The Eagle Has Landed

Liam Devlin #1

by Jack Higgins

Classic thriller of Nazi plan to kill Churchill

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction, War, Espionage, Adventure, World War II

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 8, 1975

About the author

There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Jack Higgins was best known of the many pseudonyms of Henry Patterson. (See also Martin Fallon, Harry Patterson, Hugh Marlowe and James Graham.)

He was the New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy thrillers, including The Eagle Has Landed and The Wolf at the Door. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Patterson grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As a child, Patterson was a voracious reader and later credited his passion for reading with fueling his creative drive to be an author. His upbringing in Belfast also exposed him to the political and religious violence that characterized the city at the time. At seven years old, Patterson was caught in gunfire while riding a tram, and later was in a Belfast movie theater when it was bombed. Though he escaped from both attacks unharmed, the turmoil in Northern Ireland would later become a significant influence in his books, many of which prominently feature the Irish Republican Army. After attending grammar school and college in Leeds, England, Patterson joined the British Army and served two years in the Household Cavalry, from 1947 to 1949, stationed along the East German border. He was considered an expert sharpshooter.

Following his military service, Patterson earned a degree in sociology from the London School of Economics, which led to teaching jobs at two English colleges. In 1959, while teaching at James Graham College, Patterson began writing novels, including some under the alias James Graham. As his popularity grew, Patterson left teaching to write full time. With the 1975 publication of the international blockbuster The Eagle Has Landed, which was later made into a movie of the same name starring Michael Caine, Patterson became a regular fixture on bestseller lists. His books draw heavily from history and include prominent figures—such as John Dillinger—and often center around significant events from such conflicts as World War II, the Korean War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Patterson lived in Jersey, in the Channel Islands.

Reviews

[Jeffrey Keeten · Rating 4 out of 5]

”The slab slid to one side, tilting on the slope of the mound, and all was revealed. I suppose it was one of the most astonishing moments of my life, for it was a simple stone with a German cross at the head--what most people would describe as an Iron Cross. The inscription beneath it was in German: Here lies Lieutenant-Colonel Kurt Steiner and 13 German paratroopers, killed in action on November 6th, 1943.”


Colonel Otto Skorzeny with Benito Mussolini after the successful rescue attempt.

Really this story begins with Operation Oak or the San Gasso raid, in which commando paratroopers led by Lieutenant Colonel Otto Skorzeny rescued Benito Mussolini after he was overthrown and imprisoned by the Italian Government in 1943. It was a daring, bold move that gave some hope to a war effort that was already beginning to crumble inward.

Hitler, invigorated by this success, demands an even more audacious mission to capture Winston Churchill and bring him back to the Reich. Admiral Wilhelm Canaris thinks this idea is absolutely insane, but then his loyalty to Hitler has transformed into a more deeply felt loyalty to the future of Germany. Heinrich Himmler, also present during this meeting, is suspicious and threatened by Canaris, and decides to support the plan more for political reasons, in a bid to undermine Canaris, than out of any real interest in the plan. Jack Higgins does a wonderful job showing the struggles within the party and the doubts about the viability of the war that were starting to afflict all but the most loyal of the inner circle.


Colonel Oberst Radl played by Robert Duvall in the movie

Unfortunately, Canaris assigns the project to a very efficient staff member named Colonel Oberst Radl, who promptly discovers a way for such an intrepid plan to succeed. It all comes together when a deep cover agent in a small community in Norfolk reports that Winston Churchill is scheduled to visit their little hamlet for some much needed R&R to paint some of the idyllic countryside.

Joanna Grey is a fascinating character. She lost her family during the Boer War in South Africa and, through a series of events, ends up living in the very country she despises the most. She has become close, bedsheet close, to the local aristocracy, and in a bid to impress his mistress, he can’t help but tell her the biggest news he’s ever had bounce around in his noggin. I have to say I’m impressed that a 68 year old woman can still twitch her skirt and catch the eye of a man who normally would be chasing after women decades younger than himself. She must have that something something that allows men to see beyond the iron gray hair and the wrinkles and see that inner flame that, with just a touch, sparks their pilot light.

She is too old in the minds of the men in Berlin to handle this mission, though frankly, I think they sold the old girl short. Luckily, they have the man they need right there in Berlin, teaching English Literature at the University, a Trinity graduate and an IRA member named Liam Devlin. Embracing the Nazis has been difficult, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend makes them...allies??? Devlin thinks the plan is a bit daft, but he is bored and wants to get back into the action. Any way that he can twist a thumb in the eye of the British helps the cause in Ireland. He is more of a lover of women, a drinker of Bushmill’s Irish whiskey, and a reader of poetry than he is a soldier, but he can handle himself, and nobody gets into Trinity College with just a wink and a bit of wit.


Donald Sutherland is Liam Devlin in the movie. That is Jenny Agutter looking lovely perched on the back of the bike.

Radl finds his man to lead the mission, the disgraced Lieutenant Colonel Kurt Steiner, son of a German general and an American mother. He is a man who readily admits that, if his parents had switched nationality, he could easily have found himself fighting with the Americans. Steiner is in the Channel Islands sitting on manned torpedoes, attempting to blow up Allied shipping. Remember Slim Pickens riding the bomb down to the surface of the Earth in Dr. Strangelove? Similar level of risk.

All the pieces are in place; now it is just a matter of pulling the trigger.


1976 Movie Poster

This was a huge best seller that spawned a very successful movie, released in 1976, starring Donald Sutherland, Michael Caine, and Robert Duvall. I look forward to watching the movie to see how closely it follows the book. If you are going to read one Jack Higgins book, this is the one. The publisher states that 50% of the book is absolute fact, and it is up to the reader to determine what of the rest of it is true or merely speculations by the writer. This book is a page turner. The characters are well developed, even the female characters. We really get a chance to understand motivations, even when Radl or Devlin or Steiner or Grey find themselves questioning the meaning of what they do. There is a doomed romance, adding a bit of poignancy to the thrilling aspects of what seems to be an ill-fated quest. There is courage, treachery, humanity, and cruelty, each working to squeeze the resolve of those involved. All of this leads up to one final epic attempt to accomplish the impossible.

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[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

In all seriousness, this is without doubt, the BEST 2 STAR BOOK that I've ever read.


I know, I know... on its face that sounds confusing and maybe even oxymoronical and may lead to a bit of head scratching or possibly even a mild rash. For that I'm truly sorry, but please slap some calamine lotion on your itches and give me a chance to explain before you dismiss me as an oxy or any other form of moron.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Briefly, this story tells the fictional tale of a German commando unit that attempts to kidnap Winston Churchill during World War II. The book employs the “story within a story” method and begins with Jack Higgins (as himself) seemingly discovering the facts behind the unknown mission after finding the hidden graves of 13 German paratroopers at an English graveyard. Curious, he begins asking the local townsfolk and their reactions make him suspect that there is a great secret being hidden from the world. After further investigation, the rest of the story is Higgins recounting what he has pieced together through a combination of documentary evidence and educated guesswork.

