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Biggles #4
Biggles Flies Again
Biggles flies again into adventure in the far places of the earth. Stranded among the tropical swamps of British Guiana when the company employing him as a pilot folds up, he takes possession of the amphibian aircraft he is flying and proceeds to earn his living by undertaking dangerous missions by air.
With Algy and Smyth, he searches for treasure in the jungle, captures a brigand-chief in his own mountain stronghold, leads a pearling expedition into a fantastic reef-bound lagoon, shanghais a Russian agent on an Arabian island, and trades pearls with a desert sheikh on the Red Sea coast.
Biggles thrives on thrills, and his courage and resourcefulness are equal to the many dangerous emergencies that arise in his quest for excitement.
With Algy and Smyth, he searches for treasure in the jungle, captures a brigand-chief in his own mountain stronghold, leads a pearling expedition into a fantastic reef-bound lagoon, shanghais a Russian agent on an Arabian island, and trades pearls with a desert sheikh on the Red Sea coast.
Biggles thrives on thrills, and his courage and resourcefulness are equal to the many dangerous emergencies that arise in his quest for excitement.
184 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1934
6 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
W.E. Johns
609 books115 followersInvariably known as Captain W.E. Johns, William Earl Johns was born in Bengeo, Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of Richard Eastman Johns, a tailor, and Elizabeth Johns (née Earl), the daughter of a master butcher. He had a younger brother, Russell Ernest Johns, who was born on 24 October 1895.
He went to Hertford Grammar School where he was no great scholar but he did develop into a crack shot with a rifle. This fired his early ambition to be a soldier. He also attended evening classes at the local art school.
In the summer of 1907 he was apprenticed to a county municipal surveyor where he remained for four years and then in 1912 he became a sanitary inspector in Swaffham, Norfolk. Soon after taking up this appointment, his father died of tuberculosis at the age of 47.
On 6 October 1914 he married Maude Penelope Hunt (1882–1961), the daughter of the Reverend John Hunt, the vicar at Little Dunham in Norfolk. The couple had one son, William Earl Carmichael Johns, who was born in March 1916.
With war looming he joined the Territorial Army as a Private in the King's Own Royal Regiment (Norfolk Yeomanry), a cavalry regiment. In August 1914 his regiment was mobilised and was in training and on home defence duties until September 1915 when they received embarkation orders for duty overseas.
He fought at Gallipoli and in the Suez Canal area and, after moving to the Machine gun Corps, he took part in the spring offensive in Salonika in April 1917. He contracted malaria and whilst in hospital he put in for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps and on 26 September 1917, he was given a temporary commission as a Second Lieutenant and posted back to England to learn to fly, which he did at No. 1 School of Aeronautics at Reading, where he was taught by a Captain Ashton.
He was posted to No. 25 Flying Training School at Thetford where he had a charmed existence, once writing off three planes in three days. He moved to Yorkshire and was then posted to France and while on a bombing raid to Mannheim his plane was shot down and he was wounded. Captured by the Germans, he later escaped before being reincarcerated where he remained until the war ended.
He went to Hertford Grammar School where he was no great scholar but he did develop into a crack shot with a rifle. This fired his early ambition to be a soldier. He also attended evening classes at the local art school.
In the summer of 1907 he was apprenticed to a county municipal surveyor where he remained for four years and then in 1912 he became a sanitary inspector in Swaffham, Norfolk. Soon after taking up this appointment, his father died of tuberculosis at the age of 47.
On 6 October 1914 he married Maude Penelope Hunt (1882–1961), the daughter of the Reverend John Hunt, the vicar at Little Dunham in Norfolk. The couple had one son, William Earl Carmichael Johns, who was born in March 1916.
With war looming he joined the Territorial Army as a Private in the King's Own Royal Regiment (Norfolk Yeomanry), a cavalry regiment. In August 1914 his regiment was mobilised and was in training and on home defence duties until September 1915 when they received embarkation orders for duty overseas.
He fought at Gallipoli and in the Suez Canal area and, after moving to the Machine gun Corps, he took part in the spring offensive in Salonika in April 1917. He contracted malaria and whilst in hospital he put in for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps and on 26 September 1917, he was given a temporary commission as a Second Lieutenant and posted back to England to learn to fly, which he did at No. 1 School of Aeronautics at Reading, where he was taught by a Captain Ashton.
