Official Review: Avenging Angel: A Pilot's Story

[Kibet Hillary]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Avenging Angel: A Pilot's Story" by Spencer Anderson.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Carl Bridger’s dream of becoming a pilot started after seeing the plane that delivered the first airmail in Cascade, Montana. He was prepared to undertake all it took and incur every cost to learn about planes at the local hangar. There was a lot of work at Double B Ranch, though, and thus he heartily agreed to perform his chores while working at the hangar. His friend Charles Temple, a pilot, offered him a job and also instructed him how to fly. Years later, Carl excelled at his Civil Aeronautics Board pilot license test. This training would come in handy when he enlisted in the United States Air Force during the Second World War. Carl, like other recruits, could not sit and do nothing while a great many citizens fought and gave their lives for his safety and freedom.

Avenging Angel: A Pilot’s Story is the account of Carl’s combat experience narrated in the third person. This point of view had many advantages as it enabled me to perceive things from the perspective of other characters. The book was authored by Spencer Anderson and published by Synergy Books Publishing, USA, in 2016. It is in the genre of historical fiction and comprises 432 pages. The author is a former pilot and Air Force Vietnam War veteran. His practical mastery of aviation and air combat was evident throughout the book.

The book presents the realities of war most realistically and believably. The reader is transported to the airbase where every group leader is worried whether all his crew members will come back alive. No one can easily foretell what will happen once the bombers are airborne. On the odd occasion, the missions are easy, but at times planes are damaged and officers killed. I appreciated the fact that I was also taken back to the families anticipating the return of their sons and daughters. Every unexpected knock on the door or mail received caused anxiety. Carl’s parents, sister, and his fiancée Annie could not tell whether a letter would be from him or his commanding officer announcing his demise.

What I liked most was joining Carl and his co-pilot in the cockpit of the Mitchell B-25 bomber. The author accurately described every action vividly from the preflight checks and start sequences to skillful maneuvers and tactics in the space battles. I felt like I was right there with the pilots. Dialogues filled with humor gave life to the book. These lively conversations helped to reveal the personality traits of several characters as well. There were no sexually explicit scenes and only two instances of borderline profanity. There is nothing I disliked about the book.

This is a captivating story of gallantry, determination, teamwork, friendship, love, and loss. There is something for every reader to enjoy. There were a few grammatical errors and two instances where characters were mixed up. Therefore, I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to all ardent fans of historical fiction. Readers who enjoy reading about flying will equally find it enthralling.

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Avenging Angel: A Pilot's Story
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[sharon titus]

I liked the summary part of your review, it's informative and interesting to read. Thank you for your hard work.

[AFancyMason]

This review is incredibly helpful as I was tempted to start reading this book. I love aviation books because I am a pilot myself but a lot of the times, books about aviation are not accurate. It sounds like, from your review that this is an excellent choice. I’m happy to hear of an author that spent a considerable amount of research before publishing.

[C3cilia]

This review is exellent. The zeal of Carl is so captivating.What made the book more impressive is the point where war was involved.

[Stephanie Davis]

I'm currently reading Avenging Angel: A pilot's story and it's amazing! I don't want to stop reading it! Very captivating... So far so good...