Review of The Sand Fiddlers

[Bertha Jackson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Sand Fiddlers" by Les Burns.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Sand Fiddlers: A Rogue Green Beret's Escape from the Memories of Vietnam by Les Burns is a historical-fiction novella. Alex Driscoll received an honorable discharge after they changed his status from deserter to MIA. He goes to Pleasure Island to await his final discharge in solitude. It is against the law to stay on the open beach, so he gets a room at the Clam Bed Inn. While relaxing on the beach, Alex meets Jessica, who starts asking him about Vietnam. He does not want to interact with her because he is still hurting from losing his girlfriend, Tommie Sue, who decided to marry someone else while he was in Vietnam. His hospital evaluation revealed that he was a psychopath who could not differentiate between reality and fantasy, was antisocial, and angry. Alex becomes suspicious of Jessica when she asks about MACV-SOG, a top-secret operation in Vietnam. Who is Jessica? Does Alex recover from his Vietnam experience? What atrocities did he encounter in Vietnam?

The book's most positive aspect was Les Burns's knowledge of the Vietnam War and its effect on those who served. Many in our society labeled the soldiers as baby killers. People did not understand that these children would kill Americans; many had bombs on them that they set off when the soldiers offered them candy. Flashbacks and nightmares made these soldiers dangerous to their loved ones. Les Burns did an excellent job of explaining and demonstrating these issues. I could feel the terror and survivors' guilt that they felt. The one thing that stayed with me throughout the book was, "War is not something left behind, like a bad relationship. It's a curse that attaches itself to you and never goes away." I appreciated the author's use of military jargon along with the definitions. I am interested in reading the sequel to this book once it has been released.

The only negative aspect readers may encounter in this book is the gory content that the author excellently describes. This content is necessary to help readers understand the Vietnam War. As Les Burns states, warfare has no "honor or glory." Actions caused by battle fatigue and shell shock are not pretty. Still, they were essential to include in the narrative to understand the difficulty soldiers faced in knowing the difference between reality and fantasy.

I can safely say that this well-written book has been professionally edited with only a couple of errors that a professional editor could have easily overlooked. Nothing would justify giving this book less than 4 out of 4 stars.

This thought-provoking book is recommended to mature readers who enjoy reading historical fiction about the Vietnam War. Since it contains a smidgen of romance, women will also enjoy this book. If gory content is offensive to you, or if you experience post-traumatic stress disorder, you may want to avoid this book.

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The Sand Fiddlers
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[Jelly_J]

Sometimes spies are sent to deserted soldiers to find out how much they know about certain things. I would like to read this book to know if this is the case concerning Jessica. I enjoyed reading your review as it built my interest for the book.

[Shadreck Rogers]

Historical fictions are always my favourite. The fact that this book touches on the Vietnam war is even more intriguing.

[abstactlemon]

Sometimes spies are sent to deserted soldiers to find out how much they know about certain things. I would like to read this book to know if this is the case concerning Jessica. I enjoyed reading your review as it built my interest for the book.

Oh wow. I never knew that. This is very intriguing.