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Otto Prohaska #3
The Two-headed Eagle
The Two-Headed Eagle is the breakout book in Biggins's series: a story of five months of hair-raising adventure on the Italian front in which young Otto Prohaska, the hero of A Sailor of Austria and The Emperor's Coloured Coat, entrusts his life to the nascent, unreliable, and terrifying Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Flying Service. It is the summer of 1916, and Otto, joined by his self-willed aerial chauffeur Sergeant-Pilot Toth, entrusts his life to a succession of flimsy biplanes in the sky above war-torn Alpine battlefields. On the ground, the rickety Habsburg empire has begun its final slide to disaster. And in the air is the unmistakable sense that history, poignant and ironic and always surprising, is erupting all around them. Written with craft, style, and an astonishing breadth of emotion, The Two-Headed Eagle is the continuation of a remarkable series.
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 1993
11 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
John Biggins
15 books53 followersJohn Biggins was born in October 1949 in the town of Bromley; then in Kent but now an outer suburb of London and notable only as the birthplace of H.G.Wells and the deathplace of the Emperor Napoleon III. The son of an electrician and part-time Communist Party activist, his childhood was sickly and his schooling intermittent; though he made up for this with a great deal of precocious reading while lying ill in bed. In 1961 he moved with his family to South Wales, his father having in the meantime abandoned the Dictatorship of the Proletariat to become a steelworks engineer, and decided from then on that he would no longer waste time being ill. After attending Chepstow Secondary and Lydney Grammar Schools, then reading history at the University of Wales in Swansea from 1968 to 1971, he went to then-Soviet Bloc Poland and remained there for the next four years studying for a Ph.D. This experience gave him an enduring fascination with institutional dysfunction and the pathology of decaying empires; as did his subsequent four years of unemployment in the now-abolished Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food where one of his tasks was to write a history of the 1974 Cheese Subsidy in such a way as to show his then-boss in the best possible light: a job which he undertook with such creative relish that he was soon moved to another department.
After being advised politely but firmly to leave the Civil Service in 1980 he turned to journalism to support his wife and two children, then to technical authorship in the burgeoning IT industry of the mid-1980s, then to writing fiction in 1987 largely in order to amuse himself without much expectation that what he wrote would ever published. So it was with some surprise two years later that he found his first novel, A Sailor of Austria, being taken up by the first publisher who had a sight of it. In later years his day-job, by now largely in medical engineering, took him to France, Scandinavia and the Netherlands where he occupied his evenings by reading in the local languages in an effort to try and understand what was going on around him. Later on, two years spent writing and teaching an English course for Polish doctors also allowed him to develop a long-standing interest in medical history and led to his latest series of novels.
Despite advancing years he remains as neurotically active as ever, tirelessly roaming the landscape of whichever country fate has deposited him in with a map in his hand as though other people’s word wasn’t good enough for him and he really expects to discover lost temples or hitherto unknown tribes amid the flat waterlogged fields and motorway junctions of the Rhine-Meuse delta. An inveterate cyclist, he is currently much engaged in reviving the bicycle as a mass means of transport in Great Britain.
Since 2012 he has lived in the extreme south of France, in the Pyrenees near the Spanish border, and is now an Irish citizen.
After being advised politely but firmly to leave the Civil Service in 1980 he turned to journalism to support his wife and two children, then to technical authorship in the burgeoning IT industry of the mid-1980s, then to writing fiction in 1987 largely in order to amuse himself without much expectation that what he wrote would ever published. So it was with some surprise two years later that he found his first novel, A Sailor of Austria, being taken up by the first publisher who had a sight of it. In later years his day-job, by now largely in medical engineering, took him to France, Scandinavia and the Netherlands where he occupied his evenings by reading in the local languages in an effort to try and understand what was going on around him. Later on, two years spent writing and teaching an English course for Polish doctors also allowed him to develop a long-standing interest in medical history and led to his latest series of novels.
Despite advancing years he remains as neurotically active as ever, tirelessly roaming the landscape of whichever country fate has deposited him in with a map in his hand as though other people’s word wasn’t good enough for him and he really expects to discover lost temples or hitherto unknown tribes amid the flat waterlogged fields and motorway junctions of the Rhine-Meuse delta. An inveterate cyclist, he is currently much engaged in reviving the bicycle as a mass means of transport in Great Britain.
