Vyzývatel aneb Tankový pluk pod velením vnuka Josefa Švejka – Janč František (2023)

The novel Challenger was written as a personal testimony of the author based on real events he experienced or that were recounted to him during mandatory basic military service. The author repeatedly reflects on the behavior and changing characters of men who served their mandatory basic military service or served as professional soldiers in an exposed unit of the Czechoslovak People's Army (ČSLA) in the early 1980s. There is no other novel that captures the course of fulfilling the CHALLENGE at the tank regiment of the ČSLA in almost naturalistic (naturally, unembellished) detail. The novel Challenger is authentic, full of period absurdities, unexpected twists, bullying of soldiers of all ranks, countless amusing remarks, humor, and a quirky sense of humor that was part of military life and which only fully shines in surprising contexts at the end of the novel. An independent expert review states: The manuscript is, among other things, a factually valuable and rich chronicle of events in the ČSLA in the early 1980s – those who have not experienced it firsthand may hardly believe it. Great care was taken with the lexical aspect (especially in dialogues), as well as the characterization of the characters and the unappealing military...