Praise For Punk's War:

It's a terrific story, beautifully written and most strongly recommended.
--Wings of Gold - Summer 2001

There's lots of action in this chronicle of six months in the life of a Navy pilot nicknamed "Punk." Punk and his RIO (Radio Intercept Officer), Spud, patrol Middle Eastern skies in an F-14 Tomcat while stationed aboard an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. They and their fellow pilots stem their tension and weariness with humor, camaraderie, and the possibility of firing a missile or two. Though Punk is a military figure, he is also refreshingly human; smart and irreverent, he falls just short of being the Holden Caulfield of fighter pilots with his streak of pure valor. In his tour of duty, Punk loses his girl, wins a medal, and doesn't get enough sleep. Along the way Carroll also deftly illuminates the full range of a naval aviator's duties, from the tedium of a strike-planning assignment to the adrenaline rush of downing planes. The jargon can get a bit thick, but narrator Richard Rohan energetically keeps things moving. The tapes will probably need to be repackaged for libraries. Recommended.
--Library Journal

A Navy fighter squadron is based on a carrier in the Persian Gulf during a time of political tension. The action here is suspenseful and high-tech, and the book will appeal to fans of aerial warfare, to Navy buffs, and those who want a look behind the scenes of the modern military. Carroll is respectful toward the fighter pilots of whom he writes, but not toward the politics of naval hierarchy, which add to the story. Narrator Richard Rohan gives a convincing reading. He is believable, even authoritative, as he voices the feelings of the main characters—highly trained, competitive, skeptical young men. The pilots are talking right at you in this action-filled adventure.
--AudioFile 2002

"Tom Clancy meets Joseph Heller in this riveting, irreverent portrait of the fighter pilots of today's Navy. At last, somebody got it right! I couldn't put it down."
--Stephen Coonts, author of Flight of the Intruder

"PUNK'S WAR has it all: the action of the best technothrillers, the emotional drama of Coonts, the realism of Keegan, and the craftsmanship of a true professional."
--John F. Lehman, Jr., Secretary of the Navy, 1981-1987, author of Command of the Seas

"PUNK'S WAR is a fine tale of today's post-Cold War military, where pilots patrol no-fly zones, watch their exploits on CNN, and then send e-mails to buddies complaining about careerist superior officers. If you want to know what life is like in the U.S. Navy today, this is a good place to start."
--Thomas E. Ricks, author of Making the Corps and A Soldier's Duty, Washington Post Staff Writer

"A rousing debut in which heroism, high-tech expertise, and a warts-and-all look at the Navy get equal measure."
--Kirkus Reviews

"A must read . . ."
--Shipmate Magazine

"With suspense, drama and action as hot as a fighter jet's afterburner, Carroll's account of modern naval aviation reads like Top Gun on steroids."
--Publishers Weekly

"Carroll is the real deal. {PUNK'S WAR} has all the zip and whoosh of a proper 2 a.m. page-turner, with a narrative depth not commonly found even in the best stuff of the genre's masters. For readers of military fiction who want some brains with their boom, meet Ward Carroll."
--Baltimore Sun

"In PUNK'S WAR, Carroll shows that he not only has a great feel for the flight deck but that he also knows how to create a colorful cast of characters. {He} has a top shelf novel on his hands."
--Soundings

"Carroll has written an entertainment of a very high order. The airspeak is dead on, the missions plausible, the myriad level of control and command deftly conveyed."
--The Philadelphia Inquirer

"A compelling and immensely readable page-turner."
--Wings of Gold

"Carroll has the field all to himself . . ."
--Naval Aviation News

"To be put alongside Bridges of Toko Ri and Run Silent, Run Deep."
--The Hook

Praise For Punk's Wing:

"Nobody does it better than Ward Carroll. Nobody."
--Steve Coonts

"When you're ready to graduate from kindergarten, read Ward Carroll."
--Tom Ricks, Washington Post military writer, novelist

"Ward Carroll has written what is arguably one of the best second novels in recent memory. It's all here in a tour de force that will have experienced heads laughing, then nodding in tight-lipped 'been there' agreement."
--The Hook

Punk's Wing "A man who spent 15 years flying Tomcats, [Ward Carroll is] convincing, often amusing, surprisingly unflinching."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Carroll has the rare ability to draw the reader into the cockpit . . . {his} ability to portray the men and women of the U.S. Navy should engross anyone who has an interest in aviation, the sea, or military life."
--Proceedings

This superb novel of contemporary naval aviation by former fighter pilot Carroll (Punk's War) finds Lieutenant Rick "Punk" Reichert training new pilots. One of his most memorable trainees is Lt. Evelyn Greenwood, who earns the call sign Muddy when she taxis an F-14 Tomcat off a runway. A powerful female senator has made it her mission to see that Muddy becomes one of the few women to complete the training, but the senator and her entourage of aides and journalists only succeed in giving Muddy and Punk a headache. Punk's troubles escalate when his best friend dies during a training accident and his engagement breaks up. Despite these somber goings on, Punk and his trainees keep the narrative lively with their frequent boozing, partying and wisecracking. On September 11th, however, the laughs subside and the action begins when Punk and his cohorts are shipped off to fly against the Taliban. Carroll's fictional account of the aerial attack will set readers' adrenaline and testosterone racing, and his depiction of Muddy's introduction to combat (and her subsequent discovery that she can do it) is a poignant touch. With the public's renewed focus on the men and women serving in the military, this top-flight tale should have widespread appeal.
--Publishers Weekly