Review of Moonscape
1 posts
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Moonscape" by Randall T. Elliott.]
Moonscape: Thoughts of War, by Randall T. Elliot, is a telltale novel that describes how gruesome war can be. The author narrates sad and near-death experiences soldiers see on the battlefield—near-death experiences that can hardly be depicted in any war movie.
Elliot, in his book, shares his experiences and thoughts about the Cold War in Vietnam. After being eager and enthused by war and wanting to join the army all his life, he finally gets the opportunity to go to Vietnam to fight communism in his own little way. In this book, he shares his experiences, noting how worthless the war in Vietnam was as a political war that could not be won by the military. He talks about how soldiers died for a futile course as they were lured in by the lies of the government, painting a false picture of the fight there for them. He writes about how, as they fought, they could only hope that the war would be won to compensate for the casualties and the worthlessness of it.
I had a lot to appreciate while joining the writer on the journey of reading this book, and there were a good number of things I loved. Reading the thoughts of Elliot on the war was like seeing deep into his mind; his stories and narrations of his experiences were so vivid that I could literally picture how it must have been for him. I loved the pictures that were inserted in Chapter 15 of the book, and I spent time looking at them, trying to imagine how the soldiers must have felt at such moments. I also appreciated the time taken by the author to explain military words to his readers, which made the book easier to understand and grasp. I loved the philosophical sides of the author in the novel. There were some phrases in the book that really got to me, precisely on pages 71 and 238, which read, “If societies cannot coexist, why not just ignore one another? If we can’t even do that, then perhaps we deserve an unappealing fate.” This made me think of several wars that could be averted and prevented from growing bigger if only societies like ours would not meddle in another's business, which was depicted clearly in the book as the sole reason for the soldiers being deployed to Vietnam. The other phrase on page 238 read, “…and I knew that when nations clash or even societies, that soldiers would die in numbers and ways only they can understand.” This particular phrase increased my appreciation for soldiers, because when nations clash, the responsibility falls on them, and only they can fully relate to the theatrics and harshness of war. Reading this book made me come to the understanding that soldiers are the true heroes of a nation as they put themselves on the line, believing or not believing the cause of the war, defending and fighting for their country. Most especially, I have developed a newfound respect for our American soldiers who put their lives on the line in Vietnam, despite not understanding what they were fighting for but still obeying orders and serving this country.
The only part of this book that was flawed were the errors found in the book, which were a particular kind of error found at the beginning of every chapter. This may be a formatting issue and not necessarily a grammar error. So, I have listed them out as uncounted errors so the author can check them out to determine if they are unique to the ebook version I purchased.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars as I enjoyed every part of the book. Getting to read the thoughts of Elliot is an experience I did not take for granted; it was an eye-opening and emotional experience I would love every reader to have.
This book is recommended for lovers of war stories, war enthusiasts, and readers interested in the Cold War. This book is also suited for people who enjoy biographies.
******
Moonscape
View: on Bookshelves |
Moonscape: Thoughts of War, by Randall T. Elliot, is a telltale novel that describes how gruesome war can be. The author narrates sad and near-death experiences soldiers see on the battlefield—near-death experiences that can hardly be depicted in any war movie.
Elliot, in his book, shares his experiences and thoughts about the Cold War in Vietnam. After being eager and enthused by war and wanting to join the army all his life, he finally gets the opportunity to go to Vietnam to fight communism in his own little way. In this book, he shares his experiences, noting how worthless the war in Vietnam was as a political war that could not be won by the military. He talks about how soldiers died for a futile course as they were lured in by the lies of the government, painting a false picture of the fight there for them. He writes about how, as they fought, they could only hope that the war would be won to compensate for the casualties and the worthlessness of it.
I had a lot to appreciate while joining the writer on the journey of reading this book, and there were a good number of things I loved. Reading the thoughts of Elliot on the war was like seeing deep into his mind; his stories and narrations of his experiences were so vivid that I could literally picture how it must have been for him. I loved the pictures that were inserted in Chapter 15 of the book, and I spent time looking at them, trying to imagine how the soldiers must have felt at such moments. I also appreciated the time taken by the author to explain military words to his readers, which made the book easier to understand and grasp. I loved the philosophical sides of the author in the novel. There were some phrases in the book that really got to me, precisely on pages 71 and 238, which read, “If societies cannot coexist, why not just ignore one another? If we can’t even do that, then perhaps we deserve an unappealing fate.” This made me think of several wars that could be averted and prevented from growing bigger if only societies like ours would not meddle in another's business, which was depicted clearly in the book as the sole reason for the soldiers being deployed to Vietnam. The other phrase on page 238 read, “…and I knew that when nations clash or even societies, that soldiers would die in numbers and ways only they can understand.” This particular phrase increased my appreciation for soldiers, because when nations clash, the responsibility falls on them, and only they can fully relate to the theatrics and harshness of war. Reading this book made me come to the understanding that soldiers are the true heroes of a nation as they put themselves on the line, believing or not believing the cause of the war, defending and fighting for their country. Most especially, I have developed a newfound respect for our American soldiers who put their lives on the line in Vietnam, despite not understanding what they were fighting for but still obeying orders and serving this country.
The only part of this book that was flawed were the errors found in the book, which were a particular kind of error found at the beginning of every chapter. This may be a formatting issue and not necessarily a grammar error. So, I have listed them out as uncounted errors so the author can check them out to determine if they are unique to the ebook version I purchased.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars as I enjoyed every part of the book. Getting to read the thoughts of Elliot is an experience I did not take for granted; it was an eye-opening and emotional experience I would love every reader to have.
This book is recommended for lovers of war stories, war enthusiasts, and readers interested in the Cold War. This book is also suited for people who enjoy biographies.
******
Moonscape
View: on Bookshelves |
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