A Brace of Phantoms - Book Reviews

I have been a military history buff since I was a child and of all of the periods I have read about, the post World War 2 period is the one that fascinates me the most. True, there are other periods that interest me and I do have an eclectic library but 1945 onwards is my favourite. Recently, I have finished two books in what I call the "Boys" range. This range of titles has covered the Lighting, Jaguar, Buccaneer, Hunter, Vulcan, Victor, Canberra, Meteor, Javelin, Tornado and the V-Force, but for this post, I'll be covering the two volumes printed about the Phantom.

The usual format for the series is that the author acts as a bridge between stories told in the first person by those who flew, operated and worked with each title's selected aircraft. I like this format as although general history books can be good, nothing beats the personal experiences written down by those who were there, no matter what period of history you cover, and in that respect, volume one is very good. The tales are interesting and really do give you an idea as to how effective the so-called high technology of the day actually was (i.e. not very at times - makes you wonder that if the balloon did go up, the winner would have been the man with the last piece of working tech!). As with previous titles, you learn far more about the aircraft and those who flew and fought with them than any technical work and it is fascinating.

However, there is a but here. Whilst volume two continues the interesting tales, the presentation is far different. Rather than first person, the author, Richard Pike, presents each tale in the third person, adding verbose and flowery writing which pads out the book to no real effect. It feels like he is auditioning for a career in fiction rather than presenting the stories of those whose careers featured the Phantom. The style detracts from the feel and at times makes reading the book a chore. The individual tales are worth a read, it's just the telling that doesn't gel. 

Overall though, if you have an interest in late 20th Century military aviation, these are worth a read, as are the rest of the "Boys" series, just beware the style. I am currently reading Meteor Boys and will post a review when it's finished.