Books to read if you're planning a vacation in "Blackford", sorted by average review score:
On Board the Uss Mason: The World War II Diary of James A. Dunn
Published in Hardcover by Ohio State Univ Pr (Txt) (May, 1996)
Average review score: 
Recommended for military buffs and Black Studies students.During World War II, James A. Dunn was a signalman on the USS Mason, a destroyer escort and the only ocean-going warship in the American navy to employ African Americans in positions other than cook or messmate. Manned by African American seamen (and commanded by white officers), the USS Mason made ten crossings of the Atlantic from 1944 to 1945, escorting convoys of merchant ships to and from the United Kingdom and North African, and operating in hunter-killer groups searching for German submarines. Dunn kept a day-to-day diary during his spare time on board the Masson. He recorded the daily life aborad the ship, including the duties and pastimes that made shipboard life endurable. The diary also reveals what it meant to be an African American in a white navy within a segregated American society -- including the shipboard tensions, cooperation and sense of unity. On Board The USS Mason is a unique and invaluable contribution to the growing body of World War II literature and eye-witness accounts, and will be of immense interest to students of Black Studies and American military history.
Unexcusible Intentionable Oversites of WarThe crew of USS Mason's action in the North Atlantic was a showing of a well disiplined well led brave group of men. Being from Boston, Mass. I am aware of thier heroic actions,the DE Mason was built here at the Charlestown Navy Yard when I was about 6 years old. I personally feel the Captain on down took a real royal screwing.The Captain's log showed reason enough to be reconized but it was ignored by some predjudice Brass higher up the chain of command. The book well presented! A USMarine(caucasion)Korean Vet
See You Later, Alligator: A Blackford Oakes Mystery
Published in Paperback by Cumberland House (September, 1997)
Average review score:
Best of class - Blackford Oakes in HavanaThis is the first of Buckley's books that I have read and it was a real treat. This book is so good in a variety of ways that I think it deserves five stars. It is a combination of good story-telling, historical information, compelling characters (including those taken from real life), clear writing, and intrigue. These elements are combined smoothly into a very entertaining and easy to read tale. The book starts with the thoughts of President Kennedy and ends with Johnson in the Oval Office. The story provides a fascinating glimpse of Cuba in the 1960's, starring Castro and Guevara. There is plenty of suspense to keep the pages turning, but the pace and tone are very even - not a run of peaks and valleys. Even the dedication and acknowledgements were interesting. It was fun!
Great what-if scenarioBuckley's Blackford Oakes novels seem to remain one of the best-kept secrets around. For the record: These novels are all based on historic events, but, unless Mr. Buckley has even more of an inside track than I believe he does, they weave a wonderfully complex--and witty!-- web of circustances surrounding them. In this novel, we get a two-fer: the Cuban missile crisis *and* the assassination of JFK. Didn't know that they were linked? Read the book to see how they (maybe) were. [This one ought to be included under the Cuban missile crisis heading.]
High Jinx: Blackford Oakes Mystery
Published in Paperback by Cumberland House (October, 1997)
Average review score:
High Jinx was superb!As expected, William F. Buckley writes a web of intrigue for his main character, Blackford Oakes. This is the fifth book that I've read in this series, and it definitely receives 5 stars. Mr. Buckley always seems to involve the essential ingredients necessary in order to keep the reader captivated and entertained. The only disappointing thing with this book is, like all good things, it had to come to an end. High Jinx has a blend of mystery, politics, and romance that kept me captivated from start to finish. To Mr. Buckley, I admire you and I hope that you continue the Blackford Oakes series.
Strange Constellations : A History of Australian Science Fiction
Published in Hardcover by Greenwood Press (June, 1999)
Average review score:
Elegant, enjoyable and expensive'Strange Constellations' is one of my best reads for a long time. I may be exhibiting a little (healthy) Aussie bias but perhaps that would make me all the more critical if the product did not stand up. The academic style is totally appropriate, elevating objectivity and providing the keen reader with an opportunity to check sources and interpretations. Given the literary achievements of the authors, I expected a good read so this technical edge is a bonus.
