I bought this book because I am going into the Air Force Reserves as a C-130 pilot. I, of course, found it very interesting and informative, but I don't think I would recommend it to any non-pilots and would hesitate to recommend it to a non-airlift military pilot. A lot of people would find the topics he discusses very boring as compared to a fighter or bomber type memoir book. Nevertheless, I thought the stories he told were awesome - he talks about almost every mission the Hercules performs - hauling mail, booze, troops, dead bodies, ammo, and medical litters of injured troops. He also details the short-field capability of the C-130 flying into all of those fields in 'Nam. There are several hair-raising stories that he depicts where they are supplying the Marines at Khe Sahn during Tet and others where he is landing in bad weather, runways with craters, dirt strips, etc. He also mixes up the book with some details of the social life in Thailand, Taiwan, and the Philippines (he parallels the airlifting stories with stories about a chick he "hangs out" with in Bangkok.)

Anyway, I thought it was a great read, but I doubt most folks would think so unless they were very into the C-130 - like me.

I found David Kirk Vaughan's book about his experiences as an airlift pilot in Vietnam impossible to put down. His descriptions of action in and out of the cockpit are done such that they are very easy to understand, even if one is not a pilot. Yet, even the experienced military aviator will find some intriguing action there for him too.

Vaughan's description of landing at the "golf course" is but one example. Written in such a manner that the novice can appreciate the extreme difficulty of such a task, an aviator will nearly be in disbelief, especially after seeing the landing strip in one of the several photos that the author took during his tour and which are included in the book.

Of course there is plenty of action outside the cockpit, too. Again, I found Vaughan's descriptions superb as he related his travels throughout Thailand, Vietnam, the Phillipines and back "home" in Taiwan.

If one wishes to have a better understanding of the life of a military transport pilot or to have a record of Vietnam war airlift action, then this is a must buy!

Runway Visions is a memoir of a young pilot who volunteers to go to SE Asia and fly Hercules C-130 supply missions during the Viet Nam war.

David Vaughan tells a compelling tale, one that haunts me. It is not a story full of heroic rescues, though there is a little of that. It is the tale of a man looking back at himself and trying to make sense of what he did and saw. He holds little back.A difficult book to describe, but one that this reader found very satisfying. One of the best books I have read in a long time.

The first book Little Bird Biddle Bird is the best of the series, but this one is cute. A little hard for my five year old to follow, alot of "why?" was asked, but the pictures are very bright as with the first book as well.

Little Pig Biddle Pig is a very enjoyable book! Similar to the first in the series, "Little Bird, Biddle Bird", it has wonderful vibrant illustrations and tuneful language. Typical of David Kirk's style, this book is an eye catcher for children and particularly enjoyable for the reader! This book on its own is really a fun read, however, it is extremely similar to "Little Bird, Biddle Bird", I'm just not sure how many times you will want to read additional "Little Biddle" stories with other animals experiencing essentially the same story. I hope future books in this series vary a little more with the story line.

As junior application programmer, this book provided me with an excellent introduction to the world of MVS and the skills one needs to master in order to make professional progress within that world. However, the price of the book is absurd (especially since it is a book you will only read once or twice).

This is a book you can safely put in the hands of newcomers to the mainframe. It answers must of their questions. It is a clear consise overview of things.

I have read all of Hagberg's books and unfortunately this one is not as good as the others. It goes into the realm of too unrealistic for a thriller. This story is definitely not on par with Ludlum and Cussler.

A friend of mine gave me this book and I picked it up since I needed a faster-paced read in the midst of moving. This book is definitely a fast-paced thriller ~~ you can't put it down.

With events beginning with a bombing in a Georgetown restaurant, Kirk Macgrevor begins the hunt for the killers and finds a conspiracy between the Japanese and unidentified sources in the White House ~~ and with the countdown of a space ship in Japan looming, Macgrevor races against time to find the killers. He writes to keep you on your toes ~~ and I thoroughly enjoyed it even though the book has left me with more questions than answers ~~ as if the last few chapters were written in a haste and no answers to be found. That is why I rate this book a 3 star ~~ something was missing.

Other than that, it is an enjoyable read. It's a great summer read ~~ it's a thriller unlike others.

