STARS OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS

STARS OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS SITE
http://www.kathywhill.com/bobspages/stars_of_the_southern_cross.htm


STARS OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS novel by A. Robert Hill, iUniverse, inc 2003
Today I received A. Robert Hill's newest novel to read. Since I have been a literary fan of Hill's writing for some time I hope to keep a running account of my thoughts as I read this novel. Since I tried to get in the Air Force as a pilot about the time Hill went on active duty I'm keenly interested in reading this novel by one who served in the area of action that the book was written about.
Other novels by A. Robert Hill can be found at this site
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/author.asp?author_id=11566&penname=A.+Robert++Hill

My attention is caught by the fact that this novel is about the World War II era so I'm eagerly looking forward to reading more.

August 24. At first I thought this novel was going to be about a West Point general in the Army Airforce getting rid of incompetent officers in the South Pacific. On page 22 the novel begins to take shape when Collin Farley, pilot on a strike, comes into being. The author begins to draw on his feelings as a pilot to shape a real character who faces death in the skies. This novel now becomes a page turner.
Link to Port Moresby where the action starts as the US planes fly to attack Japanese bases.
Pictures of region
http://www.galenfrysinger.com/port_moresby.htm
PORT MORESBY AND SURROUNDING AREA
href="http://www.pacificislandtravel.com/png/about_destin/port_moresby.html">

UN-REALISM IN STARS OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS
A. Robert Hill could've done better with his first love scene, or his hero, Major Collin Farley is gay. Here the Major is at a big conference with all the big brass. He meets a beautiful mysterious lady, and does he take her to the sack? This warrior who is eligible for the Tail Hook Society sits sipping lemonade (actually alcoholic) and making small talk. Well, they do dance a few slow ones before the commanding officer cuts in to protect the virtue of his aide.
B. Since I was only a petty officer in the Navy I still know that no Navy officer would have been so wimpy. What I have heard about the flyboys, they would have had the woman in the sack taking turns all the way from General MacArthur to the lowly lieutenant lackey who doesn't even get to first base. Perhaps the author needed a sailor to help him write this scene.

AUTHOR JUSTIFIES SEXUAL SCENE (or lack there of)Hi Luther,
About the Major, he was made an Officer and Gentleman--by an Act of Congress--and the gal he was with would have walked away from him had he put on the pressure. In addition, he was a General's Aide, so he had to tread pretty softly. I don't know about the Navy--we certainly stayed away from port cities--we hated penicillin shots...
Bob
HISTORY OF ARMY AIRFORCE IN SOUTH PACIFIC is superb. Author Hill shows his skill in research, but he is so aptly able to bring the human factor into his tale of the South Pacific during World War II. Hill's uncanny acount of the feelings of pilots fighting in the air are sharpened by his own experiences with the Fifth Air Force during the Korean War. If for no other reason this book is worth the money to get the perspective of a pilot who flew in battle. The autor is able to let the reader hear the roar of engines and the sounds of death in the air. I'm on page 130, and I can't put the book down!

AUTHOR HILL'S VIEW ON ACCEPTABLE SEX IN MILITARY
Wing Commander Collin Farley falls in love with an opera singer who has a French name but whose mother is Chinese. Not only does Collin's general approve this love affair, but also Collin is planning on using military equipment to rescue his intended and her father from the Japanese. When Collin catches his aide, Major Teddy Bower, and Nurse Lieutenant Sherry Clarke tussling naked in the moonlight, the Colonel thinks about busting the lower ranking officer for fraternizing with a lower ranking officer. (As if either one of the guilty party could tell what rank the other one was when both of them were completely in the nude.) This incident only goes to show the stupid double standards the military has. Of course when a superior male officer screws a lower ranking female officer, there is the danger that all hell will break lose if the female gets angry and asks for special treatment in the workplace thus causing disrespect for the one in charge.
FINAL REVIEW

ALL THE QUALITIES OF A GREAT NOVEL, September 7, 2004
Reviewer:
luther d butler sr "lbutler" (Stephenville, Tx USA) - See all my reviewsIf Tom Clancey or James A. Michener had put their names to Stars of the Southern Cross, this novel would have been an instant best seller. A. Robert Hill has created a literary masterpiece in his story about Collin Farley and the Fifth Army Air Force fighting in the South Pacific during World War II. The Story has all the qualities that great novels possess. 1. PLOT. Hill has created a plot that produces a page-turner, a cliffhanger, and a book that is hard to put down until the last word is read. Each detail about the men who flew the airplanes against the Rising Sun is so real the reader can see and feel the searing action.2. CHARACTERIZATION. Hill's men and women come to life with a dynamic 3D effect. From the pilots who defy death as they streak across a hostile sky to the ground crew who keep the flyers flying, each character comes to life as a skilled author breathes life into each one of them. And, the ballerina with a French name that the top ace falls in love with is straight out of a sparkling fairy tale done by a master. Hill is quick to let the reader know that the Stars of the Southern Cross are the characters from the United States who grew up in places where other Americans of that time came to maturity.3. BELIEVEABLE CHARACTERS AND SETTINGS. A master writer who lived and fought where his characters lived, fought, and died carefully etches each detail in this book. The emotions expressed by men flying during deadly combat can have only been written by an author who faced these same tense moments while flying in combat under the same Southern Cross depicted in this thrilling novel that was written of a time when the freedom of the world stood in the balance. A MAGNIFICANT EPIC!