World War 1: Fiction

(May 24, 2005)

These are fictional stories about World War 1 and the experiences the people who lived during this time may have had. This list is compiled by Reader Advisor Paul Mathews.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque; translated from the German by A.W. Wheen.
RC 54896, BR 11984.
Classic World War 1 novel depicting the horrors and futility of armed conflict. Nineteen-year-old German private Paul Baumer relates the daily routine of ordinary soldiers in the trenches and tells how warfare affected him and his three classmates. Portrays young men who may have escaped bullets but were destroyed by their combat experience.

War Story by Derek Robinson.
RC 28291.
Second Lieutenant Oliver Paxton is eighteen years old in June 1916, and he is out to "smite the filthy Huns." But things are not so simple. Paxton tries to escort a convoy of planes across the Channel, but he loses the convoy, loses his way, and crashes in front of his new squadron. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex.

To the Honor of the Fleet by Robert H. Pilpel.
RC 14729.
Sweeping naval saga set in the early years of World War 1. While the battle rages in Europe, President Wilson sends two United States Naval observers to the British and German fleets. A daring scheme is devised that forces the two Americans into a painful choice between personal honor and duty to country. Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex.

Through the Wheat by Thomas Boyd.
RC 22001.
Moving through a wheat field in France, an American Marine enters battle during World War 1. This account reduces the horror of war and the experience of a hero-in-the-making to human terms.

Three Soldiers by John Dos Passos.
RC 16423.
Eloquent tirade against the misery and degradation of life in the American army during World War 1. Dominant symbol is the military machine which rules over the individual and leaves him without hope. Some strong language.

Supply of Heroes by James Carroll.
RC 25078.
Two Irishmen fight for their country according to the dictates of their consciences. With unquestioning loyalty to England, Captain Douglas Tyrrell leads his Irish regiment against the German trenches on the French battlefields of World War 1. For Dublin revolutionary Daniel Curry, the Great War is a God-sent opportunity to loosen Britain 's grip on Ireland . Sister of one and lover of the other, Jane is forced to choose sides. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex.

The Middle of Fortune by Frederic Manning.
RC 16701.
Novel about World War 1 first published anonymously in England in 1929 because of its frank language. Focusing on the brutality futility of war, it evokes the desperation, weariness, and emotional exhaustion of the men in the trenches. Strong language.

Lusitania by David Butler.
RC 55539, BR 5375.
Fictional account of the 1915 bombing of the Lusitania, a passenger ship traveling from the United States to Europe, during World War 1. Romance and political intrigue occupy the travelers until a German U-boat strikes, killing more than a thousand and throwing the rest into the sea. Explicit descriptions of sex.

The Lion at Sea by Max Hennessy.
RC 51322.
The bold adventures of midshipman Kelly Maguire of the Royal Navy during World War 1. He begins the war aboard an obsolete battle cruiser and is captured by the Turks after Gallipoli. Escaping, Maguire is later involved in the Battle of Jutland. Kelly Maguire, Book 1.Series Code: MAK. Some violence and some strong language.

Into the Battle by Dobrica Cosic.
RC 40847.
The first volume of an epic account of World War 1 in Serbia. The Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Archduchess von Hohenberg are assassinated on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo. Although Serbia denies any part in the act, this action so threatens the good, neighborly relations between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, that the citizens must prepare for war. This Land, This Time, Book 1. Series Code: TLT.Strong language and some violence.