Knights of the Air, Book 1: Rage!
by Iain Stewart
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Pub Date 10 Jan 2022 | Archive Date 10 Feb 2022
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Description
To survive, Lance Fitch makes the enemy vermin, his friends expendable, and his chivalry more threadbare than a beggar’s cloak.
As the conflagration of World War 1 spreads around the world, it subsumes Lance. As part of his revenge quest, he joins the British Royal Flying Corps. Arthur Wolsey, his commanding officer, begs him to join 100 Wing — elite pilots tasked with wresting control of the air from Manfred Richthofen’s “Flying Circus.” The Germans are cutting such a bloody swathe across the skies that the average survival time of an RFC pilot in the air is a mere seventeen hours. Lance and Arthur struggle to stay alive, never mind preserving their Wing and their friendship. The latter is further stressed by Arthur’s alluring half-sister, Megan. Lance learns fast, but when Richthofen is the teacher, those lessons are bloody…
In Knights of the Air, Book 1: Rage! by Iain Stewart, we experience the terror of mortal combat in the heavens, while flying flimsy, flammable planes without parachutes. Impeccable history from the dawn of military aviation is woven with characters and themes drawn from the Arthurian myths as two enduring legends intertwine, King Arthur meets the Red Baron.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
"Deftly delivers both a wartime adventure and a character study...[Iain Stewart] succeeds admirably."
-Kirkus
"An action-packed thriller in the skies of the Great War... Military history buffs better be making some room on their bookshelves now."
-Independent Book Review
"Military history readers who like their stories couched in the drama and psychological examinations of fiction will find Knights of The Air, Book 1: Rage! a story of combat, unexpected romance, friendships tested by war, and a rise to leadership commanded by events that test even the most seasoned of pilots."
-Midwest Book Review
"Wrapping World War I and aeronautic history around the personal struggles of some of the men who lived it up close, Iain Stewart has created a cinematic viewpoint as seen through the career of a dedicated, determined, vengeful loner."
-Feathered Quill
"A fine blend of fictional and historical characters, with themes drawn from the Arthurian myths, the book displays Stewart’s flair for vivid imagery and his skill at weaving various narrative strands into an ingenious whole... Stewart is an author to watch."
-BookView Reviews
Marketing Plan
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Kirkus, Publishers Weekly reviews
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781639881314 |
| PRICE | US$18.99 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Dan O, Bookseller
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Atmosphere Press for an advanced copy of this historical wartime adventure.
During World War I, a new front was found for man to fight and die in and for the air, not just the ground where trenches scarred the landscape and victories were decided by body counts. The big difference was not just the lack of mud and that the smell of gas was gasoline, not mustard, but that these combatants tried to make this is war of knights, of gentleman fighting for more than country, but honor. Songs were written, heroes made by newspapers as gallant airmen shot plane after plane down, Aces were given medals, and even the boys at the front would dream about soaring over the landscape, not reeking of blood and mud.
Iain Steward in his novel Knights of the Air, Book 1: Rage!, strips this away, showing a war only decades after men attained flight now learning to kill each others, troops on the ground and civilians far from the battle lines. Lance Fitch learns early that war is vile, disgusting and crushing of both soul and spirit, and that only the most brutal can survive. If shooting a pilot after his machine gun jams finishes the war, than fine. In planes prone to crashing on clear days, where parachutes are still new, or unmanly this form of warfare is as barbaric as the ground war. Mr. Stewart does a good job of showing both the beauty of flight, and the smell of burning oil, flaming canopies and the sweet that comes from seeing a red plane with three wings diving out of the sun.
A mix of fictional and historical characters help the story grow and adds a strong level of realism, including the flight passages which are very descriptive and interesting. Lance Fitch is an interesting character, but the presence of real aces, like the aforementioned Red Baron, and Albert Ball, a famed British pilot, give the story a sense of gravitas. Not Boys' Own or Biggles, but true to what the air war must have been, with a very good adventure story and writing. Fans of Wilbur Smith and Douglas Reeman will definitely enjoy this series.
