Robert Sidney Bowen (1900–1977)

Another blast from the past. I enjoy this series. I read several of them as a child and was hooked. Yes, it is now severely dated, incredibly non-pc, jingoist and racist in tone. However, that is how it was in that time period much to our regret. I sort of see it as all happening in a parallel universe to the one we have now. No apologies. I enjoy the visit but glad I no longer live there! Kind of like those relatives you still love but totally don't agree with politically, philosophically show more or religiously. Sometimes we need to understand where we came from in order to better appreciate where we are now. The same reason I don't agree with banning uncomfortable books that are classics. show less

Eh. Fun fluff, a bit. For a wartime book (copyright 1942), the racism is amazingly light - but it's still present, as is somewhat crude patriotism (it's the crudity I object to, not the patriotism). The heroes pull off miracles regularly, mostly having to do with being amazing fliers, plus a serious dose of luck (which they recognize as luck, admittedly). The banter between Dave and Freddie is cute, but I think I'd get bored with it pretty quickly. And the reason they're chosen...well, I show more haven't read the previous books, maybe the first one leads on to them, as individuals, being recommended for a cross-Atlantic (and Pacific, for that matter) intelligence job. But with what I know of them, it's a very unlikely setup. So: fun, glad I read it, if I spot another Dave Dawson I may well pick it up. But I see no reason to keep the book. show less

Written during the war, this definitely is aimed at young people as an adventure story with propaganda overtones. The Japanese sailors, airmen and soldiers are referred to as "Japs". Red Randall is the hero of several wartime adventure novels aimed at young people.

This novel focuses on the lesser known war theatre of Burma and India. Having pushed the British out of Burma towards India, the Japanese were on the march to capture India and were spreading unrest amongst Indian nationalists who show more they hoped would become a fifth column behind British lines.

This novel suggests there were British soldiers hiding in the Burma jungle who were gathering intel on where the Japanese were planning on attacking next. Randall and his buddy Jimmy accidentally became involved in rescuing the British soldiers trapped behind Japanese lines. Good adventure story but dated by language and stereotyping. show less

Wonderful $1.19 E-Bay find! This novel features a lively painted cover by Larry Frederick.

I believe this novel was aimed at younger readers. It is just over 200 pages but the type is fairly large (and quite easy to read) so it is a very brisk read. The plot concerns a Hawaiian teenager who witnesses a car going over a cliff--the body of a military scientist is found in the trunk. It turns out he was working on a Top Secret project (there's your title) and that Chinese agents may have show more tortured him to get information.

Queue Steve McGarrett and the Five-O boys!

The plot is very basic and despite the brevity of the novel, it at times feels slow and drawn out.

It was a fun enough read but I'm really more happy to have this as a pop culture keepsake. The cover makes it a nice decorative piece. show less