He was posted to No. 25 Flying Training School at Thetford where he had a charmed existence, once writing off three planes in three days. He moved to Yorkshire and was then posted to France and while on a bombing raid to Mannheim his plane was shot down and he was wounded. Captured by the Germans, he later escaped before being reincarcerated where he remained until the war ended.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 21, 2024
The Vickers ‘Vandal’ never actually existed, although there were numerous Vickers aircraft and indeed the imaginary ‘Vandal’ resembles a number of real aeroplanes. This ‘Vandal’ is an amphibious bi-plane serving as the literal and metaphorical vehicle for these otherwise barely related adventure stories set in far flung exotic locales. There’s lots of flying.
This time we have only Biggles and Algy plus the redoubtable mechanic Smyth, who utters a word or two from time to time when Johns thinks of it.
The boys search for oil in Guyana, rescue a damsel close to the President of Bolivia, are besotted (at least Algy is) by Juanita, another damsel, and find rare blue orchids in the Amazon rainforest which defend themselves with telling effect. Off the Burmese coast they are duped by the redoubtable Li Chi, who reappears subsequently in the Biggles universe, but he does reward Biggles generously. Later Biggles learns there is no such thing as an easy fortune in pearls when an oyster bed in a South Seas atoll is protected by a giant tentacled monster of the deep, a regular John’s trope. They take a Russian spy master out of the game for a couple of weeks, and finally outwit dope smugglers in Arabia on the Red Sea. Pretty satisfying.
According to Biggles enthusiasts these stories were published as a complete volume in 1934, having appeared separately in several magazines. That may be the case, but maddeningly, there appear a couple of instances where World War Two is clearly referenced: one character in Bob’s Box, Bob in fact, loses his yacht in a storm in the Solomons in 1938 and two years later he was still searching: ‘The war made no difference to Bob: …He was still looking when an enemy ship sent him to Davy Jones.’ (p82)
In the story Three Weeks Biggles runs into an old comrade in Karachi and tells him he has left the service. Biggles says: “I no longer aviate aircraft decorated with the red-white-and-blue target.” (p131) His comrade is a little the worse for wear, ‘A shadow flickered across the tired blue eyes of the Irishman, eyes that had once probed the skies of France from the cockpit of an R.A.F Spitfire.’ (p132). There are references to a Messerschmitt and intelligence concerns about ‘the great White Bear’ (Russia) especially with the ‘Persian business’ going on.
So this is clearly post World War Two: even though the red-white-and-blue target dates from World War One, Spitfires and Messerschmitts certainly do not. The Spitfire first flew in 1936 and was a World War Two fighter as was the Messerschmitt.
Both these stories were included in the original John Hamilton 1934 publication, but have been updated, rather clumsily, and unnecessarily, in the later (1968) Dean and Son Edition I read. These things are sent to try us. Apparently in the original Three Weeks, the problem in India was the troublemaker Gandhi, so that was simply omitted, and the Persian business was in fact pre-World War Two, rather than the Cold War, and concerned, I would think, British interest in Persian oil reserves.
This time we have only Biggles and Algy plus the redoubtable mechanic Smyth, who utters a word or two from time to time when Johns thinks of it.
The boys search for oil in Guyana, rescue a damsel close to the President of Bolivia, are besotted (at least Algy is) by Juanita, another damsel, and find rare blue orchids in the Amazon rainforest which defend themselves with telling effect. Off the Burmese coast they are duped by the redoubtable Li Chi, who reappears subsequently in the Biggles universe, but he does reward Biggles generously. Later Biggles learns there is no such thing as an easy fortune in pearls when an oyster bed in a South Seas atoll is protected by a giant tentacled monster of the deep, a regular John’s trope. They take a Russian spy master out of the game for a couple of weeks, and finally outwit dope smugglers in Arabia on the Red Sea. Pretty satisfying.
According to Biggles enthusiasts these stories were published as a complete volume in 1934, having appeared separately in several magazines. That may be the case, but maddeningly, there appear a couple of instances where World War Two is clearly referenced: one character in Bob’s Box, Bob in fact, loses his yacht in a storm in the Solomons in 1938 and two years later he was still searching: ‘The war made no difference to Bob: …He was still looking when an enemy ship sent him to Davy Jones.’ (p82)
In the story Three Weeks Biggles runs into an old comrade in Karachi and tells him he has left the service. Biggles says: “I no longer aviate aircraft decorated with the red-white-and-blue target.” (p131) His comrade is a little the worse for wear, ‘A shadow flickered across the tired blue eyes of the Irishman, eyes that had once probed the skies of France from the cockpit of an R.A.F Spitfire.’ (p132). There are references to a Messerschmitt and intelligence concerns about ‘the great White Bear’ (Russia) especially with the ‘Persian business’ going on.
