Cape 1969

Cape 1969 by Jason Ciaramella, 104 pages

I picked this up because the story line was written by Joe Hill, who is one of my favorite authors. His writing is nearly always straight to the point and fast paced. This was no exception. Cape 1969 tells the story of a Captain Chase after his helicopter is shot down in Vietnam and the trials he goes through trying to get home. Since this is a Hill story there is also some weirdness. If you have read the sequel to this, The Cape, you know what I am referring to. I personally have not read The Cape but having read this I can guess what it is about.

I have some mixed feelings about this book. While it did a decent job of creating the chaos and brutality of the Vietnam War the introduction of the supernatural seemed under defined. I know magic can explain away a lot of stuff, but the origins of that magic help it become something more believable. Sadly this was lacking and so it felt more forced than it should have been.