First Blood is a great chase story. It's quite different from the movie (which also kicks ass), especially in the character of Rambo. In the book, he's just over twenty, with a big ass beard and long hair. Stallone was definitely not the right choice. I heard that Jeff Bridges was in the running for Rambo, originally, and honestly, after reading the book, that would have been awesome, along with Kirk Douglas as Colonel Trautman.