5-13-03

This is my first experience with David Hagberg. The book was good though I found it a little slow through the middle. The incident at the beginning was well written and had my hopes up for a continuing excitement level. This however tapered off somewhat through the middle of the book and then picked up with the last 1/3 when the story starts moving fairly fast.

Overall good book - I'd recommend it to others and would read other Hagberg titles.

Also: My copy (paperback) of the book fell apart. The cover came off and pages broke out of the binding.

4 and 1/2 stars - Although written before September 11th, the storyline for Joshua's Hammer takes on new meaning in the wake of the horrific events of that day. The story itself takes Kirk McGarvey, former CIA assassin and currently among the top men in the CIA, back out into the field to negotiate with Osama bin Laden. Events quickly spin out of control and McGarvey finds himself fighting for the safety of his family, the President's family and millions of Americans. At the same time, McGarvey must thwart bin Laden's plan to set off a tactical nuclear device in San Francisco. McGarvey portrays a cool, confident, cerebral agent, yet also displays emotion sufficient to indicate that more than ice water runs through his veins. The story moved along at a fast pace, with a plethora of action and suspense. This was the second of Hagberg's book that I have read. I will clearly be going back for more.

David Hagberg has once again written a good book. This book has good characters,an outstanding plot,and excellent action.I was very impressed with the use of Osama bin Laden in this book. Hagberg also displayed how large and far reaching bin Laden's terrorist network is.Kirk McGarvey once again plays the role of hero to the max. He once again saves the day. His daughter also steps up to the forefront in this book. One of the more sinister characters in this book is bin Laden's chief of staff Bahmad.He is one of the more evil people that Hagberg has used.In this book bin Laden goes on a mission of vengance witk a purchased nuclear device.The United States through the efforts of McGarvey must find a way to stop this plan. The book is one of nonstop action as the forces of good do battle with the forces of evil. This book has it all. Buy this book and read it. You will not be dissapointed.

Ever since I picked up my first Kirk McGarvey novel about 7 years ago, I have been been a HUGE fan of David Hagberg and he has done nothing but inspire that trust in novel after fantastic novel of high adventure and international intrigue. 'Joshua's Hammer' is easily one of the best McGarvey tales yet. An absolutely riviting yarn which walks the fine line between fiction and reality.

First off a meeting is arranged with notorious world terrorist Osama Bin Laden. Apparently Osama wants things to change, and he needs the help of America in order to pull it off...but the CIA sends their chief of station from Saudi Arabia and Osama only wants someone higher up to make the arrangements. But before that happens the former Chief of Station and his entire family are killed vacationing in Orlando. Did Osama order the hit, or was it one of his underlings? Kirk McGarvey steps in and decides to find out by going himself to negotiate with Osama. Kirk has a GPS chip implanted on his body so the CIA will always know exactly where he is...and if something goes wrong, the President is strong-armed into ordering an attack. Osama apparently is dying of cancer and wants to return back to Saudi Arabia, but that cannot happen unless things change, and it looks as though the beginning of a possible truce is forged between him and Kirk...but not before the GPS chip is discovered and surgically removed, and accidentally broken. Washington now believes Kirk to be dead, and before he can get word otherwise to the powers-that-be in DC, the attack is launched on Osama's compound.

This is where the story goes from fast right into high gear. Osama is spared in the aftermath, but his daughter is killed, and now the filthy American Infidels MUST pay. Osama's bargaining chip was a small suitcase-sized nuclear weapon he purchased from a weapons depot in one of the Soviet Union's many break-off nations. Obtained with the ultimate hope of forcing America to accept peace on Osama's terms, now is scheduled to be transported to San Francisco only to be detonated under the Golden Gate Bridge during a Special Olympics footrace...a race that stands out because the President's mentally handicapped daughter will be running in it. The race is truly on. Can Kirk stop them? Will they truly detonate this 1-kiloton device? Finding out the answers is really a great deal of the fun that this novel provides--which it has aplenty, too. Not just good, but a GREAT example of a novel charged with excitement literally from page ONE. Trust me, get to know Kirk McGarvey, and soon you too will understand why he is compared constantly to Jack Ryan and Dirk Pitt. Highly Recommended.

