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First Blood

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First Blood

By: David Morrell
Narrated by: Eric G. Dove
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"HIS NAME WAS RAMBO AND HE WAS JUST SOME NOTHING KID FOR ALL ANYBODY KNEW."

The award-winning novel that inspired the legendary film series starring Sylvester Stallone.

First came the man: a young wanderer in a fatigue coat and long hair. Then came the legend, as John Rambo sprang from the pages of FIRST BLOOD to take his place in the American cultural landscape. This remarkable novel pits a young Vietnam veteran against a small-town cop who doesn't know whom he's dealing with - or how far Rambo will take him into a life-and-death struggle through the woods, hills, and caves of rural Kentucky.

Millions have seen the Rambo movies, but those who haven't read the book are in for a surprise - a critically acclaimed story of character, action, and compassion.

©2000 David Morell (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc. Action & Adventure Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Suspense Thriller & Suspense Feel-Good
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Character Development • Dual Perspectives • Philosophical Depth • Complex Protagonists • Gripping Action

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Where does First Blood rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I think I would have to say in my top 25.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I wouldn't go so far as to say the edge of my seat good, but it was enjoyable. This Rambo was one bad mother (shut your mouth) type of guy that was just pushed too far. And he showed the sheriff that he was the wrong drifter to go and mess with.

What does Eric G. Dove bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Like what i say every time, that when you have a good narrator it brings the characters to life and Mr. Dove did a good job on his part.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The movie tag line that was used in 1982 works just fine in my opinion "This time he's fighting for his life."

Any additional comments?

It's pretty much the same as the movie, except that he kills a butt load of guys in this book than what he did in the first Rambo movie. I still enjoyed listening to the book and I'm a fan of the movie too.

They shouldn't have messed with Rambo!!!

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i am not one to ever comment on these but this book was awesome asfuck

new favorite book

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Any additional comments?

It's hard to comment very much without including spoilers so I won't other than to say that you might want to skip the authors intro, because he should have put it at the end of the book instead of the beginning since there's a couple substantial spoilers in the intro. It's interesting because he gives the history of the book and the movie, but he does go into it more than he should have at the beginning of this book.

As my title says. This is quite a bit different than the movie if that's your only knowledge of this story. It takes place in KY instead of WA and this Rambo, the Sheriff, and the Colonel are far different than the characters in the movie.

As for comparing one version to the other. I like both versions on their own merit, and don't see any reason to try to weigh which one is better because they just take a different view of things the same way that the movies version of The Shining did with the book version...Separate, but both really good stories

What A Difference

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This was very well written and performed. The ending is not what I expected; it was depressing. I can see why Hollywood changed it.

Very different than the movie

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First Blood and to a larger extent the Rambo Movies were very important to me when I was growing up. I hadn't seen them in a long time, but I remember hearing that it was originally based on a book. I found this book, and it was everything I hoped it would be. It deepened my appreciation for the movies with the exception of 3. After finishing the book I watched first blood part 1, and it was interesting to see what was done differently than what happened in the book. In the book Rambo kills more people, and more importantly the police chief is a more developed character. It's more about Rambo playing the role of guerilla fighter, and the police chief being an organized unit. As Morrell says it brings the Vietnam war to the small town in Kentucky. The movie and book place certain difficulties on Rambo that sort of balance out. Ultimately I can say that this book is not better or worse than the movie. I only have one complaint. The Narrator doesn't have the best Southern accent.

Just as good as I thought it would be

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