Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion: Editorial Book Review: Voices on the Wind (A Novel of Malta in WWII, Part I

Voices on the Wind
(A Novel of Malta in WWII, Part I — Assault)
By Helena P. Schrader

Publication Date: 1st June 2026
Publisher: Cross Seas Press
Print Length: 734 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / WWII

Early 1942: the fate of the Suez Canal and access to Middle East oil hangs on the fate of an island just 17 miles long by 9 miles wide: Malta.

Determined to destroy the British forces threatening Rommel’s supply lines, the Axis powers drop more bombs on Malta than London endured throughout the Blitz. The population is forced underground, while the RAF struggles with inadequate resources to fend off defeat. Meanwhile, Britain’s Atlantic lifeline is fraying....

Voices on the Wind follows the fate of four of Malta’s defenders: Senior Intelligence Officer and former Battle of Britain ace, W/Cdr “Robin” Priestman; WAAF SigInt Officer Candice Weld, sent out from Bletchley Park to “man” the only X-machine outside the UK; F/O “Ned” Nettleton, a Beaufort torpedo bomber pilot engaged in suicidal attacks against enemy shipping; and Chief Officer Stevie Mackay of the British Merchant Navy, fighting to keep Britain’s own lines of supply open.

History remembers the great victories. It remembers the commanders who planned campaigns, the politicians who shaped policy, and the battles that altered the course of nations. Yet history is equally shaped by those whose names rarely appear in official records. The pilot flying yet another mission over hostile waters. The intelligence officer working behind the scenes. The merchant seaman carrying supplies through dangerous seas. The civilian determined to endure another day despite air raids and uncertainty. In ‘Voices on the Wind: Assault’, Helena P. Schrader turns her attention towards these individuals and, in doing so, brings the siege of Malta to life through the people who experienced it.

Set during the Second Malta Blitz of 1942, the novel takes readers to a moment when Malta stood at the centre of a struggle far larger than the island itself. Its position in the Mediterranean made it a constant obstacle to Axis ambitions, but strategic importance alone does not explain why Malta's story continues to resonate. What gives the siege its enduring power is the determination of those who lived through it. Schrader never allows the reader to lose sight of that reality.

Malta dominates the novel from the opening pages. Bomb damage, overcrowding, shortages, and the ever-present threat of attack shape everyday life. Yet alongside the hardship there remains a stubborn refusal to surrender. Streets continue to fill with people, friendships endure, duties are carried out, and life goes on despite circumstances that would have broken many others. The island becomes a testament to endurance, not through grand speeches or dramatic declarations, but through the simple determination to keep going. Schrader captures both the physical destruction and the quieter costs of siege warfare, revealing how conflict reshapes homes, communities, and daily routines while never quite extinguishing hope.

The story unfolds through four principal characters whose experiences reflect different aspects of the Allied war effort. Ned Nettleton represents the men of Coastal Command, a branch of wartime service that has often stood in the shadow of Fighter Command despite the dangers its crews faced. Candice Weld brings attention to the women whose work in intelligence formed an essential part of Britain's war effort. Robin Priestman provides a wider view of events as military realities, operational pressures, and strategic concerns converge. Through Stevie Mackay, the Merchant Navy receives the attention it so often lacks in fiction, despite the vital role merchant seamen played throughout the war.

Ned's story carries much of the danger and immediacy of the air war. Through him, the reader gains an appreciation of the risks faced by torpedo-bomber crews operating against enemy shipping in the Mediterranean. Candice offers a different perspective, revealing a world in which information, analysis, and judgement could influence the course of events as surely as any aircraft or warship. Robin stands slightly apart from the others, his position allowing him to see the broader picture and helping to place individual actions within the wider struggle for Malta's survival. Stevie's experiences bring an equally important dimension to the narrative, highlighting the often-overlooked contribution of the Merchant Navy and the men whose efforts kept Britain and Malta supplied despite constant danger at sea.

