The Expendables

Book Description

"Military fiction buffs looking for immersion in authentic renderings of infantry combat will appreciate Scott's latest Vietnam war story."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Four men who had nothing in common -- except the raw courage that was their greatest weapon during the fierce thirty-five-day conflict of the Ia Drang. This is the story of the men who fought with them -- and the 304 who didn't return.

Customer Reviews:

ironwkr.......2005-10-14

This is a fictional account of two books...Outpost for Freedom by Roger Donlon [the first medal of honor winner in vietnam] and
We Were Soldiers Once by Hal Moore...
The characters are fictional but the backdrop is how it happened.
This is a very enjoyable way to learn about two major events of the Vietnam war.

Awesome read..........2005-05-08

Scott is the Master. I've owned several copies of all of Scotts books, from wearing them out to lending them out and this is one of the best. I served with every one of these guys (it seems), Scott's uncanny ability to create the character as someone you know is incredible. Even the places his characters come from are described perfectly, having lived or served in a lot of the places (stateside) that Scott writes of I can attest. For example anyone who lives in or around South Philly would feel right at home with Vinny his girl and the Hoagie stand. Georgia and it's simplicity out in the boonies is captured perfectly by Lee Calhoun and his family. Eugene Day will give the folks a taste of what it was like for a young black to live and serve after the race riots. Young men with any kind of stature who had to live up to their familiys' impossible standards will relate easily to Blake. Old vets will appreciate the professionalism of Quail and Flynn. Anyone whose ever donned a uniform will love how they all come together to become the Expendables. You will laugh out loud (if you served) going through basic training with these guys, You will remember the professionalism of the fearsome "Blackhats" and get chills at how well Scott captures the feeling of elation after that first jump, You will realize you're holding the book a little tighter in anger at self important ticket punchers who leave there men out to dry for no good reason and finally you will cry at the Memorial Day Ceremony, a promise made by each brother to another. This is the absolute best novel on the Vietnam war.

"The Expendables".......2004-10-11

As a Marine infantryman, the characters in this book were as real as the grunts as I served with. No other author has ever connected with the real comraderie of men under arms as well as Scott has. I can not read this book with a dry eye and I challenge any man who has ever served to do so, especially the last five pages. This book is written with the first hand knowledge of a man who has faced the elephant and understands the warrior ethos. It ranks with "The Forgotten Soldier" as a gripping narrative of men in combat. Although these men are fictitious, they are as real as any name on the Wall because they could have been any one of them. For anyone who wants to understand the truth of what our fighting men did in Vietnam, indeed did in any war, they must read this book.

One of the Best Military Authors to Date.......2003-09-09

I have read them all from Clancy to Brown and LtCol.(Ret) Scott is by far one of the best military writers to date. My father served in Vietnam and after he came back my mom said he was never the same and I always wondered what it was like, why men like my father and Col Scott, why they went when they were called knowing they might not return and those that did would be forever altered. I joined the infantry at 17 to see for myself and after serving in Panama and Somalia I understand. Col. Scott says it best in the books with way he connects you to the characters you come to realize they did it for the men to their left and their right, not so much for America, but the men who represent America. Sad to know that he won't be writing anymore books but the four vietnam books he wrote are some of the greatest military fiction ever written and in my opinion should be required reading for all young soldiers and leaders.

This was the most touching book I ever read.......2002-02-28

When I got done with this I was inspired. I wanted to make a group of my friends and call ourselves The Expendables. This book is so well written there isn't a single dull moment. When I graduate high school(I'm a freshman) I want to go Airborne!

Expendable Warriors: The Battle of Khe Sanh and the Vietnam War

Average customer rating:

Expendable Warriors: The Battle of Khe Sanh and the Vietnam War
Bruce B. G. Clarke
Manufacturer: Praeger Security International General Interest-Cloth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

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Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0275994805

