A Novel That Feels Like A Biography
Second Review by Denise Boneham
Having watched this novel by Justin Sheedy for some time on Facebook I was predisposed to like it even before I read it. I was not disappointed one iota. It has the feel of a biography because it reads so authentically. The characters are developed well and things happen to them that, having read books by veterans of the era, could well have happened. Good research, Justin! I laughed and cried through the novel and was really glad of the ending. Read it in one sitting…. Looking forward to seeing your next novel, Justin, but can you make it a Bomber Command one (pretty please). And maybe ABC will make it into a mini-series?
From Andrew Landström, Sweden…
I really think it was good… I think a lot of social aspects go missing in a lot of novels about war… like family, love and the main characters’ own feelings… Some authors seem not to be able to get the balance right. I think you did… I laughed out loud in some parts of the book as well as being moved almost to tears. In short your book gives a very living picture of what went on behind ‘the stiff upper lips’.
From Justin Osborne, USA…
This was an excellent book and shows what the young men went through during World War 2 while flying the latest fighters of the day and the sacrifices they made to protect the free world from Nazi Germany and the imperialist Japan. I strongly recommend this book for anyone that is a WW2 buff. I give this book 10 stars.
From Stephen Horsman, Australia…
Nor the Years Condemn. What a captivating read. Justin tells the story in such a way that one feels like one has become a character in the story. I believe that there is sub plot which pays tribute to the Australian men and women who volunteered their services for mother England during WWII and the sacrifices they made in doing so. The reader feels the ultimate glory of becoming a fighter pilot – the wish of all who volunteered – but only a very few actually achieved this dream. We see the reality of what those poor boys (and they were boys) had to endure when faced with the reality of a dogfight. I would recommend this book to all who have a love of history or aircraft of the era.
From James McDonald, Australia…
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Quite moving in parts. Learned lots of interesting stuff in the book. Will start combing bookstores for more of this kind of thing, as well as biographies, memoirs… Eagerly await a sequel.
Latest from Andrew Landström, Sweden…
Nor The Years Condemn by Justin Sheedy is a book among many about the young men who risked all to fly, fight, love and lose during World War 2. What makes this book stand out is the way it is written, the closeness you get with the main character. I’d have to say it is written with soul and is very balanced when it comes to describing situations where technology and man meet. I lost myself in descriptions of emotional trauma, being moved by the characters’ emotions, which I find a bonus. It is about everything around an individual caught up in the vortex of war, family, friends, love, loss, victory…
LEST WE FORGET
by Stephanie Speakman, Cape Cod, USA
A war story, a love story and, above all, an historically correct novel for pilots and armchair readers alike. The darkest days of 1943 are resurrected by the memorable characters as the plot moves from Sydney to London and the skies above. Five stars!
An Enthralling Read
by Nathan Dickey, Waco, Texas
My interest was piqued when I saw it was about RAAF pilots in WWII, something we here in the US have to dig for and from my initial thoughts on the book, before it was read, I knew it would be very good. I had no clue though, that it would be even better than I expected. The story is an amazing read and I found the characters exceptional, each with their own unique personality. The way it’s written gives you a connection to the characters and the attention to detail is superb, adding to the realism and feel of the story. It is obvious, the amount of time that was spent researching, little details pop out nicely, adding more depth to already intricate moments. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will read it again and again. I just couldn’t seem to put it down, time escaping me as I read late into the night, several nights. Truly a story one can get lost in, as I surely did. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in aviation, WWII or the RAAF/RAF in the war. Brilliant!