Since 2012 he has lived in the extreme south of France, in the Pyrenees near the Spanish border, and is now an Irish citizen.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 3, 2020
This book, the third in John Biggins’ magnificent Prohaska series takes inspiration from a brief plot twist in the series’ first installment, A Sailor of Austria:
I have no idea whether Biggins included this bit with the intention of fleshing it out in a future novel or whether inspiration came later. Regardless, I think it is a brilliant piece of storytelling which gives us readers another glimpse into Prohaska’s experience in the First World War without any overlap with the first book.
Even though the story takes place only over a duration of five months (from mid to late 1916), this book is just as episodic as the other books in the series. I really do not want to spoil any of the story as I think one of the strengths of these books are the far-fetched (some might say incredible) adventures that Prohaska goes on, which nevertheless have enough realism to keep the reader entertained without rolling their eyes.
The same cannot quite be said for the cast of characters in this book, however. I felt that several of the characters, two in particular, too closely resembled caricatures to be taken seriously.
I had some very high expectations going into this book, given not only that the first two books in this series are some of very favorite fiction books of all time, but also that I am currently fascinated by aviation in the First World War. For whatever reason, part way through I was not sure if it would live up to my expectations. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book, and can now declare that it ranks just as highly. One of the stark differences between this book and the first two in the series is its tone. Whereas the first two managed to be genuinely hilarious despite the gravitas of the content, The Two-Headed Eagle is a grim tale from start to finish. There are still some moments of levity, but on the whole the mood is quite somber and bleak; rather appropriate given the setting.
The Italian Front, though less infamous than the Western Front, was just as—and perhaps even more hellish. I’m not sure if there are any other English-language novels set on the Italian Front besides A Farewell to Arms. Even with Prohaska serving in the Flying Service and not in the trenches, Biggins makes sure to brief the reader on the history and details of life on the front on numerous occasions. I appreciated this information, even though it was not particularly elegantly integrated into the text. Though I have no evidence to draw upon other than my limited knowledge on the war, I believe that this book is quite accurate in its history. Biggins also has a good grasp of the dialogue and culture of that time (as far as I can tell), which all contribute to draw the reader in to the book and its story.
All in all, I very much enjoyed The Two-Headed Eagle. It is well-written, thoughtful, and moving and provides a unique perspective and setting that I doubt you can find in any other series of novels.
I had just been seconded to the Imperial and Royal Flying Service on the Italian Front. It was a posting that was likely to be of short duration – perhaps no longer than a single flight, in fact (279).
I have no idea whether Biggins included this bit with the intention of fleshing it out in a future novel or whether inspiration came later. Regardless, I think it is a brilliant piece of storytelling which gives us readers another glimpse into Prohaska’s experience in the First World War without any overlap with the first book.
Even though the story takes place only over a duration of five months (from mid to late 1916), this book is just as episodic as the other books in the series. I really do not want to spoil any of the story as I think one of the strengths of these books are the far-fetched (some might say incredible) adventures that Prohaska goes on, which nevertheless have enough realism to keep the reader entertained without rolling their eyes.
The same cannot quite be said for the cast of characters in this book, however. I felt that several of the characters, two in particular, too closely resembled caricatures to be taken seriously.
I had some very high expectations going into this book, given not only that the first two books in this series are some of very favorite fiction books of all time, but also that I am currently fascinated by aviation in the First World War. For whatever reason, part way through I was not sure if it would live up to my expectations. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book, and can now declare that it ranks just as highly. One of the stark differences between this book and the first two in the series is its tone. Whereas the first two managed to be genuinely hilarious despite the gravitas of the content, The Two-Headed Eagle is a grim tale from start to finish. There are still some moments of levity, but on the whole the mood is quite somber and bleak; rather appropriate given the setting.
