Our Free Books

As our contribution to the Free Culture Movement we are offering free books that we have written for download.

These books are available under Creative Commons Licences, which allow you to download them and distribute free copies to anyone you like.

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The Topic Of Cancer
by Ruth Merkis-Hunt
First Edition - 30 October 2012
63 pages

PDF document 847 KB download

This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.5)

The Longest SAR
by Adam Hunt
First Edition - 19 March 2010
500 pages

PDF document 2.0 MB download

This book is also available as a paperback book for US$14.50 plus shipping.

This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-NC-ND 2.5)

What people have said about The Longest SAR:

"A book I cannot put down...[I read it] last night [until] it was 4:30 AM." - DH

"Realistic dialogue...immensely real and very recognizable. A splendid read - the kind you hate to put down (and I didn't)." - WH

"It's incredibly well researched and eminently readable. I'm enjoying it thoroughly! It feels like being back at the Squadron again." - RE

"It's a good read, lots of twists and turns, excellent story with a really cool ending." - MS

"Although fiction, I felt it gave me detailed insight into your previous career, although I'm hoping that the surprising part two was not based so much on personal experience." - NH

"It is a great book, fun to read and technically accurate about the search and rescue aspects and the flying stuff." - CR

Some Thoughts on Adam Hunt's The Longest SAR

by Gord Mahaffy

I read this book over a two and a half week period. The only reason that I did not read it in one sitting was because of the book's length and the limits on my time.

The novel would have to be considered a complete success from my point of view based on the fact that I had to keep coming back more and more frequently until I read the last page. After the first few chapters, the reading had become compulsive. The characters were real and although most were flawed, they were quite likeable. As in a Shakespearian play, their good qualities and bad qualities were so tightly interwoven that none of them could be classified as "good guys" or "bad guys".

There seems to be three separate but parallel story lines. The description of a search & rescue operation, the searchmaster's personal life, and the final resolution of the conflict. In fact the book is divided into Part-1 and Part-2. The thread that holds the whole thing together is the incredible detail that the author lavishes on each theme. Sometimes the detail can be maddening as it slows down the plot development, but this is exactly what creates the tension and kept bringing me back for more.

Given the realistic description and outcome of the search, the author was faced with the very difficult task of providing a satisfying resolution. In fact when I was more than three quarters through the book, I had the sinking feeling that Adam was going to end his novel as most searches end, and that is unresolved, or as the military would say "reduced".

But then a development that had been set up earlier in the story provides a twist in the plot. It is ironic that out of 499 pages of careful plot development the whole thing is resolved in two lines on page 490. As a matter of fact if someone read the whole book and left out page 490, that reader would miss the whole point of the story and would leave quite unsatisfied.

All in all it was a great look at a search & rescue operation with a wholly satisfying conclusion.

M.E.E.T. - Manager Employee Effectiveness Training
by Ruth Merkis-Hunt & Adam Hunt
Third Edition - 07 January 2010
36 pages