I’m a huge Herzog fan, so when I heard he released his debut novel I knew I had to grab it as my next tour read. In typical Herzog fashion, the book is based on true events but with certain facts embellished and reimagined in that signature surreal Herzog way. The book is a retelling of Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda’s story, who was stationed on an island in the Philippines during WWII, and continued to fight an imaginary war 29 years after the war ended because word of its cessation never reached him. The book is a hallucinatory fever dream of Onoda’s struggles during this time, both mental and physical. Similar to his documentaries, the best parts of the book aren’t factual, but when he goes off on his own weird surreal tangential musings. Plus it’s just fun to read it in Herzog's voice.