The Italian Front, though less infamous than the Western Front, was just as—and perhaps even more hellish. I’m not sure if there are any other English-language novels set on the Italian Front besides A Farewell to Arms. Even with Prohaska serving in the Flying Service and not in the trenches, Biggins makes sure to brief the reader on the history and details of life on the front on numerous occasions. I appreciated this information, even though it was not particularly elegantly integrated into the text. Though I have no evidence to draw upon other than my limited knowledge on the war, I believe that this book is quite accurate in its history. Biggins also has a good grasp of the dialogue and culture of that time (as far as I can tell), which all contribute to draw the reader in to the book and its story.
All in all, I very much enjoyed The Two-Headed Eagle. It is well-written, thoughtful, and moving and provides a unique perspective and setting that I doubt you can find in any other series of novels.
December 1, 2022
Third book in the picaresque, historical-fiction, memoir about Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Naval leutenant Ottokar Prohaska’s service in the air war on the Italian front with the Kaiserliche und Königliche Luftfahrtruppen (The Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops), referred to as the K.u.K. and later the Seeflugwesen (Imperial and Royal Naval Air Corps) in 1916, near the end of WWI. This story was an expansion of what was just a reference in A Sailor of Austria (Otto Prohaska #1). Great fun, if you’re a fan of: historical, military, thrillers, with a high degree of technical and historical accuracy.
Lohner Flugboot Type L, reconnaissance flying boat (seaplane) like the one crewed by Prohaska in his involvement with the sinking of a French Brumaire-class submarine in the Adriatic.
My audiobook was 14 hours long. A dead tree version would be 360-pages. My audiobook had a US 2021 copyright. The original British copyright was 1993.
John Biggins is a British writer of historical fiction. He has written seven books in two series. This was the third book in his Prohaska series. This was the second book I’ve read by the author. The first being, A Sailor of Austria: In Which, Without Really Intending To, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Habsburg Empire (Otto Prohaska #1) (my review).
Nigel Patterson is a British audiobook narrator and actor. While a tad too British for the mittel-european, Austro-Hungarian characters, and a bit weak on female character voices. However, he did a fine job of capturing the early 20th century flavor of the story.
Note that this is the third book in the Otto Prohaska series. Reading the first book, A Sailor of Austria is strongly recommended before picking-up this book. Otherwise, many references and characters from Prohaska's backstory may be difficult to understand. In addition, having some background in WWI military history, particularly on the Italian front and the Adriatic would be helpful. It should be noted that aeronautical technology at the time of this book’s setting was like today’s rocket science. A familiarity with period aviation would also be beneficial in reading this book.
Interestingly, in A Sailor of Austria, Prohaska dies peacefully at the end of his 101-year life. Biggins, reanimates his hero in this story set two years before the end of the war.
Story-wise, the Prohaska protagonist was a Nominial Hero . His is the story's single POV. He’s a more staid, and proper incarnation of the Flashman character, whom the author takes inspiration from. Prohaska was a pleasant man, of the Empire’s gentry social class, who lived in a corrupt and decaying empire while following a dangerous occupation. Many times, he was the victim of that empire’s bureaucracy. However, he also had the aid of an enormous amount of Good Luck.
The story continues the series’ format of a memoir narrating past adventures during World War I. In this episode, Prohaska is bundled-off from his success at captaining an Austrian submarine through some Austro-Hungarian bureaucratic legerdemain to placate the Imperial German allies. He’s seconded to a K.u.K Bomber/Recce air squadron on the Italian Isonzo Front . (Plot-wise this can be a bit of a reach?) There he crews a two-seater Army aircraft with a pilot to do the flying and him an observer in the rear to: man the binoculars, navigate, take photographs, drop bombs and man a machine gun protecting the plane’s rear. Later, he returns to naval service with the Seeflugwesen crewing a seaplane as a pilot/observer over the Adriatic.
WWI, The Italian Front
Biggen’s series story technique was to take well-documented historical events and to embroider Prohaska into them. (With a few changes.) A problem I continued to have with this series was the minute technical, and historical accuracy of the stories in contrast with the: pacing, number, and variety of Prohaska's adventures. There were too many adventures for one man to realistically have in a short period of wartime and not have been quickly left a gibbering wreak. In fact, Prohaska’s comrades in arms in several places, do succumb to PTSD while serving. Although, immune, he soldiers on. Prohaska was also phenomenally lucky, considering the actual mortality rate of WWI airmen. Finally, having read A Sailor of Austria, the reader knows Prohaska survives his stint as an airman unscathed. That defangs the dangerous situations he's thrown into somewhat.