Book Description

For those with a vivid memory of the Vietnam war, there is consolation in knowing that the impact of that war altered and shaped politics and warfare for the next generations. But in that altering we must take the lessons and apply them to new situations, new challenges and new policy dilemmas. To fail to do so would mean that the warriors at Khe Sanh and all of Vietnam were truly expendable, The battle of Khe Sanh was won and the Vietnam war was lost at the same time. Expendable Warriors describes at multiple levels the soldiers and marines who were expendable in the American political chaos of Vietnam, 1968. On January 21, 1968, nine days before the Tet offensive, tens of thousands of North Vietnamese regulars began the attacks on the Khe Sanh plateau, which led to the siege of the Khe Sanh Combat Base. Gen. Westmoreland was fully aware that the North Vietnamese would attack but he declined to alert or warn the small unit of American soldiers and marines serving at Khe Sanh in an advisory capacity, considering them expendable in the greater strategy. Not just an analysis of the battle, Expendable Warriors also ponders the question of how to win an unpopular war on foreign soil, linking battlefield events to political reality.

Average customer rating:

Incredible story
One of the best
God Bless the Naval Institute Press
An emotional saga of American military defeat
A Story of Genuine Heroes

They Were Expendable (Bluejacket Books)
William Lindsay White
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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At Close Quarters: PT Boats in the United States Navy
PT 105
Devil Boats: The PT War Against Japan
MacArthur's Escape: Wild Man Bulkeley and the Rescue of an American Hero
They Were Expendable

ASIN: 1557509484

Customer Reviews:

Incredible story.......2006-06-02

This book is a narrative. The author simply sat down and listened to US Navy MTB officers in 1942 and recorded their story of action in the Philippines in 1941 & 42. It is a page turner.

Two good points about this book. First it was first published during WWII (my copy is 1942). Many books about WWII were written post WWII and that means the books have 20/20 hindsight. Reading a book from the period perhaps gives a better perspective of how people saw the war while it was happening.

Second, one of the officers telling the story explains how the newspapers back home give a sort of glorified image of the war that was very different from the reality he experienced. If we better understand the reality, then we can better appreciate what our veterans sacrificed for us.

One of the best.......2005-09-26

early accounts of WWII in the Pacific. Interesting for what it says & how it says it. Written almost entirely in dialogue, as if it were a transcription, which it is not. Like Casey's "Torpedo Junction," attempts to tell the truth about how the war was going, despite wartime censorship. An easy read, with large type in the 1942 edition. Manifests the Navy's colonial-style racism prior to WWII & some officers' impatience with it. One of the best "first person" reports available.

God Bless the Naval Institute Press.......2005-09-10

If it weren't for the Naval Institute Press, this 1942 book wouldn't be available. It's not heavy reading; you could finish it in 2 days just reading it on the subway and before you go to bed, but it's a powerful reminder of the desparate state of affairs in the Pacific and in the U.S. in the days following the destruction of the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor. See the film of the same name. The director, John Ford, had the good sense to incorporate the dialogue wholesale into his really terrific 1945 movie.

An emotional saga of American military defeat.......2004-05-31

This is not a book to read as history, in the sense of seeking facts and figures about an event in the past. "They Were Expendable" is ostensibly an account of the exploits of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3, which gained glory amidst the disaster that was America's defense of the Philippine Islands in the opening months of the war with Japan (December 1941 - May 1942). But this is wartime journalism, and it is replete with inaccuracies and exaggerations, not to mention a few passages that were subjected to military censorship. This must be expected of a book that was written only a few weeks after Allied resistance of the Philippines formally ended in humiliating surrender; William L. White had no way to corroborate or fact-check the stories told to him by the four youthful naval officers he interviewed for this book. But as an emotional record of the early, sometimes despairing days of the war against Japan, "They Were Expendable" is a work of truth and power. This is not so much a slam-bang story of naval warfare as it is an account of the emotional trauma of defeat suffered by a nation accustomed to victory.

White originally wrote the book for "The Reader's Digest," which published a condensed version in its September, 1942, issue, not quite four months after the fall of Corregidor. The full-length book was released several days later and became a huge bestseller (one reason so many used copies are available today). "They Were Expendable" was one of the first pieces of World War II "hardcover journalism" to give firsthand accounts of the U.S. debacle in the Philippines, and it promised no-holds-barred revelations about how and why the United States could have been so badly beaten. Some of what was "revealed" was myth -- tales of spies and sabotage, and exaggerations of Allied numerical inferiority to the Japanese. Nor could White, even if he had wanted to, have gotten away with criticizing Douglas MacArthur or any Washington bigwigs who were in part responsible for the Philippines disaster. Indeed, MacArthur was still the hero of the hour for most Americans, and his association with the motor torpedo boats of Squadron 3 -- they spirited General, family and entourage away from Corregidor after President Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to Australia in mid-March, 1942 -- helped hype the book immensely.