Nor the Years Condemn is Goodreading
by Tim Bean, Australia
NOR THE YEARS CONDEMN, by Justin Sheedy, is an engrossing war novel set amid Britain’s fighter squadrons during WWII. In 1939, Daniel Quinn, 20, Sydney University 1ST XV Rugby star, applies to join the RAAF almost on a whim. It’s a whim which will have him flying a Spitfire over Nazi Germany with a one in three chance of survival. Told mostly from Daniel’s viewpoint, NOR THE YEARS CONDEMN details the misfortunes of war experienced by a generation of young pilots, the best of the best, most of whom will die young. Daniel faces his first flight, first kill, first love, first loss and first meeting with a young colleague old before his time. It’s a tense, well told story, gripping, from prologue to epilogue. (To those readers in the habit of skipping prologues, a word of advice: Don’t skip this one.) Justin Sheedy’s no-nonsense style of writing fits perfectly with his subject matter. The detailed research is obvious, yet there are no glaring information dumps. Instead, the exposition is so well integrated that it becomes part of the drama. In all, NOR THE YEARS CONDEMN is a very good read which, incidentally, would also make a very good movie.
War Torn Skies
More from Stephanie Speakman, USA…
Justin Sheedy convincingly paints Sydney and London from a fighter pilot’s perspective. The story jinks like a Spitfire in Focke-Wulf’s crosshairs. An airman’s story and a love story, Nor the Years Condemn captures the essence of a time when life expectancies were short, when young men and women made the most from the moments they had as they gave their all to save the world they knew. Mateship was an unspoken assumption, and understatement a common denominator. Sheedy is totally at home in 1943; he knows the aircraft and their idiosyncrasies, the spirited thoroughbred of a Supermarine Spitfire, the unforgiving war horse of a Typhoon that could kill a pilot as easily as the enemy. He evokes blitzed London, its atmosphere of rubble, unexploded bombs, and dive-in-the-wall pubs contrasting sharply to the Sydney his protagonist, Daniel Quinn, left behind, brought to mind through family letters. An historically correct, beautifully crafted novel, Nor the Years Condemn leaves me anticipating Justin Sheedy’s next work. Five stars!
A Magnetic Take
by Paddy O’Connor, UK
I found this tale absolutely magnetic… His writing is highly readable and the storyline maintained my interest right from the beginning. His research was obviously long and deep, for the authenticity of locations, the excitement of the fight sequences, the overall strategic needs & detail and the general run of the plot made a brilliantly enjoyable book which ended with really quite unexpected pathos that was entirely in keeping with the spirit of the story. Happily, he avoided being drawn into the trap of broadening the two obvious love elements, yet managed to provide an interest in that direction by capturing the war-time emotional need for immediacy rather than the measured courting of less stressful times. I say all this, not because the author and I have become ‘friends’ on Facebook following a mutual (UK) friend’s recommendation of the book but because what I say is exactly what I feel – and I look forward greatly to reading the sequel… Keep writing Justin Sheedy – you tell a brilliant tale.
From Logan Meddler Dehn, Indiana, USA
Justin, I absolutely LOVED your book. Every detail fits together to make an amazing, compelling, and fascinating story! The best book I’ve ever read! I almost felt like I was there; I could see every scene in my mind and almost feel the rumble of the Spitfire’s engines. I would recommend this book to anyone!
You will be Enthralled
by Jason Mitchell, UK
For anybody who likes a good read try “Nor the Years Condemn” by an Australian chap
by the name of Justin Sheedy. It’s about young Australian pilots who volunteer to join the RAF in our time of our darkest days of WW2 when the Luftwaffe were relentlessly bombing our airfields and cities. You will find the story exciting and you will be enthralled and want to read it over and over again. I highly recommend the book and it would make anybody young or old a brilliant stocking filler.
Should be on the School Curriculum
by Angela La Camera Paino, Australia
There have been 2 most positive experiences since I got on to Facebook. One of them has been reading “Nor the Years Condemn” by Justin Sheedy.
Set during WWII, this is an outstanding novel where its Australian author has captured the perfect balance between what is expected of “story telling” & historical accuracy. The author’s incredible sensibility reflects in his portrayal of each & every character. I thought particularly moving his description of how Daniel (the main hero) spent his last day in Sydney with his younger brother Matt and again in Matt’s letters to his beloved & much admired brother Danny, a wonderful way for the author to give us an insight into life in Sydney of the period. A wonderful way to make them so real, so human and a clever way to let us in to their innermost dreams & aspirations… The perfect way to make them so real; you do believe they are & feel all they feel along with them.