Prohaska’s narrative of his exploits were also amusing in places. This book continues the series’ lampooning of the Imperial bureaucracy, and the stoicism that is the unofficial philosophy of elite military units, like aircrews. Interestingly, Biggen’s steers clear of the very Austrian Schadenfreude. Although, the story in its high-degree of historical accuracy may trigger Values Dissonance in some readers. For example, the ethnic politics of the empire and the pseudoscientific racial ideology of some characters, that later became part of Nazi ideology appears in the story.
Note that despite the high-degree of realism in this story, it did not extend to sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll. Violence was muted. The story was very PG.
Sex was handled in a fade to black fashion. Characters drank when they could find alcoholic beverages, although it ended-up being mostly for medicinal usage. Morphine was more likely administered as an overdose to the severely wounded than recreational purposes. And, there was a lot of 19th Century mittal europa operatic and folk tunes on either treasured gramophones or more treasured 'shellac' recordings, or sung with comrades.
There was a lot of death and destruction-- the story is set in a war zone. However, the blood, gore and dismemberment was muted. Perhaps the most shocking deaths were the descriptions of airmen burned-to-death in fiery airplane wrecks.
As a book, this was a cross between a period techno-thriller and a Flashman novel. I greatly enjoyed picking-out the historical references and the period technology found in the book. Unfortunately, I’m not as interested in the WWI air war as I am with the naval war. However, I do have an interest in the Italian Front. (My maternal great grandfather fought there with the Central Powers.) The early 20th Century foreign locales featured were also particularly well done. However, plotting could have used some work. In addition, this book may be a tad too technical or too historically detailed for some folks. However, as a period techno-thriller I quite enjoyed it.
Readers of this book may also be interested in: A Naval History Of World War 1, Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I, The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front, 1915-1919, Flashman (The Flashman Papers #1) (all my reviews) and A Soldier of the Great War .
Lohner Flugboot Type L, reconnaissance flying boat (seaplane) like the one crewed by Prohaska in his involvement with the sinking of a French Brumaire-class submarine in the Adriatic.
My audiobook was 14 hours long. A dead tree version would be 360-pages. My audiobook had a US 2021 copyright. The original British copyright was 1993.
John Biggins is a British writer of historical fiction. He has written seven books in two series. This was the third book in his Prohaska series. This was the second book I’ve read by the author. The first being, A Sailor of Austria: In Which, Without Really Intending To, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Habsburg Empire (Otto Prohaska #1) (my review).
Nigel Patterson is a British audiobook narrator and actor. While a tad too British for the mittel-european, Austro-Hungarian characters, and a bit weak on female character voices. However, he did a fine job of capturing the early 20th century flavor of the story.
Note that this is the third book in the Otto Prohaska series. Reading the first book, A Sailor of Austria is strongly recommended before picking-up this book. Otherwise, many references and characters from Prohaska's backstory may be difficult to understand. In addition, having some background in WWI military history, particularly on the Italian front and the Adriatic would be helpful. It should be noted that aeronautical technology at the time of this book’s setting was like today’s rocket science. A familiarity with period aviation would also be beneficial in reading this book.
Interestingly, in A Sailor of Austria, Prohaska dies peacefully at the end of his 101-year life. Biggins, reanimates his hero in this story set two years before the end of the war.
Story-wise, the Prohaska protagonist was a Nominial Hero . His is the story's single POV. He’s a more staid, and proper incarnation of the Flashman character, whom the author takes inspiration from. Prohaska was a pleasant man, of the Empire’s gentry social class, who lived in a corrupt and decaying empire while following a dangerous occupation. Many times, he was the victim of that empire’s bureaucracy. However, he also had the aid of an enormous amount of Good Luck.