The early focus on the romantic origins of science fiction in Australia is an eye-opener for me and I will be sure to review some classics, on the fringe of the genre, in a new light. The hard-nosed analysis of the booms and busts is, again, appropriate. In the second half, the book moves from analyses of periods to an author-by-author account. This does not seem quite as 'critical' as preceding chapters...
A Very Private Plot: A Blackford Oakes Mystery
Published in Paperback by Cumberland House (May, 1998)
Average review score:
Great BookA worthy finish to the series - makes you sad there won't be more Oakes books. The real events following the completion of the book (late 1993) don't really alter how Buckley painted 1994 and 1995. A great read.
Heaven's Back Row: A Journey of Hope -- from Sexual Brokenness and HIV to a New Beginning
Published in Paperback by Spirit of Hope Publishing (April, 2003)
Average review score:
TransformationalHeaven's Back Row is a powerful journey into the depths of Bob Blackford's heart, the darkest parts of his soul and back out again. This book reveals the power of love, forgiveness, grace and God. I could not put it down!
I have shared this book with many people in South Africa who are facing their own struggle with AIDS and wrestling with sexual issues in their lives. They have been inspired, encouraged and many have found new hope after reading Bob's story.
I could not reccomend this book more highly!
D. Wadley
Heaven's Back RowThis is a book that I couldn't put down from the beginning. It is a true and riveting account of Bob Blackford's life long struggle with his sexual identity. It is a story of God's healing power in a couple's life and how through brokenness and grace, Bob and Joanne Blackford are influencing others in the area of healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation. It is a an account of how God's healing miracles are being experienced today. Bob's brutal honesty and candid transparency is a templet for the Christian community. This is a book that speaks not only to the entire Christian community, but to society at large. It is a story of how God takes our brokenness and uses it to portray His message of hope to a hurting world.
Warning! This book may change your life in that in reading it you will see God in a joyfully new and hopeful light.
Warning! This book may change your life in that in reading it you will see God in a joyfully new and hopeful light.
Heaven's Back RowThis book is about a journey of Hope.....Hope in the midst of a devestating illness called AIDS. Hope in the midst of a confession to a homosexual relationship while simultaneously being married to your high school sweetheart. Hope in God when the rest of the world is spinning around you and your painful choices. It is difficult to put down, and as each page unfolds, you feel the HOPE starting to penetrate your heart. Heaven's Back Row is about real lives, in the real world, believing for something that this world does not have to offer... HOPE
Stormbreaker
Published in Hardcover by Philomel Books (May, 2001)
Average review score: 
[A] ReviewThis was a very good book. It had lots of adventure. It is about a boy named Alex Rider living with his uncle, Ian Rider. His uncle dies supposedly in a car accident. But Alex finds out that his uncle was murdered. He also finds out that his uncle was a spy for the MI6. Alex is hired to take his uncle's place and complete his last mission. His training will only be two weeks. Will he complete the mission or will he be left behind in the graveyard with his uncle. This is a great book and you should read it.
Stormbreaker, The Beginning of a Great SeriesA villan out for revenge, a unlikely hero, and a computer that can wipe out 3/4's of Europes population! That right there is a one sentence summary of the action-packed book Stormbreaker. Alex a 14 year old boy is our unlikely hero and was hired a a secret agent in place of his uncle who died on mission that MI6 gives him. that mission was called "Stormbreaker". Now they are sending Alex on that mission to find out why someon is giving out the world's fastest computers to all the schools in Europe. The man giving them out is Herod Sayle. He is a revenge hungary man. He has put is biocemicaly enhanced diseases into the computers so when tthey turn on all of Europe will be exposed to the disease. Now Alex is the only one who can stop him.
I thought this was a great book and recommend it to all.
