ROLL BACK THE SKY

by Ward Raylor ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 19, 1956

Inevitably analogies will be drawn between this and Robert Skidmore's Valley of the Sky (one of the memorable war in the Pacific air stories) and others of that like. But it has a quality all its own that given it depth and stature. Ward Taylor, in a superb job of reporting, has further managed to cut below the surface into the psychological implications of combat fatigue, war hysteria and the effect on men, island bound, of meeting personable girls of the Red Cross and nursing corps. The men that make up the complement of Richardson's crew, other men and officers of the Salpan bomber base, the successive build up of tension on flights designed to pinpoint Japan's war potential and cities -- combine to make this holding reading. Richardson's marriage to Terry, paralleled thousands of times throughout the war, seems to fade out with distance- and with contact with magnetic Rhine. But chance plays its part. Richardson is sent back to California for a conference and Terry reasserts her rights with heady effect. Sheer realism this, with no holds barred, but Taylor succeeds in keeping within bounds of authenticity along with taste. A major novel- and the good war novels still claim their market.

Pub Date: March 19, 1956

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Holt

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1956

Categories: FICTION