But what the book lacks in factual veracity, it makes up for in emotional sincerity. Although White actually wrote the "monologues" that make up the narrative, he based his words on those of four squadron officers who had been ordered to leave the Philippines, to relay their knowledge of torpedo-boat warfare to new PT crews back in the States. Their quiet professionalism comes through loud and clear. Lt. John D. Bulkeley, squadron commander and winner of the Medal of Honor for his leadership aboard the boats, is featured prominently because he had already received a great deal of publicity early in 1942, thanks to MacArthur's press agents on Corregidor

But the heart of the narrative (most of it, actually) is attributed to the squadron exec, Lt. Robert Kelly (later transformed in the movie version into John Wayne's overgrown adolescent, "Rusty Ryan," a portrayal that Kelly came to detest). Kelly not only relates his part in the squadron's combats against the Japanese and MacArthur's departure from the islands, but also tells of his relationship with an Army nurse, "Peggy," whom he met in a Corregidor hospital where he was being treated for a minor injury that turned major. White likely overstated the depth of this relationship - it was really more friendship than romance - but Kelly's grief over the loss of that friendship became a metaphor (okay, stick with me here) for America's loss of the Philippines, and perhaps the loss of an innocent vision of the United States as an invincible military power.

After the war (and after the release, in 1945, of the John Ford film based on the book -- a very personal expression of Ford's own views about the war and the Navy), U.S. intelligence officers and historians discovered that the achievements of Squadron 3 in Philippine waters had been somewhat exaggerated. Japanese ships that the torpedo boat crews claimed as "sunk" were, more often than not, undamaged. (Yes, U.S. torpedoes used early in the war were very unreliable.) As the Pacific war progressed, PT boats became extremely important as inshore gunboats (a role in which Squadron 3 excelled, too) but were employed only occasionally as torpedo platforms.

Despite the wartime inaccuracies, White's restrained writing captures the quiet pride as well as the sadness and frustration of his subjects, young men still grieving over losing their crews and their boats. (About half the squadron personnel, listed at the end of the book, became POWs, and several did not survive the harsh Japanese captivity.) I first read this book at age ten, and I have kept coming back to it for more than thirty years because it has an emotional impact unlike most wartime reportage I've read. Although he covered the war in a different way, "They Were Expendable" puts White on a level alongside Ernie Pyle, with whom he shared the ability to see beyond surface heroics to the melancholy that afflicts all human beings caught up in combat. (If you like "They Were Expendable," find a copy of White's other great book about the early days of defeat in the Pacific war, "Queens Die Proudly.")

This is a classic of World War Two journalism -- again, not for the facts, but for the truth. If you want a factual book on Squadron 3 at war, read the appropriate chapter in Robert J. Bulkley Jr.'s "At Close Quarters." For a book that plumbs the emotional experience of an American defeat, read "They Were Expendable."

A Story of Genuine Heroes.......2003-04-16

Not everyone understands the fact that, if you are in military service, you are expendable. Your commander can order you to sacrifice your life to achieve an objective. You may be ordered to hold off the enemy so your fellow soldiers can escape, or you may be ordered to dive your bomber into an impossible hail of gunfire, but you are expendable. Such was the case for the six 70-foot speedboats of the US Navy's Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three. They were part of the Navy's tiny Far Eastern Fleet in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked with overwhelming force in 1941. It was soon clear that the Philippines would be lost, and the remains of the fleet went to Australia, leaving MTB Squadron Three to help the doomed soldiers on Bataan hold off the Japanese Army for as long as possible. After losing boat after boat in suicidal attacks on Japanese cruisers and destroyers, the remaining boats carried General MacArthur, his wife, his son, and assorted generals and admirals on a perilous trip to the southern Philippines for escape by air to Australia. MTB Squadron Three lost its remaining boats in further attacks on the Japanese and prepared to fight as infantry against the oncoming juggernaut. But four of the officers were ordered to get out on the last planes to leave the Philippines. William L. White, in a magnificent piece of writing, lets the survivors tell their story. It is certainly one of the best stories ever written of World War Two.

