Coming to you as the first full-length novel I have ever written, ‘A Murky Retreat’ makes a great short novel for anyone who enjoys war stories, military history, aviation, and Greek culture with a Cretan twist! Follow the tale of a young vulpine pilot of Britain’s Royal Air Force, Cory Gladstone, who along with 11 of his comrades have been tasked with an important mission: To fend off the largest airborne invasion in history. I’m sure that all of you reading this are aware of various aspects of the Second World War. Perhaps many of you know that the Kingdom of Greece was a participant in that war, the last state in the war to be fully invaded and occupied. But what do you know about the Battle of Crete?

It is the 23rd of May, 1941, and for two days the Mediterranean island of Crete has been hammered by a full-scale Axis assault. Already, thousands of men and women are dead, many thousands more are mortally wounded, and the lines held by Britons, Australians, New Zealanders, and Greeks are beginning to crumble. General Wavell begs his superiors in Alexandria, Egypt, for help:

SEND ALL AVAILABLE AIR HELP. SITUATION REALLY SERIOUS.

All the Royal Air Force has to cover the whole of the Middle East is 43 fighter planes. The 12 that fly for Crete are all that can be spared, up against 1,300 of the Luftwaffe’s best. This dozen is the last hope of the 27,500 Allied troops fighting below, as well as every man, woman, and child living on Crete. The odds seem impossible, but Britain has achieved the impossible before.

The story told here has tried to remain as near as possible to the events of the Battle of Crete, with the only exception being that all of the character are anthropomorphic. Our vulpine hero has only ever seen conflict from the cockpit, but this battle is not like others in which he has fought. As well as his story, you will hear those of the people on the ground, soldier and civilian alike, the worlds from which they came, and the worlds to which they will venture beyond the battle. You will experience all of this in the setting of the island of Crete, a place as dramatic as its geography, and where the people are said to create more history than can be consumed locally.

The beautiful piece of cover artwork for ‘A Murky Retreat’ was created by, and is copyrighted to, Red Baron Wolf © 2019 , a.k.a. LupineMoonFeather here on FA. They have already posted the piece on their account, and you can view that right here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/33932005 . I highly encourage you to leave a fave and a kind comment, for theirs is work I have always admired, and am deeply honoured and grateful to have their help in bringing my story to life.

Hope you enjoy!