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Published Apr 2016
192 pages
Genre: Short Stories
Publication Information
With his harrowing debut, Luke Mogelson provides an unsentimental, unflinching glimpse into the lives of those forever changed by war. Subtle links between these ten powerful stories magnify the consequences of combat for both soldiers and civilians, as the violence experienced abroad echoes through their lives in America.
Troubled veterans first introduced as criminals in "To the Lake" and "Visitors" are shown later in "New Guidance" and "Kids," during the deployments that shaped their futures. A seemingly minor soldier in "New Guidance" becomes the protagonist of "A Human Cry," where his alienation from society leads to a shocking confrontation. The fate of a hapless Gulf War veteran who reenlists in "Sea Bass" is revealed in "Peacetime," the story of a New York City medic's struggle with his inurement to calamity . A shady contractor job gone wrong in "A Beautiful Country" is a news item for a reporter in "Total Solar," as he navigates the surreal world of occupied Kabul. Shifting in time and narrative perspective - from the home front to active combat, between experienced leaders, flawed infantrymen, a mother, a child, an Afghan-American translator, and a foreign correspondent - these stories offer a multifaceted examination of the unexpected costs of war.
Here is an evocative, deep work that charts the legacy of an unprecedented conflict, and the burdens of those it touched. Written with remarkable empathy and elegance, These Heroic, Happy Dead heralds the arrival of an extraordinary new talent.
"Starred Review. Mogelson shows impressive range and restraint in an area - war-related fiction - in which physical and emotional extremes have been too readily deployed and exploited." - Kirkus
"Mogelson follows a traditional story structure throughout, often feathering in backstory in expected ways, and his narratives remain compelling. Hope is hard to come by in this collection, but the stories will linger with the reader." - Publishers Weekly
"We can now induct Luke Mogelson into that vital band of warrior storytellers - from Tim O'Brien and Michael Herr to Phil Klay and Elliot Ackerman - who, with great eloquence and moral courage, have labored, on both the battlefield and the page, to keep America honest about its foolish wars." - Bob Shacochis
"Reminiscent of Hemingways' In Our Time, These Heroic, Happy Dead is an extraordinary debut, and it deserves a wide and appreciative audience." - Ron Rash
"A stunning debut from a major talent; this book is up there with the best of modern war stories, from Hemingway to Tim O'Brien. This is a book which is going to last." - Philipp Meyer
This information about These Heroic, Happy Dead was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Luke Mogelson is a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine and a recipient of the National Magazine Award in 2014. His fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The Hudson Review, The Missouri Review, and The Kenyon Review. Mogelson served as a medic in the 69th Infantry, New York Army National Guard, from 2007 to 2010.
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