Walter J. Boyne Books In Order

Publication Order of The Jet Age Trilogy Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

About Walter J. Boyne

A retired officer of the United States Air Force, the once Command Pilot now turned writer Walter J. Boyne has become an institution almost in his own right over the years. An expert in his field, he has managed to voice himself well on a particular area of expertise, writing extensively on the field of the American air-force military. With a background as a historian too, he has written many works of non-fiction, lending his voice a certain level of stature and authenticity quite unlike any other. Knowing his subject inside and out, he really gets to the heart of the subject matter, allowing it to essentially speak for itself. He does this by providing a window into the past, allowing the reader to really gain a true understanding of what it was like back then, documenting it all for many future generations to follow.

Over the years he has also gone on to create a large body of fiction too, with many stories inspired by his own life and learnings. Writing his stories with a fast paced sense of action and excitement, he really allows the reader to feel the sheer exhilaration of what it was really like to experience such events. This is something he has gone to great lengths over the course of his life to convey, as he has created a legacy that will stand the test of time for many years to come.

Early and Personal Life

Born in 1929 on the 2nd of February, Walter J. Boyne would grow East Saint Louis, Illinois, to a poor family during the Great Depression. This would come to color a lot of his work over the years to come, as he would go on to find writing during his time attending grade school at Holy Angels. In time this would allow him to voice his many ideas and feelings, something which he would hone throughout the following years to come. His love of dime novels featuring tales of flying and daring escapades in the first World War would also cement his passion for taking to the skies, as he would embark on a career in the Air Force at a young age. Gaining scholarships he would then go on to attend Washington University situated in St. Louis, before embarking on a career in the military, and then turning to writing and history after this, living with his wife in Ashburn, Virginia, as they would have four children.

Writing Career

Producing his first book in 1979, Walter J. Boyne would write and publish the non-fiction book ‘The Jet Age: Forty Years of Jet Aviation’. This would then cement his reputation as one of the foremost authorities on the subject of air travel and military, later going on to write fiction too. His first title in this field would be ‘The Wild Blue’ in 1986, which would also feature air travel as well, conveying all the excitement and thrills is holds. Later he would also create a channel called ‘Wingspan’ in 1998, which would be brought up by Discovery one year later, all of which has led to him becoming the success that he currently is today.

Dawn Over Kitty Hawk

First published through the ‘Forge’ publishing label, this would originally come out on the 16th of May in 2003 to much acclaim. Working as a stand-alone novel essentially, it would feature many of the trademarks that Boyne had now become famous for over the many years of his writing career. Featuring a high level of historical accuracy, this is an authentic representation of the first flight, whilst also adding in some flourishes of his own along the way.

Taking a historical event known to many in the form of the Wright brothers discovering flight for the first time, this looks at a side that many haven’t seen before. Examining all the characters surrounding the event, it manages to get inside what really happened there to them all. Finding out the truth behind their journey, it not infuses factual underpinnings, it also examines their mindset, really getting in to what drove them to do it. Allowing the reader to feel as if they’re really there, Boyne manages to write with a high level of authority, something which really carries the story here.

Many highly determined individuals had tried desperately and failed over the years to attempt to make an aircraft fly. A dream of many, it would be a rush during the latter part of the nineteenth century, and earlier part of the twentieth century, with figures such as Langley and Alexander Graham Bell trying and failing. It would the Wright brothers though, Orville and Wilbur Wright, who would eventually see that dream come to fruition, as they got their aircraft to fly in 1903 on the 17th of December at Kitty Hawk beach. Told they couldn’t do it by many, especially by their domineering father Bishop Milton Wright who attempted to quash their dream, they rebelled and made the impossible possible. Just how exactly did they do it though? Where did their journey take them? What happened leading up to that one famous dawn over Kitty Hawk?

Roaring Thunder

This would come out through ‘Forge’ books as well, this being released in 2006 on the 10th of January. It would also be the first in the series of books known as ‘The Jet Age Trilogy’, all of which would follow on from each other thematically. Combining fact and fiction, he would once again take readers back in time to experience the past like they’d never seen it before.

Telling the stories of many remarkable geniuses involved in the history of flight, this really manages to give the reader an insight into how modern flight came about. Looking at key figures of the jet age, such as Sir Frank Whittle who invented the jet engine, and Hans von Ohain who came from Germany to the US to help design jet engines, it sees who they are and what they did. Braving all odds they take to the skies to bring in the dawn of a new era, as they take modern flight to a whole new level for the modern times. Giving birth to an entire industry of flight travel, it looks at how their actions have influenced the modern age and where society is today in regards to flight. Who were these brave and courageous individuals? How did these jet engines really come about? What was behind the roaring thunder?