© 1961 – Fredric Brown
Published for the first time in the collection Nightmares and Geezenstacks in 1961, this very short story by Fredric Brown tells the fight lead by a soldier in the war opposing the Whites (his camp) against the Blacks (the enemy). The dreadful losses suffered by his camp make him wonder about the absurdity of war and the death of many companions on the battlefield. But anyway, what really matters is victory !
My opinion
War is a huge chess game. Then, Fredric Brown took this assertion to the letter and turned it over: a chess game, after all, is a huge battle, ruthless, whose the only objective is the final victory, whatever it costs, whatever would be the sacrifices.
This short story, when we quickly understand the motive, is absolutely enjoyable and we become fond of this soldier enlisted in a new kind of war whose ending is finally very unfair.
I advise you to read this story as soon as possible !
Loading ...