Book Review: Vietnam: The Australian Experience

Book Review: 'Vietnam: The Australian Experience' by John Rowe

5 / 5 Stars

I didn't realize that the Time-Life Books publishing enterprise, so ubiquitous to anyone who is a Baby Boomer, also was active outside the USA. So it was that Time-Life Books produced a 15-volume series titled Australians at War during the mid-80s. 

Like their American counterparts, these books were marketed as a monthly or bi-monthly  'subscription', that relied on a low price for the initial volume in order to entice the customer to commit to purchasing the entire series.

Some of the volumes in the Australians at War series can go for hefty prices, but I was able to get 'Vietnam: The Australian Experience' for under $10.

'Vietnam: The Australian Experience' (168 pp, 1987) adheres to the traditional format used for Time-Life Books; half-page to full-page black-and-white photographs are placed throughout the text, with multi-page segments devoted to special topics interspersed throughout the book. A section featuring full color photographs also is incorporated into the book.

Author Rowe (1936 - 2017) is about as knowledgeable about the Vietnam war as anyone; he was among the first Australian military advisors sent to South Vietnam in the early 60s. 

His 1968 novel about the war, Count Your Dead, was highly critical of the way the war was being waged by the Australian and American governments, and the backlash against it from the Australian establishment was so severe that he wound up resigning from the military. 

Rowe went on to write a number of other novels during the 70s and 80s, mainly in the thriller genre. 

'Vietnam: The Australian Experience' opens with the appointment of Australian military advisors to South Vietnam in 1962 and closes with the withdrawal of the Australian forces from the country in 1972. During that interval 50,000 Australians served in South Vietnam, 496 died, and 2, 398 were wounded.

Although the book does cover the participation by the Australians in military actions throughout South Vietnam, it focuses primarily on efforts in Phuoc Tuy province on South Vietnam's southern coast. When the Australians were deployed there in force starting in 1966, the province was heavily infiltrated by the Viet Cong; much of the narrative is devoted to the efforts of the Australians to eliminate the VC presence in Phuoc Tuy and restore control to the South Vietnamese government. 

One thing Rowe stresses - without slipping overtly into polemic - is that the Australians were well experienced at jungle warfare and counter-insurgency campaigns, and this experience colored their approach to tactics and strategy in their actions in South Vietnam. Such actions regularly contrasted with those of the Americans, who, in hindsight, could have benefited considerably from adopting the Australian 'way of war'. Whether all readers will agree with Rowe's assessment is of course open to debate, but I found Rowe's observations to have considerable merit.

'Vietnam: The Australian Experience' is a very readable book. The descriptions of the campaigns are well communicated, and the inclusion of numerous anecdotes from Australian soldiers gives the narrative additional impact.

Summing up, 'Vietnam: The Australian Experience' not only is a very worthwhile history of the Australian involvement in that conflict, but a book that addresses the deficiency in the reporting about the role of non-U.S. militaries in the Vietnam War. Copies in good condition can be had for reasonable prices from your usual online vendors.

Killraven's First Appearance, Amazing Adventures Issue 18

Killraven's First Appearance
'War of the Worlds'
Amazing Adventures No. 18
Marvel Comics, May 1973

I've posted excerpts from this inaugural issue of the 'Killraven / War of the Worlds' storyline back in 2009, but I think it deserves to be presented in full. These scans come from the 2018 Marvel Masterworks edition of 'Killraven: Volume 1' (look for a full review coming soon)

Certainly, 'Killraven' is one of the greatest of the sci-fi comics of the 70s (standing alongside Deathlok's appearances in Astonishing Tales during the same time period). Neal Adams started the artwork on this issue of Amazing Adventures, but left the assignment unfinished. Howard Chaykin hastily was recruited to fill in the missing pages.

While limited to only 20 pages, writer Gerry Conway nonetheless was able to come up with a narrative that sufficiently fleshed out the future world of Killraven to keep readers intrigued and ready to come back for more.  

Book Review: The Glory Hole

Book Review: 'The Glory Hole' by T. Jeff Williams

2 / 5 Stars

'The Glory Hole' first was published in the UK by Corgi Books in 1977; this paperback reissue (286 pp) was published in 1985.

T. Jeff Williams published one other novel, a thriller titled 'Strangler' (1978; variant title 'Sonny'), which I reviewed here.

'The Glory Hole' is set at Quang Tri base in South Vietnam, and although the year is not disclosed, I surmise it likely takes place in the interval from 1969 - 1971.

