God's Children (Mass Market Paperback)

For those who went to war with an M-1 rifle, a carbine, or a Colt 45, and who don't know a BMP from an M-16, Coyle writes in a foreign language. But for professional soldiers, active or otherwise, wanna-bes, armchair generals, and general military buffs, Coyle wrote the book--this one and others--on land warfare. The God's Children of the title--peacekeepers, according to the biblical saying--are the Third Platoon of C Company, part of a NATO force in near-future Slovakia attempting to keep the lid on a boiling pot nobody seems to care much about. Coyle's main protagonists are First Lieutenant Nathan Dixon and Second Lieutenant Gerald Reider, fresh from West Point. The good news is that both young men survive the firefights that are part of their peacekeeping mission. The not-so-good news is that Coyle's story could be uncomfortably close to actual happenings in the year 2000 or slightly beyond. In any case, when it comes to military techno-thrillers, Coyle is as good as it gets. Budd Arthur --Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.

Another penetrating dissection of the passion and terror of warfare from the modern master of life-under-combat, this time on a snowbound Slovakia, where a mixed bag of US Army infantry, acting as NATO peacekeepers, cope with murderous ethnic cleansersand a far more threatening conflict between commanding officers. After examining battlefield bravado in American history, Coyle goes back to the near future, picking up the adventures of Army Lt. Nathan Dixon, son of his series hero Scott Dixon (Code of Honor, 1994, etc.). Nathan's cushy job as a battalion staff officer, is interrupted when hes ordered to accompany a platoon led by greenhorn Lt. Gerald Reider on what is supposed to be a routine show of force mission. Sparks fly long before the two lieutenants leave their battalion base: The product of the Virginia Military Institute and his father's hard-won wisdom, Dixon is put off by Reider, an elitist martinet fresh out of West Point. Meanwhile, Reider views Dixon's presence as a meddlesome imposition on his command. The two are barely speaking as their platoon trudges off into Slovakian hills to rendezvous with a trio of American tanks 25 kilometers away. Their orders are ambiguous: protect civilians, don't start any conflicts, be prepared to return fire if fired on. Coyle uses the escalating squabbles between the two men to illustrate contrasting styles of leadership, delivering intricate if long-winded asides about how crucial a commander's slightest twitch can be in maintaining control. Reider makes several mistakes, barely escaping calamity. When Dixon finds the burning hulk of a US tank, and can't contact the base on the platoon radio, he concludes that war has finally broken out. The platoon is then torn apart after a series of heartstopping, brutally realistic firefights, and the two officers, separated by hostile forces, must fight their way back any way they can. A grunt's life that, despite too many lectures on military mores, and a distracting romantic subplot, succeeds as an engrossing, uncompromisingly suspenseful tale of heroic adventure. ($150,000 ad/promo; radio satellite tour) -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.