Early ReviewersR.W. Holmen

The United States nearly ripped apart at the seams in 1968, the most tumultuous year of Twentieth Century America. History herself seemed confused as she zigged and zagged and changed course several times.

Who were you in 1968? A hippie? An army draftee? Maybe you weren’t born yet, but you wonder about those flower children with bell bottoms and long hair. Or, you wonder about your uncle who grows silent at times. Maybe it was your grandparents. “Ok boomer,” you mutter to yourself.

Choices. It’s all about choices. The Vietnam War, and one’s reaction to it, defined the generation that came of age in the turbulent '60s. From the novel’s opening paragraph, the moral ambiguity of this war confronts a “f.....g new guy” in the mountainous jungles of central Vietnam. Does he shoot and ask questions later? Meanwhile, his high school buddy is bloodied by a policeman’s baton as he protests the war.

The novel will transport the reader to the tempestuous year of 1968. By depicting actual events in an artful manner, the novel shares aspects of narrative nonfiction. Creative and entertaining re-creation of historical events serves as an entryway into racial, class, cultural, political, and military history. The novel re-creates historical persons and events from an eyewitness perspective with the hope that the reader feels the moment as a lived experience. The events of 1968 are revisited, not as stale historical remnants, but as presaging the issues of today.

The novel features a pair of protagonists, high school classmates from a small midwestern town, who follow different paths. One is off to Vietnam as a combat infantryman, and the other joins the anti-war movement. To add spice to the stew, they are in love with the same woman. Each faces hard choices as they come of age: sex and relationships, drugs, hopes and disillusionment, and the dilemma of compulsory military service in a war of dubious purpose and questionable strategy and tactics. Race and bigotry challenge them, as do class and privilege.

From New Year’s Eve 1967 to the conclusion on New Year’s Eve 1968, the novel follows a chronological pattern of alternating chapters between the two main characters. Along the way, the characters weave in and out of the major events of the year and interact with actual, historical figures: the Tet Offensive, Eugene McCarthy’s shock-the-world candidacy in New Hampshire, the siege of Khe Sanh, young John Lewis recounting the early civil rights movement, urban riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination in Los Angeles just as it appeared he might be the next president, the rise of hippie counter-culture, the riotous Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and segregationist George Wallace spouting grievances and mesmerizing a raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden.

To the readers from the generation now enjoying Social Security, remember the times, the tunes, and the tribulations. To the Vietnam vet, a belated, “Welcome home!” To younger folk, perhaps you will say, “OK Boomer, I understand you a bit better.”