Expendable Elite: One Soldier's Journey into Covert Warfare

Average customer rating:

Great Book!
Great Premise, lousy book
Government plot o kill Green Berets Proven in Court
Court-Approved, by a South Carolina jury
Critics improve sales...

Expendable Elite: One Soldier's Journey into Covert Warfare
Daniel Marvin
Manufacturer: Trine Day
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0977795314

Book Description

Exposing the unique nature of the United States’ elite fighting force, this narrative reveals how covert operations are often masked to permit and even sponsor assassination, outright purposeful killing of innocents, illegal use of force, and bizarre methods in combat operations. Through this compelling memoir, the author reveals the fear these warriors share not of the enemy they have been trained to fight in battle, but of the wrath of the U.S. government should they find themselves classified as “expendable.”

Customer Reviews:

Great Book!.......2007-02-15

I agree with the recent review that says he bought it because the detractors did not disprove the authors exploits. While it is almost impossible to prove a negative, it seems as though it should be relatively easy to discredit the author if he is being untruthful; and apparently a jury agreed. This mans experiences remind me of the treatment that Terry Reed, the covert CIA operative and Air Force intelligence veteran, got when he attempted to expose the agency using his company for drug trafficking out of Mena; while Reagans' administration was telling our kids to just say no.
Anyone who doesn't or won't believe that the Presidency is co-opted from Langley is delusional. I found this book to be very credible and supported by facts and evidence. Where is the other sides info?!

Great Premise, lousy book.......2007-01-10

My review in three words? Don't buy it.

This is the kind of story that interests me. Unfortunately, the author is no author. As a soldier, I sure he is the best, but his storytelling ability leaves a lot to be desired. I'm not interested in the exact names of the places involved, nor do I need the exact locations of everything in the control perimeter. I want stories about the events that took place. Not the background fluff and filler. I'm halfway thru this book, and it hasn't gotten my attention or interest, yet. I can't even finish it. The only good thing about this book, are the pictures. They had some interest, to me.

Government plot o kill Green Berets Proven in Court .......2006-10-29

This book, now proven to be true in Federal Court (Charleston South Carolina in January 2006), lets the world know that our government asked the Special Forces Team Commander in An Phu, South Vietnam, in 1966, to ambush and kill then Cambodian Crown Prince Norodum Sihanouk, tells how then Captain Dan Marvin unilaterally aborted the mission, threw the CIA agent (Walter Mackem) out of his camp and how the CIA then sent a heavily armed ARVN Regiment to attack and destroy Captain Marvin's Camp with its teams of Green Berets (US and ARVN) and approx. 400 Buddhist Hoa Hao Iregulars. It then shows how ARVN LTG Quang Van Dang learned of the attack, flew over the regiment with US Army Colonel William Desobry, ordered the Regiment back to its base and flew into Marvin's camp and gave them all his gurantee of immunity.

Court-Approved, by a South Carolina jury.......2006-02-07

Howdy,
I am Kris Millegan and representing the publisher TrineDay, am here to tell you that the book Expendable Elite was the focus of Libel trial in Federal District Court in Charleston South Carolina. The Special Forces Association financed the action and supplied the attorneys. There was a five day trial in-front of eight jurors. Lt.Col. Marvin and TrineDay's defense was the book was true and that we had not defamed anyone.

We were defendants compelled to appear and stand-up for our good names and reputations. The plaintiffs testified that their was no action, that their camp was a "resort." That the "book was 100% lies." That is all that they brought forth in testimony, excepting three retired soldiers; a former top JAG, retired Major General, who testified that the men broke a General Order (which not he or anybody can produce), and two soldiers (one a Medal of Honor winner) that weren't there.

We brought pictures, newspaper articles, letters and audio-tapes made by the plaintiffs themselves (which substantiated every major point of the story), and a deposition of a twenty-year veteran of the San Diego police department, a gentleman who was a Vietnamese translator who also verified personally aspects of Lt. Col. Marvin's story.

