REVIEWS OF SON OF THUNDER
As reviewed in The Tampa Tribune, The Sarasota Herald-Tribune,
The Longboat (Key) Observer, The (Siesta Key) Pelican, The Bradenton Herald,
The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Mig Sweep, Amazon.com and Flight Journal.
Son of Thunder is one of the finest Vietnam-era fighter pilot stories I have ever read. Once I started it I could not put it down. While the book is fiction based on actual experience, after a few pages any thoughts of fiction were gone. I thought I was back in Southeast Asia again myself. The central character, Lt. John Ellsworth, is an F-100 pilot flying out of Tuy Hoa, RVN, in 1968-9. JD relates all of Lt. Ellsworth's experiences, thoughts and emotions like no else ever has.
Having flown as a Lieutenant in Vietnam myself, I can tell you he is right on the money--from letting ego get in the way of good judgment to the forming of idols out of crusty old Majors and Lt. Colonels who were our commanders. If you ever flew in combat, you can relate one of JD's characters to someone you knew.
The "language of warriors" has been softened somewhat so this is a perfect book to let your grown children read to help them understand what it was like flying in combat in Vietnam. I highly recommend Son of Thunder. I don't think you will be disappointed.
Steve Miller, Editor, Mig Sweep (Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association)
Son of Thunder "…makes the reader feel like he is in the cockpit of a virtual reality simulator…. If you like the movie "Top Gun," you will surely enjoy this book. …a story of ego, gripping fear and adrenaline rushes…. It explores…the human relationship where the power of love fights to prevail. …a lasting tribute…."Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Son of Thunder "…reads like a Grisham novel. It can't be improved on in movie format, so don't wait."
Siesta Key Pelican
Son of Thunder "…captures the essence of a fighter pilot in combat…a charming love story…a subtle analysis of a war that went bad…told just about as well as it can be told. I enjoyed it immensely.
The Longboat Observer
"Though (Son of Thunder is) written as a novel, it is a true mirror of those turbulent times. The story is fast paced and had to put down, as Wetterling's writing about flying is breathlessly real. Veterans will sweat while the rest of us will be given a vivid image of what it must have been like. The only thing missing is the oxygen mask."
Flight Journal
"…graphic…"
The Bradenton Herald
"JD Wetterling captures the (Vietnam) experience better than anyone I've read or heard."
Gen. Ron Fogleman, former Chief of Staff, USAF"…captures the essence of a fighter pilot in combat… a charming love story…a subtle analysis of a war that went bad…told just about as well as it can be told."
Lt. Gen. James Edmundson (USAF, Ret.)"SON OF THUNDER--Sierra Hotel."
Maj. Gen. Ken Miles, (USAF, Ret.)"I recently purchased SON OF THUNDER from Amazon.com and was most thoroughly pleased with the book. I must in all honesty praise your writing skills and how vividly you have described events. Your book is thoroughly readable and I found myself unable to put it down until I had perused it. Congratulations!
Maj. Gen. Muhammad Rahimullah (Afghan Air Force, Ret.)"Reading his emotional and exhilarating account was like living it again."
Brig. Gen. Tom Wittman, NM ANG"I felt like I should have been wearing a G-suit…. Thanks for writing SON OF THUNDER."
Brig. Gen. Lon Walter (USAF, Ret.)"SON OF THUNDER is one of the finest Vietnam-era fighter pilot stories I have ever read."
Lt. Col. Steve Miller (USAF, Ret.)"Read SON OF THUNDER and understand what it was really like."
Col. Mark Berent (USAF, Ret.), Best-selling author"You owe me a full night's sleep."
Col. "Hawk" Moll, (USAF, Ret.)"It's the first book that ever made me sweat…and I've been there, done that."
Joe Vincent (former USAF fighter pilot)"The guy with the Right stuff tells the Right kind of story. If only he'd been in the right service."
Carl Stattin (former Navy fighter pilot)"I couldn't put the book down. Wonderful…."