The story continues the series’ format of a memoir narrating past adventures during World War I. In this episode, Prohaska is bundled-off from his success at captaining an Austrian submarine through some Austro-Hungarian bureaucratic legerdemain to placate the Imperial German allies. He’s seconded to a K.u.K Bomber/Recce air squadron on the Italian Isonzo Front . (Plot-wise this can be a bit of a reach?) There he crews a two-seater Army aircraft with a pilot to do the flying and him an observer in the rear to: man the binoculars, navigate, take photographs, drop bombs and man a machine gun protecting the plane’s rear. Later, he returns to naval service with the Seeflugwesen crewing a seaplane as a pilot/observer over the Adriatic.
WWI, The Italian Front
Biggen’s series story technique was to take well-documented historical events and to embroider Prohaska into them. (With a few changes.) A problem I continued to have with this series was the minute technical, and historical accuracy of the stories in contrast with the: pacing, number, and variety of Prohaska's adventures. There were too many adventures for one man to realistically have in a short period of wartime and not have been quickly left a gibbering wreak. In fact, Prohaska’s comrades in arms in several places, do succumb to PTSD while serving. Although, immune, he soldiers on. Prohaska was also phenomenally lucky, considering the actual mortality rate of WWI airmen. Finally, having read A Sailor of Austria, the reader knows Prohaska survives his stint as an airman unscathed. That defangs the dangerous situations he's thrown into somewhat.
Prohaska’s narrative of his exploits were also amusing in places. This book continues the series’ lampooning of the Imperial bureaucracy, and the stoicism that is the unofficial philosophy of elite military units, like aircrews. Interestingly, Biggen’s steers clear of the very Austrian Schadenfreude. Although, the story in its high-degree of historical accuracy may trigger Values Dissonance in some readers. For example, the ethnic politics of the empire and the pseudoscientific racial ideology of some characters, that later became part of Nazi ideology appears in the story.
Note that despite the high-degree of realism in this story, it did not extend to sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll. Violence was muted. The story was very PG.
Sex was handled in a fade to black fashion. Characters drank when they could find alcoholic beverages, although it ended-up being mostly for medicinal usage. Morphine was more likely administered as an overdose to the severely wounded than recreational purposes. And, there was a lot of 19th Century mittal europa operatic and folk tunes on either treasured gramophones or more treasured 'shellac' recordings, or sung with comrades.
There was a lot of death and destruction-- the story is set in a war zone. However, the blood, gore and dismemberment was muted. Perhaps the most shocking deaths were the descriptions of airmen burned-to-death in fiery airplane wrecks.
As a book, this was a cross between a period techno-thriller and a Flashman novel. I greatly enjoyed picking-out the historical references and the period technology found in the book. Unfortunately, I’m not as interested in the WWI air war as I am with the naval war. However, I do have an interest in the Italian Front. (My maternal great grandfather fought there with the Central Powers.) The early 20th Century foreign locales featured were also particularly well done. However, plotting could have used some work. In addition, this book may be a tad too technical or too historically detailed for some folks. However, as a period techno-thriller I quite enjoyed it.
Readers of this book may also be interested in: A Naval History Of World War 1, Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I, The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front, 1915-1919, Flashman (The Flashman Papers #1) (all my reviews) and A Soldier of the Great War .
May 20, 2016
In a happy coincidence, I just watched a video about the history of the Dolomite mountains like a week ago, and this book--the third of the Otto Prohaska series is about the Alpine warfare between the Italians and the Austrians in 1916. In the last book, Otto was unjustly accused of destroying a German minelayer (he didn't), and was drummed down to the worst outpost of the war in revenge. There, in a tiny town--he lives in a tent, all the food is ersatsz, as is the parts in the planes he gets to fly in, being shot at from below, to the side, and from above. The plane he mostly is in during this tale is able to fly above the mountain heights (but not when weighed down with useless equipment which keeps happening) but is basically defenseless against the speedier French ones.
His pilot--the Austrians refused to do the ace thing that all the others were doing, plus used older planes with none of the new gadgetry (like having the propellor synchronized, or being able to see straight ahead), and their planes required two people, and according to regulations had the officer as passenger, with the shabbily treated pilot as a chauffeur. Luckily for Prohaska, his apelike co-pilot Toth, a defrocked priest forced to join the airforce, is a genius at the dangerous stunt flying required, but they share no common language other than Latin.
If this sounds like a fun and moving book, it is and Otto continues to be one of the most loveable protagonists, one who always does the right thing, but not stuck up about it.
