So far, I am very gratified that the reviews of my recent book have been generally very positive. The process has been very educational so far. It has been one thing for me to write reviews in the past but receiving them for one's own work has given me an entirely new perspective. Current reviews as posted on Amazon can be seen here for your perusal: http://www.amazon.com/The-F-101-Voodoo-Illustrated-Heavyweight/dp/0764347993 I do very much appreciate both the time and thought of those who have left substantive reviews.
I am open to criticism. In writing as in all other matters, criticism allows a realistic assessment of the strengths as well as weaknesses of one's efforts. I knew moving forward that this book would be an imperfect effort. It is just the nature of things. One reviewer has called my book a "missed opportunity" and I found his points to be salient. at least with regard to coverage of the operational use of the F-101B. The narrative presented in the book draws heavily from official USAF histories and unfortunately, by the time I was ready to submit the manuscript for the book, I had not found much on the F-101B. What I had found and digested with regard to the Voodoo overall was fascinating. However, there are works such as Nigel Walpole's outstanding book, Voodoo Warriors (now available as an e-Book: http://www.amazon.com/Voodoo-Warriors-Story-McDonnell-Fast-jets-ebook/dp/B00HZNOT1Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433717735&sr=1-1&keywords=nigel+walpole+Voodoo+warriors), that cover those histories in great detail from first-hand sources. I saw no need to duplicate an existing work and even if I had, it would have not come close to the quality and depth of a work that has already been published. However, I had dug up a very considerable amount of material on the development and evolution of the F-101B as a weapon system. Most of this documentation has never been published and much only recently declassified. I would say that for the stated purpose of the book, as given in the introduction explaining that the present work is primarily a developmental history, much important historical material has been added to the discussion.
With regard to the RF-101, there was some risk of duplication with another recent, excellent work, Doug Gordon's book on tactical reconnaissance which may be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Reconnaissance-Cold-Doug-Gordon-ebook/dp/B00L6Z9DYW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433718161&sr=1-1&keywords=doug+gordon+tactical+reconnaissance. However, in the course of my research I found much to add, particularly with regard to development and especially details of tactical employment of the RF-101C. Again, much of this had been classified when the last major works on the Voodoo were written in the mid-to-late 1980s, and has never been presented to a general audience. I made an attempt to look at everything within the broad historical context of the Cold War and critically examine the place of the Voodoo within it. While the interceptors may have been more numerous, the RF-101 was critically important as the eyes of the United States during the most dangerous years of the Cold War. I also wanted to look at its combat service within a broader context and present it as a fleshed out, detailed narrative. The reviewer in question found this approach "esoteric." As a combat veteran myself, albeit of a different branch of service in a different war, I disagree. The story of those who flew into harm's way, and especially those who did not make it back, is the only one worth telling if one wants to prioritize and single out one aspect of the story. Fortunately, based on initial feedback from some who flew and maintained the RF-101C during its years of service over Indochina, my efforts have been appreciated and one notable member of that fraternity has also posted a review.
In my defense, I did not miss the opportunity to tell the full story of the concept and development of the "strategic fighter," and the tortuous evolution of the Voodoo's roles and missions right up through the eve of its entry into service. Flight testing and the developmental problems experienced have not only been covered in unprecedented detail, but within a broad context as well. I tried to cover the existing gaps in the story of the Voodoo, and these were among the most glaring ones that were missing in telling the story of the airplane and making any sense at all of its history. I have related the broad strokes in a previous post: http://fighterwriter101.blogspot.com/2015/02/black-magic-unknown-history-of-voodoo.html The story related in the book is far more detailed and again, mostly unknown.
Further feedback and reviews, good, bad, or indifferent, are always welcome here or elsewhere so long as they are fair. Thank you for reading!
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