one of best world war II stories. told from British point-of-view.

Written by Derek Robinson, the prize-winning author of "Goshawk Squadron", "Piece of Cake" is a fictionalized account that follows a motley squadron of Hurricane pilots during the first year of WWII.

Robinson is known for his dark humor and witty dialog, and this story is no exception. The characterizations were especially well done -- one pilot, Lance "Moggy" Cattermole, was perhaps the most memorably detestable figure I've come across in a long time. I absolutely hated him! The action sequences are white-knuckled page-turners, too, but those who aren't used to Robinson's style might be unsettled by his unflinching descriptions of death. Just as with "Goshhawk Squadron", the pilots in this tale are randomly shot, caught on fire, drowned, etc, until you start feeling like the surviving members: trying not to get too attached to a replacement pilot that might get killed two pages later.

For those who are well-versed in this period, there isn't much new to be found in the area of research; but then, this isn't a historical paper but a story -- and a rather good one, at that. The only complaint I have is that, after all the lengthy storyline that takes place in France, the Battle of Britain sequences skip about and seem rushed; consequently the abrupt ending followed by Robinson's ten-page defensive note section made me feel somewhat cheated. Hopefully the sequel, "A Good Clean Fight" (ISBN 0304363138) which follows the squadron to Africa, will pick up a few loose ends. ( )