Across The Blood-Red Skies

by Robert Radcliffe

Spring 1917. Under furious attack both from the ground and the air, the average survival time of a First World War reconnaissance pilot is eighteen hours. George Duckwell, reluctant novice-hero of the Royal Flying Corps, is living on borrowed time. Having joined up to escape disgrace at home, George can only watch in horror as a succession of comrades - inexperienced, under-trained and hopelessly idealistic - are shot down, burned, maimed and killed, while somehow he survives. Struggling to make sense of the conflict, George forms an awkward friendship with William 'Mac' MacBride, an enigmatic Canadian ace, waging his own private war against the legendary Red Baron. But when Mac falls for George's sweetheart - front-line nurse Emily - heartbroken George learns that Mac's mysterious past is darker than he imagined, and the fragile bond that keeps the two men alive comes under threat on the eve of the most lethal conflict the modern world has known.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Aviation, World War I, War, Fiction, Historical

325 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

This is a pseudonym for Robert Mawson.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read! The writing is brilliant. The opening chapter showed the ride we were in for and it didn't disappoint. I was in the cockpit of the old plane, feeling every bump and lurch. Feeling the adrenalin and the fear.
I didn't take to George, our main character, at the start. He was a foolish young man, playing pranks and wasting his money on cards. He caused trouble for a girl and then waltzed off without a care in the world. But his growth and development through the story made me quite fond of him in the end. The friendship between himself, Emily and Mac was touching.
This author doesn't hold back with descriptions of battles and injuries but he also injects a lighter note throughout the story which made me smile.
It's a story of discovery, of a sense of self, in George especially but as time goes on for Emily and Mac as well.
I loved the ending!!!

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set during the First World War, Across the Blood-Red Skies offers a wild ride with the pioneers of aerial combat, the courageous men who fought high above the trenches in their flimsy machines.

In a war notable for grim statistics, one number stands out for newly promoted flight leader George Duckwell of the Royal Flying Corps: eighteen hours is the average survival time of a reconnaissance pilot in the spring of 1917.

I really enjoyed reading about the women of the FANY (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry), a group that I previously knew anything about. But of the three main characters, it’s George’s engaging voice that dominates and gives the story much of its appeal. George is immensely likable, a bit of a lad, reckless, loyal, resourceful, and possessed of an irrepressible dry sense of humour. This book has it all: strong storytelling, sympathetic characters, action, human drama, comradeship and romance.

[Hyarrowen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to read this a couple of months ago, and I'm still muttering to myself about it, so I guess I'd better get it out of my system.

Rated two stars :( the stars are for the flying scenes. They're brilliantly immersive; I was right there in the cockpit above the fields of France. Terrifying, solid and real. Unfortunately the first chapter piled on the awful to such an extent that I started laughing, which is perhaps not what was intended. It was the First World War! It's not necessary to hype the awfulness to a ridiculous degree, we all know it was awful! And laughter's not a desirable response to WW1 unless one's watching Blackadder Goes Forth.

So I started skipping. There was a love triangle. At the apex of the triangle (or I should say vee, since I don't think our heroes loved each other that way) was a potentially good character, a woman ambulance driver. I'd've liked to see her as something more than a prize for one of the male characters, but I couldn't; that's what love vees do to this reader. She rescued a baby from down a well. Obviously she had to be nurturing, because that's what teh ladiez are... *facepalm* I don't think she got fridged, though, which is something to be thankful for.

I lost interest in Tauriel Emily, and skipped to the end. Turns out our POV character shot down the Red Baron. So many fictional characters do this that it's a wonder the man survived as long as he did, let alone became the most feared ace of the war. He seems to have been very easy meat. *second facepalm* Honestly I find this disrespectful both to his many, many victims and to the man himself.

But as I say, the flying sequences are completely brilliant.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This I will admit was a bit of a departure for me from my usual reading choices but I like to explore other works and I will admit this was a very compelling read. It follows 3 characters through the first world war - though it concentrates on George Duckwell a fictitious character realistically inserted in to historical events in and around the Royal Flying Corps.

The book for me - having never flown an aeroplane let alone one of the craft described in this book - portrays the gritty and horrifying events of the war from which over 15 million are estimated to have died. I am always in two minds over military stories based in real conflicts. The first is that should we really be seeking entertainment from some of the most horrific events in our history (perpetrated by our fellow man) but at the same time events like this created some of the most dramatic and powerful character forming moments. As many a cliche goes - it is the furnaces of war that a mans spirit is forged.

And I must admit I did appreciate that one of the characters in the story was a female volunteer in the civilian ambulance service. I know that Robert Radcliffe has written a number of other books which I think I will take a closer look at now after reading this.

