The First Blood by Lou Cameron

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The First Blood (1971) by Lou Cameron


Prolific author Lou Cameron wrote books in almost every niche of the men’s adventure spectrum. His lean, uncluttered style, coupled with casual profanity and violence is easily recognizable. Cameron served in Europe in the Army’s 2nd Armored Division during World War II and that experience infuses some sense of reality to The First Blood, which is set during the African campaign of that war. 

The “men on a mission” plot features a ragtag group of soldiers under the command of a suicidal lieutenant who are sent to take control of an ancient desert fortress currently under the control of French legionnaire forces in Algiers. They have 24 hours to accomplish this goal ahead of a Panzer tank column that must be delayed or stopped if at all possible. 

The entire setup occurs within the first few pages and the mission is immediately underway. Things go badly right from the very beginning with our group dropping literally on top of the tank command and having to fight their way out. During this early skirmish we have an unexpected change of who appeared to be our main character and the book is all the better for it. The French prove to be uncooperative to the point of hostility, even as the tank column continues its approach toward a massive assault. 

There are no chapter breaks in the book, which I found to be an unnecessary distraction. Cameron sometimes tries a bit too hard to make the main characters super manly and flippant in the face of danger, even at the expense of real characterization, but at only 160 pages, The First Blood moves at a rapid pace and escalates to an effective climax of action and suspense.

Review by Steve Carroll

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