Ben Tyson may have become a well-adjusted, moderately successful all-American protagonist after Vietnam, but Word of Honor is the story of consequences for what he’s done. War makes losers of everyone, seems to be saying DeMille, and there are no statue of limitations on atrocities. DeMille has been to Vietnam and if his latter Up Country remains a classic exploration of the conflict’s lasting legacy, Word of Honor can be seen as the first draft of his feelings about the war. This is a DeMille novel, after all, and anyone who’s read works such as The General’s Daughter knows that the author can spin quite a yarn from the most ordinary beginnings.īut frankly, Word of Honor is more about soul-searching than plot.

The obvious question, of course, is just what happened back there and then: what is the truth behind those so-called atrocities? Could there be some more to the story than wholesale massacre? The book outrages a segment of the American population and forces the US military brass to do something: before long, Tyson finds himself recalled to duty and in serious danger of being court-martialed. Upon verification, Tyson is in the book, highlighted as a commanding officer who allowed a wartime atrocity.Īnd so it begins. Writers are often advised to “start the story at the beginning, but no earlier” and the first page of Word of Honor is a textbook example of that axiom as Manhattan middle-manager Ben Tyson sees a fellow commuter reading a nonfiction book about Vietnam. Word of Honor may be a bit less interesting than his other books, but it’s still crackerjack good stuff. Despite the lengths, the indulgences and the sometimes tepid pacing, DeMille means entertainment.

And yet it works.įor fans of DeMille’s books, this won’t be much of a surprise: While most of his books could be cut by half without much sacrifice, DeMille seldom deliver anything less than excellent novels.

Describing it will send you in a coma and make you wonder how it can possibly be a pleasant reading experience. Simply put, this is a book that shouldn’t work.

Warner, 1985, 738 pages, C$10.99 mmpb, ISBN 8-2Įvery book review presents its own special challenge, but taking on Nelson DeMille’s Word of Honor presents challenge of its own.

Word of Honor by Nelson DeMille