So this is clearly post World War Two: even though the red-white-and-blue target dates from World War One, Spitfires and Messerschmitts certainly do not. The Spitfire first flew in 1936 and was a World War Two fighter as was the Messerschmitt.
Both these stories were included in the original John Hamilton 1934 publication, but have been updated, rather clumsily, and unnecessarily, in the later (1968) Dean and Son Edition I read. These things are sent to try us. Apparently in the original Three Weeks, the problem in India was the troublemaker Gandhi, so that was simply omitted, and the Persian business was in fact pre-World War Two, rather than the Cold War, and concerned, I would think, British interest in Persian oil reserves.
May 10, 2020
Click here for a video version of this review: https://youtu.be/Rb_KUJKQk-g
In my ongoing quest to read the whole catalogue of Biggles books in the order they were printed, I have just finished Biggles Flies Again the fourth book published. This again is a collection of short stories which were originally published in Popular Flying and The Modern Boy. The difference here with previous collections is that instead of being stories from the front lines of the first world war, these stories follow Biggles, Algy, and Smyth as they make their way from South America back across the globe to jolly old England.
Along the way they bounce from Guiana to some Pacific islands to Papua New Guinea, to the desert and each story revolves around them transporting items or people, and the shenanigans that go along with those travels. It was a nice change to have a number of varied locations and situations, and take a break from the skies over France.
Much like the war stories, this collection does feel a bit rushed and lacking in details sometimes, and they often wrap up with a sudden conclusion or out of the blue resolution. I do prefer the longer one book / one story type books, but I will have to wait until I get a bit deeper in the catalogue before I get to those.
What I found most interesting about this book was that it was printed in 1934, so it's a little glimpse of the world between the wars, and a time where exploration and adventure were real things that people engaged in. Biggles and his team give us a chance to experience that world in a small part from the cockpit of his plane.
This was a fun read and I'm looking forward to the next one.
In my ongoing quest to read the whole catalogue of Biggles books in the order they were printed, I have just finished Biggles Flies Again the fourth book published. This again is a collection of short stories which were originally published in Popular Flying and The Modern Boy. The difference here with previous collections is that instead of being stories from the front lines of the first world war, these stories follow Biggles, Algy, and Smyth as they make their way from South America back across the globe to jolly old England.
Along the way they bounce from Guiana to some Pacific islands to Papua New Guinea, to the desert and each story revolves around them transporting items or people, and the shenanigans that go along with those travels. It was a nice change to have a number of varied locations and situations, and take a break from the skies over France.
Much like the war stories, this collection does feel a bit rushed and lacking in details sometimes, and they often wrap up with a sudden conclusion or out of the blue resolution. I do prefer the longer one book / one story type books, but I will have to wait until I get a bit deeper in the catalogue before I get to those.
What I found most interesting about this book was that it was printed in 1934, so it's a little glimpse of the world between the wars, and a time where exploration and adventure were real things that people engaged in. Biggles and his team give us a chance to experience that world in a small part from the cockpit of his plane.
This was a fun read and I'm looking forward to the next one.
November 17, 2023
A great variety of stories, assembled around the narrative of Biggles and his friends making their way home, the long way round, from South America. Whilst I preferred the longer novel-form narrative of the previous 'Cruise of the Condor' these stories have a nice diversity to them, and we get a bit of everything from fighting villains, hunting treasure and there are lots of twists and turns. The element of danger that has been present in previous books is perhaps missing, meaning the stakes don't always feel as high. 4 stars.
October 4, 2020
Disclosure: I am a Biggles fan and I have a dozen or more Biggles books on my shelf, most acquired in the 70s. But let's be clear, these aren't great literature. This is a review of "Biggles Flies Again" but it could be of any of the early Biggles books. In this one Biggles and friends traverse most of the globe in an amphibian plane having adventures on the way helping stalwart outposts of the Empire, the villains being dissipated Englishmen or conniving foreigners.
There are 101 Biggles books in total and WE Johns wrote other character series as well. As a result many of them bear the marks of having been dashed off pretty quickly by the author, this one included. Don't count too much on continuity, consistent passing of time, geography or even on occasion the configuration of Biggles' plane. Plots and situations are recycled and many of Biggles' WWII exploits bear a remarkable resemblance to those of WWI. Minor characters are there purely to fill gaps in the plot, saying or doing nothing else. And there's a fair bit of Biggles saving the day with something "that he had put in his pocket before leaving home", showing that the author was developing the plot as he went along.