I thought this was a very HIGH QUALITY book. I found it to be a very well written story and I have zero complaints about the strength of Higgins' prose. In addition, I think Higgins did an extremely good job of creating three dimensional, nuanced characters that came to life and appear completely human (including the German soldiers, but more on that in a minute). Finally, Higgins did an fabulous job of constructing a well thought out, highly detailed and credible plot. In other words, this has all the makings of an excellent novel, as the VAST number of excellent reviews of this book can easily attest.

SO WHY DIDN’T STEVE LOVE THIS BOOK (an answer in 4 parts)

So given all that slobbering, fanboyish praise, why, in the name of all that is good and holy, did I give this ONLY 2.0 STARS?? First, please stop yelling at me and I will tell you. See, as good as I thought the novel was on a technical level, I found the story itself fairly dry at the best of times and actually quite boring at the worst of times. Now boring or dry when dealing with non-fiction or even classics may still earn 3 stars (or higher) if they impart deeper meaning or just load you up with knowledge. However, fiction is different. I read that to enjoy myself and so dry and boring become tough hurdles to overcome.

Here are my four main gripes:

1. One of the reasons Higgins cites for the popularity of the book in his introduction is that it was the first time that regular German soldiers (as distinguished from those within the NAZI hierarchy) were portrayed in fiction as human beings and not bloodthirsty monsters. While the portrayal of German soldiers as regular people is certainly laudable, I must disagree that Higgins was a trailblazer in this area. Long before this book was evedwritten, the world had been introduced to the following two loveable scamps:



AND



How do you NOT love Klink and Schultzie? So sorry Mr. Higgins, but as far as I am concerned, Hogan and his band of Heroes beat you to the punch as far the “humanization of the German solider” is concerned. Thus, no points for ground-breaking, cultural revelations.

2. The fact that the final outcome of the story was known at the very beginning of the story took away much of the suspense/mystery for me. Now this is not always the case when reading about real life events in which the final outcome is well known, as I have read a lot of historical ficiton and real life crime fiction that kept me at the edge of my seat. However, in this case, the slow, methodical planning of the kidnapping just never seemed to pull me in and so I found the story very slow moving.

3. There were no...nada...zero OMG moments in the story which is a real let down for me as I would have expected some in a taut thriller of this kind. For me, OMG moments are those moments that raise goose bumps on your skin (e.g., Jack Nicholson on the stand in A Few Good Men) or something that happens that makes you say NO WAY did that just happen (e.g., for those that have seen The Blair Witch Project , the final scene made me almost crap my pants)


Basically, they are memorable scenes that stick to my brain long after I have forgotten everything else about the book, movie, etc.. This book did not have a single moment that will stay with me for more than 10 minutes after I finish this review. Thus, no point there.

4. Finally, while most of the characters were well drawn, there wasn’t what I would call any real standout “memorable” character. This is closely tied to #3 above. Liam Devlin, the IRA commando, comes closest and is certainly a good character. However, when I finished the book I wasn’t anxious to pick up the sequel and find out what Liam would do next. He just didn't stir the curious in me.

FINAL THOUGHTS

So I didn't love this book. I thought it was okay. Sometimes when I dislike a book that the majority of my fellow readers rate highly, I will either be thinking to myself ‘what the hell were those people hopped up to rate this dung pile so highly and how can I score me some of that’ or I'll be thinking, ‘okay, I'm the dung pile and must have missed something or banged my head to hard as a child because I seem to be clearly mistaken on this one.’ Well in this case, I don’t think it's either (though my status as a dung pile is certainly open to daily re-interpretation). I completely understand how someone can love this book and at the same time am very comfortable with my “it was just okay” assessment.

So for all of the above reasons, I just never found myself pulled into this one. There were some parts I liked and it certainly had some moments, but there were not enough of the goodies for me to be able to say I liked it.

2.0 stars.

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-Read for the first time in almost 15 years and this book is now even better than I remembered. This book is a masterpiece of World War 2 fiction and has always been the book I compare other stories with.

The story line is well thought out and executed. There is a whole host of characters, and they are all great and compliment each other well. They are all very diverse and each one has a place to fill in the story line. The historical accuracy is also very good, and what makes this even more remarkable is the fact that this was originally published in 1975 and thus making the research for the book even more impressive.

One cannot go wrong with this book to get into World War 2 reading, and this is the book which kick-started it for me as a teen, so it has a very sentimental place on my shelf.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Higgin's bestseller "The Eagle Has Landed" was a book I had read many years ago. Recently, a friend of mine had read it and asked me if it was, as the author claimed, a real operation. Firstly let us look at the story for the book, then I'll address any historical truths.

Hitler excited by Mussolini's rescue by Otto Skorzeny of the SS, backed by German paratroops (Fallschirmjäger), from Italy. Himmler, Reichsführer-SS, comes up with a plan to infiltrate a unit of German paratroops to assassinate British PM Winston Churchill. In this operation, they are to be assisted by IRA operative Liam Devlin.

The story develops as Devlin sets up in England and is met by the Germans. It all devolves into a fracas that brings in everyone from the British Home Guard, Special Branch, and even US Army Rangers into conflict. More than that I shall not spoil.

An entertaining read and exciting. Steiner, the paratroop commander, is a great character and deviates from the oft-caricatured "Seig Heil" uttering Nazis one often sees in fiction. Perhaps my only issue is the "love" story between Liam Devlin and the local yokel-Molly. I felt that to be a bit too cheesy, but the rest of the story is quite entertaining. Well worth your time if you are looking for a good WWII based thriller.

Now the author implies that this was a real mission and post events it was "hushed up" and he leaves it to the reader to pass judgement on its veracity. Well, allow me to tell you it is all fiction. But there is a grain of historical basis, mostly unknown outside of people who have studied WWII.

What I speak of is Operation Long Jump (Unternehmen Weitsprung). This operation was supposed to have occurred during the 1943 Tehran Conference, where the three Allied leaders (FDR, Chruchill and Stalin) were to meet. Allegedly, the German Military Intelligence (Abwehr) had intercepted a US Navy coded message referring to the meeting. This information was passed on to Ernst Kaltenbrunner of the Reich Security Main Office (Reichssicherheitshauptamt or RSHA) who chose Otto Skorzeny to start the planning of this operation. The German agent Elyesa Bazna (codenamed "Cicero"), in Ankara, Turkey, was also brought into the operation. She is the basis for Higgin's character-Joanna Grey, the Boer passing herself off as a British lady.

