Starlight:

Many good Vietnam war novels fall into two classes: the highly realistic narrative of men in combat and the surrealistic or even supernatural approach to this most surrealistic of wars. This ambitious and exciting first novel can be placed into the latter category, although with some very chilling moments of realism as well. Tom Light is a legend in Vietnam, a loner who goes into the bush to snipe at the enemy with his rifle and starlight viewfinder. Feared by American troops as a harbinger of doom, Light is unwelcome at any firebase or camp. But one frightened young soldier named Jackson strikes a pact with Light, befriending him in return for a guarantee of safety, which he believes Light, with his mystical viewfinder, can provide. Plunging from absurd to hallucinatory, this is a consistently electrifying novel and a powerful debut. (April 6)