If there is an anti-war message involved it is this psychic cost of war. But these emotional issues are not unique to war. There are untold numbers of people trapped in the same way as Heck who have never seen combat or the horrors of war. The power of Articles comes from the way it captures the emotions and thoughts that play out in our heads. One doesn't have to share the characters' experiences or feelings in total in order to recognize the reality they represent. The story makes an impact because although we know the author made it up, it nevertheless contains truth.

Articles of War is a sparse, tightly written, and at times gripping story about human emotions pushed to the extreme. It is amazing how much punch Arvin packs into a story less than 180 pages long. Comparisons to Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage are natural given that Arvin, like Crane, is a young man without combat experience and yet has written an incredibly realistic portrait of war. One can only hope that Arvin doesn't share Crane's tragic fate of dying at a young age. I hope to see much more from this talented writer. I highly recommend Articles of War; it is much more than simply a book about war.