Sky High: Stories of Survival from Air to Space

by Clint Willis (Editor)

As proven by Wild Blue, Adrenaline's first collection of airborne adventures, the best writing about flying includes all the elements of great mortal danger, high stakes, and individuals with not much more than their wits to rely on. Clint Willis's latest collection, Sky High, raises the stakes even further with a greater focus on the men and women who fly in space. From smashing the sound barrier to the struggles required to get a man into orbit (and then back again), from the first trips to the moon to today's space station pioneers and paying passenger astronauts, Sky High includes great writing by and about those who have been among the boldest explorers of the past century. From those who led the way (Chuck Yeager, John Glenn, and Neil Armstrong) to world class writers and journalists (Norman Mailer to Bryan Burrough) to lesser-known authors, Sky High gives readers more of the aeronautic thrills that made Wild Blue take off. "Try Adrenaline Books.... In three years, this 20-volume anthology series has earned a cult following."—ESPN the Magazine

Genres: Aviation

364 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2002

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodreads doesn't like fractions, so three stars, but it's more like 2.5.

This is a strange book, part of the "Adrenaline Books" collection of "stories of survival." All books in the "Adrenaline" group are edited by one Clint Willis, who also has, slipping out of the "survival" mode, edited lots of books about hating various Republicans and big business and the "religious right" and books about madness, murder, crooks, corruption . . . and at least one on meditation. Which clearly is important for centering oneself after all that hate and stress. Editing books with "Hate" in the title probably generates lots of nasty letters.

In any event, all the authors or characters represented in THIS book did have some relationship to "air and space" and, with the exceptions of the astronauts who burned up on the launch pad, DID survive, even the guy who was the Kamikaze pilot. But, much to my disappointment, the selection given to us presents NO CLUE on how Mr. Kuwahara made it to at least 1957.

Many pieces included cover careers or events in "air and space" that WERE about survival, including several nice bits from WW I and WW II airmen as well as more recent military fliers and a couple gripping bits from or about astronauts. And then we have a long article on crop dusters -- very interesting, but not so much about survival stories, other than that they DID.

Toward the end, as if running out of good stuff, Willis added a super-weird long bit with only the most tangential relationship to the book's premise. Well, there WAS a very minor plane crash mentioned in it -- no one was hurt -- but mostly it's about anthropology and hiking. And we wrap up with a slice from H.G. Wells's fictional "The First Men in the Moon." Presumably they survived.

Anyway, reading this book wasn't painful, at least until the end. I read it because someone lent it to me with high praise. I shall return it undamaged.

[Walter Van Praag · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dozen great stories of exemplary feats, from breaking the sound barrier to landing on the moon to heroic war tales. Each one is fast paced, well written and easy to read. Clint Willis has made a good selection and did a great job editing these must read stories. Inspiring and entertaining to read, often making me sit on the edge of my seat thinking how heroic other people can be!

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short stories, not all as compelling as the last, but nevertheless many great extraordinary stories of survival and danger. I haven't read this book in, close to a decade I think, and the story of Roald Dahl's dogfight and the fighter pilot ejecting at the edge of the atmosphere have never left me. Great book.