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Summary: Suspense Thriller
Review: David Morrell's masterful prose draws the reader into a vortex of suspense. Grabs the reader by the throat on the first page and doesn't let go until the last. You will find yourself pulling for Vietnam vet Rambo, amazed at his cunning and survival tactics. Stallone made a gallant attempt, but there is no way a movie could realistically capture everything in this novel.
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Summary: First Blood- the way it was
Review: Do not read the foreword (Rambo and me) until you have finished the book. Morrell gives the ending away before you ever get started. Very shocking and controversial ending. For those of you who have only seen the movie, this is the real deal, the way it truly was.
Rating: 
Summary: DO NOT READ THE INTRO FIRST
Review: DO NOT read the introduction of this book before you read the rest. I spent over a year searching used bookstores for a copy of this book, so I was thrilled when I found the new release. Then, in the introduction, the author gave away the ending. I couldn't believe it. I can't believe he would do that. I can't believe the publisher would let him. I'll never buy another David Morrell book, ever.
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Summary: It's back
Review: Finally back in print, as it deserves to be. I see it's getting some more reviews because of this, too. I read one of them below and was a bit horrified to learn that Morrell gave away the ending in the introduction. Well, I already know the ending, which is a thousand times better than the movie, and can only recommend that all fans of action and adventure and fast-paced fiction grab this book off the shelves. At least you won't have to see Stallone's face on the cover, peering at you with those half-dead eyes of his. Speaking of Stallone, why didn't he, after starring in his only real non-Rocky hit movie, scoop up every Morrell book out there and see if he could go back to the well again? I know I would have. Morrell is now more into the international intrigue thing, but First Blood and a few of his other early books are straight hard action, and the best ones he wrote. First Blood, of course, is the best. Read it.
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Summary: First Blood is a wonderful, gut wrenching chase thriller.
Review: First Blood is one of the finest action adventure novel I have ever read. The character interaction combined with the suspense(that only David Morrell can provide) creates a book that is impossible to put down. It's terrific!
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Summary: Non-stop action erupts along with two war veterans
Review: First Blood will not leave your hands once you start it. It is simply too suspenseful. This is by far David Morrell's best book to date. Perhaps THE best book to date. The war in Vietnam and Korea have ended. Those who have fought in them now struggle to live peaceful lives as civilians. As we all know, this is easier for some than for others. John Rambo, a veteran of the war in Vietnam, hasn't had luck finding a job. A outcast since the war's end, he is now wandering through a small town and has caught attention of the town's sherriff, Teasle. Rambo, haunted by memories in a P.O.W. camp, snaps, and kills a couple officers while escaping from the town's jail. A gigantic search party goes underway looking to apprehend Rambo. This event triggers the skills, the ruthlessness and the state-of-mind that accompanies war in the two men. Rambo knows of this all too well. Sherriff Teasle, however, thought he left it behind years previous in Korea. This is by no means a single-dimensional book of senseless violence. It is a complex study of the mind as well. This book vividly shows us that a war's pain is not something that one can push to the back of his/her mind, but something that must be confronted and lived with by any man or woman who has seen combat. This book is a masterpiece. One should not start reading unless prepared to finish it in one sitting.
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Summary: First Blood is Society Defined
Review: First Blood, while exciting and full of action, is not a great novel, but it is an important one, especially when considering the time of it's release. As almost any other novel ever transformed into a movie, First Blood contains a great more amount of depth in each character, driving the story to it's
tragic but inevitable climax.
I best interpreted this novel as two forms of Audie Murphy battling against each other. Of course, we all know Audie Murphy, the renowned World War II hero who returned, though affected by his experience, a celebrity to the United States. In First Blood, Teasle (the Brian Dennehy character in the movie) is perhaps the Audie Murphy of Korea, while he did not return home to celebrity, was recognized and able to achieve a comfortable life. However, his personal life is currently failing and he begins to drive his ambition towards his profession, leading him to Rambo.
