Military Fiction Books And Journals

By Ericka Marsh


Those in charge of medical lobbies should try to keep a reading selection that represents the interests of a general public. Instead, the shelves and tables of waiting rooms everywhere seem to be overrun with glossy interior decor and gardening magazines. Doctors' offices would better stocked with reading selections if they included some military fiction books and other publications, simply to give the fellows some to do but stare at the walls.

The genre has a few broad conventions, to be followed or tweaked depending upon the writer's nerve. Typically, characters will be uniformed soldiers, sometimes against a backdrop of war, but more often right in the thick of it. The tale might be told in first person narrative but there will usually be quite a large cast of characters, sometimes including anonymous masses in battle. Fans of this genre usually appreciate detail when it comes to weaponry and equipment together with creativity in imaging tactics.

Rules are meant to be broken, and the war genre is rapacious at poaching other genres' treasure. This is particularly so with science fiction. Space opera is perennially the most popular sub-category in SF, both on bookstands and on the screen. It is the form of SF likeliest to be cast in a completely military setting, however imaginary. Characters will exist in a strict hierarchy of rank. There might be spacecraft massed into squadrons, firing at other massed squadrons. If on a planet, there are likely as not gun battles with beam guns blazing.

Space opera, which is science fiction at war or at least among soldiers, is so predominant that many likely think of space opera scenes when they think about SF. It is easy to sympathize with the technically literate, scientifically curious Hard SF reader. So too attest all the warrior aspects of the fantasy genre, whether one is enjoying one of the field's classics or a video game.

The whole genre of secret agent stories might also be understood as a sub-category of military stories. In this account, spy stories have the same relationship to war stories that espionage holds to the regular armed forces. The spy story can be thought of as a kind of military story dedicated to a particular theater of combat, fought by a particular kind of soldier. It would be analogous to fiction that focuses on naval battles, or special forces combat.

Many parents might be reluctant to expose their children to realistic war stories for fear of glamorizing violence or even inspiring them to enlist. They might be relieved to know there is less risk exposing young people to violence in written media rather than there is in the immediate shock provided by TV and film. These days, a parent might hesitate before restricting almost any decent material that might influence their child toward a life of reading.

Bright kids sometimes dedicate themselves to one type of literature for as long as several years. Some will be drawn toward fantasy, which offers magical beings and a vaguely medieval atmosphere. Those who prefer their settings more futuristic will incline toward SF. But many children aren't intrigued by wildly imaginative material.

Tales of war have excited men and boys since the Trojan War and no doubt longer than that. It isn't difficult to grasp the objections of thoughtful parents. But distributing this material in lobbies and bookshelves might inspire boys to learn to read and inspire older men not to skip their medical appointments.




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