num_pages: 312
description: A novel of the Vietnam War, with a magical, mystical twist.Lt. Kitty McCulley, a young and inexperienced nurse tossed into a stressful and chaotic situation, is having a difficult time reconciling her duty to help and heal with the indifference and overt racism of some of her colleagues and with the horrendously damaged soldiers and Vietnamese civilians whom she encounters during her service at the China Beach medical facilities.She is unexpectedly helped by the mysterious and inexplicable properties of an amulet, given to her by one of her patients, an elderly, dying Vietnamese holy man, which allows her to see other people's "auras" and to understand more about them as a result. This eventually leads to a strange, almost surrealistic journey through the jungle, accompanied by a one-legged boy and a battle-seasoned but crazed soldier and, by the end of the journey, McCulley has found herself and a way to live and survive through the madness and destruction.
language: English
title: The Healer's War
titlecomplete: The Healer's War
genres: Historical, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, War, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction
ratings_count: 1770
awards: awardedAt: 599644800000
name: Nebula Award
category: Best Novel
publisher: Bantam Spectra