Summary of Christopher Robbins's The Ravens


Book Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The secret war was a game designed by an enterprising officer to teach new pilots about the Vietnam War. It was modeled after Monopoly, with the first moves covering such dull stuff as aircraft maintenance, radio procedures, and the Rules of Engagement. The briefing officer took the players through the gradual process of developing into an old head instead of acquiring houses or hotels. #2 The comic-strip flyboy, Steve Canyon, was created in 1947. He was a Gary Cooper type with a shock of slicked-back blond hair and a pipe clamped in his jutting jaw. He dressed in flying coveralls, always carried a. 45 automatic in a shoulder holster, and traveled the world undertaking any assignment as long as it’s perilous, exciting, and decent. #3 The young pilots who went to Vietnam to fly as forward air controllers arrived pumped up and ready for action. They had a wide range of training behind them and were convinced of their status as an elite. #4 The dream of young romantics who were going to be fighter pilots was to duel with a Russian MiG, one on one, up in the wild blue yonder over North Vietnam. But it is the fate of romantics to be disillusioned, and most would-be pilots were eventually forced to accept that being given a fighter was little more than a dream.




The Ravens


Book Description

Drawing on materials that were, until recently, classified, this account depicts the intense air war fought over Laos and profiles the "Ravens," the pilots who risked their lives in this little-known field of war




Courage Beyond Words


Book Description

Michel Thomas survived starvation in French concentration and slave labor camps and endured torture as a fighter with the French Resistance. He saw combat with the U.S. Army and after the war hunted Nazis as an officer with U.S. Counter Intelligence. He captured important war criminals and was a witness in the trial of Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie, the Butcher of Lyon. His incredible experiences enabled him to forge a revolutionary learning system that made him the world's language master. His passion for life is a story of hope and inspiration and part of his lasting legacy.




Military Review


Book Description




The Griff


Book Description

“If there’s a funnier writer out there, step forward.” —Playboy The always outrageous Christopher Moore—New York Times bestselling author of Bite Me, Lamb, You Suck, The Stupidest Angel, and a host of other prime cuts of literary hilarity—joins forces with award-winning screenwriter and director Ian Corson to bring you The Griff. An absurdly entertaining graphic novel about alien invasion—in the grand tradition of Cowboys and Aliens, but considerably more ridiculous—The Griff is vintage Chris Moore…with pictures! Get ready for thrills, chills, and a chain-smoking professional squirrel, in this high-octane tale of the infestation of Earth by extraterrestrial interlopers and the motley crew of humans who save the world…sort of.




The Shape of Things to Come


Book Description

First published in 1933, "The Shape of Things to Come" is science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells. Within it, world events between 1933 and 2106 are speculated with a single superstate representing the solution to all humanity's problems. A classic example of Wellsian prophesy, this volume is highly recommended for fans of his work and of the science fiction genre. Herbert George Wells (1866 - 1946) was a prolific English writer who wrote in a variety of genres, including the novel, politics, history, and social commentary. Today, he is perhaps best remembered for his contributions to the science fiction genre thanks to such novels as "The Time Machine" (1895), "The Invisible Man" (1897), and "The War of the Worlds" (1898). Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this book now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.




Test of Courage


Book Description

The bestselling author of the true-thriller classics "Air America" and "The Ravens" delivers a compelling portrait of Michel Thomas, a man who fought his way from refugee to resistance leader, from slave laborer to Nazi hunter.




A Dirty Job


Book Description

Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy with a normal life, married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. They're even about to have their first child. Yes, Charlie's doing okay—until people start dropping dead around him, and everywhere he goes a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Charlie Asher, it seems, has been recruited for a new position: as Death. It's a dirty job. But, hey! Somebody's gotta do it.




The Lair of Raven


Book Description

Ask any fighter pilot or Forward Air Controller from the Vietnam era and he'll tell you that he heard about it. While the war in Vietnam ebbed and flowed with alternating violence and boredom, there was a rumor of another war, somewhere else, where men flew long hours in propeller aircraft without markings into constant danger in a land where adventure reigned supreme, where common sense replaced the hated Rules of Engagement and where a man could finally test the limits of his abilities. These pilots were few in number and their call sign was Raven. This is the wartime autobiography of one of the few pilots ever to fly under that now famous call sign. Craig Duehring lived and flew out of the guerilla headquarters at Long Tieng, Laos, in support of the iconic Hmong leader, Major General Vang Pao, for a longer tour of duty than any other Raven. During that time, he knew many of the most notable Ravens and participated in many tragic events of the day - including the famous "St. Valentine's Day Massacre." This is the story of how one young man left the farm country of southern Minnesota and embarked on a career as an Air Force pilot during the height of the Vietnam War. Equally as important as the combat he experienced is his personal triumph over repeated obstacles and near disasters to achieve his dream that will be a source of inspiration for young readers everywhere. Do such challenges attract the best men or were they average men who were simply doing their personal best? Judge for yourself.




Rabid


Book Description

The most fatal virus known to science, rabies-a disease that spreads avidly from animals to humans-kills nearly one hundred percent of its victims once the infection takes root in the brain. In this critically acclaimed exploration, journalist Bill Wasik and veterinarian Monica Murphy chart four thousand years of the history, science, and cultural mythology of rabies. From Greek myths to zombie flicks, from the laboratory heroics of Louis Pasteur to the contemporary search for a lifesaving treatment, Rabid is a fresh and often wildly entertaining look at one of humankind's oldest and most fearsome foes. "A searing narrative." -The New York Times "In this keen and exceptionally well-written book, rife with surprises, narrative suspense and a steady flow of expansive insights, 'the world's most diabolical virus' conquers the unsuspecting reader's imaginative nervous system. . . . A smart, unsettling, and strangely stirring piece of work." -San Francisco Chronicle "Fascinating. . . . Wasik and Murphy chronicle more than two millennia of myths and discoveries about rabies and the animals that transmit it, including dogs, bats and raccoons." -The Wall Street Journal