Dutch Clarke - The Early Years
You write with such detail about the Canadian wilderness. I know your books are fictional, not autobiographical, so I'm very puzzled. You did such a great job that I easily put myself on the trail and felt the cold and rain along with a little sun. What is your secret? Congratulations on your writing honors.
Jackie Swint
Dutch Clarke - The Early Years
The story starts out in 1941 with a young man packing into the wilderness of western British Columbia --he and his horse, two mules, and his dog. Family legacy requires that the young man be totally on his own for a year with what he can pack in. There's a flashback to 1937, where he works on a fishing boat out of Ketchikan. Clearly, we've got a tough young man with sufficient strength to contend with nature's hardships. It's a fine start. There have been very few novels which involve packing: Willard Wyman's unforgettable High Country, about packing in Montana and the Sierra Nevada, and Brumfield's Across the High Lonesome came out at about the same time a couple of years ago. Wyman's protagonist was on his own a lot, much like the young man here. The excerpt reminds me a lot of High Country--quiet, rich, and lyrical in flavor. Excellent potential!  Amazon Editorial Review
Dutch Clarke - The Early Years
I definitely want to get this book as it is very appealing to the nature lover in me. A young boy out on the rough seas by Alaska, a young man entering the wilderness with just two pack mules, a horse named Blaze and a wild dog named Gus, make for an exciting if not harrowing adventure novel. This excerpt is lyrical and lush with its descriptions. I can hear the breeze blowing through the trees or see the sun shining on a still sea when one first wakes up. The story-telling has a rhythm to it, soft and persuasive, humbling and invigorating. The story makes you want to read more ... how did Dutch know he was going to return to Ketchikan. The way the author described the captain of the fishing boat ... describing him as a man who fit the land, I could see it. This is one of the best excerpts I have yet to read and one story that I will be on the look-out for. Amazon Editorial Review

Eric Hoffer Award Winner - First Runner-Up

The War Years: Dutch Clarke, Brian Ratty, AuthorHouse - It is a treat to be transported to not only another time but another frame of mind, in this case Guadalcanal in 1942. The result is a suspenseful and brisk read. Dutch Clarke defies his well off family and enlists in the United States Marine Corps. This sprawling epic takes Dutch from boot camp to Japanese POW camp. In between, Ratty (a renowned photographer in his own right) shows what war photographers went through. Also explored in this novel is the clashing of cultures: "Do you guys speak English? I'm American. We're friends." It becomes a deeper story about prejudice and the dark forces that sometimes drive us. The US Review of Books

Dutch Clarke the War Years - Coast Weekend by Gary Adams
It's probably the same for many, if not most: You plan on one kind of life and fate delivers another. So it was with Dutch Clarke, the central character of author Brian Ratty's series of novels about a unique and fascinating man.

Dutch Clarke is a real person and pretty much lived the life ascribed to him in Ratty's two (soon to be three) novels. The books are a kind of fictional history, following historical events and accurate in detail, but written in dramatic form.

In the first book set in 1941, "The Early Years," a young Dutch Clarke finds himself spending a year alone struggling to survive in the rugged British Columbia backwoods, a situation thrust upon him by no doing of his own. It follows the wild and dangerous adventures that help him build character and shape him as a man.

Author Ratty had fate give his life a bit of a twist as well. "After high school, I was comfortably making a good living as a milkman," he said. "One day I looked up at a much older, veteran milkman, and realized that he was making the same money I was. I suddenly saw no future as a milkman." ...more

Dutch Clarke the War Years - A skilled storyteller, Ratty has moments of elegant prose.
Just as the news photographer focuses the camera for the perfect shot to capture a moment, the novelist writing about World War II must hone in on the details that will create a compelling reality. Author Brian D. Ratty, a photographer and novelist, has done that in Dutch Clarke: The War Years, the second book in a series...

The novelist misses nothing as his narrative snaps pictures of racism, injury, death, heroism, revenge, and redemption in nonstop action. Ratty effectively weaves a combination of current drama and flashbacks as Dutch narrates his saga. A skilled storyteller, Ratty has moments of elegant prose...

Ratty has created a character so engaging that readers will want to follow the rest of the series. Dutch is a hero, but that isn’t his motive. Like many veterans, service to his country comes before personal ambition, and that leads to bravery, brotherhood and righting wrongs.

