God's Children

Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but he's done better
Review: Coyle is a great story teller, but this wasn't one of his best. He sort of "phoned this one in" it seems like. If he's not careful, the hungry up-and-comers like Michael Farmer and his book Tin Soldiers will take over. Farmer's book reads like vintage Coyle.

I had a few small issues with this book, such as the setting. Those who know the Slovaks know that the premise of this book is a bit of a stretch. But again, as storytellers go, Coyle is always fun.

Rating:
Summary: Basic small unit combat
Review: God’s Children is a simple story. A U.S. infantry platoon goes out on a patrol (in support of a NATO peace enforcement mission) and, before you can say “Follow Me” the mission goes bad, very bad.

Other than describing the use of LandWarrior technology (thermal sights mounted on a couple of the platoon’s M-16s), GPS, and an anti-tank Javelin team, there’s very little in this platoon’s arsenal or tactics that a soldier from WWII, Korea or Vietnam would find out of place (the radios can’t seem to work and the M2 Bradleys don’t factor in as this is a dismounted patrol). This revelation seems to be one of Coyle’s main thrusts: that, regardless of the technology, the poor, overworked infantryman (or Marine) is still the basic combat arm that must occupy terrain, interact with civilians and the enemy, and ultimately, suffer the most.

Within the context of the patrol and the obligatory combat and attendant privations, the story’s other thrust is the personality struggle between the newly minted second lieutenant, a West Point grad, and the first lieutenant battalion staffer just along for the ride to ensure the new lieutenant doesn’t screw up too bad. This conflict rapidly rises to dominate the tale (several times I found myself alternating between unbelief that the author could have created so pigheaded a character as the new platoon leader and a simple desire to see the man fragged by the next page).

Coyle hints a couple of times at a larger message, but passes the chance to comment seriously. Instead, this book is a basic tale of small unit warfare and how real people, flawed as they may be, have to carry out their nation’s orders and fight its battles. The books makes a serviceable tale, but I think the author could have used his growing fame and established name to really hammer home a larger message -- for that, I give the book three stars -- good, but not good enough...

Rating:
Summary: He's done better
Review: God's Children is a disappointment. While Mr. Coyle is still a master at describing small unit actions, the "fog of war" is a little too thick in this book. There is simply too much left unsaid - What happened to Dixon in Idaho? (Probably another book on the way for that one) What happened to Dixon when he went for help? How was the rescue effort mounted? Apparently some of these details were deliberately left out to put the reader in the field with the rest of the grunts who don't have a clue as to what's happening, but I'm left with the feeling that the author had run up against a deadline with a half finished book.

Rating:
Summary: Lacking Something But Still Good
Review: Harold Coyle has been one of my longtime favorite writers. I read Bright Star when I was stationed in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm, the perfect setting to read one of his books. He's always been an author that describes the action of battle better than the humans fighting the battles. That isn't necessarily a criticism, his style is still enjoyable. This book is no exception. The two lieutenants, Nathan Dixon and Gerald Reider spend alot of time soul searching. I think Coyle does a pretty good job of keeping the two from being completely stale sterotypes but he uses them like an instruction manual from a course on leadership, using Nathan's natural leadership as a contrast to Gerald's green ineptness. The author repeats himself constantly and I quickly became tired of the notion of the senior NCOs teaching the newbie commander the real army. The book could use some trimming.

Where the fun of the book is, is in the battle scenes. Coyle's describtions of the snow covered feilds and the shells from a tank hitting the buildings are vivid and cinematic. When the fighting starts, the book moves a lot faster.

There were a few things I was confused about. For one thing we never learn what Nathan did in Montana. I spent a half an hour on Amazon.com trying to find the book that this might have happened in. I also was confused by the crewman from the Apache and his rescue. Without giving anything away I wasn't sure what became of him until near the end. Speaking of the end I was disappointed with the way the author handled Nathan's portion of the storyline. It felt abrupt.

Over all though this was a satisfying book to read and can recommend it to anyone whose a fan of military fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Lacking Something But Still Good
Review: Harold Coyle has been one of my longtime favorite writers. I read Bright Star when I was stationed in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm, the perfect setting to read one of his books. He's always been an author that describes the action of battle better than the humans fighting the battles. That isn't necessarily a criticism, his style is still enjoyable. This book is no exception. The two lieutenants, Nathan Dixon and Gerald Reider spend alot of time soul searching. I think Coyle does a pretty good job of keeping the two from being completely stale sterotypes but he uses them like an instruction manual from a course on leadership, using Nathan's natural leadership as a contrast to Gerald's green ineptness. The author repeats himself constantly and I quickly became tired of the notion of the senior NCOs teaching the newbie commander the real army. The book could use some trimming.

Where the fun of the book is, is in the battle scenes. Coyle's describtions of the snow covered feilds and the shells from a tank hitting the buildings are vivid and cinematic. When the fighting starts, the book moves a lot faster.

There were a few things I was confused about. For one thing we never learn what Nathan did in Montana. I spent a half an hour on Amazon.com trying to find the book that this might have happened in. I also was confused by the crewman from the Apache and his rescue. Without giving anything away I wasn't sure what became of him until near the end. Speaking of the end I was disappointed with the way the author handled Nathan's portion of the storyline. It felt abrupt.