That said, because of their popularity, the books are an interesting insight into British attitudes between the wars and the world at that time (the early books) or WWII morale boosters for teenage boys. And who's to say the current genre of books aimed at the same market won't be viewed in the same light 80 years from now?
There are 101 Biggles books in total and WE Johns wrote other character series as well. As a result many of them bear the marks of having been dashed off pretty quickly by the author, this one included. Don't count too much on continuity, consistent passing of time, geography or even on occasion the configuration of Biggles' plane. Plots and situations are recycled and many of Biggles' WWII exploits bear a remarkable resemblance to those of WWI. Minor characters are there purely to fill gaps in the plot, saying or doing nothing else. And there's a fair bit of Biggles saving the day with something "that he had put in his pocket before leaving home", showing that the author was developing the plot as he went along.
That said, because of their popularity, the books are an interesting insight into British attitudes between the wars and the world at that time (the early books) or WWII morale boosters for teenage boys. And who's to say the current genre of books aimed at the same market won't be viewed in the same light 80 years from now?
August 15, 2016
Biggles, Algy and Smythe find themselves on a trip around the world. Not by choice, but by picking up the next quest after each quest has been solved. All in all there are 13 stories (quests) that keep bringing them farther and farther west.
This is Biggles at his best. In short stories he defeats his adversaries like no other pilot could.
This is Biggles at his best. In short stories he defeats his adversaries like no other pilot could.
April 15, 2013
This book is pretty weird because it just involves Biggles flying around all the place without any real purpose with Algy and Smyth.
I find it peculiarly hilarious that W.E. Johns thinks all America bad guys call people, “baby”.
Algy seems very young and flighty. More like Ginger.
Finally a reason that you shouldn't smoke.
Oh, and there seems to be more than the usual destruction of nature.
This is the one where Biggles meets Li Chi.
I find it peculiarly hilarious that W.E. Johns thinks all America bad guys call people, “baby”.
Algy seems very young and flighty. More like Ginger.
Finally a reason that you shouldn't smoke.
Oh, and there seems to be more than the usual destruction of nature.
This is the one where Biggles meets Li Chi.
November 7, 2025
First published in 1934, 'Biggles Flies Again' is a collection of short tales based around the trip back to Britain from the far side of the world following a failed business venture, and the adventures had on the way. Although originally published in 1934, there are clear sings of some of the stories having been crudely tinkered with, perhaps to move them from the 1930s to the late 1940s/early 1950s - I can't see a valid reason for doing this, so just ignore the discrepancies and enjoy some fine tales. For more details of these inconsistencies, read Ian Laird's excellent review. I enjoyed re-reading this - it was the first Biggles book I read about 60 years ago, and surprisingly I enjoyed it just as much now as I did then.
May 13, 2019
Excellent collection of thirteen loosely connected short stories that follows Biggles and Co., from the jungles of Central America, to the tropical waters of the South Pacific and into the deserts of North Africa. I particularly liked the stories, THE BLUE ORCHARD and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Though the short stories in this collection lacked some of the action of the Biggles novels, they were still enjoyable, well written and full of surprises.
March 18, 2019
A wonderful collection of short stories which follows Biggles around half the world. When I got the book I didn’t know each story was connected. They are, chronologically at least, as Johns writes about different adventures as Biggles starts in South America before ending up back home via Asia, North Africa and others. Biggles in short story form is hard to beat.
July 10, 2021
Again, lots of mini stories, but with a delightful twist. Each adventure is situated right after the previous one, with one overall storyline of Biggles and his pals flying back to England in a many-stage process. I love this different way of setting out the tales. Again, an excellent read!
February 14, 2021
An interesting collection of short adventures as Biggles & Algy make their way home from South America. Some are quite good but on the whole I think they are all to short to really get stuck into.
Read
June 3, 2023a very mixed bag!
March 10, 2025
My second reading of this book. The first was 62 years ago when I was 15. Still a good read.
6/10
6/10
November 25, 2025
Probably Biggles' best short story collection including multiple gems
September 13, 2019
3.8 out of 5. Nostalgia read. Biggles travels from British Guiana to the pacific islands and Guinea and on to the Arabian peninsula, having adventures along the way. Fascinating for its insight into exotic places in the 1930s, and also the colonial mindset and the casual racism of the author and the characters.
