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  • Tornado

  • In the Eye of the Storm
  • By: John Nichol
  • Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
  • Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (319 ratings)
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Tornado cover art

Tornado

By: John Nichol
Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
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Summary

Former Tornado Navigator John Nichol tells the incredible story of the RAF Tornado force during the First Gulf War in 1991; the excitement and the danger, the fear and the losses. It is an extraordinary account of courage and fortitude.

We were doing about 620 miles-per-hour, 200 feet above the desert, in total darkness. Everything was running on rails as we approached the target. Then all hell broke loose. I remember the missile being fired at us; I broke left and shouted, “Chaff!”

All I could see was a flame, like a very large firework, coming towards me. Then there was a huge white flash. I remember an enormous wind and then I was knocked unconscious. My last thoughts were that I was going to die.’

In 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and occupation of neighbouring Kuwait, setting in motion a chain of events that had unimaginable political, military and personal repercussions, which still reverberate around the globe today.

This is the story of the aircrew at the heart of Operation Desert Storm, almost none of whom had any prior experience of armed combat. It is the story of the Tornado’s missions, of those who did not return - and of the families who watched and waited as one of the most complex conflicts in recent history unfolded live on television. It is a story of untold fear and suffering, and astounding courage in the face of hitherto unimaginable adversity.

©2021 John Nichol (P)2021 Simon & Schuster UK

What listeners say about Tornado

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What a book!

I am a little biased because I served with a number of the gentlemen featured in this book as groundcrew on Tornado during the 1980’s. I have followed their escapades during the Gulf War but have for the first time heard their families side of the story! Truly humbled about what they went through and overcame!! My only criticism is that the squadron numbers were said as separate numbers instead of the correct 15 or 27 for example!! As in the previous Lancaster book the sound of the crews audio and engine noises gives it a further lift!! Nice touch!!
Would recommend this to anyone who has read/heard Tornado Down!! This is more Tornado Down plus!!

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

Only thing turn up the speed to 1.2 makes for a much better listen. The narrator speaks very slowly

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thank god for fast forward

OK. The narrating of this book IS truly awful. Its not down to the narrator. I've heard him in other books and he is wonderful in those. He's obviously been told to make the story as dramatic as it can be.
This isn't a story though. It's an account of an awful war. I can't help throughout the book that the author really has pushed the limits on making this account so dramatic.
It sometimes gives the impression that the aircrew joined the RAF just to fly fast jets and have a good time. That the last thing they all expected was to actually go to war whilst the rest of us were going about our day to day lives. The direction of the story I feel is totally wrong in this respect.
There are better accounts of the Gulf War and much better accounts of flying a fast fighter jet. (Top Gun Days for example)

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Speed it up.

great book, let down a bit by the narration. I highly recommend listening to it at 1.20x speed, this makes it quite palatable.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent throughout.

First class. "unputdownable" if that can be said of an Audible book. First class!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous listen, another excellent book from John

A really brilliant listen.
I note lots of negativity around the narration but I found the exact opposite. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Incredible personal stories and a captivating potted history of the marvelous Tornado.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great!!!... Except

The story is brilliant, and the detail and length are excellent... but I nearly stopped listening very early on. The narrating is (in my opinion) terrible. Trying to put far too much expression into each word. when I don't think the writer intended it to be like that. but still... fabulous story!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Narrator thought he was reading Shakespeare!

The story is interesting to a point but the narration is incredibly irritating. It is read like a Shakespeare play rather than a recount of an aircraft at war which detracts from the story and made it a gruelling listen. Can't recommend it on this basis.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic

As ever, John Nichol has done a fantastic job with Tornado and was narrated very well by Andrew Wincott. I would highly recommend anyone who is interested in aviation or military history to give this a listen.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good story, bad read

This is a wonderful book, let down only by the readers insistence on putting on voices when reading quotes. At first this was downright annoying- is he taking the pee?- but eventually I found it a bit insulting to those who’s words he was reading. Finally, I nearly crashed my car when he did his Margaret Thatcher impression! I will be buying this in paper format so I can enjoy it again- without the impressions.

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