Book Review: Wings Over Cairo

By Simon W. Herbert

A week ago today I was flying forward in time from Arizona to New Hampshire while flying back in time by reading “Wings Over Cairo”, a historical fiction novel set during WWII. It was a Christmas gift from the Author, Simon W. Herbert, who I had the privilege of visiting during the holidays. A good read, especially while flying, but it continued to capture my interest long after I landed at home.

“Wings Over Cairo” is a story about war, love, heroism and friendship. Beginning with a tragic bombing event in England that causes the main character, McClelland, to join the Royal Air force to defend Britain, the story intertwines exciting description of flying and fighting tactics with McClelland’s touching and sensitive personal life. The book flows like an old movie of that era, slowly and steadily drawing you in to the characters and building anticipation for what may happen next.

When Love and War Collide

I found myself amazed while reading this book at Herbert’s detailed knowledge of flying and his ability to paint a picture in my mind of the RAF’s exploits. Juxtaposed with the tension of war and the roughness of squadron desert life, there is a rather saucy love story that weaves in and out of the picture. Herbert also manages to capture realistic emotion at every angle of the complicated circumstances that the pilots and other characters find themselves in.

Herbert has written this book based on the real experiences of Royal Air Force Squadron 272, as told to him by his father and others. He has done his research well and matched the campaigns and battles in the book with actual historic events in the Mediterranean and Egypt from 1941 through 1943. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction, flying, or war stories spiked with heroism and love will enjoy this book.

This is Herbert’s first novel and he shows great promise as a writer, so I’m hoping to read more from him in the near future. I only wish the editors had been as thorough correcting typos as Herbert has been with his research and writing. That’s a project that is being worked on currently and there should be a second publication coming out soon. However, I would not dissuade anyone from purchasing the book because of a few typos. It’s a great read, and its available now on Amazon. You can also learn more about the book and the author by going to Wingsovercairo.com or FireshipPress.com.