Wormwood and Gall: The Destruction of Jerusalem and the First Gospel will soon be released. This sequel to A Wretched Man has been in the works for some time. The novel fictionalizes the scribe who penned a narrative to uplift the discouraged remnant of the Christian community as Jewish civil war raged and the Roman Legions destroyed the Jerusalem temple around 70 CE. Of course, the narrative comes down to us as “The Gospel According to Mark.” A lament for Jerusalem inspires our title: How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal. The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, and his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 1:1 & 3:19-22 On a late summer’s day during the reign of Emperor Vespasian, the world seemingly ended for the Hebrew people of Palestine; tens of thousands died as Roman legions torched Jerusalem and demolished the Holy Temple, the very dwelling place of the Lord God Almighty of Israel. As blood-swollen gutters ran red and the smoke of hellfire blackened the sky, where was God? Was there meaning to life? To death? The cataclysmic destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE followed nearly a century of restless churning as the long-suffering Hebrews of Judea and Galilee agitated against Roman Imperial oppression. A Galilean, Jesus of Nazareth, was one of many executed as a perceived threat to Roman authority and the Romanizing sympathizers within Jewish society, including aristocratic priests appointed by authority of the Romans. As the family and friends of Jesus struggled to keep his movement alive after his crucifixion around 30 CE, a Greek-speaking outsider appeared and dared to promote Jesus as a Hebrew messiah to a Gentile (non-Jewish) world. Paul the apostle spread Jesus’ good news across the provinces of the Roman Empire but not without encountering imperial hostility while simultaneously offending the sensibilities and traditions of the elders back in Jerusalem. Along with establishing a network of Gentile churches, Paul also wrote letters that became the first documents of Christendom, dating to the period 50-58 CE, and recognized as authoritative for the church by the mid-second century. Three decades after the crucifixion of Jesus, Paul was executed in Rome by order of Emperor Nero, and so was Peter, foremost among the disciples of Jesus. Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, Jesus’ own brother James (Ya’akov in Hebrew/Aramaic), who led the Jerusalem remnant of Jesus’ followers, was executed by order of the High Priest. Their violent deaths marked the passing of the first generation of the church. This early church history provided the setting for the author’s earlier work entitled, A Wretched Man, a novel of Paul the apostle. The present work, Wormwood and Gall, is the sequel. A Wretched Man concluded in the early 60s CE, and Wormwood and Gall begins in 66 CE. By then, the bubbling cauldron of sectarian strife and anti-Roman sentiment was ready to boil over. Zealot revolutionaries took up arms against the vaunted Roman legions; initial successes chased the Romans from Palestine but unleashed internal power struggles and bloodletting of the priestly aristocracy that was believed to be sympathetic to Rome. When the vengeful Roman legions returned, they swept through the Galilee, leaving cities and villages ablaze and the countryside littered with rotting corpses on crosses. Refugees swelled Jerusalem like goats herded to the slaughter pens. In the spring of 70 CE, the legions set upon Jerusalem and raised their siege engines and ramparts and launched their catapults. As the summer sun spiked hot, the city’s defenses weakened, and before autumn arrived, the temple fell on the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av. Months after the killing and dying finally ceased, winter rains doused the smoldering ruins and washed the blood and ash from the single wall that remained standing from God’s magnificent marble temple. The Great Roman-Jewish War was a watershed moment–no, more than that, an apocalypse in which the end of the world seemed near–not only for the Hebrew people, but also for emerging Christianity, and Wormwood and Gall remembers this oft-forgotten setting for an early, important chapter in the history of the church. Amid death and destruction, the dispirited remnant of the followers of Jesus, who had been awaiting the return of their crucified messiah for four decades, needed encouragement and words of hope. In response, an unknown person compiled the good news narrative that has come to be known as “the Gospel according to Mark,” the next document of Christendom following Paul’s letters. What is more, this first gospel served as template and principal source document used by the later compilers of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. John, the fourth canonical gospel, came later still from a different stream of tradition. Although a scholarly consensus agrees with this context and chronology for the development of the gospel tradition, not much more is known about the individuals behind the gospels. Wormwood and Gall is a fictionalized account of the birth pangs of the early church against the background of revolution, civil war, and apocalyptic devastation. This novel’s characterization of the gospel’s compiler is entirely fictional as history remembers virtually nothing about the actual person behind the gospel compilation–not even his real name. The gospel document does not identify its author. The terminology “the Gospel according to Mark” dates to a 2nd century identification of an associate of Peter, but current scholarship doubts that association. However, for the sake of consistency and familiarity, the novel’s principal character shall be named Markos, the Greek form of “Mark”. Scholars have long looked to the “setting in life” as the starting point in analyzing ancient Biblical manuscripts. Although Wormwood and Gall fictionalizes the characters behind the compilation of this gospel, the novel attempts to accurately recreate the events, chronology, and apocalyptic milieu of the Great Roman-Jewish War as the setting that influenced the formation of the first canonical gospel, which in turn influenced the later gospels.

A bold, dark, and intense retelling of the Vietnam experience through the eyes of an army scout, the point man of Romeo-18, a camouflaged and face-painted four-man LRRP team inserted by helicopter into remote and unfriendly territory to search for "Charlie," the North Vietnamese soldiers who travelled the mountain gullies of the Ho Chi Minh trail. Golden Sand is less about patriotism and heroism than about the gut-wrenching reality for the Vietnam combat soldiers who are celebrated for simply doing their best to get by, not as superheroes, but as young men who often acted heroically but sometimes foolishly in circumstances not of their own choosing. One reviewer commented, "the bond and the folly of immortal combat ring loud and clear from the page, and the story's told with all the realism, language and pathos of experience." The mood of Golden Sand is dark and somber rather than triumphalistic: a hauntingly honest and brutally true retelling rather than a glorification of the Vietnam experience. The story opens as a young soldier receives combat infantry training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and he soon lands in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, as the rest of the world celebrates Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon. After a torturous twenty-three day hump through the jungle, the now seasoned-veteran volunteers for the LRRPs. The LRRPs of Vietnam (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) were the cavalry scouts of their war, traveling by helicopter rather than mustangs into remote and unfriendly territory. The mountainous jungles of the central highlands were especially inhospitable, filled with snakes and wild animals, and criss-crossed with the tributaries of the Ho Chi Minh trail that lay hidden beneath the thick, triple-canopy jungle foliage. It was the job of small teams of LRRPs to penetrate the ridges and valleys of the rainforest to track and identify enemy activity. The remaining chapters of Golden Sand chronicle hair-raising missions to the field as well as the stand down time in the rear base camps. The author refers to Golden Sand as "autobiographical fiction." True incidents serve as inspiration for the book, but the stories are told with literary embellishment. The author served with K Company, 75th Infantry (Rangers) in the central highlands of Vietnam in 1969-70, and he was twice awarded a bronze star for valor in combat.

