Reviews

Fires on the Plain by Shohei Ooka

holbeancoffeeld's review

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

blrosene's review

Devastating, strikes a stunning balance between economical prose while being extremely psychological. Need a palate cleanser read after this one

princessrory's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, War, Death, Murder, Cannibalism, Excrement, Blood, Colonisation, Gore, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

cimoore1999's review

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

koreilly's review

4.0

An virulently upsetting anti-war novel that is committed to showing the horrors of national conflict unflinchingly. Throwing you into the life of a sickly member of the routed Japanese forces in the Philippines, Fires on the Plain flits between rugged descriptions of the harsh conditions they faced and dreamlike reveries as the main character flirts with descending into madness.

I will caution you though: Do not read the Epilogue. It disrupts thee flow, over explains much and overall drags thee novel down. Skip it and you will find this instead to be a thoughtful meditation on how war debases all those who participate in it.

meridianriver's review

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense

4.0

solaana's review

3.0

The Japanese point of view of WWII is never going to be pretty, but damn. Still, I made my way through this book pretty quickly.

ipb1's review

4.0

A harrowing and at times grotesque portrayal of a Japanese soldier's descent into barbarity and insanity at the fag-end of the Pacific war. Hugely more challenging and rewarding than [b:Harp of Burma|747651|Harp of Burma (Tuttle Classics)|Michio Takeyama|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1364138753l/747651._SY75_.jpg|733793] which I read recently, and an antidote to many of the one-dimensional and partisan Hollywood portrayals of the Pacific war.

treeme's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very chilling novel. I am already wanting to re-read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Colonisation, Cannibalism, and Murder

the_f_reader's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5