Dreams of the Philippines

Escape from Clark Air Base

Fiction - Military
161 Pages
Reviewed on 04/10/2018
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

Dreams of the Philippines: Escape from Clark Air Base by Dave Ives is an interesting story with an international setting in the Philippines, an exciting blend of military and crime fiction. When US Air Force Second Lieutenant Sean Mitchell gets on the military cargo aircraft, the only thing on his mind is to have an adventure in the Philippines. But what was to be a pleasurable adventure turns into a life-threatening one as he gets involved with a street kid called Billy Bong. Billy is a young man with a street-side business and although Sean's admiration for the young man is genuine, his relationship with Billy puts him directly into conflict with some of the dirtiest criminals in Angeles City. Faced with a group of ruthless men, can he outrun them or will they get him before he can make it out of the Philippines?

This is a story that I enjoyed and, having been to Clark and Angeles in Pampanga several times, I could connect with the setting — see and feel the atmosphere, notice the back-ways, and the nightlife as described in the novel. The author brings out the setting in the Philippines with forensic clarity, allowing readers to experience the streets, the culture, and what life feels like, especially in Angeles. The protagonist’s naivety contrasts with the seeming hospitality of the natives, a hospitality that can easily mask the worst of intentions in Filipinos. The writing is upbeat and the narrative voice strong. The story has strong plot points and the curve in the conflict is well-developed. Dave Ives paints a vivid picture of a part of the Philippines in this narrative. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric and the conflict is well-handled. Dreams of the Philippines: Escape from Clark Air Base is captivating and entertaining.