The lead character, Jacob Sturm, is a medic who accompanies choppers on dustoff calls. As the novel begins Sturm is increasingly beset with doubts about the justification for the war and the reasoning behind American involvement. His reservations are fueled by the trigger-happy attitude of chopper pilot 'King Kong' Kowalski, who has no qualms about gunning down any Vietnamese with the bad luck to be found in 'free fire' zones.

The narrative also features 'big black' private Franklin, a ghetto kid who serves as an infantryman in the 101st 'Screaming Eagles' Airborne Division, and the newly deployed Chaplain Montano, who is eager for a taste of war and excitement.

The narrative alternates between the adventures of Franklin, participating in a risky combat operation over the border into Laos, and Sturm, who spends his time at the base getting stoned and trying to persuade an attractive nurse to sleep with him (that is, when Sturm's not risking life and limb on dustoff calls). 

The novel's first half is its strongest, as author Williams aptly conveys the hazards of flying dustoffs to pick up the wounded in combat zones, and the travails of Franklin as he struggles to survive both the soldiers of the North Vietnamese army, and the inept leadership of his commanding officer.

Unfortunately the second half of 'The Glory Hole' is disappointing. The narrative turns from a focus on combat to documenting the moral and ethical anguish of Jacob Sturm, as the senseless violence and atrocities he has witnessed lead him deeper into drug abuse and confrontations with authority. It's plain that Williams uses these episodes to communicate that there is no such thing as a 'Good War', but by filling the narrative with one rear-echelon drama after another, the plot takes on a contrived, tiresome character.

Where 'The Glory Hole' suffers most is in its closing chapter, which introduces a series of coincidences that are so contrived that they undermine the novel's standing as a 'realistic' account of the war.

The verdict ? 'The Glory Hole' likely could have been a stronger novel if it had not gone overboard in terms of trying to convey a Deep Message about the corrupting influence of war. I really can't recommend this to anyone save Vietnam War novel completists.

July is Vietnam War Month

July is 'Vietnam War Month' at the PorPor Books Blog !

Here at the PorPor Books Blog, we like to take a break every now and then from reviewing sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books, comics, magazines, and other media, and instead place our attention on another genre.

For July, we're going to be showcasing fiction and nonfiction about the Vietnam War.

We're particularly interested in reviewing books that were originally published between the 1960s to the mid- 80s. 

As well, we're focusing on books that are less well known. Everybody has read Born on the Fourth of July, The 13th Valley, Fields of Fire, and A Rumor of War........but there are other novels and memoirs out there that are just as deserving of attention.

So put on your Boonie Hat, grab your bug juice, clean your M-16, and get ready..........

To get everyone in the mood, below is an article that appeared in Time magazine in 1966...........can you imagine seeing something like this in contemporary media ?!

Book Review: The Douglas Convolution

Book Review: 'The Douglas Convolution' by Edward Llewellyn

3 / 5 Stars

'The Douglas Convolution' (190 pp) is DAW Book No. 359, published in October 1979. The cover art is by Don Maitz.

Edward Llewellyn (1917 - 1984) was a UK author who published a number of sf novels in the late 70s and early 80s, all by DAW Books. 'The Douglas Convolution' is the first volume in the so-called Douglas Convolution trilogy; the other volumes, which are more prequels than sequels, are 'The Bright Companion' (1980) and 'Prelude to Chaos' (1983).

The lead character is an ex-Marine and mathematician in his mid-30s named Ian Douglas. As the novel opens, Douglas is embarking on an unusual experiment informed by his lifelong interest in mathematics: he can predict the location of a wormhole that allows for one-way travel forward to the future. 

To test his theory, in September 1980 Douglas travels to a remote beach on Hudson's Bay, where he has calculated the wormhole will appear. No sooner has Douglas stepped into the mist where sea meets shore, than he finds himself instantaneously transported to the year 2170.

North America in 2170 is not doing well. As the result of a past pharmacological disaster, most of the continent is thinly populated, with vast tracts of land reverting to wilderness. The population is kept tractable by the widespread use of a tranquilizer called Paxin. Technology is only moderately more advanced than that of the late 20th century, with mechanical conveyances limited to small fleets of helicopters and ground effect vehicles.

The Governors who rule the 10 Sectors of North America are inept, and too preoccupied with political intrigues, to pay necessary attention to strengthening the borders of their territories, some of which are under constant attack from bands of brutal raiders known as 'druj'.

Assuming the identity of a deceased military policeman allows Ian Douglas to live in this new society with his secret of time travel intact. Using his military and mathematical skills, Douglas soon brings order to the lawless frontier of what used to be called Virginia. This makes him an indispensable man to the oligarchs of the North American Sectors. But, as Douglas is to discover, the oligarchs are more than willing to deceive him in order to advance their own aims...........

