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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It seems this novel is more known for giving you the feeling of being immersed in the 1970s culture, particularly that surrounding the Vietnam War and drugs. The novel follows the life of a nobody beat reporter in Vietnam named Converse that decides to jump into a big drug deal to make a quick buck, only for his life to completely fall apart in the process. While the novel tries very hard to seem gritty and dirty, I feel that it mostly fails in that endeavor, but that doesn't make it any less engrossing. As you flip between Converse, his wife, and their crazy mutual friend with nothing to lose, you can't help but feel that you too are spiraling out of control. While the novel appears to realistically capture the time period and is certainly entertaining, it seems to miss out a bit when it comes to the plot. It's just a bit too much at times and while I think that was the author's intent, it just didn't completely work for me.
Imo this should be considered among the great American crime novels, but the fact that it opens in Vietnam and won the NBA may have caused confusion. Highly stylized proto-DeLillo dialogue delivered atop a drug-deal-gone-wrong caper. Immaculate bad vibes.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dog Soldiers is an idea with potential unrealized in the writing execution. Stone has flourishes of interesting writing with conspicuous symbolism. Unfortunately, this book contained many typos and unintended grammar errors. I expected this to be better.