HEALER'S WAR, THE

Rating:
Summary: Speculative fiction about a nurse in Vietnam.
Review: This is an excellent novel about a nurse serving in Vietnam during the war (the author was also a nurse in Vietnam). A Vietnam veteran myself, I recommend it highly. The main character, Lt. Kitty McCulley, is having a difficult time with her nursing responsibilities and with her interactions with others. An elderly Vietnamese holy man gives her an amulet which allows her to see the "auras" of others. It helps her guide herself through the war and helps her find herself in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and Ms. Scarborough's writing (note the five stars I awarded) and I recommend the book to everyone (the publisher should be shot for letting it go out of print). However, I do have a bone to pick! What makes this novel so different can be seen by the fact that it won the 1988 Nebula Award for best science fiction novel of the year, the Nebula Award being given by the Science Fiction Writers of America. I loved the book; but, it was not the best science fiction novel of 1988. It's excellent speculative fiction and I'm certain that is the reason the members voted for it; but, I'm sorry Ms. Scarborough, every few years the SFWA seem to go off on a tangent. Nevertheless, because it has won the Nebula, it is now incumbent that all serious students of science fiction literature read "The Healer's War." But then, they should read it anyway.

Rating:
Summary: Eastern mysticism combined with "China Beach"
Review: What a lovely book, an unexpected pleasure written by a female nurse with Vietnam war experience.
As a trauma surgeon, I can assure you that the first half of the book, mostly taking place in a patient ward, feels absolutely real. Total verisimilitude.
The second half...the "jungle" half...effortless dovetails aspects of Eastern mysticism...of "auras" if you will...with tense accounts of the travails of war.
An unlikely combination to be sure, but a terrific read!
This is probably a "science fiction" book with the widest possible audience. It could be an Oprah Book Club pick, and I mean that in a good way!