Reviews for One Hundred Stingers
MWSA Review
Peter was awarded the Bronze Medal in the "Historical Fiction" category for One Hundred Stingers.
MWSA Bronze Award
One Hundred Stingers: A Novel of the Air War over the Ho Chi Minh Trail by Peter Adams Young is a well told story for both sides of a portion of the Vietnam War: American Navy fliers and North Vietnamese battery operators on the ground in neutral Laos. In spite of all the detail and all the dialogue, the story moves along nicely. The characters are fully defined with lots of back stories on both Vietnamese and American characters. The reader gets the full effect of being on an aircraft carrier with all of its discomforts, the carefulness of the fliers in the air, the struggles of being in the batteries with poorly trained gunners, and the pressures on their superiors at various levels. Both sides were well aware of their respective goals: get supplies to the south from North Vietnam; stop the flow of enemy combatants and war materials on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The book shows the many levels of support in the air for the American fliers from spotters, to intelligence, to overhead directions to keep the fliers safe from ground fire and from friendly fire shooting by various Navy and Marine fliers. The fleet of support on deck is also well described. There is lots of action, and the action is often described from multiple points of view. One also senses the repetitiveness of flights that could be deadly if not for the professionalism of air and ground personnel. The Epilogue mainly follows navigator/bombadier Davis but also circles back to his Laos years. Well worth reading.
Other Reader's Reviews
Very realistic, read it over 3 days, had to keep going. Remember what it was like so many years ago.
—Tom Lauderdale
Great book. It's a big book but it moves fast!
—Alex Cooper
Great read. Puts you really in the squadron, operations and cockpit of the intruder during the war. Real page turner up there with other aviation book about the Vietnam war.
—Akin J Bostic Holland
Outstanding Vietnam history. This is a necessary book for any student of the Vietnam era. Its fiction, but full of accurate and enlightening technical facts. The battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail was fought for over 10 years at a horrendous cost. This is the first time someone has told the whole story. Thanks to the author Pete Young who was there as a Navy A-6 aviator.
—J.R. Stubbs
A gripping read. A great read. Fast moving. It puts you right in the middle of the action and not only in the air but also on deck. The characters come alive and take you through harrowing experiences. It’s a page turner and you will not be able to think of the Viet Nam War in the way again: Pete Young is a hell of a writer and I hope to see more from him.
—Holt Moore
A cliche, but I couldn't put it down. I also served as an A6 B/N, although in the early 1980's after the Vietnam War. The book put me back in the cockpit reminding me of many things I had forgotten. The story and characters were so real, I felt like I was in my 20's again back in the Ready Room. I can also attest to stories of Cubi and Olongapo liberty! This is a great read - November - Sierra.
—Rob (Retired Navy flyer)
Hard to put down. Having flown A6's in combat, this book is extremely interesting. I have not yet finished it but am finding that I have a hard time putting the book down once I start reading it.
—Mike Kneeland
I could not put it down. Excellent book full of details that brought me back to my own experiences of that timeframe. The details reminded of many things I have not thought about in years, like checking out and turning in batteries for each hop.
—Gerald K. Jacobs
A well paced adventure following the experience of an A-6 Intruder bombardier/navigator during the Vietnam War. The characters are believable and the authenticity is such that it's easy to image being in a jump seat during the flights. If you enjoyed Steven Coont's "Flight of the Intruder", you should give this book a read. A great first effort by Peter Young; I enjoyed this book and heartily recommend it!
—Tim
I really wasn’t expecting what I experienced reading this book. A gripping tale of life in a ship-based Navy A-6 squadron, one experiences the life of an A-6 Bombardier/Navigator (B/N) in the skies over the Ho Chi Minh Trail after President Johnson’s 1968 bombing halt of North Vietnam. I was an Army Attack Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam 1971-72. A flood of memories came back while reading this. I felt as though I was in the cockpit with the protagonist. The description of life on board an aircraft carrier brought back another set of memories, those of being a Marine Attack Helicopter on board helicopter carriers. This book captured me and did not let me go until the end of the epilogue. It is outstanding in every respect.
—Colonel Michael
Awesome and exciting read - If you served anywhere in WESTPAC during the Vietnam era, all of Pete's terminology will jump off the pages and resurface as memories that you may have forgotten long ago. In addition to the great writing about combat ops, he did an outstanding job of pumping vigor into the otherwise mundane events of "Navy life" and made every bit of this book believable and downright exciting. Since Amazon limits me to only 5 stars, I am unable to rate the book A-6, but would if I could. Great job Pete - Bill (not Beannie)
—Beannie Wise
From deployment, to missions, to coming back home, author Peter Young takes you right there. You feel almost that you are in the cockpit or in the ready room of the swaying aircraft carrier, as Young takes you back to Vietnam and the “secret” air war in Laos. Young was there and he brings those days back alive, preserving these moments in American history.
—Barney Mann