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

by Walter J. Boyne, Stephen L. Thompson

The Wild Blue

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Military Fiction, Aviation, Adventure

626 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1986

Reviews

[Charles H,Wetmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book for years and have read it many times. As a Air Force veteran I can relate to many of the storylines and characters. I give it 5 stars.

[Friedrich Haas]

I read some of the reviews, and glad that I continued with this book despite having read them. I think it is amazing. A lot of characters, yes, so? This story covers so many aspects of the Air Force that it takes many people to show it to you. You want to know about training, recruitment, missiles, testing, procurement, whorehouses, getting by on the pay, infidelity, climbing the ladder, the personalities of the various bases, the aircraft, race relations, or any aspect you can imagine, and it is covered. I can't imagine anyone being bored by this story, when it changes every few pages. The section where a pilot meets a German girl and he describes the personality of the Germans after the war was spot on for me. It's about the Air force, but if you can't find something to relate to your life, you are not paying attention. I think of "The Great Santini", and know that this book could be a TV series on HBO. It has laid bare the Air Force so that any enthusiast can go in with open eyes, and possibly a flight plan to success. An excellent work.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the Air Force side of aviation, The Wild Blue is a tale of high libido, high flying, and racy living. Traversing WW2, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, the story line follows the lives of several servicemen and their wives. It’s really a man’s book, filled with military and worldly ideas, where even the pregnant women are looking for sex, and the cocktail culture is shaken not stirred. I admit, I faced challenges in finishing this book wherein the aircraft diagrams on the covers are the very best part.

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique take on the history of the US Air Force in the Mid-20th Century. Rather than offer a dry historical narrative, Boyne interweaves the disparate stories of 5-8 people from their enlistment through their end of service. The approach allows him to add color to the history and show how grunts, officers, and bureaucrats viewed the changes.

I really picked up the book because the author is from East St. Louis, and I was expecting more on that city's wicked underbelly. But I was disappointed on that point. Although he has two characters from the area, their only connection is getting out and staying out. There were only a few hints at the gangsters, gamblers, and prostitutes. Basically, five pages out of 600 described the city.

Overall, I had difficulty keeping track of the different characters and their stories. Although Boyne did not overwhelm casual readers with too much jargon or detail, it was tough to slog through a story only to have it change by picking the story of another character. I was often pulled into the stories; but I also had little attachment to the various heroes because there were so many. The Hanoi POW story was fascinating; but I barely knew the pilot. Was he the one who cheated on his wife? Was he the African-American? I did enjoy the realism and the grunt perspective; but 600 pages made this one of the longest books I read, and yet I only remember bits and pieces.

[Chuckdee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is for the US AF what Once An Eagle is for the army. Yes, you have a lot of characters and their stories are sometimes complex and hard to follow. However, this gives you wonderful insight into the forming of the US Air Force, and its first handful of decades has its own service. Along with a great story you get an interesting look at history. Additionally, you get insight into opinions, and perspectives from four decades ago.

Now, who thinks the general riding on Larry’s jet in those first few chapters is Brown?

[Chris Tschirhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book 3 times and it is an excellent look into the USAF from just after WWII till the middle 1980's. Although fiction it gives an accurate picture of what the Air-force must have been like to be in and the development of planes in that era plus the tugs and pulls of changes in society during those times.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another long time shelf sitter that I finally read!
What an interesting exciting read! We begin shortly after WWII and follow several people over the years until the late 70s. Their lives parallel and cross. I'm loving historical fiction because I learn so much about history. I'm now more aware of the huge sacrifices that our military families make. It's very humbling.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. It's historical fiction. Made up characters, but based on the reality of the Air Force. It's a great way to read and learn about AF history. It starts just after WWII when the Air Force was first becoming its own branch and follows the careers and family lives of several different people from their entry in the AF through their careers in Vietnam, Korea, and after.

The beginning of the book is fairly awkward. It starts out in present day at the funeral of one of the characters and then jumps in chapter 2 back to 1947 with no segue or warning. After I finished the last chapter, I had to go back and re-read the first chapter b/c at that point I knew the characters and the first chapter made sense.

[Keith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but after 120 pages, I just couldn't get into it. Too many characters to keep track off, too much bouncing around between them. Dates fluctuated greatly, which was distracting. Like W.E.B. Griffin's The Corps series, it concentrated more on the personalities than battles and time in the cockpit, but wasn't nearly as well done. When I got to the point where I dreaded opening the book, I knew I was done.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting account of the first 30 years of the US Air Force, focusing on the careers of several very different airmen, and encompassing the Korean and Vietnam wars and everything in between.

It's clear that the authors have tried to follow the model of story telling used in James Michener's 'Space', but they've done a great job of it. Would recommend this book highly to flying and history buffs.

[Kryssi Paulo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish the book. It was so boring that I lost interest. I struggled to finish it but couldn't get past pg 100. There were too many characters to keep track of and the author assumed that u knew a lot about the Air Force already.

[Cws]

A Boy

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if this is a really long book, it is still a good book. I like the detail that the book goes into.

[Skyring]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12751564

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good story despite all the major players and keeping them straight, great how blacks and women came to be in the history of flying !!!