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)

Astounding

This was just an amazing book, read by a superb reader. I was utterly absorbed. The story was so rich with characters and ideas, and surged with an authenticity that made it fascinating.

As if The Wire had been placed in the Vietnam War

This book is outstanding. Just outstanding. Story, narration...I have not been able to stop thinking about it. It follows a completely standard set up: green junior officer dumped into war who must learn as he goes, while surrounded by hostile enemies, terrible terrain, and incompetent and/or callous senior leadership. But Marlantes elevates these tropes to a far higher level. The book's commentary on race and how institutions function (or don't) reminded me very much of the TV show The Wire, as does the frequently hilarious dialogue. ("Finally! A grunt who can think!") This book is grim and funny, dark and uplifting, and is haunting throughout.

Grunt verite, delivered with esprit.

Excellent rendering of a diary-like remembrance. A comprehensive look
Into the world of the Marine infantryman during that rudderless military venture. The narration is masterful, Pinchot easily differentiating characters and still imbuing them with accurate emotional tone. To play so many differing racial, cultural and geographic roles and make the all believable is impressive!

Didn't feel like a war story, yet was and great

Very interesting and well read to paint a great pictUre for the listener. Better than i expected.

Good Story_So-So Narration!

I enjoyed listening to this book but there were so many characters in this book that at times I was a bit confused as to who was who, but overall, it gave one a sense of the futility of our Vietnam experience. The narrator was not the greatest, but he was encumbered by the number of characters he had to try and depict.

Rivoting!

Would you listen to Matterhorn again? Why?

I don't listen to books twice. But if I did, I would.

What did you like best about this story?

The details. The details! Author is so good, you feel like you right there with the grunts.

What about Bronson Pinchot’s performance did you like?

Amazing that he can keep track of SO many characters and does each one so well and correctly each time they speak. Doesn't matter if they're white, black, from the south or north. He nails it.

Who was the most memorable character of Matterhorn and why?

Jackson was my personal fave as a character. Second would be Jayhawk.

War experiences

Fear and brutal endurance I will never know lay an intense foundation with sensory precision. The language reaching deep, as war confounds normal boundaries and redefines identities. Death induces love and hatred known only to those isolated marines in the bush. Black marines reach for equal rights where the reality and rules have changed. Insights to the Vietnam war I could not have imagined or begun to understand without the author's art. Pinchot's voice adds to the authenticity. Unexpectedly believable. Profound, individual, evanescent truths in war.

Remarkable

Would you listen to Matterhorn again? Why?

An amazing listen. I've read plenty of books about the Vietnam war, but this was far and away the best. Marlantes lets you fall in love with characters only to then take them away.

What other book might you compare Matterhorn to and why?

The Things They Carried, A Drs Year in Vietnam.

If you could take any character from Matterhorn out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Malice

Any additional comments?

A very difficult story about a very difficult time on our country.

Great Book!

This book is one of the best war stories ever written. Highly recommended! Obviously written by someone who had been in the middle of what he was describing.

What an amazing story

This story is a journey into the day to day grind of an average run of the mill Marine Infantry platoon in Vietnam. It is Graphic, but covers details that are often overlooked which bring the reality of their struggle to make it home into focus.