The Advisor (Cô-Vân)
The Advisor happens to be set during the Vietnam War, but its message is universally applicable — the characters could be State Department, Peace Corps, or soldiers in Bosnia.
What sets The Advisor apart from many other novels written about Vietnam? This provocative story deals with the complexities of being an advisor to foreigners in wartime: a clash of cultures, combat action and political intrigue. Played out through Viet Cong as well as American and South Vietnamese characters, the book narrates both sides of that strange war.
More than just an action-adventure story, The Advisor is driven by historical intrigue, gripping drama, and haunting romance suffused with the mystery and seduction of the orient. It begins in the summer of 1972, the last year of the war, before the U.S. military left South Vietnam, and ends in 1975 when the last Americans are evacuated. This metaphoric novel challenges the Domino Theory — the premise of the Vietnam War, while spinning a tale of protecting the Long Tau Channel, the most strategic waterway in the campaign.
We earn a commission for purchases made through the following links.
Book details
- Author
- Carl Nelson
- Imprint
- Turner Publishing Company
- Published
- Pages
- 240
- Formats
- Hardcover, Paperback
- Subjects
- Fiction › War & Military
- Topics
- Vietnam War · military advisor · cultural clash · war fiction · historical fiction · political intrigue · romance · US military
- ISBN-13
- 9781563115134 (Hardcover)9781681624242 (Paperback)
About the author
CARL NELSON is a decorated Navy veteran who served more than thirty-three years, rising from enlisted sailor to captain, and has published eight non-fiction books and three novels, including Secret Players and Madam President and the Admiral across his career.
Nelson’s novel Secret Players was named Best Thriller of 2003 by the San Diego Book Awards Association, and Madam President and the Admiral was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. His war decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with combat V, two Air Medals, and the Combat Action Medal.
When he’s not writing, Nelson draws on four tours of duty in the Vietnam War, including a year as senior advisor to the commander of combat riverine operations in the Rung Sat Special Zone. Much of his work reflects that firsthand military experience.
Carl lives in San Diego.