Show Tragic Picture Of OJ Modern War WarIs Is Painted By New Writer By DALE L. L MORGAN With the war drums of the world beating a more furious chorus every hour the publication of a book like Humphrey Cobbs Cobb's Paths of Glory is a peculiarly important event The novel was published in June by the Vanguard press and we recommend it to everyone everyone everyone ev ev- ev- ev as a strong and revealing light upon a significant subject The book is a first novel dealing dealing dealing deal deal- ing with the World war and we can recall no other war novel which has made a more more profound impression upon us Of course any such comment must inevitably invite invite in in- vite comparison with I All Quiet On the Western Front i and perhaps the latter is the finer book from the standards of literary criticism but when reading it one is always conscious of the complete strangeness of the scenes and at at- In other words the tragic drama never quite seems to reach the dimensions of l life e it is isso isso isso so realistic that it fails in the elect effect of realism Cobbs Cobb's n novel vel on the other hand is grippingly human essentially personal s s the publishers say it has the greatness of a universal theme The plot itself is simply th the story of a futile attack upon an impregnable impregnable impregnable im im- im- im pregnable German position and of the aftermath of the failure The i attack being beaten back with terrible terrible terrible ter ter- ter- ter loss the commanding general general general gen gen- eral beside himself with rage and humiliation orders four men shot for mutiny The book ends with the executions Upon so slender a basis is the novel built but this very simplicity simplicity simplicity simpli simpli- city this unity of tone increases the storys story's power No one who reads leads it will ever quite forg forget t the feeling evoked by the terrible con con- In form perhaps the novel is a atrick atrick atrick trick tour de force but the glimpses into the minds of the soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers and more particularly into the minds of the condemned men I are unforgettable Paths j i Glory may not touch the he heigh of greatness but it is a brim brilli a J and timely novel an important achievement It recreate recreates hell and one who through t book experiences that hell hardly forget it |