Matterhorn

A Novel of the Vietnam War

By: Karl Marlantes

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Length: 21 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

An incredible publishing story—written over the course of thirty years by a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, a New York Times bestseller for sixteen weeks, a National Indie Next, and a USA Today bestseller—Matterhorn has been hailed as a "brilliant account of war" (New York Times Book Review).

Matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead and James Jones' The Thin Red Line. It is the timeless story of a young marine lieutenant, Waino Mellas, and his comrades in Bravo Company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of Vietnam as boys and forced to fight their way into manhood. Standing in their way are not merely the North Vietnamese but also monsoon rain and mud, leeches and tigers, disease and malnutrition. Almost as daunting, it turns out, are the obstacles they discover between each other: racial tension, competing ambitions, and duplicitous superior officers. But when the company finds itself surrounded and outnumbered by a massive enemy regiment, the marines are thrust into the raw and all-consuming terror of combat. The experience will change them forever.

Matterhorn is a visceral and spellbinding novel about what it is like to be a young man at war. It is an unforgettable story that transforms the tragedy of Vietnam into a powerful and universal story of courage, camaraderie, and sacrifice—a parable not only of the war in Vietnam but of all war, and a testament to the redemptive power of literature.

A bonus PDF is included, with maps, a Chain of Command hierarchy, a glossary, and other interesting facts and information.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2010 Karl Marlantes (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“ Matterhorn is one of the most powerful and moving novels about combat, the Vietnam War, and war in general that I have ever read.” (Dan Rather)

“Brings a long, torturous war back to life with realistic characters and authentic, thrilling combat sequences.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“Unforgettable.… A beautifully crafted novel of unrivaled authenticity and power, filled with jungle heroism, crackerjack inventiveness, mud, blood, brotherhood, hatred, healing, terror, bureaucracy, politics, unfathomable waste, and unfathomable love." (Christina Robb, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist)

A love story about Marines

This is an outstanding novel. Marlantes' development of his characters is excellent and in many cases they are developed to die in a war that was at the same time senseless and important, inane and necessary. The flow of the story takes you through the fears and hopes of diverse people thrown into a desperate situation. At times the tension is so thick you can cut it with a K-bar. At other times the release is blinding and passionate.

This is the story of war in all of its manifestations. It exposes the senseless suffering of soldiers who go without food and supplies for days on end due to the incompetence of their superiors. And then it reveals how the soldiers get blamed. It highlights the commitment of fighting men to each other...it exceeds the will to live. It describes the simple pleasures of life in a combat zone.

This is a great book!

One of the best Vietnam infantry stories and engaging narrator

A great combat book that details the life of the USMC grunts assigned to Bravo Company. One of the best Vietnam infantry reads that captures the chaos of combat, futility of taking and retaking ground, pressures of command to get results, and most importantly the social dynamics of the young American men tied together in the jungle.

Narrator was great and did well in capturing the emotion and voices of the characters. Narrator draws you in as he whispers the lines when Marines are on night patrol, becomes frantic during the combat dialogue, and imitates the accents and dialects of the characters. This is what makes audible so engaging with stories!

Eye opening true events Vietnam War

Waste of 52,000 hung American kids
Due to politics. Black racial inequalities details their lives in the War

Best audible narration I have heard yet

Besides the powerful story, and the intensity of the plot, what brought the story over the top was how well the narrator read each characters lines, easily giving each character an added dimension and realness.

One of the best books I've read in a long time

If you could sum up Matterhorn in three words, what would they be?

Epic. Emotional. Tense.

What did you like best about this story?

The emotions it evoked from me, I was literally cussing at Simpson while driving in my car listening to the story. It was very well written, good look into how a man's priorities change once in a war, and what people do for political aspirations with no regard for other people's lives.

Which scene was your favorite?

The latter engagement at Matterhorn.

Who was the most memorable character of Matterhorn and why?

Mellas, because of the character's authenticity, he truly has fears and selfish thoughts like we all do.

Flawless Narration

Matterhorn is so completely not in my "usual" genre. But I like to read out of my comfort zone every now and then and when I see reviews like Tour de Force, I'll take the chance. It's a longer novel and I listened over the course of several weeks, but I was always glad when I returned to it from whatever paranormal fantasy I'd been reading in between.

Clearly it's a war story, but the characters were what made it for me. Bronson Pinchot was absolutely amazing, somehow able to master more characters than I can count, and every single one brilliantly done. This is possibly the best performance I've heard. Ever. Between that and some great writing, I think I could recommend this story anyone and they wouldn't be disappointed.

A vivid and painful reliving of American history.

Bronson Pinchot is a genius. He doesn't just read the book, he performs the book.

Great Listen

It took me a while to get around to this one. I am glade I did. Pinchot does a great job narrating and the story keep my attention the whole time.

Liked it

Quite a riveting story but a bit repetitive at parts. I would have edited out approximately 20% . The narration was excellent

1st military based book

Matterhorn was the 1st book I've read/listened to that involved the military. I was not disappointed! I have a new found respect for the soldiers of the Vietnam war and what they endured. My curiosity has been peaked and so I'm looking for more books of this type. Guaranteed you will not be disappointed by this book!!