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Reviews: On Falcon's WingsAndrew Scot Bolsinger - Ashland Daily Tidings The dark tale of 'Wings'Umpleby turns World War II history into a novel of courageBy Andrew Scot Bolsinger For Marshall Umpleby the motivation to write was not to become the next Tom Clancy. It stemmed rather, from a lifetime of teaching others to write. The vocation pushed the love of stories to a more conscious level of wanting to create one himself. He also began reading more about the World War II era. Having twice been to Prague, Czechoslovakia, the impact of Nazi Germany during the war became a perfect setting for a historical novel percolating in Umpleby. "I was doing research, not realizing I was doing research," he says. Finally, after retiring to Ashland and dabbling in short stories, the idea for a historical novel was turned from wistful dream to reality. The final ingredient for the book came when Umpleby listened to a distant relative tell the story of how, when he was 18 years old, he was conscripted into the German army during World War II. The relative managed to escape and get back to Prague. "But that's all he would tell me about it," Umpleby says. "I thought, 'God, that would be a great story.' So I made it up." "On Falcon's Wings," a historical novel to be released sometime this year, was the end result. The plot line centers on five boys, ages 16 and 17, "virtually kidnapped by drunken German soldiers, put on a troop train headed for Stalingrad," Umpleby says. Umpleby draws upon the true story of an assassination attempt on top Nazi Reinhardt Heydrich, the architect of the Holocaust. Though the attempt was ultimately unsuccessful, Heydrich died from complications, sending Adolph Hitler into a rage. Thousands were killed in punishment and an entire town - Lidice, population 197 - was destroyed, with all the inhabitants killed or sent to prison camps. During his visits to Prague, Umpleby went to the museums, the bullet-scared churches and the place were Lidice stood just a generation ago. "There is absolutely nothing there," he says of the town. "Go there now and it's really a landscape." In the tragic aftermath of the assassination, the boys are kidnapped and sent to the Eastern front to do brutal work like digging anti-tank trenches or finding safe passage through mine fields. Realizing that they will most likely be killed by either the mines, the Russians or the Germans, some of the teenagers manage to escape. During their perilous trip home, the boys are rescued by partisans, aided by sympathetic Ukrainians, and brutalized by Nazis. "Some pretty horrible things happen, as you can imagine," Umpleby says. The story is not a happy one, but a tense war novel. "It was hard to write about," Umpleby says. "I had never written about this type of thing before. In many ways it was painful." At times he rereads the manuscript and it "still brings me to tears," he says. "It's dark. It's not a very happy story. But the kids that did survive, and some of them obviously did not, are lucky." But that's how novels are for many writers. They take over. The fiction lives in the inner mind, playing out, rolling around and as the writing continues, the lives on the page become almost real. Umpleby says the experience surprised him, as the book took turns and moved in ways he didn't anticipate at first. The end result, "is something of a dream come true," he says, eagerly anticipating a release date some time this year. This compelling and gripping novel about five teenagers' lives during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia is hard to put down. Marshall Umpleby is to be congratulated on crafting this novel. The story shows the interconnectedness of five teenage boys and one of their girl friends whose disparate lives become intertwined almost by accident. One came to Prague from Lidice for medical treatment after being injured by Nazi troops and meets the others. They are part of a church-sponsored wrestling team coached by a partisan. That partisan successfully assassinated General Heydrich, the Nazi overlord of Czechoslovakia. The teenagers witness the deaths of the partisans. Due to carelessness one evening, all five boys and their girl friend are arrested by Nazis. The girl is raped and sent home. The boys are bundled on a train for the eastern front and survive a harrowing trip to the Ukraine, although one is killed on the way. In the Ukraine, they escape, although another one is killed. They slowly make their way back to Prague with the help lf local farmers and partisans. Another of their group is killed by Nazis. Along the way, they survive heat, cold, dank sewers, polluted rivers and finally make it back to Prague having been smuggled as "cargo" by sympathetic partisans. The book ends with the return of the two survivors to grateful relatives. Character development and background scenery are described in an excellent way. Clearly the novel appears to be well researched. World War II is now a distant fifty year memory. It is good that Umpleby reminds us how horrible it was and that the Nazis of that day were truly the ultimate "untermenschen." Their sins should never be forgotten. Amy Phillips - Professional Editor "This novel ... reads like a true story. I couldn't put the book down until I had read it through twice" This inspiring first novel eloquently illustrates the brutal reality of war, the confusion of growing up, and the triumph of survival. The historical references in the book, combined with the complexity of the characters' personal struggles and collective plight, render this novel one that reads like a true story. I couldn't put the book down until I had read it through twice! Amanda Bolsinger - Daily Tidings Correspondent Teacher Publishes First Novel After spending years as an English teacher, teaching others to write, Marshall Umpleby wanted to see if he could write a novel. His first, “On Falcon’s Wings,” was released in September and Umpleby has passed the test, weaving a passionate and painful story of five youths trying to survive in World War II Europe. “It’s very exciting,” Umpleby said about the release of his novel. “It’s something I had sort of dreamed about but didn’t really think would happen. It’s been quite a ride.” The book is a compilation of the stories of five teenagers from Prague, Czechoslovakia and the aftermath of the assassination of Holocaust