Now, at this point, the Soviet agent Nikolai Kuznetsov got wind of this allegedly from an SS-Sturmbannführer named von Ortel, who was deep into his cup of schnapps. At this point, Soviet NKVD agent Gevork Vartanian, who had compiled a list of 400 Nazi agents, was able to arrest six German radio-operators in the city of Qum, close to Tehran. This information led them to German operatives already in place in Tehran-who were the advance team, the second team was the actual operational team to be led by Skorzeny.

Now, this led to the cancellation of the operation. In 1984, Vartanian was recognized for his role in uncovering Operation Long Jump. He was awarded the Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union for his service in World War II and the Cold War and he even met Churchill's granddaughter in 2007 who praised him for his efforts. In 2003, relying on declassified documents, Yuri Lvovich Kuznets published a book called "Tehran-43 or Operation Long Jump", which detailed Vartanian’s role at the Tehran Conference.

Now since Communists are notorious liars, this entire tale of events has been met with deep skepticism by Western scholars. Several important issues stand out:
Firstly, by 1943, the German network in Tehran had been neutralized by arrests, well before the conference was to take place. Secondly, it has been estimated that 3,000 NKVD agents were guarding Tehran for the conference and they did not note any incidents or threats. Thirdly both Roosevelt and Churchill travelled on foot or open jeep throughout their four-day stay in Tehran (unlikely were there an assassination squad of Nazis wandering around).

But perhaps the final nail in the coffin of this story are the words of Otto Skorzeny himself. He stated, post war, that he recalled a meeting with Hitler and SS-Brigadeführer Walter Schellenberg, from the foreign intelligence branch of the Sicherheitsdienst, when they did discuss the feasibility of assassinating Churchill. However, Skorzeny said he told the Fuhrer the idea was unworkable and that Hitler agreed with his assessment. Skorzeny wrote, "Long Jump has really only existed in the imagination of a bunch of less than truth-loving hacks....". He also castigated Soviet sources for continually referring to Sturmbannführer Paul von Oertel, who Skorzeny said never existed. Even eminent Nazi-era scholar Heinz Höhne,a brilliant scholar who wrote a complete biography of Wilhelm Canaris, chief of the Abwehr, as well as the superb "Der Orden unter dem Totenkopf: Die Geschichte der SS" (The Order of the Death's Head: The Story of Hitler's SS) which was required reading in grad school- Höhne wrote in an article for the German newspaper, Der Spiegel, that no such operation ever existed.

So now you, and my friend, know. A fun, action oriented story that will be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates thrillers based in WWII.

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a time when I loved Alistair MacLean, Jack Higgins, Desmond Bagley... the whole damn lot. That was when I was brainwashed into thinking that Americans were good and Russians were bad: that the Second World War was a just war, where the Good Allies won and the Evil Axis lost: that the Israelis were a peaceful people, being continuously menaced by the bloodthirsty Arabs. Most of my black-and-white take on world affairs were influenced by popular Hollywood movies and thrillers.

That time is long past, but I would still rate this novel as one of the better ones, as it presents Germans in a favourable light: the noble and tragic anti-hero Kurt Steiner is a fantastic character.

[Sumaîya Afrôze Puspîta · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Eagle has landed”—১৯৬৯ সালে চাঁদের বুকে দুঃসাহসিক পদচিহ্নের ঘোষণা। আর এখানে, শত্রুদেশে অবতরণ করল সাহসী ঈগলেরা, মৃত্যু ঝুঁকি নিয়ে। দুই ভিন্ন প্রেক্ষাপটে একই বাক্য; যদিও অবতরণের কারণ ভিন্ন। একদল ইতিহাস গড়েছিল চাঁদের নিঃশব্দতায়, আর অন্যরা নেমে এসেছিল এমন মাটিতে, যেখানে প্রতিটি পদক্ষেপেই ছিল বিদায়ের সম্ভাবনা।

🔹🔹🔹

শুরুটা চমৎকার। লেখক ইংল্যান্ডের ছোট এক গ্রামের গির্জায় গিয়েছিলেন নির্দিষ্ট একটি সমাধি খুঁজতে। ঘটনাক্রমে তিনি এমন সমাধি আবিষ্কার করে বসেন যার গোপন ফলকে লেখা, এখানে ১৪ জন জার্মান সৈনিক শুয়ে আছে। ইংল্যান্ডের মাটিতে জার্মান সেনাদের কবর! আশ্চর্য হয়ে লেখক কারণ জানতে গেলে পাদ্রীসহ অনেকের রহস্যজনক আচরণের মুখে পড়েন। উত্তরটি কেউ দিল না। লেখক‌ও হাল না ছেড়ে সমাধির পেছনের কাহিনিতে যাবার চেষ্টা চালিয়ে যান–

১৯৪৩। সময়কাল দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধ। যেকোনো প্রকারে জয়ের চিন্তায় বিভোর হিটলার। আর তার সবরকম বাতুলতা উস্কে দেওয়ার জন্য হিমলার তো রয়েছেই। এবারের চিন্তা– বিশ্ববাসীকে চমক দেখাতে ব্রিটিশ প্রধানমন্ত্রী উইনস্টন চার্চিলকে তুলে আনা। গোপনভাবে একদল দুর্ধর্ষ জার্মান সেনা দিয়ে টিম গঠিত হলো। নিখুঁত পরিকল্পনার সাথে অপরিসীম সাহস থাকলে আর কী লাগে? কিন্তু ধারণাটা উন্মাদনাই বটে। তবুও এই পাগলাটে পরিকল্পনায় তারা জড়িয়েছিল, কারণ—“আজ যদি দেশ আপনাকে একটা দায়িত্ব দেয়, অগ্রাহ্য করতে পারবেন? সত্যি কথা হলো, পারবেন না।”

▫️ শুরু করে কিছুদূর এগিয়ে ভাবছিলাম, এই সেরেছে! পুরো ব‌ইয়ে হয়তো ইংল্যান্ড আর জার্মানির রেষারেষিই দেখতে হবে। নিজ দেশকে আকাশে তুলে অন্য দেশকে তুলোধুনোর প্রয়োগ ঘটবে। কিন্তু তা হয়নি। সাথে নির্মমতা আর কোমলতা দুটোর‌ই সমান স্থান ছিল। ৫০% ফিকশন আর ৫০% ফ্যাক্টের সূত্র সুন্দরভাবে বণ্টিত। ঘৃণিত সেনাবাহিনীর এক সৈনিকের প্রতি মায়া তৈরি করে দিয়েছেন–কম ঔদার্য নয়। ব‌ইটির জন্য চার তারা; বাকি এক তারা অনুবাদের জন্য, যে সরল লেখার গুণে গল্পে ঢুকে পড়েছি।

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read my old paperback version, but I think I read it too early in my life. This time around, it was incredibly impressive. The characterization, plotting, & ... well, just everything.

