Once Upon a War: The Unstoppable Warpath of the Unkillable Jack Churchill

by Benjamin Blackie

You know the era… You know the war…
But you don’t know Jack.

The epic embarkation of a captivating chronicle, Once Upon a War introduces the Unstoppable Warpath of the Unkillable Jack Churchill.

From his entry into the British Army and service in Burma, his sporting accolades and various talented civilian accomplishments, to his fit return to fight the Nazis in France. This enthralling, action-packed first instalment of the incredible true saga tells the story of the distinguished soldier, archer, and swashbuckler’s unbelievable escapades throughout the Phoney War period, encompassing the infamous longbow kill during the ambush at L’Épinette.

Jack Churchill is one of the most renowned soldiers to have served within the Allied Forces during the Second World War.
His victories, valour, and triumphs are amongst the most legendary of historical conquests. Curiously, his tale is also one of the least celebrated.

Based on the untold True Story.

Presented unlike ever before, experience war through the eyes of the hopeless romantic, courageous warfighter, and sword-wielding eccentric, Mad Jack, as he beds the lasses and slays the fascists.

Arrow by arrow... Page by page…
Recount and relive his extraordinary history.

541 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2024

About the author

Benjamin Blackie was born in Camden, New South Wales in 1987. Growing up, he often found more comfort outside of everyday life in watching shows and movies, reading books and graphic novels, playing games, and generally exploring the vast variety of creations and art forms made by others, as well as developing and practicing his own imagination. Still does.

He currently resides in Sydney with his wife and daughter, and remains close with friends and family who enrich his life with love, inspiration, and encouragement every day.

Reviews

[Ron Merton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly about time somebody developed the tale of MAD JACK CHURCHILL!

An unexpectedly FUN retelling of the man's story, bound in very factual historic accuracy considering it is sold as an dramatized fictional biography. Plenty of ACTION for the action readers, lots of ROMANCE for the romantics, and a dollop of naughty stuff for those who are into that. It's genuinely got a bit of everything and I found the book to be rather unputdownable once the wheels started turning (which doesn't take long!)

Keen for more MAD JACK and his MERRY MEN when the sequel comes out.
Hopefully not too long with that ending ...

[Bert Bloo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is phenomenal. I had read about the eccentric englishman Mad Jack in the past and often questioned why nobody had ever made a movie or written a book about his crazy time inWW2. I guess now someone has and although it isn't what i expected it to be it did entertain greatly. The action is crazy oveer the top and chaotic, but its clearly intentional by the author and is technically intentional because its a story being retold by Jack to a journalist (spoiler) from his PoV. (Creative.)

I found the author's style very unique also. Some of it is very slow and then when the action parts start its like WOW. Blackie is very descriptive and at times made my eyes gloss over with arguably nonsensical descriptions with too many words but then at other times I was blown away by the detail and felt educated and very much like I was there, witnessing the sequences. (Well done.)

It's a long book but the book is worth the read if you like history being retold and war-time action. The humor is good too. Mad Jack is a great character brought to life in this fictional retelling. It left me eager for the next part. (Started reading immediately).

[Tamina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t my normal type of book but I truly loved it. The start was a bit slow but as you got into the story and learnt about Mad Jack it was so engaging and I wanted more. There’s parts that made me laugh out loud and I’m honestly excited for the next book. Kind of hard to believe it’s based on a real guy who used a bow and arrow in WWII 😅

[Joe B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly a bit longer than I normally read, I was so glad that I took the plunge, because once it hooked me, I couldn't stop reading. I smashed through it, finding every available opportunity to delve into Mad Jack Churchill's journey. I liked the action, of which there is a lot throughout the novel, I liked the characters, Blackie writes them with what felt like utmost respect and honest realism; they're flawed despite being of the greatest generation and I feel Once Upon A War is unique like that. I liked the nuggets of humour, and although I'm not one for romance, it wasn't sappy or soap opera-esque. The book ramps up, and now I want more - I need more.

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really engaging and interesting! Ripped through it super quickly, lots of action scenes!

Couldn't sleep till I finished it!