Benjamin Johncock

As a child I was fascinated by everything associated with the beginning days of America's space program. I couldn't get enough of it and eagerly read about and watched every single Mercury and Gemini launch on TV (with Walter Cronkite, of course). The networks eventually stopped broadcasting the launches, though, moving on to other things, and I guess I did, too. But this book took me back to those days and I couldn't put it down. At the same time i wanted to slow down and savor every word and every memory. This book rekindled those days in all the best ways. I give it my highest and most enthusiastic recommendation.… (mere)

(Fiction, Historical, American)

The last pilot is set in 1960 and 1961, during the early days of the American space program when US Armed Forces pilots were ‘testing-driving’ jets over the Mojave Desert and dying at an alarming rate in crashes.

Johncock has peopled his novel with the real players in the game – the real astronauts, the real bar owner, and so on, except for the main characters of Jim Harrison and his wife Grace. This fictional couple desperately want a child and think constantly about new life even as the news in the bar almost weekly seems to be the death of another colleague.

There are problems inherent in using actual historical figures that limit the possibilities for the fictional ones. The story never seemed to really take-off (no pun intended). In addition, I was irritated that the author moved between calling the protagonist ‘Jim’ and ‘Harrison’ for no apparent rhyme not reason. There was also a mention of placing clothes in large black trash bags which were not available for home use until the late ’60s – early ‘70s.

On the balance, I found the book to be somewhat interesting (the actual history) but ‘meh’ as far as the story.



3½ stars… (mere)

The Last Pilot by Benjamin Johncock is a historical fiction book taking place during the height of the space race.

Jim Harrison, an Air Force pilot, leaves in Nevada, pushing the boundaries of air-craft technology in the Mojave Desert. Jim’s wife, Grace are happy to have their first daughter after years of trying to have children but as the country turns its attention to the space program, the Harrisons experience a family tragedy.

The Last Pilot by Benjamin Johncock is an interesting story which focuses on the relationships and expectations of the pilots working in the early days space program. The characters, both men and women, are complex and multi-dimensional.

The author does an excellent job weaving in fictional characters with historical figures and events. The backdrop of the early X-plane test flights and early space program provides an interesting, timely, twists in the stories and relationships.

The author captured the spirit of the time and the feeling of having a complex personal life along with a complex professional life. If you are a fan of the early space program, or just that of the human condition, this book is for you.

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Benjamin Johncock's debut historical novel takes place during 1947 through 1968 and follows Jim Harrison as he attempts to make the first flights at the speed of sound and then delves into the Space Race. The book is a nice snapshot of America during this time, not really delving deep into too many technical details in plane or space flight or the famous people who were involved in that, so I don't think readers looking for extensive knowledge in those areas should be looking for that here. The book is also a portrait of Jim's marriage and some tragedies that went along with that. Your heart can only break for Grace and Jim. Jim says he would love to be up in the atmosphere all of the time, but that is just the sort of pilot Jim is. The book is filled with some characters from history, including some pilots and astronauts... and quite the character from reality Pancho Barnes, a female pilot and restaurant/bar owner in the Mojave Desert. This book is mostly dialogue without quotation marks. I usually don't like missing quotation marks but there would have been so much CLUTTER with the quotation marks since there is so MUCH dialogue. The dialogue runs smoothly though - it usually isn't difficult to tell which person is speaking. I'm not sure ALL of the dialogue needed to be there though... as well as the many mentions of cigarettes and alcohol but it was the time of the cigarette, I suppose. Overall, this is a sweet yet heartbreaking story about a marriage and the early days of the Space Race.… (mere)