Military Fiction Books And Magazines

By Ericka Marsh


Half the world is male, but no one could tell that given the reading selections in most lobbies and waiting rooms. Maybe doctors have decided that pages filled with dresses, curtains, and gardens will keep their patients' pulses down. Otherwise, doctors should consider ordering a few military fiction books and journals, since they are a favorite among both men and women.

Conventions include a realistic, usually historical setting and protagonists identifiable by uniform rather than spies, who are soldiers moving secretly among a civilian population and in civilian dress. They are usually stories with a large cast of characters even if told through a single character's point of view. Enthusiasts of the genre generally appreciate attention to tactics and strategy, as well as attention to the particulars of weapons and tools.

The genre has no firm borders, though, and can be said to embrace much fantasy and science fiction within itself. Space opera is the most popular subgenre of science fiction, and what distinguishes it is almost completely soldierly. It is the subgenre of science fiction that is full of characters whose first names are Captain and Lieutenant and who shoot beam weapons at each other, spaceships shooting at other spaceships, and ordinary tactics exaggerated by futuristic technology.

Space opera, which is science fiction at war or at least among soldiers, is so predominant that many likely think of space opera scenes when they think about SF. It is easy to sympathize with the technically literate, scientifically curious Hard SF reader. So too attest all the warrior aspects of the fantasy genre, whether one is enjoying one of the field's classics or a video game.

The entire genre of espionage literature can be classified a sub-genre of war literature. This classification has espionage literature playing the same role with war literature that espionage agencies play among a nation's armed forces. Nearly any fictional intelligence agent of note has a background story of service in the combat arms, and were at some point identified from within that pool of fighting men. Most still hold rank.

Understandably, there will be discerning parents who balk before letting their children enjoy reading about Okinawa or Shiloh. It might comfort them to know that violent print material lacks the neurological impact of seeing the same violence in real-time on the screen. Today, though, any conscious parent might balk before striking what their child loves. There might not be too many opportunities to inspire a love of books.

It isn't unusual for children to become obsessive toward a single genre. Girls and boys both enjoy the fantasy genre. A dash of high tech and it turns into SF. Boys favoring more realistic reading material often favor war literature almost exclusively, at least for a period of time.

War stories have quickened the male pulse since the moment Troy stopped burning. It is easy to understand the positions of those who would object. However, their distribution might help teach more young men how to read, and inspire more old men to visit the doctor.




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