Survival and Combat in the Jungle
Book #2, in the Adventures of Hamilton “Hamfist”Hamcock
This novel is based on actual events about air combat in the Vietnam War. This series follows Air Force pilot Hamilton “Hamfist” Hamcock as he evolves from an inexperience lieutenant to a seasoned combat pilot flying aircraft in the skies of North Vietnam. This series is dedicated to American military veterans.
The tone is harsh after all this is war with Special Ops and Green Berets all over the place, this is scary as hell. The first sentence you hear “getting shot down sucks”. For those not familiar with terms this novel is a bit hard to follow it contains a lot of operational details about mission to fetch people from hostile jungle. Although it is a bit romanticised, the experience is inevitably tough and exciting, of course Hamfist does manage to get shot down, get extricated, escape unscathed and have a burgeoning romance with a Japanese beauty…hey why not, many men did have a distraction. The jargon is taken from experience of the time and place and Hamfist characterisation fits both the hardboiled soldier and the sensitive men he really is. He tells his story with humour and with some profanity. He is quite crude at time. Hold your breath, the tempo is fast and furious so much action fills the pages while we follow the day to day activities of the pilots. This is a gritty and gruesome time and such a captivating read.
Although I started this series with book 2 not knowing what had previously happened did not put me at a disadvantage but this story did pique my interest to backtrack and get book 1 “Hamfist Over the Trail”.
Love this one
I was provided a copy of this book by the author for review. Not knowing the author or the book I had hoped for a decent war against Mother Nature and an exciting cop chase in just a few words.
This short story unfortunately did not deliver. Maybe being only 20 pages was not enough to have development and sustained a storyline that is exciting. I was more of a mish-mash of scenes happening out of the blue. Reaching the end didn’t come fast enough for me. Too many times I had to reread twice some lines to understand the passage in order to grasp what was going on. Some words were cut mid-way or were missing. This book needed editing badly. Maybe if the author would have taken time to stretch his story the result could have been quite different.
I am not a fan of short story this one is the proof why….
This is a highly imaginative global adventure about climate changes. Whether you believe what is told or not one thing for sure Mr. Mckenzie-Vincent’s views will have you ponder….can all this dome and gloom really happen one day ….
True facts in this story are events that happened in the past but again are all of them the results of climate change or simply normal occurrences. Indeed deforestation is a big factor and mismanagement of our resources an even bigger one. To bring his points across and to shake us into taking action, the author has given us a horror story of tsunami, earthquakes, forest fires, air and water pollution, hurricanes, corporation greed and world corruption, any disregard of our ecosystems etc. all events that has or could happened and by extrapolating the effects he brought the what is and what if to life. Although I think he is preaching to us I nevertheless agree this is a very scary vision.
We may not love what is said and find it to be over the top but as extremists do this is a story that pictures a dim future with its many graphic scenes telling us to wake up and take responsibility. Yes, this should make us open our eyes wide and realise that dumping raw sewer in our water is not helpful, killing or capturing endangered species for pleasure and destroying the ecosystem for gain is totally inacceptable. Although the subject may be dark it is nevertheless told in a captivating manner with lot of suspense and action. It progresses smoothly and keeps the pace going till the conclusion. The players are the run of the mill but don’t hold that against them they act their part beautifully. The narration is simple and clear after all a strong message is being told. Over- all a good story.
This novel is no longer available at well-known online book stores in North America , too bad I think this book is well worth passing time with….
Set in the 20th century, this very emotional tale weaves together the stories of two women. Alternately we follow Lilly Blackwood, a young albino girl who has been kept in a secret attic room most of her life till one day her mom sold her to a traveling circus freak show. Once there we are in the circus world, with all the good and bad. We jump two decades later, with Julia Blackwood returning to the family farm where she will soon discover the attic’s dark secrets ….
The story is very touching as we slowly discover the disturbing and frightening things done to Lilly and the kind of life she had hidden away in an attic for years and how she must have felt to be sold by someone she loved to an unscrupulous man running a circus. Undeniably Ms. Wiseman did extensive research to recreate the circus life, its slang, performers and their superstitions, animals training and shows, their behaviours including noises and most of all, how the freak shows was run and how important and lucrative this sideshow was, not forgetting the presence of fraudulent medium star performer who was the highlight in many ways. In graphic scenes, the story also explores how the circus animals were treated or mistreated.
