"M*A*S*H Goes to the Maine" is the first sequel to the novel, "M*A*S*H". It is also the first of the 13 "M*A*S*H Goes to" books and the only one Richard Hooker (Dr. Richard Hornberger) actually had a hand in writing. (The next twelve books would be written by William E. Butterworth, though Hooker would get a writing credit.) That it is the only book in the "Goes to" series Hooker worked on makes it unique, but it's not the only thing that makes it unique. The first book, "M*A*S*H" wasn't so much a novel, as it was a collection of incidents, sketches. It was episodic in nature. "M*A*S*H Goes to Maine", however, is a novel. Or at least it starts out as one. The first half of "Maine" concerns Hawkeye Pierce becoming board certified to be a chest surgeon and then gathering together his former colleagues from MASH 4077th. This part of the book is fairly interesting. However, once Hawkeye has gotten Duke, Spearchucker and Trapper to join him in Maine and the Finestkind Clinic and Fish Market is opened, the book then becomes episodic; primarily a series of sketches. Which isn't bad in and of itself. It worked well for "M*A*S*H". But it does make "Maine" uneven. It's almost as if Hooker was unable to write a complete novel for a 192 pages.
