"First Blood" is one of my favorite movies, has been since I was a kid! Sylvester Stallone played a great John Rambo and I don't think any actor could have done it better, but thats the movie version...

"First Blood" by David Morrell is a great book and after reading it for the first time, I can tell you the movie is very, very loosely based off the novel.

Morrell's main character (Rambo) and the movie Rambo are really nothing alike. In the book, he is referred to as Rambo or the kid, there is no mention ever of his first name being John. The book takes place in Kentucky, not the Pacific Northwest and in the book Rambo does'nt carry 14' survival knife. In the movie version Rambo only kills one person that you know for sure (accidentally, when he throws the rock at the helicopter and the deputy falls out), in the book, his death toll is in double digits by the end. Alot of the great, famous lines from the movie "they drew first blood, not me", are not in the book. Colonel Trautman nevers talks to Rambo once in the book, whereas in the movies they are friends.

The book really explains both characters points of view well, breaking down Sheriff Teasle and Rambo to the point where you really dont know who to root for towards the end of the book. Both men are war heros, both refuse to give up or back down.

A really good chase novel from start to finish, keeps you on the edge of your seat!

A must read for all "Rambo" fans and anyone who likes a great action novel, I really enjoyed this book~

** WARNING **
At the beginning of the paperback version of "First Blood", there is a section called (Rambo & Me) written by the author in 2000. The author explains how he came up with the idea for "First Blood" and talks about the book, compared to the movie. About three pages in, Morrell tells you the ENDING OF THE BOOK?????, the ending is different than the movie and should be a surprise. I read the (Rambo & Me) section and was completely disappointed to read the ending before I read the first page and I'm still baffled and why the author chose to do this. Beware!

This is very much like Jaws. That book was also made famous by a brilliant classic film. So this has alot to live up to.
sadly its not Stallone, it long winded and boring in places. Still worth reading, but probably better if you had not seen the brillaint films first.
This is just an average book.

I liked this book. Unlike the movie, Rambo is much more dysfunctional in the book. The war has taken a tremendous toll on young Rambo and after convalescing in a hospital he is released and found backpacking in Madison where Teasle is the chief of police. Teasle isn't really a nice guy but he is nowhere near the complete antagonist that is portrayed by Brian Dennehy in the movie adaptation. He does give Rambo an opportunity to eat and get out of town which is exactly what he isn't let to do in the movie. In fact, he aggravates Teasle to the point that it does look like Rambo should be locked up while being investigated to see if he is wanted for outstanding crimes. After getting arrested Teasle runs his routine arrest like he was headmaster of Guantanamo Bay giving Rambo flashbacks of being a POW. From there it is routine warfare for Rambo as he tries to get free of Teasle to make it to Mexico while unleashing his skills as a Green Beret on anyone and everyone he comes into contact with.

The characters are rather flimsy in the book. The main characters are all idiots and sadists for the most part so you're left with none to root for.
With that said, it's cool to get a glimpse into Ramob's psyche as he's wasting everyone. Enjoy!

you've seen the movies, you've bought the knives, you got the doll, you've played the game!!
now.. take a couple of hours and read the book..
Morrell is an excelent auther, and this is a very indepth look and the inner being of John Rambo.

I have read several of Morrell's books before and I must say, he is a mixed bag author. I either absolutely love his books ("Fraternity of the Stone," and "Brotherhood of the Rose", or I absolutely abhor them ("Scavenger," for one). "First Blood" is the first book I've read by Morrell that I found somewhere in the middle. I didn't despise reading it, and I enjoyed it for the most part, but it wasn't the exceptional quality I had come to expect out of Rambo (or John Rambo, to which it later evolves).

Unfortunately, I am just now reading this book, some thirty plus years after it originally debuted. I think, being a child born somewhere between Generation X and the Mellinial Generation, I was raised already knowing how incredible Rambo was and always expected high octane, high caliber, and emotionally charged stories.

I really liked Rambo, the character, at the beginning of the story. I was hoping for some more development and background on him, though. Maybe some more detailed flashbacks, more information from his superior officer, maybe... something! This story was a non stop chase throughout the Kentucky wilderness, of which I grew as fatigued in reading about Rambo and Teasle as those characters did chasing each other.

You can tell this is a first book by an author. It is hard to describe, but there just isn't the polish that I had come to appreciate of his later works (as expected) like "Brotherhood of the Rose," and "Fraternity of the Stone."

This book is highly recommended - no, required reading - for any Rambo or Morrell fans. Knowing the origin (of both) is like revisiting an old friend: Timeless.

J.Stoner