Shadow of Arms is a novel about the black markets of the South Vietnamese city of Danang during the Vietnam War, based on the author's experiences as a self-described South Korean mercenary on the side of the South Vietnamese. It is a Vietnam War novel like no other, truly one that sees the war from all sides. Battle scenes are breathtaking and the plot is thick with intrigue and coomplex subplots, yet ultimately The Shadow of Arms is a novel of the human condition, rather than of the exploits and losses of one side or the other in war.