With tons of explosions, the only thing you can say about this book is this: boy, does it blow!

In "Crossfire", a clique of distaff Soviets are hoping to pay there way out of the chaos that is the "Former Soviet Union" using a stolen cache of Iranian gold. That's right, another story about fanatic and backward Soviets who don't know the meaning of the words "we lost the cold-war!" First, for reasons that aren't immediately clear (that's putting it mildly - very little becomes clear in "Crossfire") these post-Soviet baddies must ice a retired CIA operative named Kirk McGarvey, Hagberg's hero. Although Hagberg's Russians kill with little compunction, McGarvey's death requires irony, and his downfall begins with the Russians framing him for the bombing of the US Embassy in Paris. Now on the run from just about everybody, McGarvey hooks up with a beautiful woman and decides to track down the conspiracy, which now includes a homicidal Ukranian named Kurshin, a man thought dead since McGarvey thew him into the Mediterranean. Luckily for Kirk, Kurshin is gunning for him as well (that is that Kirk won't have to look that far; "far" being a relative word, considering that this is the sort of novel that bills itself as an international thriller "From Paris to Rio - Washington to Tehran!". At least McGarvey won't have to burn up too many frequent flier miles) In South America, McGarvey tangles with more hired guns as he investigates a sunken U-Boat possibly loaded with Nazi gold. Kurshin, never far behind, cleans up any characters McGarvey allows to live. Some Israelis show up but, appearing in the parts of the book dealing with sunken Nazis, they are the sort of wise and kind (comparatively) Mossad agents who only use espionage to cleanse the world of the evil of the Holocaust; the badass Mossad agents thought employed against Israel's mideast enemies never appear.

With little resolved or explained, the novel shifts to Iran and a shipment of gold that once belonged to the Shah that the US decides to return to Iran. Knowing of the bullion delivery, the evil post-Soviets decide to make a grab for it themselves in an operation that looks doomed from the start (using strategic bombers that need long runways, they'll swoop down in the desert and just haul the gold away. Yeah, that can happen).

Everything in this novel is either unnecessarily complicated or simply suspends your belief. Nothing in the plot even remotely suggests why anybody could believe McGarvey would want to bomb our embassy. Worse - just wondering about whether McGarvey could be the kind of guy to commit wholesale "collateral damage" will bring you to the unsettling realization that McGarvey, for his exploits, is a boring guy - he's like Bond, without the expensive tastes, hot women, gadgets or one-liners. Then there's Kurshin, who seems addicted to killing people - early on, he warms himself by contemplating McGarvey's murder. Unfortunately, like McGarvey, Kurshin is also a bore - murder is basically all he does. He kills those who happen to cross his path while following McGarvey, he kills participants in his schemes once they've outlived there usefulness; he even kills the poor slob who has to drag the Ukranian across the desert after their big scheme fails. He's like the masked killer in any of those teen-slasher pics (and this book is pretty hefty proof that the spy-thriller really needs a shot of the self-parody treatment that we got in "Scream"). "Crossfire" would be bad enough if it didn't recall another book Hagberg wrote under his Sean Flannery alias - "Kilo Option". Like "Cross", "Kilo" involved plenty of explosions, a hunky and resourceful hero, baddies with an unnecessarily complicated scheme, an over-written but under-developed plot, Iranians who are either good or evil depending on how religious they are, and (most annoying of all) a psychotic Ukranian who kills according to compulsion, and can't be killed himself - this one named "Yernin". (see the difference?) Even Kurshin's getting tossed into the Mediterranean by McGarvey in a prior book hints at Yernin's fate at the end of "Kilo". What's the point of having a pen name if you write esentially identical books under both names?

Above all of the book's other flaws is this one - there really is no plot, no story that explains or links the pointless slaughter perpetrated throughout the book. Since "Crossfire" is obviously part of some larger series that will pit McGarvey against Yernin (sorry, I meant Kurshin), I can forgive its reference to other books for needed plot devices. But that doesn't explain how this book lacks a true beginning, middle and end. I mean, how did Hagberg know where to start and end this tedious book? In short, keep out of this "Crossfire".

