“Nor the Years Condemn” by Justin Sheedy Now Available at Dymocks!

Thanks to Dymocks book-buyer, Ben Garland (praise his name!), Nor the Years Condemn by Justin Sheedy is now available on the bookstore shelves of Dymocks, George Street, Sydney. More stores to follow! Author Justin Sheedy will be appearing in-store over the next few weeks to talk to Dymocks customers about his latest historical fiction, Nor the Years Condemn, and the stunning (untold!) chapter of Australian history on which it is based. Justin would like to express his most profound thanks to all at Dymocks, especially book-buyer, Ben Garland, who, holding a copy of Nor the Years Condemn, pronounced, “I’ve got a really good feeling about this…” The book is available in the store’s Australian Fiction section.

The book was a major success at the recent Gloucester Writers’ Festival 2012, to which Justin was invited as a guest author, and where he won a prize for it. (Woo Hoo.) READ MORE BELOW...

Justin recently commented on the book: “The really rewarding thing about this book is that when I’m talking about it to people – at the recent festival, speaking & book-signing engagements over the last few weeks – I find myself talking to them not about the book itself but about the amazing true Australian history on which it’s based. People so engage with it as it’s their history, and a largely untold one. In a way, they really do ‘own’ this story. As Australians, we’re all richly aware of our Gallipoli story as it’s so central to our sense of national identity: At Gallipoli in 1915, such a very nation, we discovered who we are as a nation – a people who look after each other in the worst situation imaginable – in the midst of a heroic defeat whilst fighting for our imperial masters. “Nor the Years Condemn” tells JUST this kind of story, and one of iconic ‘Gallipoli’ magnitude yet one which, by contrast to our Gallipoli story, is unknown by many Australians. And it’s a story which is so exciting, so tragic, in a word, so dramatic as to defy belief. And all true. Plus, not a story of heroic defeat but one of stunning victory, albeit at a tragic cost.”

BOOK DESCRIPTION…

At the beginning of World War 2, Britain was in the deepest trouble imaginable. 5 minutes flying time away crouched a monster. Alone against it, Britain called out to her Empire. For pilots. From all corners of that Empire, they volunteered. Only the best & brightest were chosen. Daniel Quinn was one of these young men who came to fly against the monster. They had a 1-in-3 chance of survival.

Nor the Years Condemn is based on the true story of the youths who flew against the to-date unstoppable might of Nazi Germany. In their early-20s, they were out of necessity for the job at hand the most intelligent young souls, rendering the death of so many of them doubly heart-rending for the reader. Australian Daniel Quinn, flanked by the often hilarious young men of his elite ilk, leaves his peacetime life behind to fight tyranny in this portrait of doomed, brilliant youth.

SAMPLE READER RESPONSES…

Nor the Years Condemn – Five Stars
Review by Michael High, Colorado Springs, USA.

“Nor the Years Condemn”: Where to start? The writing. Excellent. Everything flowed and, from the first chapter to the end, was fluid. Hints here and there as to what may happen in the future were freely dropped along the way. This kept me engrossed, kept me reading. The story. Again, excellent. The history behind these young men (and women), the planes they used, the circumstances surrounding this time frame, et cetera – all well done. I thoroughly enjoyed the “story” of each character and how they interacted with each other. There were some shockers in there; war is hell, no? I also liked the hint of “espionage” involved. “Nor the Years Condemn”, to me, was a fantastic read. I can but recommend this book to others and impatiently await Justin’s next work.

Should be a Movie
Review by Rochell Lancaster, Melbourne, Australia.

Not only for the boys, everyone will take something away from this. Could definitely see this made into a mini-series or movie. The author sucks you in from the start, it is very hard to put down. You can tell that the author did a lot of research when writing this book and is passionate about the story and characters. Hoping there will be a sequel.

In Appreciation of Nor The Years Condemn
Review by Martin Zitek, Sydney, Australia.

“Nor the Years Condemn” recounts the horrors of war as seen by one elite and effective unit of WWII. The author puts us there, in that time, by depicting: language, description of locations, the attitudes of the people and the spirit of the nation that would see it prevail through its darkest period of history. The reader is shown in clear, flowing narrative how war can touch us all, from the other side of the world, to the heights of the clouds. The characters feel so real, we are sure they must have existed. The flying is portrayed so brilliantly, we feel an ace fighter pilot must have possessed Justin’s head while he wrote this. The planes themselves become characters, even though mere machines, they became tools of victory and a symbol of ingenuity, technology and bloody determination. This is a testament to the research undertaken by the author and his wordsmithing we see as the end result.

From Andrew Landström, Sweden…
I really think it was good. I think a lot of social aspects go missing in a lot of novels about war like family, love and the main characters’ own feelings. Some authors seem not to be able to get the balance right. I think you did. I laughed out loud in some parts of the book as well as being moved almost to tears.

From Celia Byrnes, Iowa, USA…
Meticulously researched, our fictional character’s story is wholly believable, from descriptions of military training, learning to fly, airborne dog fights, war torn London, relationships formed and lost. A gripping story of war, love, loss and survival.

From Justin Osborne, Georgia, USA…
I give this book 10 stars.


NORTHERN DISTRICT TIMES FEATURE...
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NORTH SHORE TIMES ANZAC DAY EDITION FEATURE...
http://crackernight.com/2012/04/25/an...
MORE HERE...
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RADIO INTERVIEW...
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Radio Presenter writes: “It is an amazing story of heroes, Spitfires and much much more, hear it directly from the author! You will be quite spellbound!”

With in-the-cockpit flying sequences that readers have described as cinematic, Nor the Years Condemn is also a story of the mothers cursed to relinquish their sons to war, of first love, of strategic deception and betrayal, of brotherhood and once-in-a-lifetime friendship on a knife’s edge. As per the title, it’s a story of shining young men destined never to grow old, and of those who do: the survivors ‘condemned by the years’, and to their memory of friends who remain forever young. The product of a decade’s research plus Australian WWII air-war veteran interviews, it’s based on an iconic (yet relatively unknown) Australian story in our great ANZAC tradition. It’s a book which, when Australians do read it, will make them even prouder of who they are.
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