Declarations of War

This is a rare collection of stories for two reasons: 1) it is Len Deighton's only collection of short fiction, and 2) all of the stories were written specifically for inclusion in this collection, rather than being reprints from magazines and other publications. Each story takes a look at "life on the ground" in conflicts across history. The strongest stories are those involving British troops, particularly "Brent's Deus Ex Machina." This collection is particularly recommended for those who read and enjoyed Deighton's novel Bomber, because the story "Action" exhibits the same sort of seamless blending of memories with the present day.

The 2010 HarperCollins paperback edition includes a brief note from the cover designer and an show more illuminating introduction by Deighton explaining how the collection came into being. show less

A collection of short stories specifically written for this book. They all feature some aspect of war - almost all of them cover the first world war, though there are a couple in the 2nd and two set elsewhere. Frontline infantry or airforce are the obvious targets.

As a selection it is interestingly varied in tone, feel and setting. However none of the stories really stand out. Thjey all lack the finishing punch that a expert short story writer can achieve. There is no twist in any of them. They would each probably work as novellas or even full novels - which would not be the case for most short stories. Deighton does a good job in character and world building though creating intreresting people within just a few pages.

Each of the show more stories is short, no more than five pages or so long.

Readable, but nothing special show less

Not my favourite Deighton, but it has a place in any collections of his work. I'm sure it was gathered up to make more money from some ill-paid earlier works