There are plenty of good & bad guys. Unfortunately, the good guys were often after each other. Some really bad people did some good things & vice versa. Sometimes they had a choice, often they didn't. Why they felt they needed to do what they did... Oh, it was a shame & yet it was glorious, too. They were the best of men, they were the worst of men. 'Men' being generic for humans. There were a couple of ladies who played large pivotal roles.

The action wasn't overpowering & well described. Very realistic which is nice. I found the descriptions of parachute jumping very interesting. I had no idea the German chutes were so poor. I'm a bit confused by the idea that a low jump was better for the reasons given. Less time in the air is nice for concealment, but I always found it a hell of a lot more scary. Any issues with the chute can't be dealt with. Their faith in being dropped at the proper spot was touching. Unbelievable, but sweet.

There's a lot of detail & it's all worth it. It was amazing how the plan came together & what happened. So many moving pieces & communication trials.

I really want to watch the movie soon.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074452/
Michael Caine as Steiner is perfect casting as is Donald Pleasance as Himmler. The others are great too, but those two jumped out at me. I'm a real fan of Donald Sutherland, too. He would be a perfect Liam Devlin. I don't think I've seen the movie since it came out, though.

Highly recommended.

[Farhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

আমার পড়া সেরা থ্রিলারের একটা খুবই ছোট তালিকা আছে, যেখানে ৫ তারা দিয়েও পছন্দের মাত্রাটা (থ্রিলার ভক্ত হিসেবে) বোঝানো যায় না। এই লিস্টে ফ্রেডরিক ফরসাইথের 'দ্য ডে অভ দ্য জ্যাকেল'-এর পাশেই থাকবে জ্যাক হিগিন্সের 'দ্য ঈগল হ্যাজ ল্যান্ডেড'। একইসাথে, ২য় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের উপর এখন পর্যন্ত আমার পড়া সেরা থ্রিলার এটাই। শুরু থেকে শেষ পর্যন্ত এক মুহূর্তের জন্যও চেয়ারের কিনারা থেকে সরতে পারবেন না পাঠক, বা আয়েশ করে হেলান দিতে পারবেন না, এটা লিখে দেয়া যায়।

জার্মান এজেন্ট কার্ট স্টাইনারের মিশন হলো চার্চিলকে কিডন্যাপ করে ব্রিটিশদের যুদ্ধ শেষ করে দেয়া। মিশনের নির্দেশ এসেছে স্বয়ং হিটলারের কাছ থেকে, পরিকল্পনা তার কসাই হিমলারের করা। স্টাইনারের সহযোগী হিসেবে আছে আইআরএ গেরিলা লিয়াম ডেভলিন। কি হবে? কী যে হবে, আর কিভাবে হবে, সেই উত্তেজনা আর শঙ্কাই এই থ্রিলারের প্রাণ; আর হিগিন্সের টানটান লেখা না পড়লে সে অনুভূতি ব্যাখ্যা করা সম্ভব নয়। রিডার্স ব্লকেই থাকুন আর রিডিং ফ্রেনযিতেই থাকুন, এই থ্রিলার আপনাকে আটকে রাখবেই। একটাই সমস্যা হতে পারে, একজন নাজি'র প্রতি পাঠকের সহানুভূতি জাগতে পারে, তবে সেটা কাহিনীর ধরণের কারণে হয়েছে বলেই মনে হয়; গল্পটাকে কোনভাবেই নাজি সিমপ্যাথাইজার বলা যাবে না। আর থ্রিলারে বেশি মোরাল লেসন খুঁজতে গেল��� আমেরিকান বা ব্রিটিশ লেখকদের ১০০ ভাগ এসপিওনাজ থ্রিলারই ডাস্টবিনে ফেলে দিতে হবে। এই বইটার সিক্যুয়েল 'দ্য ঈগল হ্যাজ ফ্লোন' পড়ে অবশ্য হতাশ হয়েছি; হতে পারে যে, 'দ্য ঈগল হ্যাজ ল্যান্ডেড' এমন এক উচ্চতায় উঠে গেছে যে, বাকি বেশিরভাগ থ্রিলারই এর কাছে পানসে মনে হবে।

যেসব থ্রিলার ভক্ত প্রথমবারের মত বইটা পড়বেন, তাদের প্রতি ঈর্ষা বোধ না করে পারছি না।

[W]

Wow,did it really sell 50 million copies ? A German plan to kidnap Churchill. I read it ages ago and wasn't too impressed.

Then,I watched the movie.It bored me.It would have been more fun if they did actually kidnap Churchill.I'm not a fan of his because of his views on the independence of the subcontinent from colonial rule.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Eagle has Landed brings to life Germany’s failed plot to kidnap Winston Churchill during WWII, from the German perspective As the granddaughter of an Aussie WWII RAF Lancaster Bomber pilot, I had conflicting emotions starting this one. The mentions of Bomber Command crew and the intel that was freely given to the spy Joanna Grey, along with night raids by the Lancaster Bombers initially made me feel uneasy. My Pop flew 28 missions over Germany, mostly night raids, and even though he’s been gone for almost 15 years, I felt a disloyalty to him reading this from a German perspective. When he was here, he shared a lot with me about what the war was really like for him, and we were very close. So with my intimate knowledge of Pop’s war experiences in the RAF as a Lancaster pilot, the book didn’t sit well with me in the earlier chapters.

But much to my surprise the more I read on, the more I became invested in the characters. The intricate plot detailing the German operation to kidnap Churchill was woven together with admirable descriptions and at times very dry conversation between the main characters which I found thoroughly disarming. For example, Liam Devlin announcing that he’s a Scorpio to Molly and revealing his knowledge of astrological compatibility is one of the many unexpected reasons why I loved the endearing way this book was written.

I have great praise for the skillful character development beginning with brief backgrounds upon introduction, especially for Colonel Steiner and the strongest female lead character I’ve read in a long time; the South African Joanna Grey. The witty and charming dialogue kept me captivated throughout the book and it was very hard to put down, which led to a jaw dropping climax which I won’t ever forget.

I found myself thinking of this book when I wasn’t reading it - and that’s how I know The Eagle Has Landed is a true 5 star read, and thoroughly deserving of the title of a timeless classic. I like to think that even Pop would have enjoyed it in the end.. It was an absolute pleasure to read.

Many thanks to JD for the recommendation x

[Paul Alkazraji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caine was able as Steiner.

On a recent night flight to England, I began ‘The Eagle Has Landed’ for a little diversion from two more worthy and substantial books. Before this reader had landed in London, I’d set them aside completely to finish off Higgins’ classic WW2 thriller over the next few weeks.

Like ‘The Day of the Jackal’, the story is premised on something you don’t want to happen: the capture or assassination of Winston Churchill. A similar negative tension mounts to that Forsyth builds around Charles De Gaulle.