Don Castleman (former fighter pilot)"I'm personally aware of JD's abilities as a fighter pilot, but his skill as a writer is equally impressive."
Col. "Herk" Herculson (USAF, Ret.)"…spellbinding!"
Col. Win Reither (USAF, Ret.)"It is without doubt one of the best aviation based novels I have read (and I have read a few!).... It ranks as one of the aviation greats in my opinion. You have captured the exhilaration and horror of flying combat as well as encompassing the sheer beauty of flight that all pilots feel."
Lt. Cdr. Kevin Potts, (Royal Navy (UK) pilot, Desert Storm Veteran)Son of Thunder is great. The story is right on the mark and the writing is superb. It's a must read for any and all Vietnam fighter jocks. If anyone wants to know what it was like to be an F-100 fighter jock in combat, this tells it like it was.... Get the book--read it!
Dick Rutan, Aviation PioneerSon of Thunder is the catharsis for the Vietnam fighter pilot, this era’s sequel to Red Badge of Courage, War and Remembrance and Winds of War.
J. D. Wetterling has captured the sentiment, interaction and parameters more exacting than if one were actually serving a tour and flying each mission. If you ever flew missions like the F-100 pilots and others did, you know that in order to function you had to suppress the human emotional content so deeply that it might never resurface again in one’s lifetime—unless you experience Wetterling's vivid story, Son of Thunder.
This is a Steven Spielberg, Ken Burns, Oliver Stone level undertaking; I wonder who will obtain the movie rights?
Stewart Gable (Col. USAF, Ret.)I just finished your book- I couldn't put it down. I relived my F-100 flying days and reviewed several midnight movies last night. Wonderful book--you have a great future as a writer.
Don Castleman, Patriot, Fighter Pilot. Payson, AZ.Once you start Son of Thunder, I guarantee you will not be able to put it down. It's an ambush, a gripping and suspenseful account of raw nerve, courage, survival, vulnerability and love—an historical, military thriller that is at the same time a classic love story.
Theresa Stefanidis, The Stefanidis Agency
LETTERS TO THE AUTHOR
Before I tell you it was fabulous,
understand that I read a lot of military novels--Clancy, Brown, Berent and Coontz, you
name it. Son of Thunder is different, and it's much better. I
have never been moved so as by Son of Thunder. You have penned
an absolute classic, and it should be required reading by every student in the school of
life.
Tom Doucette, Chief Warrant Officer, US Coast Guard, Vancouver, WA
You will do even more for the cause of
freedom with your pen than you ever did with your plane.
John E. Bennett, WW II submarine commander, Patriot. Solana
Beach, CA
...Son of Thunder
is great!! You do what James Michener, Tom Clancy, Stephen Coonts, and many other
really good writers do.... You put the reader in the cockpit or in Dusty's Pub with
you...Congratulations on a "Best Seller".
Al Schadegg, Retired Senior Structural Designer. New Port Richey, FL
I am totally captured by this story.
...a magnificent read.
Nancy Ware Wright, Writer. Daughter of a highly decorated fighter pilot.
San Antonio, TX
Your writing gives me goose bumps.
Connie Dukas, Palm Harbor, FL
All I can say is WOW! You kept my attention
riveted from start to finish.... You surprised me, made me angry, made me love the
characters. I don't have any "midnight movies," but your words pried the lid off
of feelings, excitement, and apprehensions that I have managed to keep harnessed for
years. BRAVO! In my opinion, you have a hit!
Roy Liddell, business executive. Tampa, FL
All I can say is WOW! Every time my
husband and I go to the MacDill Air Show, I leave with a sense of pride and awe and
enviously wish I could experience THE RUSH—and through your book, I felt as if I was
right there in the cockpit…. Thank you for a delightfully crafted story which
captured the human nature amid the madness.
Sandra L. Thompson, Clearwater, FL
See more reviews at:
Barnes & Noble.com, Son of Thunder