Over all though this was a satisfying book to read and can recommend it to anyone whose a fan of military fiction.

Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 stars - Another solid story from Coyle
Review: Having just completed Against All Enemies, I wanted to go back to God's Children. Both featured Lt Nathan Dixon, son of Scott Dixon who has been a main character in many of Coyle's previous books. Although God's Children was published before Against All Enemies, the setting/timeframe of the former actually follows that of the latter, with references to Nathan Dixon's exploits in Against All Enemies referenced in God's Children.

With that as background, Coyle's followers will likely enjoy God's Children as well. It is a fast read, in part because of the pace of the action and in part because the book is only 315 pages in hardcover. In the story, NATO forces are on a peacekeeping mission in Eastern Europe. First Lieutenant Dixon finds himself as an observer on the first mission of Second Lieutenant Reider, a newly-minted West Point graduate. What is supposed to be a routine mission quickly deteriorates, with conflicting mission goals and rules of engagement adding to the confusion. In order to survive, Dixon and Reider must work through their egos and the tension between them. Coyle spends a substantial amount of time on the inner workings of the minds of Dixon and Reider. The psychological, emotional, and physical pressures of leading men in battle in very adverse conditions is covered effectively. My only real complaint was that the story seemed to end rather abruptly.

All in all, this is not Coyle's best, but it is a solid story and well worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: Not the author he used to be
Review: I found this book to be very realistic technically, similiar to Mr. Coyle's other works. As a former Mechanized Infantrymen I found the details of Infantry life reminicent of days past. Harold Coyle knows soldiers better than anyone.

The story could have had more depth. I was hoping for more than the single story line, nonetheless it kept my attention and I would definately recommend this work. This is not Harold Coyle's best book, but worth the read. I would give this 3.5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: If you want to push a message, send a telegram
Review: I've liked Harold Coyle's work ever since I picked up a copy of *Team Yankee*, and I'm not about to stop liking his stuff now. This having been said, *God's Children* is not his best work of fiction. The average reader won't like it much.

The individual with military training or experience, however, will find it thoroughly respectable for the messages it delivers:

First, "peacekeeping" operations are far more hazardous than the mainstream media (and the politicians) would like the public to understand. The circumstances in which our troops and the military forces of our allies are finding themselves have been -- and continue to be -- deadly in ways that only someone who has served under such circumstances can readily appreciate.

Second, the mechanized infantry squad adapted to ride in and fight from the M2 Bradley is too damned thin for sustained grunt combat operations under presently established doctrines.

The first consideration warrants closer scrutiny of the [people] in public office who pass themselves off as "statesmen," and that's a job for responsible voters to take up. The second is something that TRADOC needs to address, possibly by considering the ground component of the Bradley crew as a large fire team, and enlarging the mechanized infantry squad to consist of *two* Bradley IFVs with their crews, making each crew a bit smaller and using the space to increase the customary loads of consumables (ammunition, rations, water, fuel) and ancillary equipment (such as the stuff needed to more effectively bunker-in when necessary).

I'm quite glad that Coyle is in the entertainment business, but I would be even more happy to learn that he were suddenly and unexpectedly tapped for an S3 position with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The messages of *God's Children* need to be heard where they will do the greatest good.

Rating:
Summary: Required reading for all new butterbars
Review: This is, without question, the best book I've read about what it is really like to take command of one's first platoon. To my way of thinking, reading this, more than any other "how to be a General/Admiral" reading assignment, ought to be required of all cadets at all academies.

Who cares what Dixon was doing in Idaho? Though avid readers of Coyle ought to know.

What happened to the Hungarians? Who cares? It's NOT THE POINT OF THE BOOK!

Where did the rescue come from? Give me a break! From where it always does -- from others in the unit who care about never leaving buddies in the field.

"GOD'S CHILDREN" ends abruptly. It doesn't have a nice, neat, sewn-up ending. But that's the way most patrols end. Most of the time the troops live; sometimes some die. When it's over, it's just over. Time to do the scut maintenance work. Hats off to Harold Coyle for accurately capturing the post-action letdown and recreating it in the readers gut.

Let's look at the good portrayals in this book:

= The male/female relationship between officers. Hey, it happens in today's Army. This book captured the feel of what it's like to be young and "in charge" better than any I've read.

= The disconnect between training and real life. Wow!

= The (negative) impact our current civilian leaders are having on morale on today's military, and how the civilian government's "don't screw up" attitude is pervading all ranks.

= What it's really like to be on the sharp end of fuzzy headed missions thought up by fuzzy headed politicians and lead by fuzzy headed careerist senior officers beholden to those fuzzy headed politicians.

Well done, Harold Coyle.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but he's done better
Review: This was a great book for those of us who like gritty little actions. The story goes as follows:

NATO (read the U.S.) has intervened as peacekeepers in another ethnic clensiong mess. The battalion HQ is called Fort Apache and everyone is really bored with their peacekeeping duties. That is until the Hungarians and Slovaks have at it.

Caught in the middle is a three squad Platoon humping its way across snow covered farm fields. Two Lieutenants: Reider and Dixon struggle with each other, the men and ultimately the enemy.

It's bloody; it's gritty. It is a tremendous story.