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Letters from Vietnam
The United States entered the Vietnam War conflict in August of 1964, though the US had been involved in the conflict in a limited capacity since the end of World War II. After an American battleship was allegedly attacked, President Lynden Johnson called for air strikes, thus taking a stand in the ongoing conflict. The United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War was heavily criticized for many reasons, but despite that, hundreds of thousands of US troops made their way to Vietnam to fight.
Letters from Vietnam by Dennis Hoy is an autobiographical account of Hoy’s time in the United States military during the Vietnam war. He details his time from basic training to the jungle swamps of Vietnam and provides a first-hand account of the dangers and perils for a young man at war. However, Hoy keeps a thread of hope alive by sending letters back and forth to the love of his life, Beth.
Hoy and his wife, Beth, kept every letter they exchanged during Hoy’s time in Vietnam. Encouraged by some friends, Hoy wrote down his experiences in Vietnam to preserve the story of a dark time in the United States and World history.
The oddest thing about this book is that there are no actual printed letters between Dennis and Beth, which could have enhanced the book’s drama by showing their thoughts and feelings straight from the time of the war. However, Letters from Vietnam is a well-written book in a very conversational tone that helps an average reader understand this point in history without the language being overcomplicated. As the reader, you can tell that Hoy’s time in Vietnam affected him profoundly and continues to affect him even to this day. I highly recommend Letters from Vietnam to anyone who loves history and wants a first-hand account of a soldier’s days in Vietnam.
Pages: 164 | ASIN : B09GXQMCJD
Knights of the Air, Book 1: RAGE!
In this relentlessly entertaining historical thriller we follow Lance Fitch as he finds himself falling from the highs of drinking bitter lemonade and worrying about flirting with his fiancée in front of their fathers to the lows of worrying about how to survive the next hour while in the trenches of World War I.
Though an unpopular gunner in the air force, Lance is hell bound on getting himself into a plane before the war is over. Thanks to another pilot’s unfortunate hit, Arthur Wolsey became the reason Lance was allowed in the sky. With both men having a known wild streak, they build a surprisingly close friendship that will be tested as they fight to stay alive in the air against all possible odds. And on the home front, Arthur and Lance’s friendship faces another type of stress as Lance discovers Arthur’s beautiful half-sister, Megan.
Author Iain Stewart knows how to throw readers into a scene and keep them enthralled until the end. I loved the vivid sets (as it really did feel like an action movie at times) and reveled in the way they are meticulously constructed. As a lover of military history (specifically the First and Second World Wars), the historical aspect of Knights of the Air: Rage! passes the accuracy-test with flying colors. For example, reading about how and why the “Fokker Menace” came to be was like seeing a celebrity in person; WWI enthusiast will know what I’m talking about. This novel weaves these facts in and around the fiction story, giving the whole book a grounded and realistic feel, even when things get wild. Because of this the story feels like it could be a memoir; a fictional one at least. To keep such an incredible story feeling like it was all first-hand accounts from the war is an impressive talent that I give high praise for.
The beginning of the story is one I can only equate to the Adventures of a Young Naturalist by Sir David Attenborough, because I felt like it had a similar way of noting down critical elements of one’s surroundings and delivering it in a narrative that felt fulfilling and thoughtful and truly allows the reader a sense of each scene and moment. But, again, Iain has a strong understanding of making fiction come to life, and once he’s grounded the story it takes off and we’re in for a whirlwind adventure.
Knights of the Air, Book 1: Rage! is a rousing and suspenseful military adventure novel that is filled with gritty air combat that sticks close to WWI facts but never forgets to entertain the reader.
Pages: 363 | ASIN : B09T2KP5SL