That two of the principal characters are traditional British enemies, an IRA soldier and a German colonel, does not make them natural candidates for the reader’s sympathy. "When I first came up with the idea, my agent didn't like it," says Higgins. "He thought the public wasn't ready for a book that was moderately sympathetic to the Germans…” But Higgins skillfully manages to win that. The Irish charm of the capable Liam Devlin is turned on, and the honourable nature of Lieutenant Colonel Kurt Steiner, a condemned man given a way out through this operation, captures your affinity. It is through their humanity that cover is blown when one of Steiner's NCOs rescues a girl who falls into a mill race and exposes his hidden German clothing.

There is other good characterisation in Himmler’s portrayal as a cold, high official presiding from his office at Prinz Albrechtstrasse over the more human soldiers in the operation. In Molly as well, the spirited, Norfolk farm girl who brings the love interest as she falls for Devlin.

Henry Patterson, pen-named Jack Higgins, served a fifteen-year thriller-writing apprenticeship working on his craft as he lectured at a college in Leeds before ‘The Eagle Has Landed’ provided him with an astonishing breakthrough. It sold more than fifty million copies worldwide and catapulted him into tax-exile on Jersey. A year after its publication in 1975, the film adaptation starring Michael Caine came.

The story is framed, beginning and end, with meetings Higgins the author has with a priest in the Norfolk village of Studley Constable where he uncovers the astonishing fact of the operation. This leads him to research and fill out the ‘true’ story with his fiction writer’s skills. Did it actually happen, or is it a literary technique? It all adds to the fun. As one of the book’s characters says: “A world at war is crazy enough for anything to be believable.”

By this reviewer:

[Maede · Rating 3 out of 5]

امتیاز واقعی:3.5
داستانی بر مبنای اسناد و مدارک تاریخی به ادعای نویسنده که در اواخر جنگ جهانی دوم اتفاق می افته وبه دلیل همین تاریخی بودن از لحظه ای که کتاب رو شروع می کنید می دونید که تهش چه اتفاقی قراره بیوفته
عملیات نافرجام آلمان برای دزدیدن چرچیل
با این حال جوری با کاراکتر ها ارتباط برقرار می کنید که امیدوارید در انتها سرنوشت بهتری داشته باشند. نکته جالب برای من این بود که شاید برای اولین بار با داستانی از جنگ جهانی دوم روبرو شدم که آلمانی ها در اون شخصیت های پلید و "نازی" نبودند، بلکه بیشتر از همیشه شبیه به همه ی سرباز ها هستند
مقدمه چینی ها برای اتفاق اصلی بسیار بیشتر از خود واقعه بود و این کمی خسته کننده بود. هرچند که اگر توضیحات شرایط جنگی رو جذاب بدونید، پر از اطلاعات مفید بود
با وجود اینکه هیگینز داستان یک عملیات عجیب و سنگین رو تعریف می کنه، از هر فرصتی برای نشون دادن بیهودگی و بی اهمیتی جنگ استفاده می کنه اینکه در نهایت فقط یک بازیه

تاریخ انتشار 1975

[Farzana Raisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

কি আর বলব ঘোরের মাঝে আছি। যুদ্ধ নৃশংস সেটা ঠিক আছে, পক্ষ আছে, বিপক্ষ আছে। যুদ্ধের ভয়ংকর ভয়ংকর দিক আছে। নৃশংসতা, ষড়যন্ত্র, হামলা-পাল্টা হামলার ভিড়ে মানবিকতা যে কোথায় হারিয়ে যায়.. জানা নেই। তারপরেও মানুষ আছে বলেই মানবিকতা এখনও বেঁচে আছে।

ভুলতে পারছি না কাউকে! কার্ট স্টাইনার, কোনিগ, গেরিক এই দু:সাহসী মানুষগুলোকে অনেক অনেক দিন মনে রাখব। বছরের শেষ আর শুরু মিলায়ে বেশি দুর্দান্ত একটা বই পড়ে ফেলেছি।

[Shariful Sadaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Eagle Has Landed' was a great book with an intriguing plot. I have always wondered if the Nazis had attempted to assassinate leaders or top generals like Eisenhower. The Nazis certainly had the capability and the personnel to do it, as fictitiously depicted in this novel concerning Churchill. For this review, I will consider the merits (or lack thereof) of such a plan, then focus on the few main characters, and finally the writing itself.

A plot such as this looks very much believable but not realistic. Such a mission would probably be suicidal, and the benefits not worth the costs.

First, the movement of someone like Churchill would be a top guarded secret on a need-to-know basis within the British intelligence agencies like MI-5, especially specifics like dates, timings, locations, and routes. Security was one of the reasons why Churchill rarely left the area around London. It would be farfetched for someone outside of the uppermost levels of military intelligence to get the knowledge of Churchill's visit months ahead of time. Higgins does a good job bypassing that issue in the final chapter (no spoilers!).

Second, even if German spies in London had full knowledge of the movements, it would require lead time for the Nazis to form a meticulous plan. Training and preparation of their assault commando unit would be necessary months ahead of time. Weather, tides, flying conditions for insertion, and U-boat/E-boat movement for evacuation. The required complexity for such a plan would be too much.

Finally, the Nazis didn't have the assets to risk as the war progressed. Top-notch German paratroopers would be required to be sacrificial lambs, which the Nazis couldn't waste. Kidnapping or assassinating Churchill in summer 1943 by itself would not be enough to change the tides of battle. The formidable Russians had been pushing back from the east since winter 1941. The allies from the south had freed northern Africa by the time this novel takes place in 1943 & taken control of the Mediterranean. The continuous air barrage from the West kept the Nazis on the defensive. The Allied invasion of Italy was impending, and the invasion of France was in the works (still a year out). It was too late by mid-1943.

The Nazis' most opportune moment that arguably could have made a difference was in the spring/early summer of 1940, when Britain was most vulnerable. Mainland Europe had fallen, Scandinavia had fallen, America and USSR were far from entering the war, and the Nazis ran rampant in the Mediterranean Sea. The British parliament was in turmoil, one party arguing to make peace with Hitler and the other not in agreement. The Dunkirk evacuation had been the cherry on top for the Nazis. Churchill had just taken over as Prime Minister over a divided parliament after Chamberlain had resigned. That was the Nazis' moment to strike in summer 1940 during the British's lowest point of the war, killing off any remaining hope. As the war went on and eventually USSR/USA both began to alter the tides in 1942, the assassination/kidnapping plan became unrealistic to make a difference.

Regardless of the reasons against such a plan being realistic, the Nazis were getting somewhat desperate after their Russian invasion had become a failure in the winter of '41. They did not have many options remaining, but perhaps that might have forced them into desperation plays, anything that could provide some bargaining chip or military intel. Jack Higgins makes a compelling case here IF the Nazis had attempted such a daring plan, it might look like this.