If Teasle is the Audie Murphy of Korea, then Rambo is the Audie Murphy of Vietnam. A decorated war hero, he comes home to find only isolation and no recognition, displaying both the government's and society's aging ignorance and denouncement of soldiers and veterans from the time of World War II to the Vietnam era. If Audie Murphy performed the same heroic duties in Vietnam rather than World War II, he would most likely become the broke, drifting, mentally and emotionally scarred Rambo that we find in the novel.
Teasle apprehends the drifting Rambo, but when he makes his escape, Teasle and Rambo find themselves in a violent battle that defines both their lives during and after their time of war. Teasle advances into the mountain (a mythological symbol itself of transformation) seeking Rambo using similar tactics as those of the Korean War. Growing with every body count is Teasle's understanding that he will not achieve his goal as Rambo holds the advantages that American soldiers fell prey to during the time of Vietnam. Thus, this becomes a battle not just between the two men, but between the generations.
Col. Sam Trautman (portrayed by Richard Crenna in the movie) appears as a strong symbol of the government. He is the man that created and fathered his soldier, but he will also become the man who will lead him to his mortal climax.
Many details of the novel are unrealistic, especially to any of those with military experience, possibly deverting much of their interest. However, in it's persistance, this novel is a deep study of American society's development and expression (from both the establishment and citizens) throughout the century. Therefore, First Blood is certainly a good read for those who not just care to study America's past, but caution for the future.
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Summary: Great Book - Don't read the into
Review: First thing you need to do is get Sylvester Stallone out of your head. This story is different from the movie. To be honest Sly Stallone doesn't give the character John Rambo justice. John Rambo is a cold hearted killer and David Morrell has the greatest writing style in showing how cold hearted he is. I read this book before I saw the movie and I was very disappointed in the movie. It just didn't have the action the book did, and it couldn't compare in showing the competition and hatred between Teasle and Rambo.
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Summary: Exciting Action Thriller ! (but could be better)
Review: Forget about what you know from the movie and read the book! Morrell paints an exacting and detailed psyche of both Rambo and Teasle; characters are complex and emotional. great chase sequences, and lots of killing! it is the classic conflict between principles and pride. although a good book, i have two criticisms. 1. Morrell lacks the knowledge of military lexicon to realistically describe military tatics, units, and equipment. one example, when COL Trautman identifies himself to Rambo, he says, "My name is Col. Trautman. I was the director of the school that trained you." that sentence sounds really corny because it does not identify the name of the school. a little research into US Army jargons and especially the Special Operations Units would make this book much more refined. David Morrell is no Tom Clancy. 2. sentence structure and word usage do not flow smoothly. if Morrell was writing the way a redneck would speak, he did a great job! i do have to admit that i like the personal yet aloof Trautman in the movie version much better, and not the cold "trainer" described in the book. This book is very strong in describing details and thought processes, and keeps the reader's interest. [Please also read my review of the movie at yahoo.com]
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Summary: Good, but totally different than the movie
Review: I had gotten into a pattern of reading the books that were the inspiration for some of my favorite movies. This was the second book that I read while in that mindset. I was very excited when I first started this book because it was very similar to the movie. Eventually however that trend began to change. Instead of having Rambo as the main character the book focusses more on Wilfred Teasle, the small town sheriff. Due to this drastic change in the main character the reader sympathizes much more with Teasle and his personal problem than with Rambo. Rambo in the book comes off as more of a lunatic continually having to prove his war abilities by killing innocent people. The ending is very different from the movie as well, but I will not get into that here, since I unfortunately had it ruined for me by another review here. Anyways to sum up: This is a good book and a good read. It isn't as fast pace as the movie which was somewhat dissapointing but it does present the characters in a different way and gives one a different perspective on the whole ordeal. I would reccomend this to both people who have seen and like the movie, as well as to those who have seen the movie but thought that it was a bit too cheesy. This definitely has more emotions to it than the movie did.
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