Each perspective contributes something different to the narrative. Together they create a broader understanding of what was required to keep Malta fighting. Air operations, intelligence gathering, strategic planning, and maritime supply all become part of the same story. No single service could have succeeded alone. The defence of Malta depended upon countless individuals carrying out difficult and often dangerous duties, frequently without recognition and sometimes without the expectation of survival. Through these interconnected lives, the novel illustrates how many different forms service could take.

Particularly striking is the attention given to those branches of wartime service that are frequently overlooked. Popular accounts of the Second World War often focus upon fighter aces, commandos, or famous campaigns. Coastal Command and the Merchant Navy rarely receive the same level of attention despite the risks their personnel faced and the importance of their contribution. Schrader restores some of that balance by placing them firmly at the centre of the narrative. In doing so, she reminds readers that history is often sustained by those working far from the spotlight.

The novel also reflects upon the nature of duty. The characters are confronted by circumstances they did not choose and dangers they cannot avoid, yet they continue because others depend upon them. There is no sense of glamour attached to their service. Instead, the story highlights perseverance, responsibility, and the quiet courage required simply to continue when fear, exhaustion, and uncertainty have become part of everyday life.

While the principal protagonists are fictional creations, their experiences draw upon the lives and service of real men and women who contributed to Malta's defence. Schrader also brings a number of historical figures into the narrative, further grounding the story in the realities of the siege. Among them is the legendary reconnaissance pilot Adrian “Warby” Warburton, whose larger-than-life reputation, unconventional habits, and remarkable flying ability made him one of Malta's most celebrated wartime personalities. Through both real and fictional characters, the novel pays tribute not only to figures such as Kenneth Campbell VC, John Deering Nettleton VC, and Raymond Herbert Loveitt DFM, but also to the thousands of airmen, sailors, intelligence personnel, merchant seamen, and civilians whose efforts helped sustain Malta during its darkest days. Their names may not always appear in history books, yet their contribution was no less important to the outcome of the war.

What emerges from these pages is more than a story of military operations. It is a portrait of service, endurance, and sacrifice viewed through multiple perspectives, each contributing to a richer understanding of a critical moment in history. The novel recognises that wars are not won solely through strategy or firepower, but through the combined efforts of countless individuals performing their duties under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

‘Voices on the Wind: Assault’ is, above all, a novel about remembrance. It reminds readers that history is not carried forward solely by famous figures or decisive battles. It is also carried forward by ordinary people who faced extraordinary circumstances and did what was required of them. Through their stories, Helena P. Schrader sheds light on a remarkable chapter of the Second World War while ensuring that those who stood in its shadow are not forgotten.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde
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Pick up your copy of Voices on the Wind (A Novel of Malta in WWII, Part I — Assault) HERE!

Helena P. Schrader

Helena P. Schrader is the author of 21 historical novels and six non-fiction history books. She earned a PhD in History from the University of Hamburg and served as a U.S. diplomat in Europe and Africa. She has won numerous literary awards, and two of her titles—Cold Peace, the first book in the Bridge to Tomorrow series on the Berlin Airlift, and her Battle of Britain novel, Where Eagles Never Flew—achieved Amazon #1 Bestseller status in aviation and military historical fiction.

Schrader masterfully blends meticulous historical research with compelling storytelling. Her success can best be measured not by the many awards or positive reviews, but by the fact that witnesses of the history she describes praise the authenticity of her works. Battle of Britain ace, W/Cdr Bob Doe enthusiastically declared that Where Eagles Never Flew got it “smack on the way it was for us fighter pilots.” Traitors for the Sake of Humanity: A Novel of the German Resistance won recognition for its extraordinary sensitivity to a complex topic from the survivors of the military conspiracy against Hitler and the widows of some of those executed.

The dramatic siege of Malta in WWII attracted Schrader’s attention years ago, and she has visited the island several times to conduct research, visit the important sites, and gain a greater understanding of the people. As she became drawn deeper into the material, the temptation to combine a novel about the siege of Malta with another of her lifelong loves, the British Merchant Navy, became irresistible. Schrader has been an avid sailor all her life and served as a petty officer in the British Merchant Navy on sail training ships in her youth.