Novels relevant to Small Wars and Unconventional Warfare

[davidbfpo]

Ridler,

There are a number of threads on reading lists, none on fiction itself. There is a useful SWJ article by Erich Summers 'On Teaching the COIN Canon and Speaking Truth through Fiction' from August 2011:http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/on-...hrough-fiction

An older 2009 thread is 'Why Is The SWJ Recommended Reading List Devoid of Fiction?':http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=7339

After a quick thought I'd include Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series, plus 'Redcoat' set in that spate we had and the John Masters trilogy, with a Ghurka regiment from pre-war, through Burma and to partition.

[Ridler]

Thanks for the links. Much appreciated.

JSR

[BWade]

"The Last Centurion" by John Ringo
"Ghost" and sequels by John Ringo
"A Desert Called Peace" and sequels by Tom Kratman
"Countdown: M Day" and sequels by Tom Kratman
"1632" and sequels by Eric Flint

[Ulenspiegel]

One could ad the "Falkenberg" series by Pournelle. SF but with very conventional set ups.

[Roy Batty]

Jean Larteguy's novels The Centurions and The Praetorians. Excellent reads about the French fighting the Algerian War of Independence. The books are a little rare, so if you see them, grab them up. They're not only excellent fiction, but collectible as well.

[Roy Batty]

Oops...my bad. I see the OP had already mentioned The Centurions.

One more to add (though it hardly concerns a small war) is Norman Mailer's World War II classic The Naked and The Dead. An great American novelist's existential examination of certain futilities of combat on a small pacific island held by the Japanese, who loved to fight in unconventional ways.

[felixdz]

People might be interested to know that The Centurions is back in print since May 2015 with a forward by Robert D. Kaplan. Already for sale on Amazon.