Air Ferrets Aloft [Hardcover]

Richard Bach (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ferret Chronicles | Publication Date: June 25, 2002

This is Stormy Ferret's story. Cargo pilot, captain of an Air Ferrets SkyFreighter, she had earned her name by delivering her freight on time through every weather the night could set against her. Her destiny, she thought, was her dependability. That was true until, on a run south from Seattle to Salinas, she plunges into a supernatural tempest like nothing she has ever known.

Flying north in his sleek FerrJet, Captain Strobe Ferret hits equally violent weather. As chief pilot of the giant MusTelCo, his long experience at the controls had taught him to accept whatever the sky set before him. He had adjusted to life alone in the wild pure arena of air.

The two pilots meet by chance in the most powerful twin storm ever to sweep Airway Victor 23, her voice in the night helping him survive, his voice helping her. Coincidence turns to destiny as they battle through the clouds toward an unscheduled landing and a meeting that will forever change their lives -- and the lives of thousands of others.

"Air Ferrets Aloft" is a tale of skill and commitment, of powerful coincidence set in motion by unseen forces from another dimension, of the life-changing consequences when like souls meet, of love discovered after all hope for it had passed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bach returns to critter fables with the first two installments (three more are due over the course of the next year) of The Ferret Chronicles, creating an imaginary world based on the exploits of ferrets who have abandoned their utopian world to aid the human race. Rescue Ferrets at Sea is by far the better book, mostly because Bach sticks to a coherent, straightforward plot with a story that is touching and satisfying (despite the high treacle level). Bethany Ferret is the seagoing heroine who dreams of being part of the fleet that rescues animals lost at sea, and she fulfills her dream when she makes it through officer training. The icing on the cake is a project in which she restores her battered rescue vessel, but her superiors throw her a curve when they place rock star cum journalist Chloe Ferret on board to chronicle the adventures of the crew. But Chloe proves to be up to the difficult job; after winning the crew over, she even provides a dramatic assist when she helps recover some data from an explorer ship. Air Ferrets Aloft, concerning a cargo airline that shuttles food and toys around the country, is clumsy and muddled by comparison. The protagonists are two heroic pilots, Stormy and Strobe, who are destined to meet during a series of flights between California and Seattle. But the headstrong would-be lovers keep screwing up the meeting, forcing a pack of ferret angels to lend an assist by messing up the weather in a series of jumbled scenes that take the luster off the inevitable happy ending. Bach's fondness for flying shines through in the airborne book, and he wears his love of animals and his fondness for sappy endings on his sleeve in both novels. But he never manages to bring his animal conceit to life, failing to project the unique, simple innocence that made Jonathan Livingston Seagull such a huge commercial success 30 years ago. (June 25) Forecast: Even with the repromotion of Jonathan Livingston Seagull in April, the trick will be getting adults to read what is essentially children's literaturemarketing plans include support from the S&S children's divisionbut these ferrets are no Harry Potter, so expect sales to be... ferrety. Major ad/promo; author appearances; foreign rights sold in Australia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Russia.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Bach has graduated from seagulls to ferrets (he has nine), which in these two books perform selfless acts of heroism. The start of a new series.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (June 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743227530
• ISBN-13: 978-0743227537
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #516,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A former USAF pilot, gypsy barnstormer and airplane mechanic, Richard Bach is the author of more than three books.
He has not taken much thought to his page at Amazon, having just discovered today that it exists. He will likely return and fluff up this page a bit. His new website is www.richardbach.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect June Gift, June 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Air Ferrets Aloft (Hardcover)

A friend left this book in my hangar this afternoon and I read it cover to cover at home tonight on my deck, rocking in a big rope hammock before the sun could set. Listen to the words here, dear reader and discover all over again the joy of flight and love, wrapped in humor and caring. For the pilots among us, at last a flying parable with integrity we can read to our children and revel in ourselves.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mystical Adventure, May 3, 2004

By 

Paul Landen (Kasilof, Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Air Ferrets Aloft (Hardcover)

Air Ferrets Aloft is right up there with my other Bach favorites Illusions and Running from Safety. It is a gentle, beautiful story of destiny and true nature told in a wonderful way. I particularly like the audio version where Richard reads the story himself. I bought the book when it first came out and didn't read it until this week because, frankly, I'm not a fan of ferrets (sorry Richard!). Waiting was a mistake. Don't let the fact that this is a children's book or that you don't like ferrets, deter you. It is CLASSIC BACH.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful talking book!, September 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Air Ferrets Aloft (Audio Cassette)

I expect excellence from the author of Johnathan Livingston Seagull and this pleasantly read book is no exception. Like Johnathan, it has a child-like quality of storytelling that is amenable to the adult heart and ear as well. It is the first of the ferret series I've come across and I listen to it on my daily journey to and from home and work or school. The underlying themes of spiritual awareness and analogizing flight to an expression of spirituality is akin to JLS and a comfort to a reader who has read JLS to her children, husband, and grandchildren. I look forward to finding more unabridged tapes such as this as it is the only way this late-in-life law student has the time to listen to a good book anymore! My husband gets this tape next, then my eldest granddaughter. Or maybe I'll buy the CD for her...Who knows, with the fabulous descriptions of what goes on during flight she might opt to become a pilot some day. Great fun! Richard Bach has an excellent voice for this, as well. I'm hearing impaired and can understand him with the greatest of ease!