A good read, but not one of his best. Check out Joshua's Hammer - now that is a great read ;)

Our hero, Kirk McGarvey, makes an explosive comeback in this thrilling adventure which jumps from one place on the globe to another with the speed of a Tomahawk missile. I have long felt that McGarvey was a combination of James Bond, Jack Ryan, Dirk Pitt & Indiana Jones rolled into one...and he is in TOP form in 'Crossfire'.

Arkady Kurshin, who Kirk thought he had 'taken care of' in his previous adventure comes back to serve up a heaping dose of revenge against the one man who has turned his life upsidedown and who very nearly killed him. Arkady is one of those villains you almost root for--ALMOST, because he is so much fun as the bad guy, and gives Kirk such a run for his money that you are left almost breathless as you read along.

I also VERY much enjoyed the addition of the submarine in the plot. WELL done, Mr. Hagberg. I enjoyed virtually everything about this novel...in fact as I look back on it, I cannot think of ANYTHING which I did NOT enjoy. Kirk McGarvey is easily one of the most entertaining characters I know in print today, and as long as he keeps making comebacks in Hagberg's novels, I will be lining up to purchase his books. 'Crossfire' rivals almost anything written by Clancy, and for sheer adventure/action, Kirk can keep pace with Dirk Pitt any day. If I had to sum up this novel in one word, it'd be this: FUN.

A compilation of some of DC Comics' version of the Star Trek series, this is a must for Trekkie fans who enjoy good adventures, interesting characters and great humour. This comic book has three self-contained adventures loosely connected together: a gang of space outlaws massacre Federation and Klingon colonies in order to provoke a war; a powerful telepath has a nervous breakdown and turns the Enterprise into Dante's Inferno; and Captain Kirk is the victim of an attempted murder by one of his own crew!

The artwork by Tom Sutton and Ricardo Villagran is hardly top-of-the-range, but it has its good points: the various aliens in Starfleet uniforms pacing up and down the Enterprise are amusing, and the close-ups of the faces (such as Kirk's after he has yet again been beaten by Finnegan) are good too.

However, it is Peter David's scripts which make up wonderfully for any shortcomings. David pills up the humour and the ironies beautifully. The friendly bickering between Kirk, Spock and Dr "Bones" McCoy must bring a smile to any reader.

For me though the best thing about this compilation is that the emphasis is not just on the original cast members (as is usually the case with comics based on Star Trek series), but also on new characters created by DC; in this case some of the junior officers of the Enterprise (the next generation as it were). These include the Klingon defector Konom (signs of Worf here) whose marriage to the human Nancy Brice is put in question when they meet ... half-human, half-Klingon dwarf! There is also the moody William Bearclaw who has to go to great lengths to convince Kirk that he is not the bigot the captain takes him to be, and his long-suffering girlfriend Elizabeth Sherwood. Particularly entertaining is Lieutenant M'ress, a feline humanoid who teasingly flirts with Sulu (in his introduction, George Takei tells of how he tried to extend the part of Sulu; one wonders if an affair with a cat-like alien is what he had in mind).

Best of all, however, must be Commander Sean Finnegan who, in spite of a childish sense of humour, leads the investigation into the attempted murder of his old Starfleet Academy rival, James T. Kirk. Much to the despair of his more serious associate, telepath Eather Van Horne, Finnegan is very engaging, not to mention irreverent, especially when dealing with "Jimmy". After years of getting the upper hand against Klingons and Romulans, Kirk finally meets his match with this fun-loving Irishman who leaves him lost for words in spite of all his attempts to get even! David makes his characters so much more than they might have been!

At first, I was dissapointed that this book was a comic. I read it anyway because of my curiosity that the writer of the comic is Peter David. I found that this book was quite fun. It has a good story and humor (When "Bones" saw a monster carrying its head) and much more. However, the drawings were not nicely done. There are some inaccurate colours and pictures. Nonetheless, this is a good collection for Star Trek fans!

This particular work is flowing with useable and believable knowlege! You don't have to be a rocket-scientist to comprehend it, but you must have a passion for the deep. This book takes you on a mind-boggling trail as you see how your reactions are all linked to a substantiated incident. Take for instance the bell theory that is mentioned in the very first paragraph. Your mind is triggerd and tricked so easily! I highly recommend this work in its entirity. It soaks into your thought pattern!

