First Blood (novel)

Lore & Background

Morrell stated he was inspired to write the novel by hearing about the experiences of his students who had fought in Vietnam. He was also influenced by Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male. The character's name was derived in part from the Rambo apple, a supply of which his wife brought home while he was trying to come up with a suitable name. One of the inspirations for Rambo was World War II veteran Audie Murphy, particularly his suffering from untreated PTSD in his post-war years. Madison, Kentucky was modeled after Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

The plot follows a homeless Vietnam veteran known only as Rambo, who wanders into Madison, Kentucky. After being arrested by police chief Wilfred Teasle, Rambo experiences a flashback to his time as a POW and attacks the police, escaping into the mountains. He wages a guerrilla war against Teasle's posse and later the National Guard. Rambo is revealed to have been a Green Beret and Medal of Honor recipient. The novel ends with Rambo being shot in the head by Captain Sam Trautman, dying satisfied, while Teasle also dies after a moment of affection for Rambo.

Morrell said it took him three years to write the book because he was still learning how to write a novel and because he had to figure out that the chapters would bounce back and forth between Rambo and the police chief. He was inspired by Ernest Hemingway's approach to action to try to write an action novel in a way that would not feel like a genre book.

Reader's Guide

First Blood is significant as the origin of the Rambo character, one of the most iconic figures in American action cinema. The novel presents a darker, more violent version of the story than the film adaptation, with Rambo killing numerous police and guardsmen and dying at the end. The book's exploration of a traumatized Vietnam veteran's struggle against an establishment that cannot understand him resonated with the cultural tensions of the early 1970s. John Skow of Time described the book as 'carnography', though he remarked that the technical aspects are done well. The novel has been translated into 30 languages. Its legacy is somewhat overshadowed by the film franchise, which softened the character and changed the ending to allow for sequels. However, the novel remains a key text in the action-thriller genre and a stark portrayal of post-Vietnam America.

Did You Know?

• The novel's ending has Rambo killed by Trautman, unlike the film where he survives.
• Kirk Douglas was originally cast as Colonel Trautman but withdrew over disagreements about keeping the novel's ending.