The story overlaps with Julia taking over her family’s horse business and slowly the secret that binds the two lies at the heart of the tragedy…..Moving between Lilly’s and Julia stories the authors has portrayed two extraordinary and very different women with exceptional life filled with family secrets, tragedy, hope and joy. Their stories displayed a mix of emotions that can possibly drain some readers. Both characters are compelling as well as the myriad of vivid secondary players even the evil ones. All roles were played perfectly.
This engrossing tale is written in short chapters using contemporary language and keeps a steady pace throughout. “The Life She Was Given” is a page tuner almost impossible to put down.
I received this review copy from the publisher via Netgalleys
This thought-provoking thriller brings us to New York City on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to celebrate Roland Fortune’s birthday, the guest of honor and the mayor of the city. Then suddenly multiple explosions rock the entire building….many are killed or terribly injured….Manhattan is placed on lockdown…
This fast moving plot not only provides entertainment but will also make us think….could a terrorist attack happen again…The plot brings us literally into a battle in the streets of Manhattan as well-known buildings are blown apart by terrorists. The story gets straight into the action in the first pages and moves along at a steady pace with never ending twists and turns all the way through. The descriptions are so vivid it is easy to become part of the horrible scenes of carnage. In this provocative tale there is so much tension and turmoil all through no wonder I was kept on the edge of my seat and hanging on…:) The story’s unpredictability is particularly well-done, no way can we forecast how it will evolve, how it will end and who is really responsible for the bombings. The driven force is the many well-developed and complex characters that populate the pages. We work our way through the story following the Mayor, the Police Commissioner, the NYPD, the president of the United States, a doctor and panoply of smaller players.
This thriller is without any doubt a suspenseful look at a plausible scenario.
I received this ARC from the publisher Oceanview Publishing via Edelweiss for an honest and unbiased review.
A Story of Lies, Desperation, and Finding God
Ms. Curry bravely shares with grace what it was like to grow up with a con man and a convicted criminal.
The author writes with so much heart about her painful childhood and how deep the wounds left by her father had affected her well-being. This is an emotional story of a kid with an unimaginable childhood that kept a brave face and hid her turmoil to herself. She only wanted to be love and accepted. This quick and easy read drew me in from page one, told plainly without bitterness she speaks with respect of her feeling towards her father. Later on in life she seeks redemption and was able to find solace in god and finally peace of heart with a loving husband and children. This is a unique and heartbreaking journey that ends beautifully.
This testimony took courage to write and I admire Ms. Curry for doing so. If God was her path to forgiveness and happiness I am happy it worked….
It is hard to like or dislike memoirs after all they belong to the author. It is the way it is said and Ms. Curry does it with passion.
I received this ARC from the publisher Baker Books via the Early Reviewer Program for an honest and unbiased review
Do we really know where and under which conditions our clothes are made? Do we even question ourselves….I admit to simply look at labels to see where it is made and that is the limit of my curiosity till now. After reading Mr. Addison latest novel where he takes us on a journey tracking a brand of clothing across the world I may think twice before purchasing my clothes in the future but again rarely do I see clothes made in my country reasonably priced so what choice do I have?….. Based on real-life events, this fiction begins with a fire in a clothing factory in Bangladesh and follows a large American company's reaction. It also addresses the reality of sweat shops, slave labor and the rights of workers in developing countries.
The chapters alternate from the perspective of Cameron Alexander, general counsel for the company (Presto) and those of Josh Griswold, a disgrace journalist as they dig deep into the many issues in front of them. As the story moves on, we have some very emotional chapters told through the eyes of people working in factories. The narrative voices are thorough and intellectual, complete with refine vocabulary. With firsthand knowledge of law and journalistic inside we find a plot that flows smoothly and is well- informed. At its heart “A Harvest of Thorns” is a story of two men fighting for what they believe is right and decent while fighting an inner turmoil that is shaking their lives…
After long hours of research, Mr. Addison has created a thought-provoking story where he goes into fine details about the fire and how the people made their fateful decision to break through windows. ”A Harvest of Thorns” was inspired by the 2012 Tazreen fashions factory fire in Bangladesh where more than a 100 workers died and more than 200 were injured.
Mr. Corban, an attorney and human right activist uses fiction to explore social justice themes. In the past he has touched the international sex trade in “A Walk Across the Sun”, the lawless coast of Somalia in “The Tears of Dark Water” and in “The Garden of Burning Sands” the epidemic of child sexual assault in Zambia.
All his stories are eye opening and very captivating.
