MATTERHORN

Narrator Bronson Pinchot should get a medal for his extraordinary portrayal of Lieutenant Waino Mellas in Marlantes’s debut novel. The author, a former Marine and decorated Vietnam veteran, tells a heartrending, nerve-jangling story of war. Pinchot breathes life into each member of Mellas’s Bravo Company as they inch their way up a strategic mountain in the middle of the Vietnam War. Pinchot allows a tinge of regret to creep into his voice as the men are sprayed with “harmless” Agent Orange and face one seemingly exhausting task after another. A surprise attack by a wily jungle cat heightens the eeriness of the tension-filled environment, a quality that is perfectly matched by Pinchot’s performance. R.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2010]