Title: Cauldron by Jack Kruse

 Publisher: ‎Sisyphus Triumphant Publishing (May 2024)

Language: ‎English

Softcover: ‎300 pages

Genre: Historical military fiction

ISBN-13: ‎ 9798330374663

Reviewed by: Lisa Lickel

Anyone who loves Russian history in particular, World War II stories and military history in general, will love this story and it’s companion, Crucible. The author has done his due diligence in portraying accurate and sometimes painfully honest detail about life in the trenches and the sky during this terrifying period of world unrest.

Told through the eyes of the principal players of Russian pilot Alexy Demetrovsky and German pilot Gerhard Schnell, readers are drawn in to the dogfights, the plotting, the betrayals, mistrust, and personal dramas of soldiers each believing their fight is just and right.

You’ll go on patrol, or engage the enemy, be drawn into the harsh realities of camp life, food, personal traumas of male and female soldiers on the war front. You’ll be drawn into their angst and regrets, their determination to survive, and dreams of the future.

This is a gritty challenging read, told with the type of detail that puts you right into the action, both sides drawing closer to that fateful battle. Well done.