OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "By What is Sure to Follow" by Donald N Burton.]

"By What is Sure To Follow" by Donald N. Burton is an emotionally intense and engaging war tale that is told on two fronts: one in the present and one in the hero's memory. It is difficult to say which war is more horrifying, as the hero struggles with severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Author Donald N. Burton served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War, where he was a Naval Photographer's Mate, a helicopter air crewman gunner, and a Petty Officer Second Class. Eventually upon returning from the war, Burton finished his college degree and went on to become a professor. Published by Hellgate Press, this piece of realistic fiction is his first novel.

Like the author himself, hero Luke Sims was drafted by the Army for the Vietnam War when he dropped below full time at college, but quickly opted to join the Marines instead (the author chose the Navy). He is eventually trained for an elite Recon unit, and after creating several close friends during training, he is sent off to Vietnam. All falls apart for Luke then, as he is thrown into the chaos of war and loses nearly everything and everyone he holds dear. He is left to care for his wounds alone upon returning to the United States, where he struggles for over two decades with severe PTSD in a country that does little for its mentally wounded veterans. While his demons are unwilling to die, there might be more deaths to come in his life as the novel races towards a shocking ending.

This book was a very emotional and, at times, difficult, read. It brings to life the very real horror that thousands of Americans faced after the war (and many still face today!), in a way that is difficult to ignore. Burton weaves true events throughout the work, the most notable to be revealed at the end, which prevents readers from ever truly distancing themselves from what they are reading. None of this discomfort stopped me from enjoying the book, though, and I would rate it a 4 out of 4 stars!

The characters were very engaging, and though I was initially hesitant to like the hero (his attitude towards women at first made me leery, but once I met his girlfriend things fell into place), I found myself really sympathizing with him and hoping that he could recover from his trauma. While the book is based on real events and the characters are very realistic, they are also clearly just that: characters, fleshed out as fictional characters should be. Waldo, an African-American man who joined the military to escape wrongful legal persecution (his story is great, but I won't give anything away!) and befriended Luke, was a favorite. The author did his research, too, as Waldo claims to be named after Ralph Waldo Emerson, who actually went by Waldo ad not Ralph. This was a minor detail, but as a history and philosophy lover, I liked seeing the author work his knowledge into the piece. Others I liked were Sherri, his girlfriend, and Eyes, who I can't say much about!

The writing itself was very enjoyable. It was an easy read, but never once did I feel that the style was simplistic or tedious. Overall, there were scarcely any errors in regards to spelling, punctuation, and grammar. I did find one here and there, but they didn't appear with any more regularity than most books that are not self-published. At times, the author would use the same word twice in one sentence; though this isn't a big enough issue to take away any stars over! It is also worth noting that although the book switches between the past and the present (though most is in the past), there is never any accidental confusion as to when an event is actually happening.

I only have two complaints with this book, both in regards to the ending. The epilogue might come off as a bit preachy to some - as someone who also thinks that the government is not doing enough to assist mentally ill war veterans, it didn't seem as such to me, but I can see where it might raise a few eyebrows for those who haven't thought about it very much. The other issue is more notable: the ending is rather abrupt, and the reader is left hanging. This was clearly one on purpose, as it was chronicling real events, but the fact that this event was placed in a "novel" setting made me want a bit more in terms of a resolution.

Because of the second issue, I struggled between a 3 and 4 here, but I finally decided that the rest of the book outweighed the ending. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars! I would suggest it to anyone who loves a good military tale or historical adventure, but most importantly, I would also suggest it to anyone who has ever had a loved one return from war "not quite the same". This book really brings the life of the unwilling soldier to the forefront, and as someone who was once friends and dorm-mates with an Iraq war vet who preferred not talking about his past, this book was truly an enlightening read. However, I would warn you that this book is not for the faint of heart! If you are simply looking for the kind of military story that doesn't make one question right and wrong, or a story with a feel-good ending, you might want to look elsewhere - or maybe you'd want to give this a try to see the other side of things!

(PS - Violence, some mild sexual scenes, plenty of language, and an overarching theme of severe mental illness may upset some readers.)

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By What is Sure to Follow
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Like Duende Knocking's review? Post a comment saying so!

Nice review! The book sounds very thought-provoking about a subject that is too often swept under the rug.

bookowlie wrote:Nice review! The book sounds very thought-provoking about a subject that is too often swept under the rug.

It really was, and the ending was not at all what I was expecting when I started reading it (I began to have my suspicions about halfway through, but it still really threw me when I got there).

I can't spoiler it, of course, but we can say that the author definitely made no attempt to sugar-coat anything.

Both of you made excellent comments. Duende, imagine if Luke was your brother or close friend. Would you take the ending differently? (Please don't give it away here.) Because our vets don't talk about it, and because it is outside anything most people will ever experience, I wanted people to emotionally take the journey our solders take. Based on your comments, you got it and maybe others too will get it. Thanks for your review.

The book sounds intense and educational.

It may be those things. I'll let everyone decide for themselves.

DonB wrote:Both of you made excellent comments. Duende, imagine if Luke was your brother or close friend. Would you take the ending differently? (Please don't give it away here.) Because our vets don't talk about it, and because it is outside anything most people will ever experience, I wanted people to emotionally take the journey our solders take. Based on your comments, you got it and maybe others too will get it. Thanks for your review.

You're the first author of a book I reviewed to comment on what I said! Thank you!

I suppose I might like the ending to be as "open" as it is if it was based off a loved one of mine who people could trace based off of the facts in the book, so I can see where you are coming from there. I just felt that it was a bit too open for a novel setting, but I could understand why you did what you did so it didn't negatively affect my enjoyment of the book at all!

And I have to ask - was naming Waldo as you did on purpose, or was it pure coincidence that he was named after Emerson's preferred name?

His father loved Emerson. It was a tribute.

DonB wrote:His father loved Emerson. It was a tribute.

Oh, okay. I just have met people who have kids named Ralph or Emerson and they say it's a tribute to RWE, but in real life the only name he actually liked was Waldo, so it was neat to see a character named after him using the right name!

Really nice work with this review! You've done a great job explaining your thoughts, and the book seems really intriguing!

Jesska6029 wrote:Really nice work with this review! You've done a great job explaining your thoughts, and the book seems really intriguing!

Thank you! It was tough to keep the review "short" for this book. There were a lot of things worth discussing.

I think you did a great job giving a detailed critique, without being overly long. With some books, I often struggle with keeping the reviews "short". When I really like a book, I find myself wanting to talk about every little thing I liked about it.

bookowlie wrote:I think you did a great job giving a detailed critique, without being overly long. With some books, I often struggle with keeping the reviews "short". When I really like a book, I find myself wanting to talk about every little thing I liked about it.

(Sorry for the huge delay here) but thank you!

I have the same problem. Even if I don't give a book a high rating, I always manage to find a lot to talk about, both good and bad. At least with this book, I really didn't have much of the latter to say.

Duende Knocking -

Because of your review, I worked with the publisher and added a short section to the end of the book. That changes is now in the books being sold worldwide. I thank you again for the review. If you would like to receive the added content, ask your moderator to provide me an email address to send ti to.
Best
Don Burton

I had many of my high school friends who served in the Vietnam War and not a one returned to the states the same as when they left. I really enjoyed your review and did read the preview of this well written book. The author had the experience of being over in Vietnam during the war and did a wonderful job of sharing what some went thru in his book.
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