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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
The writing was very hard to follow, the overall story could have been good with better writing. The story also could have been condensed about 100 pages.
this was great. One of the best war books I've read recently.
Want more like it and more by this author.
Want more like it and more by this author.
I read the whole book because I felt like maybe I'd get it but I really didn't - didn't understand the mystery, or the resolution of the mystery. Just not my cup 'o tea.
Joe Renehen's The Valley (2015) really grabbed me and didn't let go. It is what you might call a "combat mystery" set in remote Afghanistan. Lt. Black is unlucky enough to get chosen to investigate what looks to be a minor infraction in the furthest outpost imaginable. As I read, I thought Apocalypse Now, which of course was based on Heart of Darkness. In the notes after the book, Renehen is asked about Joseph Conrad, which he says shocked him. Hard to understand why.
The book makes you feel the situation. Renehan served in Iraq and makes the military lingo sound natural and normal. Young kids are soldiers but barely understand what's going on. Those above them are involved in things they don't even know about. Confusion is constant. The sense of isolation is overwhelming.
I really got into the book. My only quibble is the overly mysterious parts of the mystery, where characters talk to each other but we aren't told what they say, where there are knowing glances we aren't allowed to understand, that sort of thing.
From http://weeksnotice.blogspot.com/2016/10/joe-renehans-valley.html
The book makes you feel the situation. Renehan served in Iraq and makes the military lingo sound natural and normal. Young kids are soldiers but barely understand what's going on. Those above them are involved in things they don't even know about. Confusion is constant. The sense of isolation is overwhelming.
I really got into the book. My only quibble is the overly mysterious parts of the mystery, where characters talk to each other but we aren't told what they say, where there are knowing glances we aren't allowed to understand, that sort of thing.
From http://weeksnotice.blogspot.com/2016/10/joe-renehans-valley.html
A tightly constructed mystery novel set in in a secluded Afghanistan FOB. Renehan who fought as a field artillery officer in the Army's Third Infantry Division, was never in Afghanistan, but he creates an amazing setting that is so believable and true that you feel like you are there. The mystery is complex and the characters are complicated. Lt. Black is sent to the valley to investigate a a shooting fired by the forgotten platoon of Vega. As he investigates he stumbles upon something more serious than he anticipated and like a dog with a bone, he can't give up until he solves the mystery. Battle scenes are tight and frightening. Note too that very few novels have been written about Afghanistan War so Renehan is blazing a trail for wartime fiction. To read more about wartime fiction, you can see my upcoming article in VOYA to be published in December.
A well paced mystery steeped in the murky comings and goings along the borderlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Lt. Black is assigned to investigate an incident of property damage by American gunfire. His efforts uncover more important questions and he finds that true loyalties in the outpost, as in the Valley itself, are not easily discovered.
This reads more like a detective mystery than a war novel and it's a good read. We have a 2dLT in the rear with the gear, the Battalion S-1, who is assigned a low level investigation. He is an infantry officer who has gotten into some trouble and is all set to get out of the Army. It's such a waste of time too- the bureaucracy and the CYA mentality at work. Some warning shots were fired at some Afghan civilians. He has to leave the safety and security of the FOB for a remote combat outpost on the border with Pakistan that has a bad reputation for nastiness. His plan is get there and get it done and get out. But once he gets there he is met with such hostility he quickly figures out something is very wrong at this COP. The simple investigation morphs into a quest to find out what is going down. His attempts to find out who he can trust as he conducts his investigation keep you turning the pages. It's what you figure might be at the root of the problem but it's more. The author does a good job of keeping the plot flowing butI was very confused at the end as to who was on first and what exactly happened. Still a good read.
This is not a book I would have ordinarily have been interested in just by reading the blurb - I was so glad I gave it a chance.
Lieutenant Black is living a fairly mundane life as part of military administration on an U.S. base in Afghanistan. He has become somewhat disillusioned with his military career, when he is sent to a remote command post in one of the huge valleys in the Nuristan mountains. Black is tasked with investigating a warning shot fired in a nearby village, pretty mundane stuff for routine paperwork. Of course not all is what it seems there...
I loved this book pretty much as soon as I started to read it, I found the descriptions of military life and procedures absolutely fascinating. I loved how everything as explained simply, as I knew pretty much nothing about the U.S. Army. The book really gripped me, I was dying to know just what the heck was going on at the command post - sadly as the book reached its conclusion I was left scratching my head.
There are a lot of revelations to keep track of, I didn't really understand why some events were significant. Who was actually involved in what, and what the heck did that all mean and why was it a problem. Also there was a lot of mistaken identity, by the end of book I didn't understand who was supposed to be who. It was just confusing. Also there is a huge italic part near the end that I couldn't work out. Was that a flashback? What was the deal with the professor? So confused!
Great subject matter, convoluted conclusion. I came away from this book feeling I had missed something, or several something's.
***Disclaimer***
I received an advanced reader copy for free through Goodreads First Reads. The opinions stated this review are entirely my own.
Lieutenant Black is living a fairly mundane life as part of military administration on an U.S. base in Afghanistan. He has become somewhat disillusioned with his military career, when he is sent to a remote command post in one of the huge valleys in the Nuristan mountains. Black is tasked with investigating a warning shot fired in a nearby village, pretty mundane stuff for routine paperwork. Of course not all is what it seems there...
I loved this book pretty much as soon as I started to read it, I found the descriptions of military life and procedures absolutely fascinating. I loved how everything as explained simply, as I knew pretty much nothing about the U.S. Army. The book really gripped me, I was dying to know just what the heck was going on at the command post - sadly as the book reached its conclusion I was left scratching my head.
