns of August

The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I

We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young

Ia Drang—The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam

1776

The Forever War

Sources

What To Read Next

16 Best War Books of All Time

The Red Badge of Courage

The Art Of War

War And Peace

Catch-22

The Iliad

On War

Slaughterhouse-Five

A Novel

With the Old Breed

At Peleliu and Okinawa

History of the Peloponnesian War

All Quiet on the Western Front

The Things They Carried

The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

The Guns of August

The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I

We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young

Ia Drang—The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam

1776

The Forever War

Sources

What To Read Next

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