Rob

A descent guilty pleasure that fails to achieve greatness

Revisado: 11-06-24

The flying parts are good. I’ve piloted more than a couple of the airplanes in the book so I can say it was handled well. I find it interesting that the author believes that removing your personal airplane from a commercially owned company (non-government agency) like FlightAware is some serious sneaky squaral stuff. I can tell you its not. But the inclusion of FlightAware does add another layer of realism.

But, the story of a Florida playboy who divorced his wife because he has too many girls fighting for his attention. For some reason he feels the need to rescue his wife’s sisters daughter named Herpes? Hormuz? Herman? Harper? (It was Harper) by her sadistic parrents. She’s being held hostage because her dumber-then-a sign post parents who stole five million dollars from the most dangerous cartel in Mexico. Florida playboy also has a sidekick named Ava (Angel and Ava? Yeah, it didn't take long to come up with her name.) Ava is just a regular All-American Girl. She’s a super smart intelligence agent, special forces soldier, hottie, with a sacrificial heart of gold. You know, typical Disneyland trope of the dumb dude with the super hot sidekick who really should be the main character.
All of this would make for a fine story but it just feels a bit too shallow. It lacks the humor and self-awareness to be a fun guilty pleasure. But also lacks any compelling action, or suspense. The end result is a story feel as lifeless as the characters. In the end, It feels like Angel, Ava, and the ex-wife are just picking up their kid from daycare.

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Forgettable fighter jet story

Revisado: 09-28-24

You would think with a title like “Punks War” this could be a serious war story with high stakes. But it isn't. You might think the main protagonist, Punk might be an edgey character. But he isn’t. That’s the problem with Ward Carroll’s books; the flying bits are interesting but the story is always as predictable as can be. The dialogue is dreadful to the core causing all the characters feel a bit stale. My favorite part of the book is when Punks girlfriend finds out that Punk is just a normal guy who happens to be a fighter pilot. That really sums up how I feel about this book its just a normal story about normal things a fighter pilot does. Oh by the way, there is like 2min of action at the end. That's it.

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A Very American View of Russian History

Revisado: 07-16-24

This book is mostly good with its unique perspective on Russian culture through the arts. It explains how the music and literature helped forged the “Russian Soul.”
Sadly, the book falls apart in the final chapter which seems straight out of CNN news report by emphasizing how evil Russian government has always been and will always be. This oversimplified view of Russia in the final chapter feels totally disconnected from the rest of the book which is a real shame.

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Very good book told by a very good man!

Revisado: 10-29-19

Military life is hard
Christian life is... "you got to be kidding me" hard
But Ladd tells how God helped him get through all of his hardships. He then offers practical advice how others can get through the tough times as well.

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Kevin Miller Scores Again!

Revisado: 10-29-19

Miller does a masterful job adding virtue into his stories without ever sounding preachy. It's always a delight hearing our main protagonist; Wilson and the squadron get together they struggle through military life because it feels authentic. Miller (a former fighter pilot) knows what military life is really like in terms of gender relations, diversity, leadership(good/bad). The flying sequences are fun and exciting while being very nicely detailed for someone who loves aviation. My only complaint is the portrayal of the Venezuelan drug cartels is a little on the silly side, but this keeps the story from getting too dark making it accessible to young adults.

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All talk and little flying

Revisado: 10-29-19

Imagine a story about...
A half blind pilot who likes to chew his finger nails
Cartoon bad guys who are really, really bad.
An unsolved plane crash that no one cares to investigate
A woman who can't remember her name, but likes to get on peoples last nerves
There's even a guy named "Toad" who has a skin condition.
If that sounds like the novel of the century, then by all means read this book!

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A brutality honest story of one mans redemption

Revisado: 02-07-19

Jack Barsky leaves no tale untold. Unlike most autobiographies that are all about ”oh yeah I’m the best!” He has the courage to talk about a very dark past and how he worked through it for a better future for himself and his family. As one may expect his life isn’t all 007. Yet he is able to find faith when all hope seems lost. Jack Barsky is nothing but an extraordinary man.

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