I have a fondness for aviation and naval stories, especially in dieselpunk. So when I saw a cover of a World War II B-17 shredding a German ME-262 while approached by two World War I biplanes, I was intrigued. In many ways, I’d call this an aviation-focused version of The Final Countdown. A B-17 crew limping home after a bombing run over occupied Europe flies into a thunderstorm to escape a pursuing Nazi ME-262. While within the storm, they get hit by a mysterious red light and are then taken through the storm.

They think they can return to base, but soon find things are different, and eventually land on a large English estate, which is soon revealed to be the estate of disgraced British politician Winston Churchill. Not, of course, the Churchill from the 1940s that they are familiar with, but a much younger version fresh off his humiliation from the Gallipoli campaign. Once the initial confusion is sorted out and everyone is assured this is not a trap from German spies, the real story begins— a one plane strategic bombing campaign against the Central Powers, coordinated by Winston Churchill, who is playing a long game of his own, and whose own engineers are trying to make use of the Nazi ME-262 that also traveled into the past.

This book is for those who love old war birds and bombers of World War II, as Lake knows his stuff. He is intimately familiar with the logistics of flying both the bomber and ME-262 and shows a keen understanding of the mechanical elements of the planes. He’s also very enthusiastic about them, which carries through in the writing, sometimes perhaps too much. I appreciate understanding how the Norden bombsight worked in practice. Still, there were a few occasions I found myself skimming over sections that touched on the more technical aspects for longer than I thought necessary.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was light and a fairly easy read. Stylistically, I would place it closer to a story told out loud. The narrator’s POV is truly omniscient in a way I have not seen in a long time. It’s useful to bounce between the parallel story lines of the American and German aircrews, but sometimes I found the head-hopping to be distracting. In some cases, one paragraph will be the male protagonist’s internal monologue, and then we will immediately switch to the female love interest’s. I found that confusing, trying to keep track of who the story was focused on.

Speaking of characters, there were a bit too many. There were nine airmen on the B-17, three of whom essentially disappeared shortly into the book, only to sporadically reappear. That still left six airmen from the original crew, plus their British replacements. Plus, there was Churchill, his secretary/assistant (Mavis), the British aircraft engineer, the British cabinet, and all of their German equivalents. All in all, I think there were close to 15 characters who were the POV character, even if only for a paragraph or two. That felt like too much to keep track of, especially in the B-17 crew.

Ostensibly, the main character was the pilot, as he had the most screen time, so to speak, and the only one to have a love interest appear in-scene (other than Lady Churchill). I never really feel like we get to know him, though. Nor Mavis, his love interest, whose romantic relationship developed very quickly and not in entirely in a way that felt natural. For the most part, the English and American characters were all heroic, determined, do-gooders willing to make the world a better place. Only one character questioned the ethics of their actions (American service members flying a US Army bomber against a country that the US was not at war with), and the complications he raised were handled very swiftly and neatly. I would have liked more exploration of this issue, as this had a lot of moral weight to it, second only to the possibility that their presence would change the course of the future. Additionally, there was nothing that made the characters want to go back to 1944. They didn’t even attempt to find a way back, which was something that I expected.

Overall, it was an enjoyable book. If you’re looking for a story that explores the consequences of time travel, parallel worlds, and their intersection with the ethics of military action, this probably isn’t the one for you. These elements were present long enough to establish the plausibility of the story and then essentially left behind. If you’re looking for a decent yarn about WW2 planes and pilots intersecting with WW1, then this is one you’ll likely enjoy!

What if a B-17 took off on a bombing mission in World War II, went through a thunderstorm, and landed in World War I? Most of the American crewmen haven’t been born yet in 1915. Their country doesn’t know them or their aircraft. Winston Churchill will gladly fill the void. Here’s a crazy look at how one airplane could have made a profound difference in the outcome of WWI.

I have just concluded my read of "Goodbye Dolly," an alternate history by E.J. Lake (published by Independent Book Publisher's Association--IBPA) and working from an ARC provided to me by IBPA. It is an interesting read, and I am somewhat at a loss to how to contextualize it in the broader context of the burgeoning field of alternate history. The premise is simple (if highly derivative). An American B-17 crew returning from an attack in Europe in 1944 comes under attack by an ME 262 (the first fully operational jet fighter). In the course of their desperate battle to survive, separated from the main bomber "stream." they are saved by a strange storm which transports them back to 1915. Unfortunately, the pursuing German fighter is also transported back on the same timeline. Needless to say, this miraculous storm serves as a Deus Ex Machina to explain the inexplicable. If you have ever seen the movie "The Final Countdown" about a modern Cold War era aircraft carrier being transported back to the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, you get the idea. I loved the movie, and the book is likable if simplistic and rather episodic. I don't want to give away the ending, and it is also something of a stretch, but it is a fun read even so. I would recommend this book to young adult readers with an interest in history and science fiction.. It belongs in secondary school libraries and in general collections which are targeted at young readers. As is often the case with this genre, there is much information about the real world and the two world wars introduced in an entertaining if somewhat simplistic manner.

Goodbye Dolly is a story of sacrifice, endurance, and determination. It illustrates the complexity of egos in two world wars that cost European lives in both theatres. Albeit, instead of going into a unique perspective on an alternate history of WWII, we have instead travelled to WW1. Captain Jack and his merry crew of the Dangerous Dolly become mired in the events of a tumultuous conflict. What transpires is technological upheaval, a reversal of history, and an excellent display of writing when depicting the naval battles between the Imperial German Navy and the Royal Navy.

The naval aspect of WW1 is often not covered in popular media as it should. EJ Lake did a ton of research, and it shows from depicting historical figures such as Prime Minister Asquith Churchill with his brand of whiskey as he so often likes to consume and the enigmatic Kaiser Wilhelm I. The wide variety of historical characters and their personalities spill onto their page as if Ken Follet had written this novel entirely by himself. That's how good the writing is! I loved characters like Churchill, Jack, his crew, and many others. The dialogue is both rich in historical detail, and none of the characters felt like one-dimensional characters, instead they felt like three-dimensional characters. The description makes you feel as if you are in this world. And Dolly the Bomber Airplane? She's a fantastic plane that carries the brave crew daring themselves to fight against the might of WW1 Germany.

Each character in itself is a testament to the brave men who sacrificed themselves in both world wars. To fight against fierce enemies while defending the right of freedom and democracy against expansionist and imperialist beliefs is not a simple thing to do. That said, the novel does not shy away from depicting the carnage of warfare and the devastating destruction that bombing cities can bring. At some points that I've noticed with alternate history novels, they focus more on the technical details of what has changed, rather than focusing on the story. At some points, the novel does often try to balance in between contrasting what changes vs what the story should be. I would like to see more alternate history novels focus more on the story rather than being hung up on explaining every single thing that changes. I love books like this, with people from different periods travelling into other areas of history. I once read a story in Quora about Napoleon and his army time travelling back to the Ancient Roman Era. What an story that would be! I want more stuff like this. Where different civilisations meet each other that would never have met. I urge more authors to do this. This is a fantastic novel which I thoroughly recommend you to read!