Customer Reviews

Warrior Priest

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A real story about real people set in a very real time. Starting with the warrior priest on Pg. 1, Mr. Johnson the Storyteller keeps you going with crisp tight dialogue that moves the storyline(s) as it introduces you to characters drawn into the developing WWII-era tale. Word and deed uniquely brings each to life, whether friend or foe. Fictional hometown folks you care about are as "real life" as the "real" people whose names you will recognize, and all so skillfully, seamlessly woven into the fabric of the obviously well researched historical situations. Descriptive narrative is also concise with just the right touch of historical detail to "put you there." Highly recommended for any reader who enjoys that turn-of-the-last-page "great story!" head nodding! Even after you know how the book "ends," you will keep this one on your shelf for revisiting the fact as well as the fiction... rather like watching "M*A*S*H" reruns... wartime realism tempered by those incredibly memorable characters and their great personal stories.

I love historical fiction and I loved this book! Warrior Priest is set during WW II and centers around a variety of characters who are well defined and written. They include a young priest who finds himself becoming an airborne chaplain, a Krakow university student turned polish lancer, two young lady partisans, an aircraft carrier fireman (talk about an intense job!), and a young army nurse. What's cool about this list of characters is that they are normal, every day people, through whom this wonderfully woven story is told. In other words, we aren't depending on the eyes of generals or other higher up historical figures for our various POVs, but on regular people trying to live their lives during one of the most trying and important times in our history. They do interact with historical correct figures and work and live in real places. This all, along with the easily apparent large amount of research that went into this novel, blends together to give you such a rich reading experience. You won't be able to put this one down until you reach the last page for the final ending! Which you need to get to in order to find out what happens to every one of our characters. ;)
I've never really read a historical novel based during WW II that comes from such a unique group of perspectives as these young characters provide.
I thoroughly enjoyed it! And it didn't take forever to get through LOL
Talk about a great gift for those men, or women, in our lives that may be hard to buy for but love their reading and their history. Can we say holiday gift? I think so. :)
Happy reading!

This book is available in both the hard cover and that larger paper back style. I will be putting this review under both listings.

Enjoyed reading "Warrior Priest" very much. There are many parts I related with, some parts covered where I've traveled and a few parts about which I shed a tear or two. While reading I traced the story in WWII military history publications and an Atlas, covering U.S. and European events and areas, and found the story to be historically accurate. It gives a different point of view that you normally find to what took place during WWI, and gives glimpses of heroics and every day lives of the Allies, the Occupied and the enemy. The book is easy to read with a smooth story line and I soon became engrossed in the characters and the events taking place. Strongly recommend it to first time as well as mature readers.

I found this book to be an exceptional piece of writing. Great storylines, wonderful character interactions. I like the way Mr. Johnson incorporates real people and situations from WWII into his book, while giving the realism of how those situations would affect the characters in the story.
Mr. Johnson's character development is outstanding. I felt that I really knew the characters, and feel a slight loss since I have finished the book.

In no way do you need to be religious or Catholic to enjoy this book. It is a story about soldiers, nurses, farmers, villages, home resistance, and many more, and of course a Priest.

Can't wait for the next book by Mr. Johnson

I thoroughly relished reliving World War II through all the people in Warrior Priest. My memories of the war years were limited to bidding adieu to an uncle boarding a train to serve in the Army and fear of the daily news on the radio, when the house was deadly quiet as my parents listened solemnly and wordlessly. Little did I know of the intricacies, the battles, the strategy and harsh realities of the war overseas. I was impressed by how smoothly Mike Johnson wove the factual events with the fictional people in a way that was riveting and believable yet never bogged down into a dry listing of historical facts. But as much as I enjoyed the story and was constantly amazed at the breadth of Johnson's knowledge and research about those years, what fascinated me most was the wordsmithing -- clear and concise sentences, vivid descriptions, and carefully chosen words that perfectly suited each situation. That's what transformed the characters in Warrior Priest into dear friends and family and made me feel like a fly on the wall in the '40s. Johnson captured it all in a powerful, well-written story about interesting people, wrapped in the history of an uncertain time and gradually but perpetually linked together. You can learn more about him and his book by logging on to www.mikejohnsonbooks.com. It's a fun visit.

Warrior Priest is a collection of fascinating stories that recount the massive effects of World War II on the lives of several characters. While the story focuses on the Warrior Priest, we are also drawn to several other characters whose lives are changed by the war. Most intriguing for me is the emotional effect we feel when tragedies strike one character, other characters are at that same moment blissfully unaware. The book does a wonderful job of transposing the terror of war and the unknowing fear on the homefront. A great story that is a joy to read.

Warrior Priest is wonderful. It is rich with character and plot..suspenseful, witty and an utterly fantastic read. I love the way it all pulled together and kept you guessing right to the end. There isn't a character in that book that I didn't fall in love with. I felt like I was right there in Warsaw. I got to see it and actually smell it. The fact and fiction were woven together so well I had to remind myself that parts were fiction...
a great job of researching and better still a fantastic imagination. I can't wait for the movie and I already have it cast.

Once I started this book I could not put it down! Mike Johnson offers War II through the eyes of eight well developed and believeable characters who we can all relate to. He skillfully interweaves their lives and experiences as they are drawn into historical events and interact with historical figures. This book was obviously well researched and Johnson was especially effective in showing the human sides of bigger than life personalities like Patton and Dolittle. This would be a wonderful gift for anyone who likes historical fiction.

Not being a war historian, I learned a tremendous amount about the war from this book which gave me a whole new perspective on how our world has evolved over the last 60 years. It's a remarkable revelation for younger generations, like my own, to have a view into an era where the future of the world was in question.

"What an absolutely delightful way to spend a 19-hour flight to India. I thoroughly enjoyed 'Warrior Priest'! Up until this read, I didn't count myself as much of a historical fiction fan but I'll look forward to Johnson's next installation of the genre. Very well done! I've recommended it twice already and lent my own copy to my business partner who has his own long flight ahead with an onerous mandate that my signed copy must return quickly to my personal library." Deb Coulson, Texas