[Ajo Joseph Anto · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating story set in the Great War (WW I), narrated through the life of three individuals, A British teenager who became a fighter pilot at a time when pilots in his squadron lasted hardly a week, A Canadian Ace pilot who has the most kills in the British side and a Lady ambulance driver who, all 3 active participants of the war with entirely different roles and all 3 were runaways from their beloved homes due to unforeseen circumstances. The plot seamlessly intertwines their lives throughout the entire war (1914 - 1917) . The British perspective of the war and the machines of war are well portrayed and the German ace, the famous "Red baron" makes numerous thrilling appearances in the story.
A must read for all for sure!!

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goshawk Squadron (Derek Robinson) remains the KIng of all the WW1 flying books I have read. But this comes second.

The opening chapter showed how it was going to be
I didn't like George, our main character who was a stupid, careless young man, playing pranks and wasting his money on cards. He caused trouble for a girl and then left without a care for her or what he caused at all. On meeting her again, he imagines himself as having a relationship with her, which he does not.

But his character does get some growth maturity . The friendship between himself, Emily and Mac was good.
Emily, another interesting character is a FANY, ambulance driver. This other part of the book is almost as good and informative as Helen Zenna Smiths account in Not So Quiet.

The author did not fly in the war but has been a pilot. In all it's pretty good.

[Martin Barnet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book. I knew a little about First World War pilots but the book really brought to life the almost impossible conditions they fought under.
While this is a war book, with some exciting dogfight scenes, it’s really a book about the friendship between George and Mac. I felt that their relationship didn’t ring true given the little contact they had had with one another and the circumstances surrounding Emily. While undoubtedly there would be an close bond of comradeship, the friendship felt a little contrived. I still enjoyed and was engaged by the book and would recommend it as a read for others interested in the First World War.

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

No holds barred

This tale provides an unabridged account of air warfare over the trenches of the front line in northern France during 1917.
It does not flinch from describing the physical, mental and moral horrors endured by very young men.
However, it also relates the complexities of life brought into that theatre of operations and the inevitable diversions available to very few both combatants and non-combatants.
An excellent book I had to read in stages.

[Cynthia Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I wasn't very engaged with this book, seemed thin on plot, and a bit heavy on the technical description. However, I loved it by the end. Beautiful descriptive passages evoking emotional response in the reader, and the characters really came to life. Wonderful WWI story.

[Derek Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful drama about friendship, romance, coming of age, all caught up in a merciless bloody war.

[Jack · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty awful - disappointed as I enjoyed Airborne very much.

[Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fun quick read. good chatacter development and a different approach to a ww1 western front novel.

[Fi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whew, one helluva book; Robert Radcliffe is fast becoming one of my favourite authors!

[Ingmar Boddington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read, but nothing special.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good war time adventure from this writer, set in World War One this time, with plenty of action and good story telling to keep you on board , with plenty of thrills and spills in the air and on the ground.

[Roy Szweda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rattling good yarn of people struggling with disrupted lives. Although a little confusing at times I found the plot convincing, the details accurate and the overall effect compelling.
There are other books on the subject and this stands amongst the best of them I think. You feel for these men and women thrust into the maw of the Great War, at first keen to resolve their own dilemmas but then these gain a whole new perspective set against this massive conflict.
I really enjoyed reading stuff I did not know so much about such as the incredible work of the women's FANY organisation. The author shows us views of a war from several viewpoints from gassing in the trenches to the daily hell of airborne conflict no holds barred so at times it is not for the squeamish.
All gets resolved in the end though it is tinged with sadness nonetheless. I shall now read his other books on wartime exploits such as Dambuster.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I found out that the author of Under an English Heaven had written a novel about flying in the First World War, I couldn't grab it quickly enough. 1917's Bloody April is the backdrop for a story of three people and their intertwined lives: George, who has fled emotionally distant parents and trouble at school to fly FE2 'Bathtubs' over France, Mac, his Canadian pilot friend with a dangerous secret, and Emily, witnessing horrors as she drives an ambulance for the FANYs and tries to work out what she really wants from life.

The story skips back and forth through 1917, switching between point of view characters and from first to third person as it goes. This was slightly off-putting at first, but when I began to see the bigger pattern I found the device compelling.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really a book about war, this is more a book about how the experiences of war affect people: in particular, how it affects its main protaganists, primarily told as the memoirs of one of those characters.

While it jumps around a bit - sections with events set before the preceding chapter, then forward again to events after the first section, then back again ... - it is quite an enjoyable read, which pulls no punches when it comes to the horror of th war, both in the trenches and in the air.

[Martin Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exiting book to read. The descriptions in war for both male and female characters are very well versed, bring out the colour of an often black and white history we imagine ww1 to be. This is a story about friendship too, the romantic rises out of grim death like having a shower at the front line. The madness of war is over come by friendship and that alone makes the novel a great read. I have passed on my copy.

[Richard Warlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a fantastic read, great detail during the battles, best book I've read for a long time.