The author’s meticulous & accurate description of the flying, the planes (I never knew there were so many!), the training, the missions over foreign locations, the hint of espionage, the glory & the emotional trauma of its characters has all the makings of a classic war movie – At times I could liken to a documentary. So much so, that I believe this is a book which should be made part of the SCHOOL CURRICULUM. For what better way to inspire & capture the young ones’ imagination but with a book such as this?!
Did I say 2 most positive experiences since I got on to Facebook? I will leave the 2nd one for a later time !!!!
From Mitchell Newell, Australia
Nor the Years Condemn brings to life the realities of war. The reader is able to put themselves in the positions of the main characters – I would recommend this novel to anyone I come in contact with.
I would also like to thank Julie Jarvie of The Echo newspaper, Byron Bay, for her amazing help and belief in my writing, going back to my first book, Goodbye Crackernight. My huge thanks also to Helen Hawkes, Contributing Editor of The Northern Star (Byron area) for providing Nor the Years Condemn with its very first print media coverage…
A MUST READ – NOR THE YEARS CONDEMN – Author,
Justin Sheedy
THIS is the story of the “best and brightest” young Aussies – the high-flying pilots – who fought Nazism and won. Penned by Sydney author Justin Sheedy, it is a heart-rending, action-packed read, which includes first love, brotherhood and once-in-a-lifetime friendship. Justin’s first book, Goodbye Crackernight , a comic memoir of growing up in the 1970s Australia, was published in 2009 and warmly received by audiences at the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival in 2010. Nor the Years Condemn is available in print-on-demand paperback format at Amazon. It is also available as an e-book at Smashwords in all e-book formats.
My thanks as well to the following journalists for their excellent features on the book from March to June 2012: Pat Stringa and Melanie Kembrey of the Parramatta Sun Magazine, Omar Hamwi of the Inner West Courier, Eleanor Pearson of the North Shore Times (ANZAC Day Special Edition), James Gorman of Central Magazine, Kreisha Ballantyne-Dickes and Kathy Mexted of Australian Pilot as well as Peter Herington of the Old Ignatian. And especially to editor Colin Kerr, journalist Robert Kennard and photographer Danny Aarons of the Northern District Times for the following feature…
THE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL - Tales of Sons Are Covered
TRUE stories of Australian fighter pilots in a battle of survival are the basis of Justin Sheedy’s latest book, Nor the Years Condemn. The historical fiction depicts the heroism of young Australian men who trained as fighter pilots for the British Empire in World War II.
“The best and brightest of a generation crossed the planet to fly and fight against Nazi tyranny and won,” Sheedy said. “It was the great sportsmen, the brains and young men of exceptional natural ability and character who went on to fly Spitfires, Mosquitos and Lancasters (with a) staggering one-in-three chance of survival.”
Readers have described cockpit-seat flying sequences as “brilliant” and “cinematic”, but Sheedy says the narrative moves beyond wartime feats. “It is also a story of the grieving mothers cursed to relinquish their wonderful sons to war, of first love, of strategic deception and betrayal, of brotherhood and once in-a-lifetime friendship on a knife’s edge,” he says. The book is a time capsule of World War II, with contextual language, location description and cultural attitudes dominant throughout the narrative.
Sheedy, whose first novel detailed his 1970s childhood in North Epping, said the book struggled to get picked by a major Australian publisher. In spite of this he persisted and followed the trend to publish online. Nor the Years Condemn is an e-book and has been published in Print-on-Demand Paperback at Amazon.
Thank you to Arthur Westerhoff, UK, for posting the following endorsement of the book in response to the online edition of the above article…
"I served with 74 Squadron as ground crew during the Battle of Britain and realize what a great job Justin Sheedy has done in bringing to light the exploits of these young Australian fighter pilots during World War II.
