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)

Gritty, gory, and honest

If you're looking for a book with an ending, then this isn't the one for you. If you're looking for a clean, fluffed version of war and brotherhood, then this book is not for you. If you're squeamish, easily offended, or sensitive to gore, then this book is not for you.

If you're looking for an honest look at the experience of war, then give this book a read. Are some details exaggerated? Maybe, I wouldn't know because I wasn't there. Matterhorn gives an honest look at a combat experiences and the bonds that it forages.

This gut wrenching and at times heart breaking book was phenomenal and insightful. Definitely worth the read.

Powerful, gritty and personal

It took me a couple of hours for this book to really connect with me. It reads like a history rather than a novel in many ways, and in the end, that is it's power. You can feel the frustration, the brotherhood, and the fear of these men. There is an undercurrent of the political issues of the Vietnam ware, but mostly this is a book about men trying to survive. They are often bitter, angry, and lost, but they come together as men of duty when required.

My dad was in Vietnam. He shares stories, but really doesn't talk about the details much. This book took me there in a vivid way. I am glad I took the time to immerse myself in it and to feel the heartbreak, courage and fear portrayed in the novel.

Fabulous book

I THINK this did a really good job of making the reader feel like what it was like in Viet Nam. Marlantes did a good job of making the reader feel the respect for good leadership, the hate and frustration for bad leadership, the love of the brotherhood, and the tensions between all of these things.

Heartbreaking, realistic.

I bought this in a audible 2-for-1 deal. I'd never heard of it before and didn't expect much. I'm in the military, saw it was a good rated military book and bought it.

I was blown away. The book is dark, gritty, emotional, and realistic. The messages of the story are as important today as they ever can be. This book gave me a look into the heart of the Vietnam War and I felt connected with the characters instantly. Their ups and their lowest lows feel real.

Wonderful writing. Fantastic story. Great narration. An emotional rollercoaster.

A+

A story I will not forget

Hard to believe it's a novel but it sounds exactly as I'd imagine the war to be. The insanity, the camaraderie, the hardship, the rage, the meaninglessness and violence and hatred, and unexplainable friendships.

Great Book

Loved this book. Listened to it twice. It's a very honest look at human nature and worth the listen. I plan to buy a hard copy.

Was looking for excuses to take a drive...

I grew up during the latter period of the Vietnam War. I can still recall the images on the news broadcasts of the day, though, apart from a 4 or 5 year olds' thought that the country on the news seemed too beautiful to host a war, I didn't pass much time on thought about what it meant.
As I got older, the ripples from that conflict caught me once more as the country tried to reconcile the broad internal conflicts that reverberated still as we tried to face the wrongs we wrought, not only on Vietnam, but on our own national psyche and the grave wrongs were hurried at the veterans of that conflict. The flawed naivete that bound us to stay the course to a curious cause was borne most broadly by mere boys, led by men fighting previous wars no longer relevant to the complex conflict they were prosecuting now.
It is in this volatile mix that Matterhorn takes place. We see, not only the conflict in Vietnam, but mirrored just underneath, the violent turbulence swirling back at home hand in hand with the war half a world away. At once a gripping war story, it is also a timely social commentary-highlighting the issues but leaving solutions unsolved, pointing them into the light and leaving resolutions unresolved, much as they remain to this day
One cannot read this novel without the realization that the lessons from this conflict have still not yet been fully learned.

one of the best books I've ever enioyed

This book is so good, I kept finding excuses to be alone, or working on something where I did not need to talk to others, so I could slip my earbud in and finish this story. Every sentence is interesting. every story told, touches you. when I had about 5 hours left in the book, I felt this deep sadness that these characters I loved so much would soon be gone. I held my breath every enemy contact, hoping my new friends would be okay. It's a masterwork and I cannot recommend it enough.

Amazing

An incredible journey and emotional ride. This book had a huge impact on my life, from tears of laughter to sobs of despair. A masterpiece.

One of the most amazing books I’ve ever heard.

Honest, gut wrenching, humble, accurate, and entertaining. I will forever be trying to locate a book that impacts me the same way that this one did.