The Praetorians, Jean Larteguy
The Praetorians, Jean Larteguy
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The Praetorians

Author: Jean Larteguy, General Stanley A. McChrystal, Xan Fielding

Narrator: Paul Woodson

Unabridged: 13 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/11/2022


Synopsis

Jean Lartéguy's unflinching sequel to The Centurions, a searing novel of modern warfare admired by military experts, with a foreword by General Stanley McChrystal

Based on the events of May 1958 in France and Algeria, The Praetorians picks up in the footsteps of The Centurions, which was called "a stunning reflection of modern war" by Stanley McChrystal. After turning to tactics of guerilla warfare, a group of French paratroopers serving in the Algerian War is called to answer for actions they consider necessary, however immoral. Fearing another loss of French honor, they plot a coup that results in the return to power of Charles de Gaulle and the death of one of their own. With resonance to modern conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, The Praetorians further develops some of Lartéguy's most persistent and pertinent themes: counterinsurgency, the ugly, morally conflicted nature of modern war, and the seemingly unbridgeable gulf between the experiences of soldiers and of the civilians they serve.


About Jean Larteguy

Jean Larteguy (1920-2011) is the pen name of Jean Pierre Lucien Osty, who served as a soldier in Korea and North Africa before becoming a distinguished journalist and novelist.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Liam

I have only read this in translation (despite the fact that the only copy I own is the original French-language first edition), as my French is limited at best... I hope to change that at some point (hopefully sooner rather than later) so I can not only read this in the original language, but also s......more

Goodreads review by Corto

I never made it through this book. I was lacking too much context. I think this book requires an in-depth knowledge of French-Algerian politics of the time. It was difficult to stay with. I do recommend Larteguy’s “The Centurions” though.......more

Goodreads review by William

I read the Centurions for a book club recently and unexpectedly really liked it. So I picked up this sequel. The short review is that I enjoyed it, but not as much as Centurions. Centurions told the story of a squad of French paratroopers taken captive in the Indo-China war, their resistance to commu......more