Moving away from the ancient world and into the 20th century seems to have served Steven Pressfield quite well. Many readers may be unfamiliar with the Long Range Desert Group (popularized in the 1960s TV series The Rat Patrol), but this powerful, thoroughly researched novel should change that. Pressfield creates the same edge-of-your-seat drama, remarkable battle scenes, and strong characters that populate his acclaimed novels of ancient warfare. Chapman contemplates war as he learns to fight a...

Second novel in a row that I did not finish, after "Child 44." This one was well-written, but entirely too military-history for me. The only dialogue was of the "Right ho, there chap!" variety.

Non Vi Sed Arte -- Not by Strength, by Guile is the motto of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG). This original “special forces” unit fought in the North African desert against the Germans, Italians and the desert itself during WWII. If you like your historical fiction heavy on the history and light on the fiction, then Killing Rommel is for you. I give it 4 Stars but might bump it up later. I was not impressed at the start but the middle was excellent and it was sooo good at the end. From Pr

Excellent The book made the fighting in the desert in WWII realistic and on a small scale. As you read you can feel the power of the desert and the difficulty of not just surviving but of fighting there. But best of all is how human the soldiers are fighting each other. A fine and meaningful book.

Every bit as good and non-put-downable as Pressfield's Gates of Fire. Both intricately detailed and emotionally satisfying account of the allies improbable push-back victory against the forces of Erwin Rommel, the "Desert Fox."The book follows the exploits of a Long Range Desert Group patrol in the vast North African deserts in 1942-3. The group is tasked with a seemingly-impossible mission: infiltrate behind German lines and kill Rommel. It turns into a nail-biting saga of survival, as these se...

Not sure why the author keeps on about panzers running on diesel. All german tanks in ww2, particularly the panzer IIIs and IVs ran on petrol/gasoline. Also the mention of panzerfaust usage in North Africa is incongruous as North African campaign was over (may, 1943) by time panzerfaust was introduced in august 1943. Sloppy research at times.Some good bits, especially the end, but there's a lot of filler too.

Loved it! A ripping yarn indeed!

Read this book in 2008, and its a standalone book about WWII in North Africa and a decisive battle.This tale is set in the years AD 1942-1943, in North Africa with Field Marshall Rommel and his Afrika Corps.Against Rommel the British are finding it hard to stop these Germans, their 8th already routed, and now in a desperate attempt they will try a new tactic.With the war in the balance, the British will develop a plan to create a small force behind enemy lines, and that force will create a blow

An enjoyable story from WW2 in North Africa, of which previously I have read little. However, it's not all military jargon and unit names. There are personal stories from the author and his civilian acquaintances that soften the war gyrations.The importance of the campaign maps to keep track of the action and the North African names can't be understated.

Initially I was a little uncertain about "Killing Rommel"; it read like something written in the postwar 50s... it felt dated. The language was quaint and the characters a little too public-school British as though just come down off the cinema screen during a showing of "Brief Encounter" or "In Which We Serve". I was brought round by the thrill of travelling behind enemy lines in the harsh environment of the North African desert. This was the real hero of the book, that (cliche) unforgiving, un...

Historical fiction One British officer's story as part of a special forces unit in North Africa during WWII.

Don't be put off by the sensational title, this is actually a gripping action story set in North Africa during the Second World War. It tells the story of a raid by the Long Range Desert Group. While the truck in which out hero travels is fictional, the LRDG figures and their exploits are all true. The hardware is well described, and the characters are finely drawn and described. For a book of almost constant action and adventure the ending [which I won't spoil for you] is surprisingly poignant

Excellent book. A little difficult to follow all the names and terms in the beginning but it falls together nicely. An extreme tear jerker in the end. In a good way. This is not a spoiler. Loved the book. I also read the Book mentioned in this book as the definitive book on Rommel. But that was many years ago.

Erwin Rommel, the legendary panzer general wreaked havok on the British Army in North Africa as he pressed his advance toward Palestine and the oil fields beyond. A special British unit was tasked with taking him out. This is the story of their attempt.Pressfield, who also wrote Gates of Fire about the Battle of Thermopylae, works hard to keep the story interesting while trying to adhere to a realistic portrayal of war. War has been described as mainly periods of boredom occasionally punctuated

Very realistic fictionalized journal, April 16, 2017Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Killing Rommel: A Novel (Kindle Edition)This is not an ordinary historical novel. Instead, it is a fictionalized journal/memoir of a WW2 British tank officer in North Africa who is seconded to the Long Range Desert Group on a mission to kill Rommel. In this journal format, Pressfield delivers an accurate account of tank warfare in the desert and the activities of the Long Range Desert Group, t...

If you know your history, then you are aware that despite the title they don't actually kill Rommel during the North Africa campaign, unless Pressfield opts for a Tarantino revision of the history. Fortunately, he stays true to historical events, introducing a fictional element within the very real British Long Range Desert Group or LRDG. For Gates of Fire fans, if you are looking for an epic climax similar to what you find in his story of the 300, you may be disappointed. But if you would like

I got an advanced copy of this and tore through it last weekend. It was a memoir style account of desert warfare in world war 2, and a fascinating and realistic account of what it was like. A little heavier on logistics (names/places/etc) in a few places than I would have liked, but that did make it seem very real.I loved the descriptions of Rommel's tank tactics: "tied in forces will hold and forces in the air will run". It was also interesting to note that most of the special ops were doing re...

I wanted to like it more than I did. Perhaps I was distracted and not processing as clearly as normal but found myself lost among the characters. Names with no faces limited my emotional attachment to the story. The author though did a great job capturing the ocean-like experience of fighting in the desert and the courage of LRDG.

For me personally, this book is exactly what I like to read for personal enjoyment. I say this for several reasons. First, it is not just a novel, Killing Rommel is indeed a work of fiction but the battles, locations, and key characters are all historically accurate. Second, the author's writing style and handling of the events covered makes for a gripping story that keeps the reader turning pages. Finally, I love a book that is entertaining but still teaches me something I didn't know about his...

Pressfield writes novels based on historical events, such as the very popular Gates of Fire. In this book we follow a young Englishman's exploits in North Africa at the beginning of WWII. Although trained as a tank commander he finagles a slot with a long range recon time, Desert Rat style, on a raid to kill Rommel. Needless to say, this fails but the story is action packed and well written. Pressfield tries to explain the horror and the attraction of war to certain men through this narrative. O...