The nuances in this book are well-researched and thought-out. The characters were deep, believable, and chiseled out very well. Especially the fictional German Colonel Steiner but more on him later. Cold-blooded Himmler popped up, and you found yourself hating everything about him. Himmler's personality was fairly accurately depicted as a psychopath human (if you can consider him a human). Hitler also made a brief appearance early on. There were some appearances by other Nazi SS officers popping in occasionally as part of the plot to build up the characters and the era.

German Lieutenant Colonel Kurt Steiner was depicted as an honorable, charismatic, brave, and exuberant soldier. He was the leader of the assault, and someone you found yourself respecting even though he was on the Nazi side. Perhaps it was intentional by Higgins. If you despise your main character, you would not want him to succeed or even finish reading. Steiner made it difficult to cheer against him. Steiner was a highly decorated German paratrooper. On the way back from USSR, he had stood up to an SS officer after saving a Jewish girl trying to escape from the Gestapo. Steiner's unit was also present and ready to attack the Gestapo on behalf of Steiner before he told them to stand down. Steiner was court-martialed afterwards and serving sentence at a penal colony before being recruited to kidnap or assassinate Churchill. As a reader, he had your respect the moment he stood up to the Gestapo and saved the young girl.

I do sometimes wonder if there were many German soldiers like Steiner, at least early on. The majority of the German military supported the Nazi movement, but I suspect some early German military holdouts did not support Hitler, Nazis, or the SS. These holdouts pretty much had to fall in line sooner or later or resign. It is unfortunate not enough in power stood up against Hitler's thugs early on when they had the chance in the early 1930s. Hitler used nationalism to draw in emotional support, and he made promises to make Germany greater than it had ever been. The final piece, of course, was the desperation faced by a severely impoverished & frustrated population who had given up on politics. The majority of the military fell in line along with the public, who I believe was desperate to believe in something. The German government was too inept and corrupt to stand up against Hitler. Any honorable or respectable soldier was driven out, pushed into line, or executed. The rest became history.

Other than Steiner, another main character was the fictional IRA soldier Liam Devlin, who had joined the Nazis and was guiding the paratroopers from the ground. There was also a German Colonel Radl, who was responsible for the planning of the kidnapping mission with direct orders from Himmler. On the Allied side were American Major Harry Kane and Colonel Robert Shafto, both responsible for the assault on Steiner's paratroopers.

Back to the novel. I believe this is a well-written novel if you are looking for a World War 2 thriller. The writing style is direct and quite enjoyable, focusing on the action. As I stated earlier, it's ultimately not a realistic plan, but if you get past that snippet, this is an excellent read worth checking out. I was not familiar with Higgins before this novel, but I expect to check out other novels by him in the future.

[Rakib Hasan · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘দ্য ঈগল হ্যাজ ল্যান্ডেড’
লেখকঃ জ্যাক হিগিন্স
রূপান্তরঃ ইমতিয়াজ আজাদ

'বন্ধু মুসোলিনিকে উদ্ধার করে নিয়ে আসার জন্য কমান্ডো পাঠালেন হিটলার, অসম্ভব এই কাজকে সম্ভব করল অটোস্করযেনি নামের এক দুর্ধর্ষ কমান্ডো।
স্করযেনির এই সাফল্যে আশাবাদী হয়ে উঠলেন হিটলার । তিনি এবার চেয়ে বসলেন ব্রিটিশ প্রধানমন্ত্রী উইনস্টন চার্চিলকে!
ফুয়েরারের সেই চাওয়া পূরণ করতে, ইংল্যান্ডের নরফোকে প্যারাস্যুট নিয়ে অবতরণ করল একদল জার্মান কমান্ডো। তাদের নেতৃত্ব দিচ্ছেন লেফটেন্যান্ট কর্নেল কার্টস্টাইনার।
ঈগল কি ধরে নিয়ে আসতে পারবে চার্চিলকে, পাল্টে দিতে পারবে মহাযুদ্ধের গতিপথ? নাকি ব্যর্থ হবে তাদের মিশন?
পাঠক এর উত্তর পাবেন জ্যাক হিগিন্সের মাস্টার পিস থ্রিলার ‘দ্য ঈগল হ্যাজ ল্যান্ডেড’-এ।'


আমার কাছে অনেক ভাল লেগেছে বইটি। শুরুর দিকে একটু পড়তে সমস্যা হলেও শেষের দিকে একটানা পড়ে গিয়েছি। বেশ উপভোগ্য ছিল বইটি।শুরুর দিকে ছাড়া প্রতিটি অধ্যায় অসাধারণ লেগেছে।আশা করি আপনাদেরও ভাল লাগবে বইটি।

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

He may be your enemy but that doesn’t mean he is a bad person. Higgins wrote this novel to show soldiers are soldiers no matter which side they are on.

[Chris D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a classic World War II thriller, that I can recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction with lots of action. There are good Germans and very bad Germans in this book, there are good Brits and bad Brits, there are good Americans and some bad Americans, and an especially intriguing character who is Irish.

The plot involves a German commander raid in England to kidnap Churchill, and what happens when the things do not go according to plan. It is very much character driven with many memorable personages. The only not so great part of the book for me was a romantic sub plot that did not seem to ring true to me.

[Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was lent this book by a very kind volunteer at work as it was my kind of genre. I hadn't watched the film before reading this book or knew what it was about before reading the blurb.

The writing style of Jack Higgins is one that does keep hold of your attention and he does describe the characters and the events well so that you can picture it happening. However the book for me just didn't leave lasting memories or anything that would make me want to go back and read the book again. It wasn't one that played on my mind when I wasn't reading it.

I am sure there are millions of people who love the book and I am sure that there is millions more people who haven't read the book yet but will love it but for me it was a flat book and not one that I would read again, maybe I will try watching the film

[Injamamul Haque Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

সংবিধিবদ্ধ সতর্কীকরণ: দূর্বল চিত্তের অধিকারী পাঠকরা এই বই থেকে দূরে থাকিবেন।

এ তো রীতিমতো মানসিক অত্যাচার। এমনিতেই হিটলার, হিমলার, স্করজেনি, স্টেইনার, ডেভলিনদের কারিশমা আর ষড়যন্ত্রে নাকানিচুবানি খাচ্ছিলাম, তার ওপর আবার মোড়ে মোড়ে প্লট টুইস্ট। এই বইটা পড়ার আগে থেকেই জানতুম শেষমেশ একটা বড়সড় সাইজের টুইস্ট আছে। কিন্তু বিঁধিবাম! টুইস্টের জন্য প্রস্তুত থাকার পরও যেরকম ধাক্কা দিয়ে গেছে টুইস্ট খানা, তাতে মাথা নষ্ট হবার জোগাড়। এর বেশি কিছু এখন মাথায় আসতাছে না। জট খুললে একটা রিভিউ দেবোনে। তবে এটুকু বলতে পারি যে, এ বছরে আমার পড়া সেরা থ্রিলার বই। সাসপেন্স কাকে বলে, কত প্রকার এবং কী কী, তা জানার, বোঝার এবং অনুভব করার জন্য হলেও এই বই মাস্ট রিড।

[Bob Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic historical thriller from World War II.

