This is a very engaging book that I highly recommend to anyone interested in a unique view of the insurgent wars in South Africa in the 1980s, military life, and a gay man's experience in a very hostile environment. The main character is a remarkable and irresistible mosaic of poet-intellectual and hardened fearless infantryman. He has a aesthetic sensibility that is almost gay stereotype, but with a gritty unrelenting determination to standup for himself and survive that is inspiring. The book has elements that remind me of Hemingway in its macho toughness, Alex Baldwin in its sexual and romantic tension, and National Geographic in its descriptions of the landscape. There is no overt sex in the book, but van der Merwe creates of few instances of incredible eroticism. The prose is a little repetitive, particularly in the descriptions of the hardships of boot-camp life, and the ending is a little convenient and abrupt. That said, I recommend this book without reservation. There is a wink and a nod at the end of the story about a second book ("but that is another story.)" I hope this second book becomes a reality, and soon!