It’s no wonder that the book is a ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year finalist and an Eric Hoffer Award-winner.
ForeWord Clarion Review       ....more
Dutch Clarke the War Years - One of the Best Books I Have Read
This book was captivating from the first paragraph. A wonderful twist to the "common" stories about WWII. Following the experiences of Dutch Clarke, as a photographer with the US Marines, was very informative and insightful. This book has it all......from the glitter of Hollywood to the devastating conditions and treatment in a POW camp. I can't wait until the next Dutch Clarke book is published!!
Kathy Beebe

Dutch Clarke the War Years
What a great story. This book takes Dutch, and us, from the glitz of 1940s Hollywood to the fury of combat in the far-flung Pacific, to the numbing despair of a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. Wrapped richly in the legend created by the US Marine Corps in World War II, it is a tale of this country's shaky start in this great conflict, it's recovery and seizing the initiative in the Pacific Campaign, and the inevitable triumph of the Allies over the Empire of Japan. It is also a wonderful tale of the triumph of the human spirit over staggering odds. The author gets a grip on the reader at the beginning and doesn't let go until the final page. In a word, read it!
John Wirch  

Dutch Clarke the War Years
"Dutch Clark The War Years" a great read that depicts the heroism of those who photographed the carnage and evil of World War II. No longer will you take for granted the photographed and written historic account of those days that live in infamy. This is a story of an adventurous young man willing to fight for his country when called and through a series of events finds a challenge that only a few experienced and lived to tell the story. It is a wonderful read that has the right balance of revenge, retribution and redemption.
Erik Jacobson 

 

Dutch Clarke the War Years
I have to start by saying that I am not a fan of war stories. This book however, I had a really hard time putting it down.  I'm glad to see some others had the same problem.......It was well worth the wait, Brian.  Now I'm hoping that number three comes out a little faster.  :-) OK.......a LOT faster.
Loretta

 
Dutch Clarke the War Years
A great read! Done in the no-nonsense style of the great Western writer, Louis Lamore, this book brings WWII to life in a very personal, gut level way. "Dutch" reminds me of the days when we knew the good guys from the bad, when there were standards of conduct and the lines were not blurred. This book is not only a great read but it serves as a memorial to those who suffered for our freedom...discovering that freedom is not free. You'll have trouble putting it down.
Jack Livengood 

 
Dutch Clarke the War Years
JUST FINISHED READING THE BOOK BRIAN AND THOROUGHLY ENJOYED IT. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO PUT IT DOWN. IT BROUGHT BACK SO MANY MEMORIES OF THOSE TIMES. I FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL IN SPRING OF 1945 ABOUT THE TIME THE JAPANESE SURRENDERED. I KNEW MANY YOUNG MEN THAT WENT OFF TO FIGHT THE WAR.  (MARINES ON IWO JIMA ETC.) THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE BOOK BRIAN!!!!
Bev

 

 
Dutch Clarke the War Years
I finished Dutch Clark the War Years.  It is a good book!  I have read a lot of books
that are mostly bios, and some like Killer Angels. Brian I would compare yours to Killer Angels
but of the 2nd world war. It has all the right overtones of the evils of war; Revenge, Retribution
and redemption. You should be proud of your work, I am.  I do know a for real author! 
Rick

Dutch Clarke the War Years
Wow! What a powerful story…your detailed and colorful descriptions brought your characters to life. Good job, I salute you. It triggered a flood of buried memories of that era and I am overcome with emotions. Thanks for the good read.
Eleanor 
  

Dutch Clarke the War Years
I just finished your book and you did a fantastic job. I am looking forward to volume 3 
and 4 and maybe a movie in the future. Thanks again for the book. 
Best regards, Len

Dutch Clarke the War Years
 I just wanted to say that your story was GREAT…BRAVO on a well written book. I felt like I was there with Dutch at the OWI office and parties, the POW camp, and the submarine. The WAR YEARS is a page turner…every spare moment I would read a few pages in between my work stuff. So I just want to say thank you for your story, I enjoyed it tremendously. The book turned out GREAT and I can't wait for the next installment of DUTCH CLARKE.
John Lobato
Dutch Clarke the War Years
Hey Brian.  I finished your book this weekend.  An excellent read and one hell of a project...Anyway, my congratulations on a job well done.  I’m jealous.
Jake

 

Dutch Clarke the War Years
 Hi Brian,
Just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how much both Molly and I enjoyed reading Dutch :The War Years about Dutch's adventures in World War II. Your attention to military detail, sense of history, and a very fresh approach to the final throes of this great conflict make a delicious read. Even opened Molly's eyes a bit to what our men went through during this trying time.
John & Molly
 
Dutch Clarke the War Years

Bravo! Bravo! BRAVO!
What a wonderful ending you have crafted for this tale! I was entranced, right to the final word. You've pulled together the many threads of this narrative in a way that your readers will find deeply rewarding.  Applause, applause!
Thanks for this wonderful reading/editing experience,
Judith
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Dutch Clarke Journals, the Early Years

I had a chance to read this book when it was still in manuscript form. It's an excellent fast moving adventure story for any person that likes high adventure. The book is any easy read with outstanding pen and ink Illustrations. But it's the story line that stands out the best, as all the characters seem real with interesting personalities and with stories within stories. The book is void of sex and violence and instead uses themes such as courage, determination and triumph. I can highly recommend "Dutch Clarke’s Journals" as it's a story of love, redemption and survival. 
Tess