William F. Owen

This novel was recommended by a friend. I didn't think I'd like it - not being overly keen on war novels, or so I thought - but found I couldn't put it down. OK, so I've not read many other novels of this genre with which to make comparisons (only Sven Hassel's WWII novels from many moons ago), but maybe that worked in its favour.

I thoroughly enjoyed the sense of 'being there'; I empathised with the characters and found the concisely described 'technical' stuff engrossing. It might not sit so well with readers already familiar with the genre, but for me, as an avid reader and yet a relative newcomer to this field of story-telling, it served as a reminder that to branch out into new territories from time to time can yield some very satisfying results.… (more)