Those Who Dare

Raiding Forces, Volume 1

By: Phil Ward

Narrated by: Miles Meili, Shauna MacDonald

Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

This is the first audiobook in the epic WWII Raiding Forces series. Meticulously researched (the author was an instructor at the Army Ranger School), the series begins with the birth of special operations - as seen through the eyes of a young American officer who has volunteered to serve with British Forces.

May, 1940: 10th Panzer Division has decimated France and is driving on Calais a short distance from Dunkirk. Lieutenant John Randal, a veteran of the US 26th Cavalry Regiment, volunteers to serve with the British forces and arrives on the continent three days before the town falls. What unfolds is a blend of guerrilla tactics learned in the Philippian jungles, the first small-scale Commando raid, tough training at No. 1 Parachute Training School, suspense, humor, and a little romance with the drop-dead gorgeous widow Lady Jane Seaborn.

The author - a decorated Ranger combat veteran - covers the details of war extensively, putting the listener right in the middle of the action. As the novel ends, newly promoted Major Randal, upon returning from the first British parachute raid of the war, is alerted that Raiding Forces will deploy within 48 hours via sea transport for their next mission off the Gold Coast of Africa.

©2010 Phil Ward (P)2018 Phil Ward

Amazing book

I did some research on the author and he was actually in the military. Which makes this book so much better for being fiction. Probably one of my favorite books and I’ve only listened to 5 hours of it. I hope they do the rest of the series on Audible.

Truly Enjoyable WWII fiction

ebook is also available via Kindle Unlimited.

Those Who Dare is exactly what it purports to be – a lot of military, some suspense and humor with a hint of romance. Phil Ward’s first book in the Raiding Forces series feels like part Ken Burns documentary (that’s not an insult, I love Ken Burns) and part 1950’s radio program. Detailing the creation of the Raiding Forces, this centers mostly around Lieutenant John Randal but there is a huge cast that we get to know, root for, and love. The romance does not progress beyond a peck on the cheek and Lady Jane Seaborn proves an enjoyable Peggy Carter to John Randal’s Steve Rogers.

My only complaints were:
* the author used rank and full names nearly every time a character was mentioned. It gets tedious.
* the military drum sound effect between each section. It’s a lot of drumming.

Even with that I truly enjoyed this production and am looking forward to the next book, Dead Eagles.

This is duet narration. Miles Meili narrates the bulk of the story with Shauna MacDonald performing any female speaking parts. Meili & MacDonald give us an impressive range of voices, accents, and personalities. It was wonderful and I’m thrilled they’ll be narrating the rest of the series.

Trigger Warnings (possible spoilers):
Very brief mentions of wartime death. Not graphic.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Audiobooks Unleashed and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Brought back memories

Made me think about once being young still laughing at some of the training rituals great story

Entertaining

Entertaining story telling. Somewhat simplistic. Told from a romantic viewpoint of the early days of WWII, commando exploits.

LOVE AT FIRST LISTEN

Similar but frankly superior to WEB Griffin, this book took me away in the first sentence and I am still enjoying it very much. It makes me really wonder what is the magic these writers have that with the simplest of language and no discernible effort they build characters and momentum so swiftly, even on a subject as recherché as British commando adventures during the second world war. No self indulgence, no maudlin or strained subtext, no padding - just very entertaining story telling. very recommended. Hoping the second volume is as good as this!

Loved Listening To This Book

It was such fun to listen as John Randall and the other Raiding Forces characters came to life in this audiobook. The facepaced action, vibrant descriptions and humor were all there.

I've already read all the books in this series, but the audio versions allowed me to introduce them to my husband. As former army, he enjoyed them as much as I. I can't wait for more books to become available in audio versions.

Great War Story

I read this book when it first came out and decided to give the Audible version a listen. First of all, it's a great World War II yarn. It veers a bit on the corny and over the top on occasion, but overall it's very entertaining. The book is evocative of the World War II films churned out by Hollywood to boost morale on the homefront. The author has done a great deal of research, and there is painstaking detail on weapons, tactics, and regimental histories. It's easy to become vested in Ward's characters, though it's not necessary to use their full rank or title every time they're mentioned. The story focuses on a young American volunteer serving in the British Army. We follow the exploits of this officer as he rallies a small unit of soldiers to conduct a heroic delaying action in France as the British Army evacuates from Dunkirk. The hero's actions quickly become legendary, and when he returns to England he's called upon to form a unit that can be considered part SAS, part Commando, part Green Beret, part SEAL, etc. This organization will eventually evolve into the Raiding Forces, and we'll follow it on numerous operations against the enemy. The Audible version was generally well done, though the drums between chapters gets annoying. There are a few errors by the male narrator, though it doesn't detract from the story. For instance, he pronounces each letter of WAAF (the RAF's women's auxiliary air force). It's pronounced as a single word--WAAF, rhymes with half. Folkstone would not be pronounced FOLK-stone by a Brit. It's FOLK-stun. Likewise, any town with a W in the middle, such as Harwich, Norwich, Chiswick, Alnwick and so on, that W is invisible. Go figure, but's that's how it is. So it's HARE-itch, NOR-itch, CHIS-ick, ANN-ick and so on. A British character would say SHED-yule, not SKED-yule, and finally, gaol is the British spelling of JAIL and is pronounced JAIL, not GOAL. I only mention this because I have an English wife, and her mum was a WAAF in WWII. They both listened to this book, and though they rather enjoyed it, they're still complaining to me about the mispronunciations. So I'm sharing the love. If you enjoy military fiction, this series is for you.

Outstanding Story!

I loved this story, and will definitely be getting every other book by this author. Like the author, I am a veteran of the 82nd Airborne. So his description of jump school and parachuting really made me chuckle. I'm also an avid shooter and have a degree in military history - and I caught only one minor error (7x57 Mauser vs. 8x57 for the K98). All in all, a top job! I listen to the audiobooks while driving on my daily commute. However, I enjoyed this so much, that I plan to buy the hard copies, as well! All the Way!

Entertaining & Engaging

Enjoyed Those Who Dare!

If you enjoy fiction interlaced into historical events, you will enjoy this read.

Kinda cheesy

First—I fully recognize that preferences vary so don’t hold this review as being authoritative.

While I appreciate the research that went into this book, it surprisingly lacked intrigue and was somewhat cheesy. The main character didn’t seem to ever be unsuccessful or struggle much, so it didn’t pull me in like non-fiction WWII accounts do. Also felt very formal with continued use of title and name for every character every time they’re mentioned.