architect Reinhard Heydrich in 1942. As Nazis swept through the region after the assassination, the boys’ lives are bound together by the torment and loss that is familiar to them all. Homes are raided, families disappear into the night, and one town, Lidice, is completely destroyed. As the world crumbles around them the boys are kidnapped by German soldiers and sent by train to the Eastern front where they are told they will serve the German army in whatever ways they are ordered. The story gathers momentum after the kidnapping as the boys attempt to escape from their Nazi captors. The boys who manage to escape, walk hundreds of miles dodging German soldiers, partisan armies, and people willing to turn them in for reward money. They battle hunger, illness and injury as they try to find their way back to their war ravished homes. They became outlaws, hiding during the day, living in the filth of a sewer system when injury keeps them from moving on, their lives at the mercy of strangers who have no reason to trust them. Umpleby was inspired to write the story after meeting a man that grew up in Prague during WWII. The man told Umpleby his story of being conscripted into the German army at 18 with some of his friends and the realization that they had to escape to survive. He never told Umpleby how they escaped though. “I took that realism and had to figure out what they would have had to have been like to survive,” Umpleby said. Expect to see more from Umpleby in the future. He has a collection of short stories that he is putting together. He is an avid baseball fan and hopes to turn one of his baseball stories into a novel. Reviews from Amazon.comTim Sharp "Great story revolving around a rarely revealed part of WW2. On Falcon's Wings is terrific story telling. The story and characters bring to life a period and place I knew very little about -- despite being a World War II history aficionado. Historical enlightenment aside, this is simply a thoroughly enjoyable read. Anonymous This book drew me into a relationship with each character and ultimately I was living their anxiety-ridden, bleak existence with them every step of their journey. Absolutely one of the best books I have ever read. Marilee Anderson If you like historical fiction, you'll love this fast-paced, compelling story about five teen-age boys whose lives take a disastrous turn during the Nazi occupation of Prague. The author very wisely chooses to focus on teenagers whose naive, impulsive, and rebellious nature is in constant tension with the Nazi troops. Their journey reveals the absolute cruelty of war and the psychological domination that occupation gives the occupiers -- not unlike what we've recently witnessed at Abu Ghraib prison. The characters are so real and so beautifully drawn that I became very involved with them. I struggled with them as they weighed the risks of fighting back or submitting. Those who break through the barrier of fear pay a high price as heroes or martyrs. I read the last 125 pages in one sitting because I had to find out how it turned out for the five boys I had become so fond of. This is a five star read -- one you won't soon forget. John Klug "On Falcon's Wings", set in World War II Europe, moved me more than any book in recent memory. The author's obviously extensive research certainly paid handsomely helping him bring faithfully to life a setting and historical period fraught with powerful emotions and grave dangers. The portrayals of the settings, scenes, and characters all ring very true; there wasn't a false note anywhere. The drama builds steadily developing the backgrounds and personalities of five Czech teenagers seized by the Nazis and transported toward the German military front in Russia. The tension mounts quickly as the youths struggle for survival and attempt to escape and elude their captors. At times it becomes almost impossible to lay this book down. "On Falcon's Wings" is a timely reminder to us all of the devastating effects an empire building, totalitarian government can have on its most humble and righteous citizens and subjects. David Studebaker Umpleby's story maintained a strong feeling of tension from beginning to end. It gripped my attention and interest from the very outset and never let go. I was particularly impressed by the keen insights provided of the reality of the human experience of war, of one's country being occupied and dominated by a ruthless foreign power, of the heights and depths of behavior to which otherwise ordinary people can rise or fall. I got so involved with the Czech boys frantic efforts to survive that I nearly screamed out loud to Pavol at times,"No!No!No! Don't do that!!!" It's clearly a five star read for me. Tullio Bertini Marshall Umpleby and I worked together as assistant principals during the 1980's
at Burlingame High School. He had a background in teaching English and I considered
him an excellent writer. I remember talking with Marshall about his book idea
and about my book idea. I had the unusual experience of being an American boy
from Boston trapped in a small Tuscan village along the Gothic Line during World
War II. I looked forward to reading On Falcon's Wings because the story involved
five teenagers in a situation similar to mine. Marshall did an outstanding job
researching the topic and presents a vivid story, detailed, and at time gruesome,
portraying the futility of war. As I read about the five teenagers I remember
that I was almost captured by the SS troops in Tuscany and taken to Germany as
a forced laborer. I was stopped by a German patrol and was in the process of
being herded on a truck with other Italian boys to be transported to Germany.
My mother, bless her soul, intervened and pleaded with the German soldiers not
to take me since I was only 13 years old. A friend of mine, named Sandro , who
looked older because he had started to shave, was taken and later was wounded
in northern Italy. While reading On Falcon's Wings, I realized how lucky I was
not to have been captured by the German soldiers and how lucky I was to have
survived the war. I realize how fortunate I was to return to the United States
in 1946 and resume my life as an American teenager. Some of the Czech teenagers
were not so lucky! A must read book for those interested in the World War II
saga regarding the survival of oppressed people.
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