THE BEST BOOK EVER!STORMBREAKER IS THE BEST BOOK EVER. IT IS ABOUT A BOY NAMED ALEX RYDER WHO LIVES WITH HIS UNCLE. WHEN ALEX FINDS OUT THAT HIS UNCLE DIED, THE POLICE TOLD HIM HE DIED IN A CAR CRASH. ALEX THEN FINDS OUT THE TRUTH. READ STORMBREAKER TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPENNS NEXT. THE BOOK IS BY ANTHONY HORROWITZ. THIS BOOK WILL KEEP YOU AT THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT AT ALL TIMES. IF YOU LIKE STORMBREAKER, BE SURE TO READ THE NEXT ALEX RYDER ADVENTURE, POINT BLANK.
Dark Futures (Terminator 2: The New John Connor Chronicles, Book 1)
Published in Mass Market Paperback by I Books (August, 2002)
Average review score:
Dunks t2 reviewYes mate it's a bangin book. I've read S.M Stirlings 2 terminator book which are also great but this one was so action packed and the sroryline kept up it's pace all the way through. It left me wanting to read the next book AN Evil Hour straight away but i'm still waiting for it to come out. Also the squad of soldiers that are all super hard was a great idea. Jade is one tough bird.
Drop me a line if you have any news on the next book, cheers dunk.
Drop me a line if you have any news on the next book, cheers dunk.
Good Book!Ok i just finished reading this book and i must say it was excellent. There are 2 storylines included one continues directly from T:2 but the other is basically going from as if they decided to go into hiding and never defeated the T-1000 meaning John still has the help of his T-800 body guard. It was really good and both stories end with one hell of a cliffhanger which makes me really wish that i didnt have to wait until May for the second book. My advice is if your a fan of the series to definately go out and get this book. Some say its confusing but only in the first 5 pages once you get farther and get used to it you will greatly enjoy it.
Fast, exciting and intelligent"Dark Futures" is an exciting novel with a lot of fast action and an incredibly mean new Terminator from the future.
The story moves really fast, on two different time lines. On both of them, John Connor and his mother Sarah are trying to stop Skynet from destroying humanity, but it is a lot stronger than they are, and maybe smarter. The new Terminator is almost indestructible, and they have to hit it with everything they've got.
As well as all the action, between the lines, the book is looking at interesting stuff like Artificial Intelligence, and whether we can change the future, or whether the future is fixed. You can tell that the author has really thought about how AI and time travel would work.
The characters are good, too. It is interesting to see John Connor grow up in the two time lines. The genetically enhanced people who come back from the new future to help him against Skynet and the new Terminator are especially cool. They are still human, but maybe only just. Jade is really strong, much stronger than any of the men, and very beautiful, but she is also quite a complex character.
Stained Glass
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (July, 1983)
Average review score:
Buckley does it againNot quite as good as the first blackford oakes novel, but nonethless good. It really picked up at the end and made it worthwile. I really appreciate the wit in Buckley's writing as well as his ability to twist a plot right out from under you. The occasional intrusion by actual historical figures also makes the Oakes books very interesting.
Intelligent & EngagingBuckley brings something rarely seen to the spy novel: intelligence and moral dilemma. Stained Glass also has wonderful characterization, witty dialogue, and humor. I highly recommend this unique approach to spy novel fans.
I am a Buckley fanI must admit that I really like WFB's fiction, and I'm delighted that his publisher challenged him to try it.
The Blackford Oakes series relies on Buckley's own experience with the CIA, I'm sure. But the stories are more than depictions of black craftsmanship. Buckley has a fine ability to weave an interesting plot, and his characterizations are detailed and marvelous. He has spent time and effort bringing his characters to life, and giving them motivation and hstory.
There is, of course, a cycnical side to international espionage, and he has also portrayed that convincingly.
In this story, for example, the Soviets and the Americans actually cut cards to see which side will murder a heroic German character whose greatest desire it is to reunify his country.
I think it is amazing how well he has interwoven history and historical characters with fiction and his invented characters, and made it all hang together so convincingly.
Bill Buckley, sir, you are an amazing man and one to admire.
Joseph Pierre
Letters From Lee's Army (American Biography Series)
Published in Library Binding by Reprint Services Corp (January, 1947)