I am looking for more fiction books like Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein and Forever War by Joe Haldeman. I am indifferent if the book genre is modern military or sci-fi. Please no fantasy/medieval.
I've read a lot of historical fiction about characters living during times of war, but I want things from the point of view of those who are fighting the war, boots on the ground.
Some non-fiction books that are on the same level of content I am looking for are Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden and The Patrol by Ryan Flavelle. Movie examples would be anything like Spectral, Danger Close, Hacksaw Ridge, or even The Covenant.
by Tacitus3485
15 Comments
Old Man’s War, both military and sci-fi
*Valor’s Choice* by Tanya Huff. Both military and sci-fi.
Pale Grey Dot, by Don Miasek. Excellent military sci-fi with action and intrigue.
If you can find it, We All Died at Breakaway Station by Richard C. Meredith is a truly weird and interesting take on the genre.
The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois Macmaster Bujold.
The Myriad by R.M. Meluch.
Non-Fiction:
* *Chickenhawk*: gunship pilots in Vietnam, absolutely harrowing
* *Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors*: the heroic last stand of Taffy 3 in the Battle Off Samar (Leyte Gulf) in World War 2. A *criminally* undertold story of valor and heroism of the US Navy. I suspect it’s not taught in school because it makes Admiral Halsey, posterboy of the Navy, look really stupid.
Fiction:
Every Horus Heresy novel
Highly recommend the Lost Fleet series. Written by a career naval officer, so pretty damn realistic as far as military culture realism.
Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
Children are evaluated and then trained to command an army of spaceships. They do 3D mock battles that are a big deal at the school. There are other books in the series that focus on the war as well and some are world building but Ender’s Game can stand alone, it wad originally written as a single.
The Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann Leckie is fantastic. There are other books in the series, but only the original trilogy is military sci-fi.
Star fist series by David Sherman and Dan Craig. I think there are about 10 books in the series.
Murderbot series? All Systems Red was a pretty good read.
Honor Harrington series by David Weber
Vatta’s War series by Elizabeth Moon
The Divide by JS Dewes
The Empire of Man series by David Weber and John Ringo (sci-fi)
The Lat Centurion by John Ringo
The Columbus Day series by Craig Alanson (the audiobooks are particularly excellent)(sci-fi)
* *Beyond the Chindwin: An Account of Number Five Column of the Wingate Expedition into Burma, 1943* by BG Bernard Fergusson KT, GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE, 16th Infantry Brigade (Chindit).
* *The Battle for Burma: The Wild Green Earth* by BG Bernard Fergusson KT, GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE, 16th Infantry Brigade (Chindit).
* *A Change of Jungles* by BG Miles Smeeton, DSO, MBE, MC, British Indian Army.
* *Three Corvettes* by Nicholas Monsarrat, LtCdr, FRSL RNVR.
* *Normandiefront: D-Day to Saint-Lô Through German Eyes* by Vince Milano and Bruce Conner.
* *The Killing Ground: The Battle of the Falaise Gap, August 1944* by James Lucas and James Barker.
* *Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad* by William Craig.
* *The Forgotten Soldier* by Guy Sajer, Großdeutschland Division, German Army (fictionalized memoir).
* *The Forsaken Army: The Great Novel of Stalingrad* by Heinrich Gerlach, 14th Panzer Division.
* *S.S. General* by Sven Hassel (fiction).
* *Cross of Iron* by Willi Heinrich, 1st Battalion 228th Jäger Regiment of the 101st Jäger Division, German Army (fiction).
* *Japanese Destroyer Captain* by Tameichi Hara, Fred Saito and Roger Pineau.·
* *Saipan: The Battle That Doomed Japan in World War II* by James H. Hallas.
* *The Battle For Tinian: Vital Stepping Stone in America’s War Against Japan* by Nathan N. Prefer.
* *With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa* by E.B. Sledge, CPL, 1st Mar. Div., U.S.M.C.
* *The Battle for Manila: The Most Devastating Untold Story of World War II* by Richard Connaughton.
Sven Hassel wrote a series of books about a fictional German penal unit (a “Band of Brothers” in arms) that Hassel moves about to be in various European engagements. *S.S. General* is just one of them.
The *Sharpe’s series* by Bernard Cornwall is also fictional and very good. They deal with a British unit (a “Band of Brothers” in arms) of soldiers during the Napoleonic period.
*Co. Aytch or a Side Show of the Big Show: A Memoir of the Civil War* by Samuel R. Watkins is a nonfiction, American Civil War memoir well worth reading.
*The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916* by Sir Alistair Horne.
*Storm of Steel* by Ernst Jünger is a WWI memoir from a German POV.
David Drake and David Weber’s books.