Lt.Col. Marvin and TrineDay were found unanimously NOT GUILTY in a little over two hours.

You see folks, most of the negative reviews generated here have come about because of a campaign by the Special Forces Association. In intelligence parlance it is called a steamroller operation. The SFA has drove the steamroller before. Covering up our history. Not hiding it from our enemies but from us, citizens. Denying us a true account or our history ... so they may continue their ungodly wars.

I also find interesting that Amazon runs interference also by continuing to try a sell the paperback, when they know it has never been printed. They keep taking orders and messing with folks. They don't do it with other books of mine that didn't make it all the way to market. Interesting.

Right now there are just a few hundred books left. Hopefully, TrineDay will recover from the staggering cost of defending ourselves and we will finally issue the paperback (with updates) in the fall of 2006.

Peace,
Kris Millegan

Critics improve sales..........2005-03-13

The negative reviews of this book made me decide to purchase it. Why? Because the attacks on the book were not substantive, the critics only said it "isn't true". They provided no evidence to make me think this book is fiction. It's hard to see how he has profited financially from the book, it seems the opposite is the case. I can't say it is "true" either, but the critics provide no basis to make me believe them.

Average customer rating:

Expendable Americans
Paul Brodeur
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Very well-written, fast-paced science fiction/adventure
lacking follow through
A little bit different . . .
Weird plot -- pretty good story telling
A Triumphant Debut

Expendable
James Alan Gardner
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 038079439X

Amazon.com

Great writing carries this unusual story about the Explorer Corps., the branch of the League of Peoples responsible for investigating planets and contacting new life forms. The catch is that corp members usually die in the process. That's why the corps comprises the medical misfits of society--people healthy enough to function yet disfigured or deformed enough that no one cares all that much if they die. Festina Ramos is an "Expendable Crew Member" who has just been ordered to escort a soon-to-be-senile admiral to Melaquin, a planet with an impeccable record for killing Explorer teams. It was meant to be a one-way mission to rid the League of one more has-been admiral, but Festina has other ideas about how things will turn out.

Book Description

Under the benevolent leadership of the League of Peoples, there is no war, little crime, and life is sacred...unless you're an Explorer. The ugly, the flawed, the misfit, the deformed, they are the unwanted, flung to the farthest corners of the galaxy to investigate hostile planets and strange, vicious creatures. Out there, there are a thousand different -- and terrible -- ways to die.

Festina Ramos belongs to the well-trained, always-dwindling ranks of ECMs (Expendable Crew Members). Now she and her partner, Yarrun Derigha, have been ordered to escort the unstable Admiral Chee to Melaquin -- the feared "Planet of No Return"-- which has swallowed up countless Explorers before them without a trace.

Obviously, this is meant to be the last mission for Ramos and Derigha. But it won't be, if Festina can help it.

Customer Reviews:

Very well-written, fast-paced science fiction/adventure .......2007-07-14

_Expendable_ by James Alan Gardner has an unusual premise. In the twenty-fifth century life is fantastic, people just about live forever thanks to YouthBoost and with advanced medical technology and quick responses, just about no one ever dies (at least violently).

Except for members of the Explorer Corps.

In a perfect world of perfect people, some just don't fit. They have some deformity, maybe a malformed hand or arm, a bizarre and startling facial birthmark, some sort of birth defect involving their ear lobes or hair. With most people in the Technocracy, these problems are usually fixed but for a small portion of the population, these defects are seen to have national security benefits. If the defect is not debilitating or life threatening (merely mildly inconvenient or just unsightly), if the person is otherwise capable and intelligent, efforts on the part of that person to have that defect surgically altered are quietly blocked behind the scenes. That person is groomed for the only position that is open to them, the Explorer Corps.

The powers that be, the admirals of the Fleet, concluded long ago that the loss of a crewmember was devastating to the ship's personnel, as it required days if not weeks of mourning, loss of readiness, and generally made for an unwanted distraction. However, if the person killed was one people were uncomfortable around, who was a social outcast, who while not hated was maybe pitted instead, well, it was too bad if that person was lost in the line of duty exploring some hostile alien planet, but the crew would say a few words, have a short memorial service, and then be talking about what was for dinner afterwards.