"Donut Dollies is the sixth installment in a series of short stories about the Vietnam War. The stories are loosely based upon the author’s personal experiences but with plenty of embellishment and ought to be considered fiction. An early reviewer suggests the writing is bold, dark, and intense, and that is an apt characterization of the Vietnam experience.The author was a "lurp" (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol or LRRP), which was the Vietnam War's version of the cavalry scout. Four-man teams were inserted by helicopter into remote regions of the countryside to conduct reconnaissance to determine if the enemy was present and active. Stealth and subterfuge were the primary safeguards for the team on the ground. The series of short stories capture the experiences of a LRRP team in the field and in the rear. The setting for "Donut Dollies" is the base camp in the Central Highlands of Vietnam that was headquarters for K Company, 75th Infantry (Rangers), the official name of the LRRP unit in that area of Vietnam. Female Red Cross volunteers, known as "Donut Dollies," served as morale boosters in Vietnam. Operating from a recreation center in the base camp where they served up games, friendly smiles, and donuts, the dollies were often airlifted for a few hours to remote fire bases to spike the spirits of the troops in the field. In this short story, a LRRP team crosses paths with the dollies.

A collection of five "bold, dark, and intense" Vietnam short stories. The LRRPs of Vietnam (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) were the cavalry scouts of their war, traveling by helicopter rather than mustangs into remote and unfriendly territory. The mountainous jungles of the central highlands were especially inhospitable, filled with snakes and wild animals, and criss crossed with the tributaries of the Ho Chi Minh trail that lay hidden beneath the thick, triple-canopy jungle foliage. It was the job of small teams of LRRPs to penetrate the ridges and valleys of the rainforest to track and identify enemy activity. These short stories are less about patriotism and heroism than about the gut-wrenching reality for the Vietnam combat soldier. If you're looking for action-adventure, this series is not for you. Combat soldiers are celebrated for simply doing their best to get by, not as superheroes, but as young men who often acted heroically but sometimes foolishly in circumstances not of their own choosing. One reviewer commented "the bond and the folly of immortal combat ring loud and clear from the page, and the story's told with all the realism, language and pathos of experience." The mood of the stories is dark and somber rather than triumphalistic: a hauntingly honest and brutally true retelling rather than a glorification of the Vietnam experience.

A Bible verse about the prophet Elijah serves as the epigraph--If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty. 2nd Kings 1:10--and introduces the theme of calling down hellfire when the meager firepower of a four-man LRRP team was insufficient. The short story includes brief episodes of calling for artillery rounds, Phantom jets, and Cobra gunships, but sometimes the fire endangers those who call for it.

A short story about life as a soldier in Vietnam. This is the fourth installment in the series of Vietnam short stories entitled LRRP Rangers Vietnam. The first three short stories were set in the mountains and jungles of Vietnam's central highlands, but Chasing After Wind takes place on the Ranger company grounds in the base camp of An Khe. Yet, this installment is no less bold, dark, and intense (the words of a reviewer) than the earlier stories that recounted missions in the field. The title is borrowed from the Old Testament, and the short story begins with this epigraph: "No one has power over the wind to restrain the wind, or power over the day of death; there is no discharge from the battle ... all is vanity and a chasing after wind." Ecclesiastes 8:8 & 1:14 Chasing After Wind considers twists of fate in the context of a barracks poker game, the uncontrollable wind, and a malevolent joker in the deck. The author refers to the series as "autobiographical fiction". Each installment is based on a true incident but the stories are told with literary embellishment. During the author's tour of duty, he was twice awarded a bronze star for valor in combat.

Historical fiction novel with religious themes. Probably too provocative for evangelical Christians. Relates conflict in the early church and offers an edgy characterization of Paul the apostle. Reader comments include: "A stupendous novel" "Regardless of your personal religious background, this book is absolutely breathtaking" "Your novel was difficult to put down and brought to life a distant time and place with such humanity and liveliness" "A truly significant work"

A short story of a day in the hardwoods of the midwest. An idyllic yet bittersweet vignette. As the day passes, the old woodsman remembers the days of his life.

A short story. Volume I in a series entitled "LRRP Rangers Vietnam". Eleven Bravo refers to the 11B MOS (job description) of the combat infantryman. This story begins with a brief scene in Fort Polk, LA, where infantrymen trained for Viet Nam and concludes with a drunken celebration following a torturous twenty-three day "hump" through the jungle. The story is bookended by contemporary events in the US: Neil Armstrong walking on the moon and Jimi Hendrix performing at Woodstock. Recreates the war experience from the perspective of a reluctant participant. Not blood and guts heroism but realistic themes of self preservation and moral ambiguities. Second and third installments will be included.

Jesus authored no writings. Nor did any of those who followed him in the Galilee or during his fateful pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It fell to an outsider to become the movement's reporter, memorialist, essayist, interpreter, and promoter--despite the opposition of James, the brother of Jesus. Paul the apostle. Paul the one untimely born. This is the story of Paul, a wretched man.