Harrier 809

 

Harrier 809 by Rowland White (2020 Bantam Press softcover 482pp)

 

I was 11 years old when the Falklands War broke out. I know it was on the news and I recall New Zealand’s Prime Minister Robert Muldoon offered the support of our Navy but I don’t recall learning much detail at the time. In the years that followed there was an explosion of books and magazine articles which mainly followed a jingoistic line applauding the UK’s great victory. Likewise, the Harrier jump jet’s role in the proceedings was mythologised to the max. Its only now, nearly 40 years later that sane and sober looks at the war are coming to light.

Anyone who’s read Rowland White’s earlier aviation-centric books knows what to expect here. He has an amazing ability to combine disparate events and well-researched facts into a coherent narrative. He uses one or two personalities to drive a story and recreates events in a way that gives you a feeling of having a front row seat as they occur.

This book is no different – the main story is about the hasty wartime re-activation of the Royal Navy 809 squadron and its Harrier jets. We follow as they manage somehow to get organised and ship out on the converted container ship the Atlantic Conveyor. Along the way we learn more about the jets, the woeful state of the British military and get a potted history of the conflict. White also is fairer about and gives more time to the stories of the Argentine pilots than most previous books I’ve read on the subject. Also included are details of several covert UK operations which have only been hinted at before over the years.

My only criticism is that so much time is given to building up to the tragic fate of the Atlantic Conveyor. Anyone who’s read about this conflict before will already know what happens. So, the attempt to build tension and the cliff-hanger ends to chapters fell a bit flat to me.

A great book for any history or military aviation buff.

Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops

 

Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops by Shaun Bythell (2020 Profile Books Ltd hardcover 137pp)

 

A short review for a very short book.

Shaun Bythell came to fame a few years back when his first book “Diary of a Bookseller” became a global bestseller. “Diary.” covered roughly a year in the life of a bookshop owner in a small southern Scottish town. Bythell’s acerbic wit and charm as he described his daily life, co-workers and customers alike made the book something special and last year a second volume of diary entries, “Confessions of a Bookseller” was released to equal acclaim. I loved them both as they transported me to and immersed me in another life like all good books should.

This time around Bythell has changed formats – the diary entries are gone and instead we have his observations and musings on the main types of customers that dare to venture into his establishment. He divides them into main species and sub-species and goes on to describe the features and foibles of each. There’s also a bonus section where his does the same for those who actually work in bookshops.

You can’t fault Bythell’s writing, he’s both funny and erudite. Every couple of pages a passage would make me chuckle. He sticks the knife in but at the same time you can tell he has some sort of affection for people still. His love of books goes without saying.

This is a slim volume, reasonably large print and less than 150 pages long in the hardback. I read it in one sitting, taking around 95 minutes to finish. I’m left wanting to hear more from Bythell and hope he returns to the diary type entries next time. The cynic in me feels like this book was something rushed out for the end of year holiday season and the real good stuff is yet to come. A worthy stocking-stuffer for book-lovers.

The Saints of Salvation

 

The Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton (2020 Macmillan softcover 518pp)

 

I’ve been reading Peter F. Hamilton’s wide-screen space opera sagas since the mid-1990s. After skipping a few of his recent series I came back to him when he produced the first “Salvation” volume back in 2017. I found it something of a return to form and a bit of a change of pace. The second volume in the series “Salvation Lost” came out around a year ago and now the final book is here. Obviously, this isn’t a good place to start reading – little will make sense. So, if you’re interested start from the beginning for goodness sake.

The basic set up of the series is thus – By the late 22^nd century mankind has developed into an advanced technological culture. Stargate like portals are used for even short-distance travel and have opened up other solar systems for colonisation. Late in the century an alien spacecraft arrives and mankind makes contact with the Olyix race. At first, they seem peaceful and benevolent, sharing their even more advanced technology with humans. Some on earth remain unconvinced and suspicious of the newcomers. The discovery of a crashed alien ship on a distant planet brings together a group of security and intelligence specialists (later known collectively as ‘The Saints’) who must learn to work together after the ship’s curious cargo is unearthed. Soon the true nature of the Olyix is revealed and the aliens launch an all-out assault on earth with the aim of capturing all humans for delivery to their ancient god.

Meanwhile thousands of years into the future the descendants of humans who escaped earth have bred genetically engineered warriors and strategic specialists. They train and set out to lure the Olyix into traps and face them in a final battle.

All three books switch between these two main story threads in alternating chapters. In the second volume a ‘street-level’ 23^rd century viewpoint was added to give us an eye-witness view of the alien invasion. In this book that character bows out part-way through.

Its pleasing to meet up with these characters again and follow them as they face more challenges, experience triumphs and reverses. Hamilton has never been the best at ending his sagas and this one does get a wee bit clunky when more exotic technology and Ex Machina saviours make an appearance. Due to timey-wimey reasons the two main threads come together for the final battle which takes up a good tenth of the book’s length. The author is at his best describing space conflict with all manner of advanced weaponry being used against all manner of weird and wonderful spaceships. His weakness seems to be his depictions of women – they’re all ‘kick-ass’ assassin warriors or nothing at all. Likewise, there are several sections of juvenile wish fulfilment stuff – ‘badass’ looking this and that that ultimately go nowhere.

Several unresolved issues hint at one or two possible sequel avenues and I’d happily read them. I enjoyed the ride and experimentation Hamilton did with this series. Possibly this volume didn’t quite live up to the promise of the first book and may be the weakest of the three. Pick up the first one and know there’s some great reading ahead.