The Explorer Corps, while highly trained, very capable and intelligent individuals, were made of just these misfits. Though officially highly valued (the chief protagonist in the book, Explorer First Class Festina Ramos, is on the books second in command only to the captain of the vessel she served on, the _Jacaranda_), they were pretty much social outcasts, often making other members of the fleet uncomfortable, usually clinging together with other explorers or eating alone in their rooms. The Explorers well knew not only their social position in the scheme of things but also how the Fleet ultimately saw them. Their name for themselves was ECM, standing for Expendable Crew Member. Their job was to explore alien planets, relaying what they saw back to the vessel. While many worlds turned out to be safe or even boring places to explore, a great many explorers have lost their lives, going "oh sh**!" as the Explorers say among themselves, an acknowledgment of common last recorded words of many an Explorer as they met their demise.

Festina Ramos and her partner, Yarrun Derigha, had done pretty well as Explorers -i.e. not having been killed in the line of duty - but one day an apparently very unstable Admiral Chee is escorted aboard with sealed orders, orders for the two them to accompany the admiral to the planet Melaquin, the "Planet of No Return," a graveyard for dozens of Explorers, most of whom died in ten minutes or less on the planet for reasons unknown. Though the planet looked very Earth-like to automated probes sent before each Explorer expedition, something on the planet killed people off in minutes. Was it disease, hostile aliens, some bizarre and undetected weather phenomenon? No one knew, but Festina knew she and Yarrun were going there.

Oh, and they aren't allowed anything more powerful than a stun gun. See, in this setting the League of Peoples is the ultimate big brother. A diverse and for all practical purposes omnipresent and omniscient organization made up of not only "normal" corporeal sentient races like humans but also of many powerful energy beings, the League monitors all space flights. While weapons are allowed on a race's homeworld, they are not allowed to leave the atmosphere of that world. Further, those who have committed murder, ordered deaths, allowed murder to be committed, or knowingly aided murderers (what the League calls "unsentient acts") are stopped cold. Depending on the situation, the League's instant reactions can vary from stopping the heart of a murderer to destroying outright an entire ship.

I won't say anything more about the book, but it was well-written and a fast read. The big secret of Melanquin was interesting and tied in well with the League, the Explorer Corps, and secrets held by the highest levels of the Technocracy. An enjoyable book, it reminded me in some ways of some of the Golden Age of science fiction novels with it sense of wonder and wide-open possibilities.

lacking follow through.......2007-04-29

Festina & Admiral Chee make a great pair of characters in the start of the book. I wish this sort of duo could have continued longer than it had. The humor which was replaced with this duo wasn't as effective. Melaquin seems like an ideal place to settle if it wasn't for the myth surrounding the place. The follow through of adventure was well done but some of the ideas kind of boring, unadventurous. However, the entire idea of Expendables is hilarious and sad at the same time.

A little bit different . . . .......2007-01-15

but interesting and pretty good. I really enjoyed this book much to my own suprise as I thought it was going in a very boring direction in the middle, but the author didn't let me down and it got very interesting after this point. This book is about hte Expendable Crew Members, people in society that don't look normal and cause the crew less distress is they are lost on hostile missions. The concept and writing style are original and interesting, which would be enough for most readers. The pace is good, not overly fast, not too slow. I enjoyed the way the subchapters were set up and titled, it added a lot of humor to the story. Coming from a time of imperfection I found it a little hard to believe that all the normal people felt completely horrified by people some of the lesser abnormalities, such as the main characters strawberry birthmark. I gave the author the benifit of the doubt, however, and really enjoyed the book. It is solid sci-fi that also has a good sense of humor, which I always appreciate. I would suggest giving it a try.

Weird plot -- pretty good story telling.......2006-11-14

The overall plot isn't entirely believable, but it's science fiction so you're used to that. The story is well told, with an attitude, and I enjoyed reading it. Far better than a lot of what's out there these days.

