Those in charge of medical lobbies should try to keep a reading selection that represents the interests of a general public. Instead, the shelves and tables of waiting rooms everywhere seem to be overrun with glossy interior decor and gardening magazines. Doctors' offices would better stocked with reading selections if they included some military fiction books and other publications, simply to give the fellows some to do but stare at the walls.

Conventions include a realistic, usually historical setting and protagonists identifiable by uniform rather than spies, who are soldiers moving secretly among a civilian population and in civilian dress. They are usually stories with a large cast of characters even if told through a single character's point of view. Enthusiasts of the genre generally appreciate attention to tactics and strategy, as well as attention to the particulars of weapons and tools.

The genre has no firm borders, though, and can be said to embrace much fantasy and science fiction within itself. Space opera is the most popular subgenre of science fiction, and what distinguishes it is almost completely soldierly. It is the subgenre of science fiction that is full of characters whose first names are Captain and Lieutenant and who shoot beam weapons at each other, spaceships shooting at other spaceships, and ordinary tactics exaggerated by futuristic technology.

Militarized space opera is so dominant that many in the broad public seem to assume all science fiction is space opera. Understandably, this is to the frustration of many science fiction enthusiasts. It does, however, attest to the universality of the war story. So do all the martial elements in fantasy, whether in the form of the classics of the field or yesterday's new video game.

The entire field of spy and espionage stories can be seen as a subgenre of the war story. Their relationship is akin to the way intelligence is a facet of a nation's armed forces. Almost every fictional spy holds rank in an armed force, and typically was recruited from one into the intelligence service. In this sense the espionage story is a subgenre of war story identified by its branch of arms, akin to the subgenres focused on air combat or submarine warfare.

Many parents might be reluctant to expose their children to realistic war stories for fear of glamorizing violence or even inspiring them to enlist. They might be relieved to know there is less risk exposing young people to violence in written media rather than there is in the immediate shock provided by TV and film. These days, a parent might hesitate before restricting almost any decent material that might influence their child toward a life of reading.

Bright kids sometimes dedicate themselves to one type of literature for as long as several years. Some will be drawn toward fantasy, which offers magical beings and a vaguely medieval atmosphere. Those who prefer their settings more futuristic will incline toward SF. But many children aren't intrigued by wildly imaginative material.

War stories have quickened the male pulse since the moment Troy stopped burning. It is easy to understand the positions of those who would object. However, their distribution might help teach more young men how to read, and inspire more old men to visit the doctor.