Chickenhawk by Robert Mason Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Chickenhawk
Book Review: Incredibly detailed! Perfect for the helicopter nut!
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked this book up when I was a U.S. Army vehicle mechanic in Germany in the mid '80s. First off I will admit I was a HUGE helicopter fanatic. This book intrigued me so much that I literally read it in 2 or 3 sessions. And I hated reading in high school and have not completed one book cover to cover since then. Except this one. O.K. to the point. This book takes you through the initial WOC school and wonderfully describes Mr. Mason's trials and tribulations there, and to the flightline and through graduation and all. But the real draw to me was the incredible detail Mr. Mason goes into about the actual FLYING of the helicopter. He explains all the controls and how they function together and what effect each one has on the others. He really paints the picture of the dificulty it is to keep one of these things under control. Also describing certain "tricks" used in the field like running take-offs when you are overloaded or if the heat or altitude is severe. Plus his whole account of the missions he flew in Viet Nam and what the pilots lives' were like over there. To cut this off, I will just say that if you love helicopters and stop to watch them everytime you hear one coming overhead, like I do, this book will be highly enjoyed! I promise.Book Review: Kindle - Publishers need to get it right! sick and tired of ...
Summary: 4 Stars
I will buy this book because it has excellent reviews. But I am tired of two things about Kindle.
(1) Too many books are not available in the Kindle version. To add to this, when they convert a book into Kindle format, they should do it right, instead of a half-jerk way.
(2) Yes, I do think that the publishers are a bit greedy. I'm not against staying in business that means it's necessary to make a profit. But when the Kindle version is either as expensive as the hardcover (at discount places, but that should not matter) or more expensive than the paperback version, it makes me angry. No overhead of stock, shipping expenses, etc....and then they want to charge ridiculous prices.
PUBLISHERS: Get the message. If it is not a superb book, I will not purchase it in Kindle if you charge greedy prices.
Now for the rest of you, if you bought a hardcover that had a binding that fell apart due to bad binding design and construction, I'm sure you would inform us here in the "book review" so we AND the publishers would hopefully hear about it, so do not whine about a book review including criticisms of the Kindle version. Where else could we provide informative information to you. So if you don't like hearing it, get some ear plugs. LOL :)
I gave 4 stars because I will not denigrate the book's content, but am downgrading it due to the Kindle issues mentioned above.
Book Review: No arguing the 5 star rating
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is one of my all time favorite Vietnam recounts. Mason is a master story teller and begins with just enough background to not lose the reader. Even the background of his life is told in a very eventful and well written manner. From the very beginning, you feel he is basically teaching you how to pilot a helicopter and from the early "lessons" he gives you, he'll reference a peice of equipment or a control and you'll instantly know what he's referring to. Almost as if talking "Pilot to Pilot". The storytelling in this book is phenomenal, it's non-stop action from the moment he gets to Vietnam and probably paints the best picture of the countryside of any book I've written. A nice refreshing bit of info is the lack of "EGO" shown by the writer. He's humble in every manner. All to often you read or hear a story where the writer or teller is the Stone cold hero, never wavering nor scared. The Humble nature of this book is very inspirational and the respect one gains for Mason builds from the very first page.Book Review: Not much of a war story....
Summary: 2 Stars
The early part of this book was informative on how the hueys flew and what you had to know to fly them. Some of the early narrative covers the authors clearly courageous action in the Ia Drang battle at LZ X-ray...although poorly compared to Hal Moore's classic. From there it is downhill and soon degenerates into a lurid tale of hookers and booze and shenanigans. Sorry, couldn't finish it. Thanks to the author for his service...in a later part of the war I was one of the grunts in the back of the Huey. Still have a ringing in the ear from the door gunner's muzzle blast on a combat assault with the 101st Airborne.Book Review: Outstanding!
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the most interesting books I've read in a long time! Mr. Mason puts the reader in the pilot's seat of his helicopter, and you won't be able to look away!