Flight of the Black Stork


Fiction - Science Fiction
492 Pages
Reviewed on 12/03/2017
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

This is a big one. Flight of the Black Stork by Bill Broocke is a massive achievement. It brings together so many aspects from the Cold War, alien observation and invasion. It is a deep work that gives every reader a lot to think about. So many elements from today’s headlines are blended with tidbits and trivia from the past to create a very believable story. This is a unique and well thought out alien invasion story. Each chapter adds a layer of complexity, building up to a satisfying conclusion. The research and reading required to put something like this together is incredible. Honestly, it is almost too much story for one book, but because it is connected by a couple of generations of family and friends, it works.

The characters in Flight of the Black Stork have a huge job. They must give feeling and purpose to a plot that is larger than life. I liked Leanna McKenna and her family and friends. I liked the Russian Air Force officer who was a Chernobyl survivor. I liked all the characters, although I just felt that sometimes they were overshadowed by the plot. The aliens are interesting. The idea that they would take such a long-term approach as a practical invasion strategy was something very different from what we usually get. The attention to detail is what I enjoyed most about this book. The complex plot holds the story together and keeps moving you forward to the conclusion. Bill Broocke is a writer to watch out for.

Christian Sia

Flight of the Black Stork by Bill Broocke is a beautiful blend of sci-fi, fantasy and fiction, with a phenomenal conflict and characters that are as realistic as they are compelling. The author has the gift of combining geography with history and science to create scenes that excite the reader’s imagination. It’s a story about aliens investigating an attack on their own, an attack which takes place on Earth — the Promised Land they are bent on conquering. But can they defeat the people of Earth and claim their space for posterity? That is for the reader to find out.

I enjoyed the beauty of the setting, but the exquisite prose gripped me from the very beginning of the story. The reader is introduced to stellar technology, compelled to revisit history, and is confronted with some of the mind-boggling social and political questions that have unnerved many a thinker. The story is well-imagined and its accomplishment is masterly, with a great pacing, a setting that floods the mind with powerful images right from the beginning. Flight of the Black Stork features rock-solid and memorable characters, each written with a strong background. Bill Broocke’s gift for plot and conflict development is quickly apparent as the reader starts the story. The prose is expertly done, balanced, and with great precision and economy of words. The descriptions are breathtaking and the dialogues sound as though they are conversations from real life. The author has succeeded in crafting a story that sounds so real that readers can feel and see themselves as part of the action.

Rabia Tanveer

Flight of the Black Stork by Bill Broocke is the story of how relative “the right thing to do” can be. It is witty, humorous and simply too good to put down, and I loved the way the story progressed and how it had me hooked. The story follows two different species fighting for survival and, as you would expect, only one can be victorious. This action packed novel took me on a journey that I did not want to end, and I really hope that Bill Broocke writes a sequel soon.

When a race of aliens was dying out, they appealed and prayed to their god to help them. Their god heard their prayers and gave them a way to save themselves: they had to take over the Promised Land that would help them increase their numbers once again. However, unfortunately, that Promised Land is Earth. The story takes an exciting turn when the alien ships attack a battle weary ship from Earth. Soon the two races are fighting for survival. Only one of them will survive this battle that will be fought for years, and which one will it be?

Action-packed, intense and interesting; I loved this fast paced novel. I enjoyed it so much that I literally finished it in a few hours. The characters, the descriptions, the battle and then the consequences were all really very gripping. I enjoyed the fact that author Bill Broocke gave the story and the characters time to breathe and grow in their own time. He didn’t rush anything; he let the story come to life and that is the most fantastic way to let a plot evolve! This is a really wonderful read.

Anne-Marie Reynolds

Flight of the Black Stork by Bill Broocke is the tragic story of the end of an ancient civilization. The aliens’ god heard the prayers of the aliens and he gave them their salvation – he gave them a promised land. That land was Earth and the only way they can get there is to tag onto a B-24, returning damaged from an air strike on Germany. The escort for the B-24 manages to fight off the attack, but this was just the start. Over the next 50 years, the aliens will plan their invasion of Earth, making their home in the Aitken Basin on the moon. A Russian space shuttle is overhauled, filled with nuclear and biochemical weapons, and sent off to attack the enemy. The space shuttle is called the Black Stork. Will they defeat the enemy? Can the residents of Earth prevail, or will they fall victim to the aliens?

Flight of the Black Stork by Bill Broocke is a thrilling story, one that caught my attention from the first page. It is a unique tale, a very informative story that teaches while telling a tale that, who knows, could be happening right now! This is a story that has clearly been very well researched as there is a lot of history intertwined and it is written in a flamboyant manner, very descriptive, drawing readers in slowly but surely, like a big fish on a thin line. The characters are amazing, each one unique and each with their own story to tell, and readers will find it easy to fall into the story and stay put until it's all over. I guarantee you will learn while you enjoy the story and I recommend this, not just for fans of sci-fi but for anyone who wants a great book to get involved in.

K.J. Simmill

When first they spotted the crescent shaped craft, they had thought it was some new aircraft made by the Germans. They had never imagined what these Foo Fighters actually were, nor what their sudden and unexplained appearance actually meant for the people of Earth. For over fifty years this same alien species had performed reconnaissance flights, experiments, abductions, and discovered that mankind was exactly what they had been searching for, and they had been searching for five centuries. Their god had promised them a new home, but Earth's residents had complicated matters. However, after learning of mankind's destructive capabilities, there seemed only one viable path; to destroy the threat, or at least those that couldn't be of any use. Bill Broocke's Flight of the Black Stork will take you on a thrilling and suspenseful journey in an alternative history version of some of our world's most well-known events.

Brilliantly written, Flight of the Black Stork will hold you captivated from the opening sentence to the final word. Beautiful descriptions add a wonderful flourish to events and easily conjure up surroundings and atmosphere in the reader's mind. Something about Bill Broocke's style is mesmerising, and even the simplest of activities have life and realism breathed into them. There's a lot of genuine history within, along with the author's own spin to open up the world to the events that unfold. With a great cast of characters, all unique with their own baggage, flaws, and passions, not to mention well-developed with a rich history and personal stories, you'll find it easy to fully immerse yourself in this world, and there are some parts that will even feed the imagination of conspiracy theorists. Government secrets, red herrings, schemes, and plans all come together in a mix of unexpected and enjoyable plots and sub-plots in an excellent example of alternate history fiction.