There are a lot of revelations to keep track of, I didn't really understand why some events were significant. Who was actually involved in what, and what the heck did that all mean and why was it a problem. Also there was a lot of mistaken identity, by the end of book I didn't understand who was supposed to be who. It was just confusing. Also there is a huge italic part near the end that I couldn't work out. Was that a flashback? What was the deal with the professor? So confused!
Great subject matter, convoluted conclusion. I came away from this book feeling I had missed something, or several something's.
***Disclaimer***
I received an advanced reader copy for free through Goodreads First Reads. The opinions stated this review are entirely my own.
With a title like The Valley you horor readers may think that this was a Bentley Little novel written under a pen name. Nah, this is a novel I learned about from a facebook post by Steal Team 666 author Weston Ochse. Now Weston is a man who served in country and when he praised the book I became interested. Little side note. This is why it is good to support the book-o-sphere by talking about and reviewing the books that you like. This novel would not have been on my radar any other way.
The Valley is a mystery thriller, set against the back drop of the never ending military occupation of Afghanistan. Written by a former intfintry man turned Lawyer the Valley is from what I am told a realistic look at the occupation wrapped in a thriller. Sounded cool to me. This books has more detective novel tropes than war novels ones. That is what makes it interesting.
I suppose it is bot a murder mystery as the investigation that Lt. Black is sent to do is a not a murder. A platoon at a remote outpost is at the heart of this story. A goat at a remote village was killed this has potential to destabilize the remote Valley that gives the novel it's name.. No one in the book seems to mind that goat was shot, it was a warning shot and a tribe's dead goat is what sends Lt. Black in to action. Keep in mind he has not left base in a long time, and being sent to investigate something as seemingly trivial just seems like a waste of time. There is of course more going on.
I am trusting that this setting is accurate, the accuracy of the world seems to be there but what do I know. Considering the praise of those who have lived in country I will buy it. The mystery is not about something as simple or standard as a murder. the mystery is complex but it also highlights many of the confusions that come from the culture clash caused by military occupation.
The writing is very good, the prose is simple but driving. Stylized over written prose would work against a story like this. Not to say it is poorly written. Renehan is an excellent writer who unfolds the story close to perfection. The mystery stays intact through 3/4 of the book but we get enough clues to be interested, confused and ultimately paid off.
As a war novel this work is not preachy infact everything it says about the occupation is do very subtly, so don't think Platoon this is more like a mystery that just so happens to be set against the back drop of America's longest engagement on foreign soil. your political feelings wont factor in most readers judgement of this book.
The Valley is a mystery thriller, set against the back drop of the never ending military occupation of Afghanistan. Written by a former intfintry man turned Lawyer the Valley is from what I am told a realistic look at the occupation wrapped in a thriller. Sounded cool to me. This books has more detective novel tropes than war novels ones. That is what makes it interesting.
I suppose it is bot a murder mystery as the investigation that Lt. Black is sent to do is a not a murder. A platoon at a remote outpost is at the heart of this story. A goat at a remote village was killed this has potential to destabilize the remote Valley that gives the novel it's name.. No one in the book seems to mind that goat was shot, it was a warning shot and a tribe's dead goat is what sends Lt. Black in to action. Keep in mind he has not left base in a long time, and being sent to investigate something as seemingly trivial just seems like a waste of time. There is of course more going on.
I am trusting that this setting is accurate, the accuracy of the world seems to be there but what do I know. Considering the praise of those who have lived in country I will buy it. The mystery is not about something as simple or standard as a murder. the mystery is complex but it also highlights many of the confusions that come from the culture clash caused by military occupation.
The writing is very good, the prose is simple but driving. Stylized over written prose would work against a story like this. Not to say it is poorly written. Renehan is an excellent writer who unfolds the story close to perfection. The mystery stays intact through 3/4 of the book but we get enough clues to be interested, confused and ultimately paid off.
As a war novel this work is not preachy infact everything it says about the occupation is do very subtly, so don't think Platoon this is more like a mystery that just so happens to be set against the back drop of America's longest engagement on foreign soil. your political feelings wont factor in most readers judgement of this book.
John Renehan's debut The Valley is a gripping, engrossing story. Lt. Black is pushing paper in Afghanistan when he's tagged to investigate an incident, one that's supposedly fill-out-and-file-the-paperwork easy. Only thing is, he has to get to a remote outpost to interview the soldiers involved.
Once he's there though, nothing's as he expected, and this easy-peasy assignment turns into a whodunwhat that threatens to bring the wrath of the locals on the heads of the soldiers stationed in an inhospitable land.
The Valley's plot has more layers than an onion. The soldiers' responses to Black's questions send him down a trail that, as he peels back the layers, turns into quite the rabbit hole. The only question you're left with is, will he be able to piece the puzzle together before it's too late?
I could not put this book down, I had to know what's going on! Renehan does an excellent job with the pace, the plot, the characters, and the backdrop. All of the pieces not only fit, they fit perfectly. I can't wait to see what this author offers us next.
drey’s rating: Excellent!
This review was originally posted on drey's library
Once he's there though, nothing's as he expected, and this easy-peasy assignment turns into a whodunwhat that threatens to bring the wrath of the locals on the heads of the soldiers stationed in an inhospitable land.
The Valley's plot has more layers than an onion. The soldiers' responses to Black's questions send him down a trail that, as he peels back the layers, turns into quite the rabbit hole. The only question you're left with is, will he be able to piece the puzzle together before it's too late?
I could not put this book down, I had to know what's going on! Renehan does an excellent job with the pace, the plot, the characters, and the backdrop. All of the pieces not only fit, they fit perfectly. I can't wait to see what this author offers us next.
drey’s rating: Excellent!
This review was originally posted on drey's library