Fast-paced, engaging and part of the canon for thriller readers and writers.

Jack Higgins takes a plan that probably was in the Nazi files and makes it real.

A nonfiction book I'd recommend on World War II covert ops is Bodyguard of Lies. Not mine with that title, which comes from a Churchill quote, but the Anthony Cave Brown one. The interesting question about that book which I've been ruminating on lately, is whether the book itself was part of the Bodyguard of Lies that Churchill was referring to.

[Pramod Nair · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Eagle Has Landed' is definitely one of the best and must read World War II Spy Thriller. Easily one of those classic thrillers with very believable plot and crisply created characters, which makes it a candidate for re-reading.

The story takes place in the fictitious Norfolk village of Studley Constable. The plot follows a Abwehr headed special forces mission for abducting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during his supposed visit to a remote village in Norfolk. The mission is assigned to a Fallschirmjäger commander, Lieutenant Colonel Kurt Steiner and a small group of paratroopers who are air dropped into Norfolk where an IRA operative Liam Devlin and Joanna Grey, a longtime Abwehr agent are waiting for helping them with the mission. What follows is a thrilling tale of immense action and delightful narration, which mixes fact and fiction nicely.

The execution of the book is so good that once you start reading it is very difficult to stop in the middle and it is no wonder that this is the title, which made Jack Higgins' reputation as a master thriller writer. For those who loved 'The Eagle has Landed' the sequel 'The Eagle Has Flown' is worth reading.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good story, interesting characters, took awhile for the buildup, kind of like a chess game when you have moved all your pieces around into the right place then the battle is quick and ferocious.
Seeing the movie when I was young, it seems all the planning stages at the beginning of the book were skipped and just the action part and the end of the book was pretty much the movie, anyway enjoyed it thouroughly & if your a student of world war 2 you definately will to.

[DeAnna Knippling · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece. The fact that there's only one way for it to end is not a detriment to the suspense, either. Fast nailbiter of an impossible book.

[Vikas Kohli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because it was recommended by Reader's Digest as one of the best all time. Needless to say that they weren't wrong. I enjoy reading war & related fiction & have read many books but what Higgins presented here was beyond doubt extraordinary. Here are a few elements that I was amazed to see:

1. Fact or Fiction: The writer did extensive research as explained well in the prologue & epilogue. In fact the research is as important to the plot as is the book. The only issue being central character of the plot was a heavy weight & I don't mean just someone I mean the big dog of WWII so it may be plausible that details of this operation never showed up cause the ramifications if they did, were dastardly for many forces around the world. I would leave that to you to judge; I for one feel that IT DID HAPPEN!!!

2. A German War HERO: Yes & I am not going to talk about him because words won't do justice to the courage, character or clarity of thought Kurt Steiner possessed. I am glad that finally we saw ONE; yes only ONE war hero from Germany but what a Hero. He made up for all the years I read & found all Germans to be on the Board of Directors of Satan's Inc. Again, I believe that Kurt Steiner did lead that outrageous mission.

3. Character Portraits: The writer did research thoroughly for almost all characters can be found by a simple Google search & read about. Worthy to remember that this material wouldn't show up because of what it meant so details are grainy but there. What is also stupendous is that each character & I mean each & everyone of them was essential to the plot. What I enjoyed most was the Brotherhood amongst these warriors. Each & everyone a just soldier unlike what we know Germans to be. I felt sad every time as the narrative would reach the already foregone conclusion that all of them were to be KIA before the book reached its last pages.

4. Confused IRA Professional: My second favorite character & God Blessed him with a great sense of humor. In fact all Irish men seem to have it...he seemed to have the most of it. In the whole book Devlin only once was genuinely sad otherwise it seemed to me that God gave him a little more of the "happy hormones" & none of the sad ones. He shows what the War did in terms of choices & cause & I have come to believe that "one man's soldier is another man's terrorist" is indeed true. Again Devlin lived till much later & met with the writer.

5. Conclusion: I don't think I will ever read another book from Higgins as I am afraid he will let me down. I also think that they should remake the movie; the earlier one was made in the 80s but this generation must be given a chance to see Germans in a different light. I am not saying I have turned, for I hated reading about what all they did (Himmler was Satan on Earth as he went about his wretched ways even in this book!!!). But there were indeed "a few good men" who were on the wrong side of the barbed wire.

[Ming Wei · Rating 5 out of 5]

A group of Germany paratroopers fly into England during the 2nd world war, pretending to be allies, they are found to be Germans, which leads to a battle with local soilders, the Germans purpose is to kidnap winston churchill, but they fail. A Solid wartime story, verything you expect from a behind enemy lines kind of story. The front cover is good, the book is well written, the book gives depth to the stories main characters, no editorial errors in the book, the length of book is just about write, the writers style makes it easy for the reader to visualise in their head the story being told in the book. A very good book.

[Richard Dominguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Eagle Has Landed" is a classic of both book and film. An extremely fast paced story and full of intrigue. The story is impressive in it's scope and comes across as what might have been an actual plan by the Germans.
With believable characters in a wholly believable situation, this is one that is hard to put down (at least for me) once it is started.
There's much to like about this book regardless of it's historical viability.

[আহনাফ তাহমিদ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ঈগল!

পাখিটির নাম শুনলেই মনের মাঝে অন্যরকম সম্ভ্রম জাগে। শিকারের ওপর তার তীক্ষ্মদৃষ্টি থাকে সদা জাগরূক। অপেক্ষা করতে থাকে একদম মোক্ষম সময়ের। এরপর ছোঁ মেরে তুলে নিয়ে যায় শিকারী। দিগন্তজোড়া বিস্তৃত ডানার ঝাপটানি আর নখরের নিচে আঁকড়ে থাকে বেচারা শিকারকে। পালানোর কোনো জো নেই। আমাদের এই গল্পেও রয়েছে একদল ঈগলপাখি। ডানা ঝাপটে যারা ছুটে আসছে ব্রিটিশ প্রধানমন্ত্রী উইনস্টন চার্চিলকে ছোঁ মেরে তুলে নেবার জন্য।

হ্যা, আপনি একটুও ভুল শোনেননি। খোদ হিটলারই যে এই আদেশ দিয়েছেন। কেন? তা জানতে হলে যেতে হবে একটু পেছনে। ওটো স্করযেনি নামের অকুতোভয় এক যোদ্ধা প্রায় অসম্ভবকে সম্ভব করার মতো এক মিশন সম্পন্ন করে মুসোলিনিকে উদ্ধার করে নিয়ে এসেছেন। আশায় আমরা বুক বাঁধি। অসম্ভবকে সত্য করার চেষ্টায় দিনমান চেষ্টা করতে থাকি। হিটলারও ঠিক এমন একটি দায়িত্ব দিয়ে বসলেন। উইনস্টন চার্চিলকে তুলে আনলে কেমন হবে? যুদ্ধের গতিপথটাই কি পাল্টে যাবে না? কে জানে, দোর্দণ্ড প্রতাপের সাথেই হয়ত জার্মান বাহিনী যুদ্ধে জয়লাভ করবে।

শিরদাঁড়া বেয়ে কিছু মানুষের ঠাণ্ডা ঘাম ছুটে যায়। এও কি সম্ভব?

