Fields of Fire

By: James Webb

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

Length: 17 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

They each had their reasons for being a soldier. They each had their illusions. Goodrich came from Harvard. Snake got the tattoo - Death Before Dishonor - before he got the uniform. And Hodges was haunted by the ghosts of family heroes. They were three young men from different worlds plunged into a white-hot, murderous realm of jungle warfare as it was fought by one Marine platoon in the An Hoa Basin, 1969. They had no way of knowing what awaited them. Nothing could have prepared them for the madness to come. And in the heat and horror of battle they took on new identities, took on each other, and were each reborn in fields of fire....

Fields of Fire is James Webb's classic, searing novel of the Vietnam War, a novel of poetic power, razor-sharp observation, and agonizing human truths seen through the prism of nonstop combat. Weaving together a cast of vivid characters, Fields of Fire captures the journey of unformed men through a man-made hell - until each man finds his fate.

©1978 James Webb (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"In my opinion the finest of the Vietnam novels." (Tom Wolfe)

Provided Much Needed Insight

While just a story, it provided a great insight into the day to day reality for many people. All the personalities you know are there, and how they would react. I didn't serve in Vietnam but this book was able to help me understand it. It's just one of those books that explains things well whether you were there or not.

Best Vietnam book I’ve listen to

I’ve read a lot of first hand accounts of the Vietnam war. This book is different in many ways. You get to know and attached to the characters. It reads much more like a novel than memoirs. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the experience and mind set of a Vietnam war grunt.

This book gives you the inside scope on what war is really like

The book is really good at putting together a group of soldiers all with their own personalities and back stories. These soldiers aren’t your fairytale perfect disciplined zombies they are the real deal. Everything in this book feels real and you are entrapped in a fictional story that is so well told you know that could have taken place for real. The author of this book was an actual Vietnam war veteran so there is no surprise this is the case. I am honestly impressed with his ability to write this book in the amount of detail he did. At first his highly descriptive nature put me off but soon I came to enjoy it. You can picture in your mind every little thing he talks about even if you never have experienced the things he describes. This books is honestly just an eye opener and a great read.

Moving

Moving, gripping story of the past that reflects feelings that will echo into the ages. Feelings of disgust, rage, sadness, revenge, remorse, etc. You will experience all this and more, bring a little of Vietnam back to life.

Gripping yet painful

James Webb expertly shows the aspects of life that many Vietnam veterans faced. Well written! Gripping yet painful to listen to at long stretches; that’s how you can tell Webb was a combat veteran himself. My only gripe with the story is that the narrator mispronounced “corpsman” on several occasions. The “corps” in the word should sound like “core” as it does for Marine Corps.

multiple read throughs.

ive read this book multiple times and everytime I catch another detail. one of the very best Vietnam war books ever written.

Awesome Read! of course I am Prejudiced

If you could sum up Fields of Fire in three words, what would they be?

Awesome, real read

Who was your favorite character and why?

Senator. Drastically unchanged yet irreparably broken Forever innocent and wounded.

Which character – as performed by Sean Runnette – was your favorite?

Hodges comes thru as true to the story line

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes but never can because it is too close

Any additional comments?

As a Marine vet that has walked the same dirt and known all the characters from boot camp to the hills of I Corps,I feel a special bond with Mr. Webb and his book. I find it a very actual recount of a terrible time I will never forget or recover from.

One of the great novels of Vietnam.

This is an outstanding book and this performance and story are wonderful. Webb's epic story of Marines in Vietnam lives in this presentation; highly recommended.

I am very selective and find lots of books boring

But this one was interesting and enjoyable and seemed true to life, of someone who lived it. I am so glad I missed the Vietnam by the skin of my teeth .

The life of a Vietnam Combat Veteran

I am 52 and I finally got a glimpse of what it would have been like to be a combat Vietnam Veteran. This book places the reader in the jungle of Vietnam, the tents of the officers, and the social situation of the continental US of the late 60's. The story feels real, without sensationalizing the war. Vietnam was a lose, lose situation for all the combat vets, this book finally drove the story home in my mind. Until now I felt like I was given so much exaggeration and sensationalism of the Vietnam experience, that I had a hard time believing the story. I believe the story in this book. It just feels real. This is book is fairly graphic and not for the very young or sensitive reader.