One of the best books of the Twentieth Century. Full of bite and venom and the absurdity of war. In this first of six episodes, we are introduced to the principle characters. Yossarian, of course, is the central figure in all this. He flies bombing missions and is ready to be finished, but he Army continues to up the ante (the number of missions). We meet the shysters, the doctor, and a host of others that will figure prominently in this epic. So far the most impressive things are the squadron flying through flack. A nose gunner is obliterated. There is the brass who have no respect for the real fighters, only playing at war and looking good. The old Mike Nichols movie pretty much made hamburger of the book. I'm hoping that this series captures things better.