Aquaman has been one of DC's most difficult characters for years. From the 1940s to the 1960s, he was an adequate counterpart to Marvel's resident water-based hero, the Sub-Mariner: while Prince Namor was intent on destroying surface dwellers, Aquaman sought to bring peace between the two races. However, during the turbulent 1960s, Aquaman's cleancut appearance and rigid morality made him seem more and more of a second string hero, good for rounding out the Justice League of America's roster, but not much else. While some good stories appeared in the 1960s about Aquaman's personal crises, these never led to a sginficant story line, resulting in a vapid, rather bland character.

"Time and Tide" attempts to rewrite Aquaman as a rebel from the beginning, with a deep distrust of the surface world. Unfortunately, this has been tried before and revisionist histories are often hit and miss propositions. "Time and Tide" fails dismally as it re-introduces Aquaman as a Sub-Mariner wanna-be.

The writing is derivative, while the illustrations are barely adequate. The creative team is not wholly to blame, since Aquaman has been out of sync with the comics culture for years. A better effort would have been to flesh out and humanize Aquaman's existing background, not start from scratch. Pass this by.

If you read the Aqua-Man stories of the 1950's and 60's, he was a very dyanmantic character. A young king of the sea who defended his realm from any and all evil. Today Aqua-Man acts very much like Namor; The Sub-Mariner, he hates air breathers, attacks those who pollute the sea, and he can't seem to get his personal life in order. That pretty much desribes these new stories in this volume. Aqua-Man has not been treated well by comic book writers for much of this decade, with him loseing his right arm and becoming more and more of a character that walks the line between right and wrong.

If you're looking to discover the origins of Aquaman as imagined by Peter David, this is a fine book. Here you'll meet baby Aquaman raised by dolphins, you'll discover how he got his name, and how he came to be a hero. If you're looking for political intrigue from Atlantis, a lot of villans, and action then this book is not for you. This is Aquaman when he had both arms, was clean-shaven, and was just starting out.

Read several books by this author. His character, Kirk McGarvey, is weak and the plot of the story is not believeable. If the book was rated by the word or number of pages, then I would rate higher. This is a 500 page book that could be condensed into a about 200 pages without losing anything.

Bottom line would be to save your money and wait until the book shows up in a "book trade" used paper back store.

Mr. Hagberg is without-a-doubt one of the finer action authors working today, and Kirk is right up there with Dirk Pitt, James Bond, Phillip Mercer, Kurt Austin and other literary He Men...only the big difference between those guys and Kirk is simple: He almost despises who he is and what he has become, yet he understands his duty and accepts responsibility when he has to. His experiences haven't been made any easier by the way he has been treated as a scapegoat by the US Government, either...all of these things factor into his decision to accept a job to assassinate the 'Tarantula', a Russian who is poised to not only win in the popular election, but who promises a whole new 'Cold War' with the Western world, one which he intends to win at ALL COSTS.

But as with most charges given him by the Government, part-way into it, the rules change and suddenly the target knows what Kirk is planning, and does a little 'planning' of his own. This poor guy just cannot catch a break! But thank heavens Mr. Hagberg knows just how to treat the situation with just the right amount of thrills and chills to make it all worth reading. Is this Kirks best adventure to date? Not really. But is IS a fun read. And to those readers who just cannot get over any and all of the 'supposed' weapons flaws, get over it. It is only a problem to those who cannot except a fictional story to begin with. JUST ENJOY THE STORY. If you want one of Kirks best stories, make sure you find 'White House' and soon.

As the situation in Russia deteriorates, a Stalin-esque figure emerges. The Tarantula, riding the tide of burgeoning popularity and corruption throughout the military looks to seize power and put the world back in the throes of Cold War. The plot is well laid, including the armored train that "can't" be destroyed by the military, who due to corruption, respond with a planned under powered attack that leads the "people" to believe that the Tarantula is their savior and cannot be stopped. Kirk McGarvey to the rescue!! Lovers of this character will love this book, those who fail to understand the undercurrents throughout Russian society will see only shortcomings. A must read.