Customer Review
What would you change?
I thought this was a great book and I finished it easily. I'm a big fan of the History Channel, and I'll watch war documentaries anytime I can. While watching, I often think about what it would be like to go back in time and change the outcome of the battles. What would happen if I warned Napoleon about what was waiting for him at Waterloo, and what consequences would that have on history? How would the world look if I went back and assassinated Hitler?In this novel, J.M. Surra explores the possibility of going back in time to keep World War II from happening. His main character, Ben, is transported back to the late 20s, where he works hard to get America ready ahead of time for Pearl Harbor. Along the way he meets the likes of Howard Hughes, Robert Oppenheimer and FDR. It's a neat idea to think about going back and telling these people how they'll be viewed by history.Anyway, the book has won a 2011 Global e-book award for popular literature and fiction. So it seems I'm...
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August 28, 2011
(Saint John, NB) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5
Imagine You Could Change History!
If you could use the knowledge you have today, think what you might share with people who lived fifty, a hundred or more years ago. Would people listen and learn? Could you effect a positive change? These questions must have fascinated author JM Surra. The son of a WWII airplane mechanic, he grew up with an inherited love of planes.In Angels and Their Hourglasses, Ben's love of early aviation history is nourished by his grandfather. At the end of a "marriage talk" weekend with Katie Lynn, Ben takes off in his 1938 Waco biplane. A massive black storm cloud soon chases him through the skies. Unable to dodge or outrun it, Ben's plane is tossed around and crashes into a field.He awakes in the dark to throbbing pain and confusion. Finding his plane scattered around him, he tries to get up and faints. The second time, a voice wakes him, "Easy, now. You're hurt..." Ben recognizes neither the men gathered round him nor his surroundings.The man speaks, "I...
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July 28, 2011
(northeastern US) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 5
a great read
Three cheers for Kindle - I would have hesitated to drop $24.95 on a hardcover first edition from a new author, but for the price of a trip to Starbucks I got a great read and didn't even have to drive to the local brick and mortar to get it.There's so much I 'd like to say about this book, but I don't want to give away the storyline. What I can say is this - Angels is one of those "just a few more pages" books that I couldn't put down. No lengthy, slow moving narrative that forces you to slog through a hundred pages before things get going - this book grabs you right out of the gate and doesn't let go until the ride is over. If you're looking for a good addition to your summer reading list, grab this one.
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July 19, 2011
| Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 5
Product Description
Stranded in 1929, a time traveler struggles to convince a sleepy country that America must prepare to defend itself against its friends, the Japanese, in 1941. Eighty years in the past, Ben Ryan must start again. He learns to live and love, and he plans for a future nobody wants to hear about. Then he meets Howard Hughes, who believes him and forms a consortium comprised of fellow industrialists. They prepare in every way they can without the backing of the US government. The Japanese learn of their efforts, and move up their plans to attack Pearl Harbor in December 1939, two years earlier than the original history. The consortium learns this, but they’re still short of planes, supplies, and pilots. Is their hard work all for nothing? The race is on. Top to learn more
Pretty but not very functional