A Triumphant Debut.......2006-08-28

James Alan Gardner is one of those authors that likes to get right to the meat of things. He gives ample descriptions of the characters and their surroundings, but doesn't bore you to death with minute details that have little bearing on the story as a whole. Festina Ramos is one of the most original and entertaining protaganists ever to be put to paper. Even without 4 chapters of back story her subtle intricacies and social shortcomings are clear and believable. The character of Oar is one of the most hilarious and original ideas to grace a Sci-Fi novel since the heyday of RAH(Robert Heinlein). I read this book at the behest of a good friend and was hooked on Gardner ever since. While his stories lack the infusion of science fact that are the trademarks of true masters of sci-fi his debut novel is entertaining and memorable.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful and thought provoking short stories!
Quiet, well crafted stories
The timeless nature of human relations

The EXPENDABLES: STORIES
Antonya Nelson
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0684846853

Book Description

Winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award, Antonya Nelson's debut collection of stories displays the off-beat perceptions, the humor, and the sensibility that have won the author not only critical acclaim but a host of devoted readers. Most of the stories in The Expendables are about marriage -- marriage in process, about to be, about not to be anymore, possibly transgressed, and decidedly not transgressed. In the title story, a teenage boy participates in the spectacle of his sister's second marriage. In "Dog Problems," a husband muses about his wife's attachment to her dog, a bond that predates their marriage and will -- he fears -- outlast it. There is the woman in "Affair Life," happily encircled by her husband and child, who still must choose between her marriage and what is not quite yet an infidelity. Ranging in setting from Atlanta to Chicago and Kansas City, from the arid Southwest to the course of a river running through Colorado canyon walls, the stories in The Expendables show our relationship with destiny, whether resisted, invented, obeyed, or forced.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful and thought provoking short stories!.......2004-10-04

Having read Female Trouble, I looked forward to reading another short-story collection by Antonya Nelson. The Expendables is as memorable as Female Trouble in the way Nelson delves into human relationships. Most of the stories here deal with marriage and the various aspects of the same. Ms. Nelson's stories are dark and profound and almost as good as Joyce Carol Oates's work. My favorite stories are "Mud Season," "Dog Problems," "Affair Life," and "The Expendables." Each story is full of prose, insight and thought-provoking messages. Antonya Nelson is now on my list of favorite short-story writers. I shall read more of her stuff in the future.

Quiet, well crafted stories.......2000-11-26

Antonya Nelson's stories dwell on relationships, and particular the day to day failure of relationships. The collection largely avoids reaching for trite conclusions, and also avoids the forced ambiguity that sinks many a creative writing professor trying to write about "normal" people. Almost every story is involving, only one or two descend into situations which seem too contrived. This collection is a pleasure to read--engaging, and by design somewhat small in focus.

The timeless nature of human relations.......1999-08-06

Antonya Nelson's short stories are provocative and entertaining because they tell us a great deal about ourselves, both in terms of the way that her characters' actions and reactions mirror our own, as well as in how we respond to the situations and characters we encounter in her work. Her stories are populated by characters who seem damaged yet strong, whose actions and dialogue convey more to us than we may consciously realize. Antonya Nelson's gift is her ability to create realistic and compelling stories without the use of gimmicky or contrived hooks, and to keep her stories moving forward on the strength of her vividly drawn characters and their unique and all-too-human motivations. My personal favorites in this collection are "Dog Problems," in which a husband deals with the possibility that his wife loves her dog more than him, and the title story, "The Expendables," which remains with me the way that Flannery O'Connor's and Joyce Carol Oates's best short stories stay with me: like a haunting but pleasant refrain that won't stop replaying itself in my head. In this story we visit the scene of a wedding, and follow one of the the bride's brothers as he encounters his relatives, his future brother-in-law, and a gypsy family down the street in the midst of a funeral service. It is absolutely one of the best short stories of the 20th century, and helps to justify Antonya Nelson's selection by The New Yorker as one of the most important young writers in America today. I'm tempted to say that this is contemporary short fiction at its best, except that these stories would stand out regardless of when they were published -- which makes them not so much contemporary as timeless.

The Expendables #3: The War Games of Zelos

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The Expendables #3: The War Games of Zelos
RICHARD AVERY
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GPW0HA

The Venom of Argus (The Expendables, Book 4)

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The Venom of Argus (The Expendables, Book 4)
Richard Avery
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0449135861
Release Date: 1976-08-12

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They Were Expendable

Manufacturer: The World Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I4VANO

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