Hassel’s work is direct and grounded in the harsh realities of war, with a focus on the camaraderie and struggles of soldiers. His use of dark humor and realistic detail creates a vivid and often brutal portrayal of wartime life.
McCarthy’s work is more literary and philosophical, employing sparse yet poetic language to explore existential themes.
I love the (sense)less violence and satire from both authors.
by Available_Future_993
2 Comments
I haven’t read Hassel, but from the way you describe it I suggest Unknown Soldiers by Vaino Linna. Bleak but also filled with the brotherhood of combat from the Finnish front lines.
• *The Forgotten Soldier* by Guy Sajer (fictionalized memoir: considered a classic).
• *The Forsaken Army: The Great Novel of Stalingrad* by Heinrich Gerlach (fiction).
• *Cross of Iron* by Willi Heinrich (fiction).
• *The Eagle Has Landed* by Jack Higgins (fiction).
• *Storm of Steel* by Ernst Jünger (WWI).
• The *Sharpe’s* series by Bernard Cornwell (fiction: Napoleonic Wars).
• *The Compleat Rifleman Harris – The Adventures of a Soldier of the 95th (Rifles) During the Peninsular Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars* by Benjamin Harris (soldier’s memoir: Wellington’s Peninsular Campaign including his 200 mile fighting retreat from Burgos. Harris carried an 80 lb pack).
• *The Short-Timers* by Gustav Hasford (fiction: Vietnam).
• *Better Times Than These* by Winston Groom (fiction: Vietnam).