Product Description

First came the man: a young wanderer in a fatigue coat and long hair. Then came the legend, as John Rambo sprang from the pages of FIRST BLOOD to take his place in the American cultural landscape. This remarkable novel pits a young Vietnam veteran against a small-town cop who doesn't know whom he's dealing with -- or how far Rambo will take him into a life-and-death struggle through the woods, hills, and caves of rural Kentucky.

Millions saw the Rambo movies, but those who haven't read the book that started it all are in for a surprise -- a critically acclaimed story of character, action, and compassion.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16571 in Books
• Published on: 2000-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
My father was killed during World War II, shortly after I was born in 1943. My mother had difficulty raising me and at the same time holding a job, so she put me in an orphanage and later in a series of boarding homes. I grew up unsure of who I was, desperately in need of a father figure. Books and movies were my escape. Eventually I decided to be a writer and sought help from two men who became metaphorical fathers to me: Stirling Silliphant, the head writer for the classic TV series "Route 66" about two young men in a Corvette who travel America in search of themselves, and Philip Klass (whose pen name is William Tenn), a novelist who taught at the Pennsylvania State University where I went to graduate school from 1966 to 1970. The result of their influence is my 1972 novel, First Blood, which introduced Rambo. The search for a father is prominent in that book, as it is in later ones, most notably The Brotherhood of the Rose (1984), a thriller about orphans and spies. During this period, I was a professor of American literature at the University of Iowa. With two professions, I worked seven days a week until exhaustion forced me to make a painful choice and resign from the university in 1986. One year later, my fifteen-year-old son, Matthew, died from bone cancer, and thereafter my fiction tended to depict the search for a son, particularly in Fireflies (1988) and Desperate Measures (1994). To make a new start, my wife and I moved to the mountains and mystical light of Santa Fe, New Mexico, where my work changed yet again, exploring the passionate relationships between men and women, highlighting them against a background of action as in the newest, Burnt Sienna. To give his stories a realistic edge, he has been trained in wilderness survival, hostage negotiation, executive protection, antiterrorist driving, assuming identities, electronic surveillance, and weapons. A former professor of American literature at the University of Iowa, Morrell now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Customer Reviews

Well, it's Rambo.
Pretty much what I expected for Rambo. I preferred the movie, though, which is rare. To me, the conflict between the sherriff and Rambo was a little ridiculous. I didn`t like the sherriff much.

Morrell's Best
this book is way better than the movie. the way that morrell write is pretty good. you know the character better and the action and thrill are great. i recommand it to not only rambo fan, but every reader.

What one could never imagine.....
"First Blood" tells the story of a young man named Rambo. Rambo,a former Green Beret of the Vietnam War,endured some of the most brutal and fearful experiences while in Vietnam. Now,Rambo has become a grimy vagrant. The only one thing that Rambo wants to do now? Settle down in the small,peaceful town of Madison,Kentucky.

However,upon Rambo's arrival in Madison,things take a quick and rough turn around the corner. This is when the Sheriff of Madison,Wilfred Teasle,throws Rambo out of Madison. A veteran of the Korean War who's accomplishments and respect in Korea are supplemented by his accomplishments and respect in Madison,Teasle isn't going to let a Vietnam vagrant come in and destroy a thing.

Yet,despite that,Rambo is a young man who has been through hell and back. Nobody is going to stand in his way,and nobody is going to push him back over the edge. And once Wilfred Teasle,his colleagues,and his non-colleagues discover this,the next few days of their lives are going to be as turbulent as they will be one thing:forever changed.

"First Blood" is one of the most intelligently crafted novels ***ever*** written. A brilliant concept used for the plot,"First Blood" takes both the concept and the plot and bring them to life. This is by the pages of "First Blood" having exhilarating action that remains true to that of the Vietnam War,blending that in with the regular action required by the story. Add all of that in together with the impeccable character chemistry of "First Blood" that is used in both the action and non-action scenes. This,right here,is the heart and soul of "First Blood". It gives "First Blood" a large amount of true and original life. It richly executes all of the ideas,concepts,and "scenes" in "First Blood" to the fullest. Everything there,alongside how "First Blood" takes on the issues of civil disobedience,the Vietnam War,and what serving in Vietnam did to some people(by the way in which the character of Rambo was written)and works them in both keenly and appropriately,with "First Blood",you have an astounding work of art.

There are actually three versions of "First Blood" available:the original 1972 hardback printing,the 1973 paperback printing,and the current paperback printing that was re-released in 2000. If you want an easy and convenient time in getting your copy of "First Blood",just buy the current paperback printing. It happens to come with an introduction by David Morrell,something not included in the original novel. However,if you want to discover "First Blood" in its fullest talent,search out either the 1972 or 1973 printing. Not only will you being hanging onto a collector's item(the original printings being out of print,the way the novel's success sank to the very bottom in the 80's after Ronald Reagan's joke pertaining to the "Rambo" films and now knowing what to do the next time a terrorist/hostage crisis arose was taken seriously by a foreign newspaper,and,to a certain aspect,the drawing of Rambo on the cover,the comparisons between how differently David Morrell and Sylvester Stallone "documented" Rambo being present and recognized),you get to discover "First Blood" in its very original context:the intruiging thing being that it was released around the era of Vietnam,during the Nixon administration.

Overall,writing at its very best. Whether you are or are not a fan of the "Rambo" films,if you are an avid reader,"First Blood" is one novel that you don't want to miss out on. No fiction novel ever had so much life to it--no fiction novel ever had such a strong look at important and controversial issues,either.