'The Douglas Convolution' is one of those action - adventure sci-fi novels that starts off well; the author uses a clear, declarative prose style, keeps his chapters short, and the narrative moving along at a good clip. Unfortunately things slow down considerably in the middle chapters, as the plot centers on political conflicts that, despite extensive pages of stilted dialogue, come across as muddled and overly contrived. 

There are also segments in these middle chapters that didn't bother me all that much, but, in this modern day and age, likely will be criticized as being exploitative and Un-Woke(n).

The unconvincing nature of its sci-fi elements and backstory led me to give 'The Douglas Convolutions' a three star rating. I can't call it a must-have example of 80s sci-fi, but if you're looking for a short, compact adventure novel, it will fit the bill.

Planetoid by Corben

Planetoid
by Richard Corben
from Heavy Metal magazine, January 1992

At the beginning of the 90s, computer generated graphics were starting to come into their own, and it's no surprise that Corben, who was a pioneer in the field of coloring comics and other graphics, would embrace this technology.

Shock Cinema

Shock Cinema magazine

The most recent issue (No. 56, Summer 2019) of Shock Cinema magazine just arrived. I got to thinking that a post about this magazine is long overdue, especially since I've been reading and subscribing to Shock Cinema for more than 15 years now.

[Subscription information is available here.]

Published by New Jersey resident Steven Puchalski (who grew up in Syracuse, New York), the magazine debuted in 1990, and continues to thrive. Shock Cinema is a quality magazine, printed on thick paper stock with black-and-white, high-res reproductions of movie posters, stills, DVD covers, and advertisements (Puchalski has assembled an immense personal library of film and TV advertisements). The magazine has plenty of advertisements for vendors of contemporary cult films.

Each issue features an Editorial by Puchalski; these editorials almost always are diatribes about contemporary politics, city living, the defects in modern U.S. society, reminiscences of Puchalski's younger days, etc. 

In many ways, these vitriol-steeped vignettes of misanthropy (which sometimes are laugh-out-loud funny) are the one of the best things about the magazine. Witness these remarks about the Post Office at Peter Stuyvesant Station in New York City, which (until 2014) Puchalski was obliged to patronize:

Mind you, no one will ever mourn the loss of the old Peter Stuyvesant Station, since it was arguably the worst fucking post office in all of New York City. Long lines, lost mail, and incompetent staff are typical for many post offices, but it was the insane package pick-up line that transformed this branch into its own unique circle of hell. With a minimum of two dozen people queued up at all times of the day and one weary postal employee manning that window, the average waiting time for a package was usually over an hour. 

[Needless to say, the advent of the Trump presidency in 2016 sent Puchalski into a new dimension of outrage.]

Issue 56 features this rant: 

I'd prefer to gripe about the more baffling and downright lazy aspects of modern society.....Uber, Lyft, Handy, Postmates - basically paying for 'gig economy' services that any halfway capable individual used to do for themselves - and don't get me started about 'Meal Kit Delivery Services' like Home Chef and Blue Apron, for dumb-asses unable to cope with the torment of grocery shopping....And sorry....if you're 25 and still live with your parents, promptly move the fuck out.

The contents of each issue of Shock Cinema feature interviews - mainly with supporting cast members, but occasionally with a leading man / woman - with actors and directors who were active in the 60s, 70s, and 80s (more rarely, in the 90s). 

Needless to say, Shock Cinema also features reviews, with a two-column per-page page layout within which  smaller graphics are fitted. The font is small and cramped - this is a magazine that you have to sit down and read, rather than idly flip through. Puchalski provides the majority of the reviews, with some assistance from a panel of contributors that includes his wife, Anna Puchalski, and the well-known British author Kim Newman (Anno Dracula, The Man from the Diogenes Club), among others. 

Puchalski's reviews can feature the same sarcasm as his editorials, and many are laugh-out-loud funny. I find them a welcome change from reading the pompous, self-indulgent reviews of contemporary movies by The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday and Hank Stuever.

As the front cover states, the magazine covers 'cult movies, arthouse oddities, drive-in swill, and underground obscurities', so these reviews cover not only U.S., but foreign films, made during the interval from 1950 - 1995. While coverage of feature films predominates, TV movies get attention, too. 

Most of the contemporary film reviews deal with ultra-low-budget, direct-to-DVD features. 

Shock Cinema also reviews books dedicated to the topic of 'grindhouse swill'.

Summing up, if you're a Baby Boomer, then you could do yourself a service by subscribing to Shock Cinema. A year's worth of 4 issues is only $20, and you're sure to see something that will take you back to those glory days when Scott Baio would star in an ABC Afterschool Special titled Stoned...........!