My warmest thanks also to Collette McGrath, Sheryll Thomas, Denise Boneham, Hélèn Joudan, Emma Hitchins and Raymundo Jiminez Enriquez for their invaluable support and Facebook word-spreading re Nor the Years Condemn.
Thanks also for their Facebook support to Abdul Rahman Reijerink, Adam Newbury, Adrian Roberts, Agung Fikrip Polc, Alan Hislop, Alejandro Branas, Alexander Casula, Alfred Mzt, Ali Watson, Allison Groves, Allison Wallace, Amanda McRitchie, Amelia Dalton, Amish Gunga, Amy Amina, Andre Ventura, Andrea Dyson, Andrew Nerlich, Andy Murray, Andy Wright, Ange Baker, Ange Scully, Anna Saric, Anna Toparis, Ann Forrest, Anthony Francis Steele, Ariana Klepac, Ava Torch, Beau Smart, Beccy Connell, Bella St Clair, Bill Carney, Bob Blunt, Bob Gough, Bob Yeoman, Brad Leehy, Brad Phillpott, Brendan Morse, Brett Barton, Brett Wakeley, Bruce Gordon, Butters Riley, Carmel Watkins, Carolyn Angelin, Cat Aclysmic, Cat Stuart, Cate Rose, Cath Stoney, Charles Lindberg, Charles Richard Page, Chris Charles, Chris Newton, Chris Thornton, Chris Wheeler, Claus Papez, Craig Sorenson, Damien Bell, Damien Hood, Dane Strychnine, Daniel Kasnitz, Danielle Shacklock, Dan Leidal, Darren Burtt, Darren Gorham, David Mascellani, David Oliver, David Rowlands, David Smiley Byrnes, David Welsh, Dean McBride, Deborah Brooks, Debra Player, DI Bower, Dianne Carsen, Distant Starr, Donna Barlow, Eddie Gold, Emmy Etié, Erik H. Nyce, Esther Sta Teresa Faustino, Gagan Singh, Gail Jelly Field, Gareth Allen Jenkins, Gareth Jenner, Garry Adams, Garry McArthur, Gary Godel, George Korth, Geraldine O’Hara, Glenn Lamont, Glen Wakefield, Glennis Elizabeth, Glynn Clint Morgan, Gordon Finlayson, Greg Doyle, Hans Anderson, Hassan Naqvi, Heather Marie McHale, Helen O’Brien, Hernan Gonzalez, Iain Johnstone, Ian Meyers, Ian Nicole-Heap, Jacinta Fleur, Jackie Thurston, Jacqueline Konczewski Scholfield, Jacqui Jordon, James Macgregor, James Stewart, James Tilling, Jane Filler, Jane Harvey, Jane Ignacio Almodiel, Janelle McLellan, Janet Hughes, Jaroslav Hlousek, Jaroslaw Gwardys, Jason Butcher, Jason Mitchell, JC Sharky, Jean Saudy Andre, Jeang Herng, Jeff Shechter, Jeff Thompson, Jeff Weyers, Jenet Stewart, Jerry Hipp, Jessica Banser, Jimmy Baltowitz, Jim Williams, Jiri Zivec, Jock RG Alcock, Jody Luanne Cavanagh, Johanna Callachor, John L McKenna, John Lee, John Richardson, Jonathan Loubet, Jon Fabian, Jon Roberts, Jorgito Magan, Josine Baz, Joy Cornish, Jules Dazzle, Julia Colacino, Julie Baz, Julie Oxendale, Julie Sommer, Justin Roche, Kacper Kadadz Kolibowski, Karen Baranenko, Karen Cole, Karen Dunning, Kate O’Mara, Kate Seabrook, Kaz Biddle, Keith Claringbold, Keith Rippon, Keith Schooling, Kerrie Young, Kevin Green, Kimberley-Jane Crawford, Kiril Todorov, Kirsty Murray, Krzysztof Leczycki, Kym Yeoman, Le
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