Best Novels Vietnam War (2026): 5 Compared

Most Vietnam novels start with a helicopter; the interesting ones start earlier, or stay at ground level longer. The best novels vietnam war readers pass around begin in 1945 before America was committed, follow one infantryman through a single year, or fight the side campaigns in Cambodia and the Central Highlands. We compared five novels on stated setting, series position and edition.

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The picks

#	Product	Shelf Score	Buy
1	A War Too Far	9.6/10	Buy on Amazon
2	The War Before The War	9.6/10	Buy on Amazon
3	Cherries	9.6/10	Buy on Amazon
4	The Ghost	9.5/10	Buy on Amazon
5	Abandoned	9.4/10	Buy on Amazon

1

A War Too Far

David Lee Corley·9.6/10 Shelf Score

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The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

A War Too Far by David Lee Corley: book 1 of The Airmen Series, published September 22, 2019, following an OSS Deer Team sniper in 1945 Indochina.

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Pros

• Starts The Airmen Series
• Based on the real Deer Team
• Set in 1945, before the war

Cons

• Prequel setting, not the US war
• Series runs to 28 books
• No print length stated

2

The War Before The War

David Lee Corley·9.6/10 Shelf Score

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The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

The War Before The War by David Lee Corley: book 2 of The Airmen Series, published February 23, 2020, set in 1951 with a young congressman Kennedy in Southeast Asia.

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Pros

• Continues Granier's story
• Kennedy as a character
• Based on historical events

Cons

• Reads best after book 1
• 1951 setting, French war focus
• No print length stated

3

Cherries

John Podlaski·9.6/10 Shelf Score

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The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

Cherries by John Podlaski: a combat infantryman's novel set in 1970, third edition published April 20, 2010, including thirty-eight personal photos.

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Pros

• Infantryman's-eye view of 1970
• Third edition adds thirty-eight photos
• Standalone, no series

Cons

• Unvarnished and intense
• Published 2010
• No series to continue into

4

The Ghost

Rick DeStefanis·9.5/10 Shelf Score

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The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

The Ghost by Rick DeStefanis: book 4 of The Long War Home, published August 21, 2022, blending a Central Highlands shadow war with Lakota heritage.

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Pros

• Lakota heritage storyline
• Psychological suspense angle
• Central Highlands setting

Cons

• Book 4, not a series start
• Spec table names other leads
• Supernatural visions element

5

Abandoned

Douglas L. Edwards·9.4/10 Shelf Score

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The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

Abandoned by Douglas L. Edwards: a novel of the 1970 Cambodia Incursion, second edition published January 29, 2023.

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Pros

• Covers the Cambodia Incursion
• Logistics-level detail
• Second edition

Cons

• Description is mostly history
• No series position
• No print length stated

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More picks to compare

• MatterhornKarl Marlantes' Marine novel, featured in PBS's The Vietnam War, 624 pages.Check on Amazon
• FIREFIGHTA crashed helicopter rescue in the Boi Loi Woods, 229 pages.Check on Amazon
• Charlie MikeLeonard B. Scott's Ranger novel, praised by The Washington Post, 432 pages.Check on Amazon
• The Parrot's BeakA recon platoon patrol to a hidden French fort, 252 pages.Check on Amazon
• A Requiem for CrowsDennis Foley's accidental soldier, drafted in the early sixties.Check on Amazon

Compare the picks

Book details as published on each listing, collected 22 October 2026.

How we scored them

The Shelf Score weighs the story on offer, the telling, value, fit and availability. None of these novels states a reading age, so that field scores zero for all five. The two Airmen books lead on scope: a 28-book series starting in 1945, grounded in the real Deer Team and a Kennedy fact-finding mission.

Scores run from 9.2 to 9.8: each book’s point total is placed on that range, so more points always means a higher score. Reading age or level counts on a list where at least one listing gives one, and a book whose listing gives none then scores zero on it. Where no listing gives one, the score is taken over the other 85 points. Books carry no warranty, so warranty is not scored.

How to choose the best novels vietnam war readers keep

Origins, or the war itself

A War Too Far and The War Before The War are the origins shelf: an OSS sniper allying with Ho Chi Minh’s guerrillas in 1945, then the French war of 1951. Cherries, The Ghost and Abandoned are the American war: 1970 infantry, a Central Highlands shadow war, and the Cambodia Incursion. History readers can browse our history and biography books lists.

Series commitment

The Airmen Series runs to 28 books, The Long War Home to 5, and The Ghost is book 4 of its series. Cherries and Abandoned stand alone.

Setup Notes

• Read A War Too Far before The War Before The War; Granier’s betrayal in book 1 drives book 2.
• Cherries’ third edition includes thirty-eight personal photos by the author.
• The Ghost’s listing mixes two descriptions: its spec table names different lead characters than its description, so go by the description’s Martin Shadows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where should I start with Vietnam war novels?

With the origins, A War Too Far, book 1 of The Airmen Series, or with Cherries for a single standalone infantryman’s story set in 1970.

Are any of these novels based on real events?

The two Corley novels state they are based on historical events and real people: the OSS Deer Team of 1945 and Kennedy’s fact-finding mission. Abandoned builds on the documented 1970 Cambodia Incursion.

Which book is the most intense?

Cherries, by its own description an unvarnished account of a combat infantryman’s year. The Ghost adds psychological suspense to its action.

Do these novels need to be read in order?

Only the series books: The Airmen Series in order from book 1, and The Ghost after the earlier Long War Home volumes. Cherries and Abandoned stand alone.

Still deciding? Our top pickA War Too Far

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Related lists

See every nonfiction books list.

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