December 22, 2025
I am reviewing the series as a whole, rather than the books individually
The Biggles series is great adventure fiction: we get high stakes, aerial action (in most of the books), and a hero who is endlessly loyal, competent, and calm under pressure.
I love the dogfights, recon missions, and wartime scenarios.
Where the series falls short is character depth. Some attitudes and simplifications reflect the period in which the books were written. There are very definitely dated elements, but considering the era the books were written - overall the series performs well. More than a few of the stories defy plausibility, but who doesn't love to curl up with a good adventure book or 10?
“Never say die.”
The Biggles series is great adventure fiction: we get high stakes, aerial action (in most of the books), and a hero who is endlessly loyal, competent, and calm under pressure.
I love the dogfights, recon missions, and wartime scenarios.
Where the series falls short is character depth. Some attitudes and simplifications reflect the period in which the books were written. There are very definitely dated elements, but considering the era the books were written - overall the series performs well. More than a few of the stories defy plausibility, but who doesn't love to curl up with a good adventure book or 10?
“Never say die.”
January 24, 2024
OK, so this is out of date in many, many ways - but it is still a cracking adventure read.
The book is a collection of 13 short stories roughly linked together by a trip our hero takes from South America across the Pacific, past India and home to Blighty via Egypt. Along the way he meets a colourful group of characters, both locals and Europeans, who lead him into many adventures.
When I was a boy I remember that I read a lot of Biggles books. Mostly I remember the war stories rather than these peacetime stories. And there were quite a few books when Biggles was a police officer - obviously using his flying skills to good effect. This book is unusual in that Biggles is neither an RAF officer, not a police officer but a civilian. Mind you that doesn't stop him from shooting the crooks and dropping bombs on them. Different days back then, obviously.
Some of the language would today be considered offensive - Biggles calls a Chinese gent a "Chink" at one point. Presumably modern reprints have corrected this. But I was struck by the fact that the few true villains in the stories were all Europeans. Even the evil Arabian Sheik turns out to be a French crook in disguise.
The stories are set just after the Great War - presumably in the 1920s some time. so we are in the days of the British Raj. and the writing reflects the attitudes of those days at times.
So long as you bear that in mind this is an enjoyable, light read for lovers of adventure stories.
The book is a collection of 13 short stories roughly linked together by a trip our hero takes from South America across the Pacific, past India and home to Blighty via Egypt. Along the way he meets a colourful group of characters, both locals and Europeans, who lead him into many adventures.
When I was a boy I remember that I read a lot of Biggles books. Mostly I remember the war stories rather than these peacetime stories. And there were quite a few books when Biggles was a police officer - obviously using his flying skills to good effect. This book is unusual in that Biggles is neither an RAF officer, not a police officer but a civilian. Mind you that doesn't stop him from shooting the crooks and dropping bombs on them. Different days back then, obviously.
Some of the language would today be considered offensive - Biggles calls a Chinese gent a "Chink" at one point. Presumably modern reprints have corrected this. But I was struck by the fact that the few true villains in the stories were all Europeans. Even the evil Arabian Sheik turns out to be a French crook in disguise.
The stories are set just after the Great War - presumably in the 1920s some time. so we are in the days of the British Raj. and the writing reflects the attitudes of those days at times.
So long as you bear that in mind this is an enjoyable, light read for lovers of adventure stories.
January 18, 2015
As usual, Johns forgot about Smyth for most of the book, but there are tentacles and venomous orchids and coral atolls and Li Chi as Biggles speeds round the world from British Guiana to Egypt. Great fun.
March 20, 2020
Easy to read adventures of the famous pilot.
August 4, 2014
Biggles simply cannot land anywhere without being dragged into new adventures.
September 23, 2014
Imperialist boys own piece of shit. Shameful
February 4, 2017
Swashbuckling adventure with that jolly good egg Captain James Bigglesworth. A real blast from the past.
March 26, 2017
A racist Tintin in prose - or shall we say more like Tintin in the Congo than Tintin after the Blue Lotus. A ripping yarn in every chapter and thoroughly entertaining if you don't mind a little British Imperial supremacy. In one chapter Biggles collaborates with the British Navy to frame a Frenchman who on first meeting he thought had looked Greek - a 'type' he doesn't care for much. Biggles has a knack of finding himself in trouble every time he lands his plane, or takes off, and through a combination of global coincidences and quick thinking gets himself and his mates out of a scrape and nabs the bad guy every time.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews