Devils with Wings: Silk Drop: The Green Devils' Invasion of Crete [Kindle Edition]

If you've read my review of the first of Harvey's books (Devils With Wings) you'll know that I gave it four stars, with a few reservations - mainly the editing - holding back an otherwise deserved fifth.

This sequel gets the fifth in spades.

There are still a few typos and editing issues, admittedly (and with we self-published authors it's a sad fact of life) but there are far fewer than in the first book and, while with DWW it actually distracted me a little from the plot, with Silk Drop, that was not the case. I tore through the book at the fastest speed allowed by my two small, demanding kids.

The readability is partially due to (as intimated above) the reduced distraction of editing problems, but is more due to the plot. The first book confused me a little in places (WW2 fiction is not my normal genre) and I had to reread sections. With Silk Drop, Harvey's writing has really come into its own, including his planning and plot writing.

There are so many scenes that I could really picture in my mind's eye as I read (I won't voice any spoilers here, but I will simply say that Corinth and the last 7-8 chapters particularly stand out for me.) It feels as though Harvey has been to all the places he is describing and knows them intimately - I have visited Crete myself and it feels perfect and natural to me.

Moreover, the characters have settled in from the first book. A lot of the character portrayal in the first book was devoted to setting the scene for the unit and their relationships. Harvey has avoided falling into the trap of revisiting old ground, and had largely assumed the reader's knowledge of these relationships, allowing him instead to show them growing.

There are a few shocks and surprises in Silk Drop but I would say, having now read the first two of his books, that Harvey's strength lies in his description and scene-setting. I cannot wait to see what he does with the icy wastes of Russia in Frozen Sun, which is due out in a few months.

Simply, this is a complete step up from Devils with Wings and a deserved winner for me.

Silk Drop is the second book in Harvey Black's Devils with Wings series. We re-join Paul and Max after their exploits in Poland and Belgium, basking in the glow of a job well done, they are in training for Operation Sealion. The invasion of Britain is to be their most ambitious jump yet. The failure of Gorings Luftwaffe to destroy the RAF puts their plans on hold but the German high command are not going to let the famous Fallschirmjager regiments sit idle.

Following the Italians disastrous invasion of Greece, Paul and Max are sent, with the rest of the Fallschirmjager to help bolster the Italians. After successfully parachuting into Greece, Paul and Max once again distinguish themselves in battle and are given a leading role in the the largest airborne invasion yet, the Invasion of Crete.

As Paul and Max drop onto the hot and dusty island of Crete, a personal tragedy affects the judgement of Paul and strains his relationship with Max. Trusted with a key role but facing a determined and ferocious allied defence, Paul must draw on all of his experience and training to make sure his company survive the onslaught. Despite the tension, Paul and Max must work together if Crete is to be captured.

This book is a cracking read, the story is well paced and the author uses the dialogue to push the story along (a complaint from the last book). The author has developed the characters from book one so they are more rounded and you begin to really care if they live or die (no mean feat, considering they are the enemy!) The battle scenes are one of the authors strengths, fast paced, technical in their execution but never bogged down in too much detail, the authors experience shining through. The author also captures the stress and strain of battle and the doubts that surface as Paul's company starts to suffer casualties.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading book three, as the Fallschirmjager head to the hell of the Russian front.

This is the second book in the Devils With Wings series and my review of the first can be found here. I really enjoyed the first book so was looking forward to reading Silk Drop - I'm pleased to say it lived up to and beyond my expectations.

From the beginning I felt involved with the story, it was set at a good pace and I had trouble putting it down. I liked the feeling of being up close to the action, with some very intense scenes depicting personal battles, which had me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed learning more about the strategies involved in preparing for operations and how these translated in battle.

The setting was described extremely well and again I had a real sense of being there - I could picture the island and villages clearly in my mind.

Silk Drop also showed the contradiction of war. One minute men are injuring and killing each other, the next when the battle is over, they are caring for the wounded and trying to save the lives of their enemies. The novel showed the human side of war and the effects it can have on individuals which added another dimension to the story. I felt very connected with the characters and was concerned as to what would happen to them.

An excellent read with all the things I enjoy - action, tension, great scene setting and characters I became very fond of.