Under the Radar: A Novel

by James Hamilton-Paterson

1961. A squadron of Vulcan aircraft, Britain's most lethal nuclear bomber, flies towards the east coast of the United States. Highly manoeuvrable, the great delta-winged machines are also equipped with state of the art electronic warfare devices that jam American radar systems. Evading the fighters scrambled to intercept them, the British aircraft target Washington and New York, reducing them to smoking ruins. They would have done, at least, if this were not an exercise. This extraordinary raid (which actually took place) opens James Hamilton-Paterson's remarkable novel about the lives of British pilots at the height of the Cold War, when aircrew had to be on call 24 hours a day to fly their nuclear-armed V-bombers to the Western USSR and devastate the lives of millions. This is the story of Squadron-Leader Amos McKenna, a Vulcan pilot who is suffering from desires and frustrations that are tearing his marriage apart and making him question his ultimate loyalties. Relations with the American cousins are tense; the future of the RAF bomber fleet is in doubt. And there is a spy at RAF Wearsby, who is selling secrets to his Russian handlers in seedy East Anglian cafes.A macabre Christmas banquet at which aircrew under intolerable pressures go crazy, with tragic consequences, and a dramatic and disastrous encounter with the Americans in the Libyan desert, are among the high points of a novel that surely conveys the beauty and danger of flying better than any other in recent English literature.

Genres: Fiction, Aviation

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2013

About the author

James Hamilton-Paterson is a British poet, novelist, and one of the most private literary figures of his generation. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford, he began his career as a journalist before emerging as a novelist with a distinctive lyrical style. He gained early recognition for Gerontius, a Whitbread Award-winning novel, and went on to write Ghosts of Manila and America’s Boy, incisive works reflecting his deep engagement with the Philippines. His interests range widely, from history and science to aviation, as seen in Seven-Tenths and Empire of the Clouds. He also received praise for his darkly comic Gerald Samper trilogy. Hamilton-Paterson divides his time between Austria, Italy, and the Philippines and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023.

Reviews

[Kriegslok · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author of "Under the Radar" also produced a rather fine aviation book "Empire of the Clouds" and his knowledge of aircraft and flight come through and add a strong sense of realism to this work. The book follows a Vulcan bomber pilot through part of his career in the RAF and through various key stages of the Cold War. The descriptions of the life of a Vulcan crew in flight seem pretty convincing from my limited knowledge and give a sense of both the long periods of tedium and the brief moments of excitement demanding quick mechanical reactions. Borrowing extensively from real missions, including the classic simulated Soviet attack on the US mainland in which the RAF in the guise of the bad chaps wiped out a good part of US major targets without challenge thanks to the Vulcans boxes of electronic tricks. There is also a nice reference to the lack of concern shown towards aircrews with regard to protection from fallout when monitoring and sampling Soviet nuclear tests (in this case it sounds like a reference to the 1961 Tsar bomb).

The book really strips away a lot of the gung-ho glamour often associated with such fictionalised accounts of the services showing a disparate bunch of young men in the employ of a state, directed by it's masters to protect it from enemies within and without. The pressures and disgruntlement among the men is nicely conveyed. There is a background story around the personal lives of a number of characters including sexuality and the strains of being gay in the services at a time when being yourself was unacceptable. There is also a sympathetic treatment of the lot of service personnel wives, the poor housing, long periods of separation and the constant dangers faced by spouses even in peacetime activity. With the whole thing set in the at best of times bleak Fenlands it is all beautifully grim. The boneyard of wrecked aircraft provides a nice funereal constant through the pages and seems to reflect life for many on the base. That said there is plenty of humour, a lot of it very dark and of the time. Nutty slack and Watneys Red Barrel even make it into the pages.
I was given this book as a gift and I'm glad I was as I might not have come across it otherwise, (unless I'd made the connection with the author's name from "Empire Of the Clouds") or if I had might not have bothered to pick it up. It turned out to be a book that provoked some thought as well as being an enjoyable read.

[Kev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed this book. The technical aspects describing the aviation and military elements are pretty spot on. The story line addresses some of the issues surrounding life on the V Force during the height of the Cold War and also some social issues affecting those in the armed forces at the time. I did however feel that it was all wrapped up pretty quickly at the end with all the plot lines closed all of a sudden, as if the author were on a deadline.

As a keen reader about the Cold War, mostly factual, I was enjoyed this technically accurate work of fiction.

[Alistair Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking for my next read, I found this on my Kindle. I'd read it before, but was ready to read it again.

It's not great writing. It's largely a technical description of what it was like to fly V-bomber Vulcans, at the height of the Cold War, wrapped around with stories of espionage and personal relationships. But since I like flying and technical stuff, and I live through the Cold War, and I thrilled at the Vulcan howl - I enjoyed it.

[Gwilym Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ok read as I’m fascinated by this era and its aircraft. I’m guessing it’s a reasonably accurate portrayal of the pleasures and pressures of Cold War flying.

[Kealan O'ver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really sure what to make of this. It was well written enough that I wasn't put off by the writing but the plot is pretty minimal and it seems to be geared towards people with an interest in aviation, which doesn't include me.