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First Blood

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First Blood

By: David Morrell
Narrated by: Eric G. Dove
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About this listen

"HIS NAME WAS RAMBO AND HE WAS JUST SOME NOTHING KID FOR ALL ANYBODY KNEW."

The award-winning novel that inspired the legendary film series starring Sylvester Stallone.

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 have seen the Rambo movies, but those who haven't read the book are in for a surprise - a critically acclaimed story of character, action, and compassion.

©2000 David Morell (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc. Action & Adventure Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction

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All stars
Most relevant  
a reflection of the Vietnam era and society attitudes to it..
well read..
much better than the film...

Don't push me...

worth it... much more in depth character study .

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It's nice to get the full pic of how David Morrell wanted rambo to come across and how he became
Skip chapter 1 and play it at the end

Nice in site on a classic

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Super book which is very very different to the movie, in a good way. I loved the movie but this, despite being similar in many ways, was different in many too, much to its credit.

The real Rambo story

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With perfectly competent narration and a good story that you (sort of) know from the movie, this book is far better than it has any right to be. By that I mean that it is skilfully written, has something to say that’s worth saying and it draws you into the heads of the two protagonists so completely that you don’t know who to root for; or even if rooting for either or both of them is a morally sound decision. And it achieves this despite being far more, “schlocky,” and violent than the movie version.
Unlike the movie adaptation, Police Chief Teisel is as sympathetic and complex a character as his nemesis, Rambo; who in turn, is more flawed and interesting than his on screen depiction.
Without the poetic colour of a Cormac McCarthy, or the deceptively eloquent plain speaking of a George Orwell, the author’s straight forward approach to prose is nevertheless clever enough to draw the reader into the parallel internal worlds of both protagonists and making their internal dialogues ironically similar, yet opposite at the same time. Both carry baggage from their respective war services and both, when under stress, see their psyches split into opposing, argumentative characters, leaving them to battle with themselves as much as each other.
And, amid all of the brutal action, it makes for a cracking good story with an ending that feels far truer and, somehow, more inevitable, than the very entertaining, if flawed, movie version. Well worth the price of admission.

Better Than You’re Expecting

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I really enjoyed First Blood, David Morrell's story at the beginning is very inspiring, EricG.Dove did a great job with the narration:)

Really enjoyed this book

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Incredible. Please skip past the introduction as it ruined the end for me. Very disappointed at the spoilers within the introduction, this is a very different story to the movie. So much better.

Incredible. Please skip past the introduction chapter as it ruined the end for me.

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I enjoyed this. Quite different from the film but also the same. If you like Rambo you’ll enjoy this.

Very good

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I have seen Rambo movie many times but this was very interesting and kept me wanting to listen more to it!
Driving from work to home I was hoping for slower driving pace simply to listen to 2-3 mins more!
What a book and what a story teller!
Thumbs up

Great hit

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As others have said, skip chapter 1 and listen to it at the end to avoid spoilers.
I was unsure whether to purchase as it seemed a little short compared to most books I listen to but it was worth the credit - really great story told from alternating perspectives.

Great to hear the original version

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Having only seen the movies, I was expecting Morrell's book to fall into one of the two usual categories when it comes to the book that a film or series was based on: A heavy literary work where the film only takes inspiration from the themes (see Heart of Darkness Vs Apocalypse Now), or a lacklustre book that at least has a decent idea that would translate well to moving pictures. But I found that First Blood is neither.
Instead the book falls into a third category. Fans of the movie will find much to love in the source material, as the film very faithfully adapts moth characteristics and story beats of the original. But the book also adds a lot to the story, especially where is concerned with the two main antagonistic characters, Rambo and Teasle.

In the film, Rambo is very clearly painted as the hero, the "one in the right". And Teasle, by contrast, is portrayed as a backwards, mean sheriff who abuses his authority to make Rambo's life hard for no reason. While initially the setup and their relationship is very similar in Morrell's book, it very quickly becomes much more ambiguous as to who is actually in the right. It's a situation that continually escalates because the two are so similar and cannot back down.

From a writing perspective it is extremely enjoyable and vividly described without losing steam. The performers is equally fantastic. Something that could so easily be written off as action schlock and pulp instead surprises as a very deep and thought through novel, that conveys it's complex message in a very manageable and understandable way. Highly recommended.

Surprisingly good

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