কাগজে কলমের সম্ভাবনাকে বাস্তবেও সম্ভব বলে প্রমাণ করা হলো। দাবার ছকে বসে গেল কিছু চরিত্র। হাজির করা হলো জোয়ানা গ্রে, র‍্যাডল, হিমলার, ডেভলিন আর এই গল্পের নায়ক কার্ট স্টাইনার। যদিও গল্পটা লিয়াম ডেভলিন সিরিজের হলেও সর্বময় ছড়িয়ে আছেন স্টাইনার। তাই বলে ডেভলিনের চরিত্রও একদম কম খাটো নয়। যখন যেখানে যতটুকু দরকার, সুগন্ধীময় মশলার সাথে হাজির হয়েছেন তিনি। এমনকি মলি নামের মেয়েটার প্রতিও একটু খারাপ লেগেছিল বৈকি।। তবে দায়িত্ব আর কর্তব্যবোধের চেয়ে কিছু বড় নেই সৈনিকদের কাছে। টানটান উত্তেজনার সাথেই বইটা শেষ হয়েছে। পড়া শেষ করে খানিকক্ষণ চুপ করে বসে ছিলাম।

যুদ্ধ আর ইতিহাস ব্যাপারটাই আসলে হয়ত এমন। চরিত্রগুলোকে এমন করে আমাদের সামনে সাজানো হয় যে কখন কার প্রতি ভালো লেগে যায়, তা বলা যায় না। নইলে এই যুদ্ধে জার্মান বাহিনীর সাফল্য কেনই বা কামনা করব, বলুন?

পাঠ প্রতিক্রিয়া শেষ। আমি প্রতিবারই চেষ্টা করি কোনো বই পড়ার পর প্রতিক্রিয়া বা রিভিউ একটু অন্যরকমভাবে সাজাতে। এবারেও তাই দিলাম।

পয়লা তারকা দিচ্ছি অনুবাদকের মুনশিয়ানার ওপর। চমৎকারভাবে বইটা অনুবাদ করেছেন তিনি। ৩৮৫ পৃষ্ঠার একটা বইতে একটুর জন্যও বিরক্তি উৎপাদন করতে দেননি তিনি। মাঝে মাঝে অবাক হয়ে গিয়েছিলাম। এটা আসলেই কোনো অনুবাদ, নাকি মৌলিক পড়ছি? কিছু টাইপো আছে তবে তা আঙুলের কড় গুনে বলে দেয়া যায়, এতটাই কম।

দ্বিতীয় তারকা দিচ্ছি, বর্ণনার জন্য। অনুবাদক একদম চোখে আঙুল দিয়ে দৃশ্য দেখিয়ে দিয়েছেন। এজন্য তাকে ধন্যবাদ দিতেই হয়।

তৃতীয় তারকা দিলাম বইয়ের শেষে নির্ঘণ্ট যুক্ত করে দেয়ার জন্য। কিছু কিছু জিনিসের ব্যাখ্যার প্রয়োজন ছিল। অনুবাদক পাঠকদের সুবিধার জন্য তা সুন্দর করে পাতে তুলে দিয়েছেন।

চতুর্থ তারকা দিলাম, বইয়ের বাঁধাইয়ের জন্য। পড়তে একটুও সমস্যা হয়নি। তবে কভারটা একটু সাদামাটা লেগেছে।


ব্যক্তিগত মন্তব্যঃ

ইমতিয়াজ আজাদ ভাই অনুবাদে নিয়মিত হলে অনুবাদ জগতে তার জুড়ি মেলা ভার ছিল। অসাধারণ অনুবাদ করেন তিনি। আশা করি সামনে তিনি নিয়মিত হবেন।

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 20% or so was pretty boring, but once Devlin is introduced and all the players are in England, the story's very engaging.

During WWII, German Intelligence learns that Winston Churchill has scheduled a quiet weekend in the country. This tidbit gets all the way up to Hitler, who orders a feasibility study into the possibility of kidnapping him, whereafter Himmler gives the operation a go. A group of disgraced soldiers is selected to execute the mission, along with mercenary Liam Devlin. Devlin is affiliated with the Irish Republican Army, but gets involved with the kidnapping plot under coercion from the SS. He arrives first and starts to collect the equipment the team will need when they arrive. While awaiting further orders, he meets coquettish young local Molly Pryor - a complication that just may ruin the whole mission.

This is very much a character novel, and in particular, those of Devlin and Lt. Col. Kurt Steiner shine the brightest. Individual townsfolk from tiny Studley Constable, Norfolk were easy to imagine as the main characters begin to infiltrate the village. While I'm thinking about it, I've noticed that WWII novels often mention major historical players, but they're typically not given an active role or many speaking lines. Here, Himmler and Hitler each have scenes earlier in the novel, and Himmler actually plays a driving role in the plot.

As I said, the first 20% or so was slow but things picked up and kept pace thereafter. I would definitely read another Jack Higgins novel.

[A.L. Sowards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I’ve read this book before, and seen the movie, but I read it when I was in high school or junior high—long enough ago that I’d forgotten the details. If it were written today, it would probably have a tighter POV and fewer pages spent on the set-up. Still, it’s an awesome book. Not squeaky-clean (PG-13), but cleaner than average for the market.

I think what impresses me most about this book is the way Higgins creates sympathy for so many characters—even though most of the characters are trying to kidnap or assassinate Churchill (something I don’t want to happen), Higgins introduces the characters in a way that makes me like them and want them to achieve their goals. Well, everyone except Himmler and Colonel Shafto. The characters are imperfect, but admirable or funny or brave, and though most of them are fighting on the wrong side of the war, I understood their motivations and cared about what happened to them. I’ve talked a lot about characters—there’s a whole lot of action in there too. And interesting tidbits of WWII history. The reader in me enjoyed the characters and the plot. The writer in me loved his techniques.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book! The movie is a favorite of mine since I was a kid, but had never read the book. I found it hard to stop listening and was always looking for a moment to sneak another ten minutes in. Jack Higgins is a master story teller blending the development of characters with an engaging story arch that kept me on the edge of my seat!