The Wild Blue: The Novel of the U.S. Air Force [Paperback]

Walter J. Boyne (Author), Steven L. Thompson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This bulky novel about the U.S. Air Force from its creation in 1947 to 1978 was composed, we are told, on the writers' personal computersa fact possibly responsible, in part, for its undistinguished style and lack of sustained tension. Boyne (one-time USAF career officer and author of several books on flying) and Thompson (Air Force "brat" and author of three thrillers) seem admirably qualified to capture and novelize what Thompson calls the "closed culture" of the USAF. Yet their all-too-comprehensive storywhich follows the fortunes of a handful of airmen (and their families), among them an egotistic careerist carrying on family tradition, a thrill-seeker and a blackwhips the reader back and forth between America and Europe, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East, covering the labors of ground crews, aerial combat, hazardous test flights, Pentagon infighting and racial friction and has about it a cranked-out quality that makes relatively dull reading. Excitements there are (if too brief and too few); the characters seem real (if none are memorable); and there is authentic detail aplenty. What the authors have signally failed to come up with is the imagination that might have turned sociomilitary history into genuine drama. 75,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The average reader may be put off by this novel about the Air Force. At half the length it would probably appeal to male readers, and to pilots especially, but the size and the three-page glossary of acronyms may reduce its popularity. The authors know their subject (Boyne, a retired Air Force colonel, is director of the National Air and Space Museum), and the book has a military atmosphere. Six men are the focus, with the history of the Air Force revealed through their careers from 1947 to the present. Each of the men is mildly stereotyped, and the minor characters are almost too numerous to track. Whenever the momentum begins to flag, someone crashes, and death is treated in a cavalier manner. What Janet Dailey and Jeane Westin did for the women's services, Boyne and Thompson have done for the Air Force, but not as well. Andrea Lee Shuey, Dallas
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 626 pages
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing; 1st edition (August 6, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517562855
• ISBN-13: 978-0517562857
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,422,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Wild Blue, March 5, 2002

By 

Philip A. Rowe, Jr. (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Wild Blue: The Novel of the U.S. Air Force (Mass Market Paperback)

Though fictional, this is a pretty accurate account of USAF life from early days when AAF became USAF up to mid-70's. This reviewer served in USAF from "brown shoe days" to "blue suiter" days, most of period covered by book and appreciates material presented. Though mostly about pilots, this navigator reviewer was pleased. Well written. A "good read". Follows careers of several characters and is at times somewhat disjointed, but overall a book deserving a reader's time.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Telling It Like It Was, January 11, 2001

By 

Duke Nauton (San Diego, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wild Blue: The Novel of the U.S. Air Force (Paperback)

The Wild Blue by Walter Boyne and Steven Thompson tells it like it really was during the most difficult growing pains and historically significant successes of the U.S. Air Force. The stretch for the stars is seen thru the eyes of the people who did the stretching, from the dedicated sergeant working thru the night to the idealistic pilot willing to sacrifice himself for his mission. The struggles and rewards, the failures and successes of these brave families and patriots are told with the accuracy of a reporter who was there and lived thru it. From the troops in the bars to the all too political movers and shakers who maneuvered the system to build the strongest and most capable Air Force in the world, this book tells it like it was.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be mandatory reading for all Air Force officers, February 22, 2001

By 

"nyyforever" (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wild Blue: The Novel of the U.S. Air Force (Paperback)

A tremendous, well-written, and highly accurate epic story that follows the careers of several USAF officers throughout their careers. As an Air Force Major with 15 years of service, I can tell you that this book is the most realistic concerning all aspects of Air Force life and history that I have ever read. Colonel (retired) Boyne weaves the stories of each officer's life together into the tremendous history of the USAF since 1947. His highly accurate accounts of every major USAF milestone together with honest, heartfelt story telling combine to make this a special book....it should be mandatory reading for every current and future USAF officer!