Review by Aaron Hanna
This is a Reader Review!

Both credible and incredible in detail.

Not a war story or a love story, just a really GOOD story about a believable guy and his all too believable experiences in the two turbulent worlds of combat and relationships.

Congrats to Mr. Seeley on his triumph.

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Review by James Rogers
This is a Reader Review!

Object lessons in crisp dialogue, marvelous characterizations, and surprising jolts of intense action are just a few of the pleasures of Enfilade by James Seeley, who takes us on a whirlwind tour of an Army base in Vietnam in 1966. The denizens of the base guide the reader through the emotional spectrum, from joy (Lieutenant Hope and Ching Wa) to misery (the chaplain’s sexual dilemma, the utterly stressed-out Lieutenant Varner) to sheer panic (the outbreak of gunfire at a concert and the ensuing mass hysteria is a treasure). There are heroes, scoundrels and cowards, with the protagonist, Lieutenant Hope, managing to fit into all three categories within his first day at the post. Some, such as Polly Anderson, find redemption. Others, like the conniving Sergeant Ducky, meet their just desserts—although by then I’d grown so fond of the wicked sergeant I was sorry to see him go.

Mr. Seeley has a great eye for detail, especially as regards the minutiae of military life. His insights into Army bureaucracy are unnerving (and, unfortunately, probably accurate). For example: “The discharge of a fire extinguisher required a report. That report had to go through the Company Safety Officer, the Company Commander, the Battalion Safety Officer, the Battalion Commander, the First Log Command Safety Officer, and straight to the desk of a brigadier general. It had to explain in detail the reason for the extinguisher's use, the duration of that use, the manner in which it performed, its location in relation to the fire, and so on. The full name of the person who had authorized the use of the extinguisher, and his reasons, in detail, for doing so were also required. A person might be able to get away with murder, but the unauthorized use of a fire extinguisher was a very serious matter.”

Then there is his homage to “trash engineering”. His description of the troops’ Rube Goldberg method for keeping beer cold is amazing—and hilarious. The writing is first-rate. Among my favorite quotes: “The men inched back, heads rippling like the skin on the neck of a cow when bitten by a horsefly.” “When Maureen quavered toward natural C, her left breast shimmied toward her throat. When she rendered an E, the right one trickled toward her navel, which peeped through a strategic orifice in her midriff inappropriately likened to the eye of Buster Brown's dog Tyge.” ‘"You know, Bill," Tubbman continued, pouring each of them another shot, "you've made some pretty mean enemies in this man's army. But you did it with an utter lack of style. I like that. I admire a man who pees on his neighbor's dog before he shoots it. It proves his contempt is uncorrupted."’ “In its place now were three gunships flying in tight formation, rotors rhythmically clubbing the air.” (a perfect description) There are eerie moments where levity and horror are combined, such as this one-sided transmission overheard on the radio: "His head's blown off, don't you understand... no, no, he's dead, too... I am... that's right, I'm in charge now, Red Ryder... Specialist Fourth Class Randall McMurty.. .roger, I'm the radio man, everybody else is dead...."

The names of the characters, while fanciful, are dead-on target: B.S. Hope, Sergeant Ducky, Colonel Piltdown and (my favorite) Chaplain Charlie. The novel is also very much about those immortal opponents: the clever and the clueless. The descriptions of Hope’s confusion, Banner’s ethical conundrums and Anderson’s desolation in the face of grief and loss of hope are moral expositions worthy of philosophers. I could go on. Suffice to say: read this book. As in the best of literature, it will linger with the reader. I’m still dwelling upon the scene when Banner breaks the chalice, and its ramifications for all of us.

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