His pilot--the Austrians refused to do the ace thing that all the others were doing, plus used older planes with none of the new gadgetry (like having the propellor synchronized, or being able to see straight ahead), and their planes required two people, and according to regulations had the officer as passenger, with the shabbily treated pilot as a chauffeur. Luckily for Prohaska, his apelike co-pilot Toth, a defrocked priest forced to join the airforce, is a genius at the dangerous stunt flying required, but they share no common language other than Latin.
If this sounds like a fun and moving book, it is and Otto continues to be one of the most loveable protagonists, one who always does the right thing, but not stuck up about it.
June 25, 2021
I'm so glad I found John Biggins, he tells really good stories! Entertaining, funny and sad.
March 9, 2020
I have no clue as to the inexhaustible springwell from which John Higgins spins these fantastic tales of Austro-Hungarian courage in face of stumbling incompetency. Toth is probably the most interesting sidekick character developed by Biggins till date and his death fills the reader with a sense of curious pathos..as in everything Biggins' first-class reconstruction of the Danubian Monarchy puts this series in the forefront of WW1 novels written in any language
October 17, 2019
Clearly my favorite Otto Prohaska book. Poor Otto, he tries to do right and always ends up in the can. Well, not really, every time he gets an ordered transfer something comes along and saves him from getting too harsh of an assignment. You see the the upper ranks are not favorable to Otto, he being Polish and they being Austrian. But he has the Maria Theresa Ritter award- the highest military award given by Austria.
The book is mainly spent on his time as a flying officer at a post fighting the Italians. Otto has never had a problem mentally putting down the kings, chancellors, archdukes, generals, or admirals who got him and others into this war. His wife also felt the same way. But this time Otto has a commanding officer (of the same rank as he) who is a complete incompetent. The results are quite funny and sometimes hilarious. He is even vocal about the situation.
Did you know Otto's grandfather was a land owning aristocrat (granted- not royalty) who sold some of his Polish land to the Polish army in 1909? Poland set up a small six building storage complex on the property and received from the locals finished uniforms that they made. The property needed a name since the government set up buildings there. They named it Auschwitz! What fun can be had by historical fiction writers! Biggins- great call!
More history in this book- the starvation suffered by the Europeans while WWI was going on. Inflation. Historical significance that made me more aware of history. Biggins brings in another deep thought. Darwinism. How a country's gallant, talented, and brave will go and fight the war and die. While the weak and less noble (but with noble titles) will find cushy assignments and survive the war and then rule the country in the aftermath. Deep thought.
The final few pages are quite touching- a summary of the war. And what could have been. It reminded me of the thought that if Lincoln had been allowed to finish his second term- what a better country and possibly world we would have had.
The foreign words in this issue by Biggins are fairly common. I am sure some of the book was lost to me translation. But this time some of it was in Latin. Once again, this was my favorite of the three that I read.
The book is mainly spent on his time as a flying officer at a post fighting the Italians. Otto has never had a problem mentally putting down the kings, chancellors, archdukes, generals, or admirals who got him and others into this war. His wife also felt the same way. But this time Otto has a commanding officer (of the same rank as he) who is a complete incompetent. The results are quite funny and sometimes hilarious. He is even vocal about the situation.
Did you know Otto's grandfather was a land owning aristocrat (granted- not royalty) who sold some of his Polish land to the Polish army in 1909? Poland set up a small six building storage complex on the property and received from the locals finished uniforms that they made. The property needed a name since the government set up buildings there. They named it Auschwitz! What fun can be had by historical fiction writers! Biggins- great call!
More history in this book- the starvation suffered by the Europeans while WWI was going on. Inflation. Historical significance that made me more aware of history. Biggins brings in another deep thought. Darwinism. How a country's gallant, talented, and brave will go and fight the war and die. While the weak and less noble (but with noble titles) will find cushy assignments and survive the war and then rule the country in the aftermath. Deep thought.
The final few pages are quite touching- a summary of the war. And what could have been. It reminded me of the thought that if Lincoln had been allowed to finish his second term- what a better country and possibly world we would have had.
The foreign words in this issue by Biggins are fairly common. I am sure some of the book was lost to me translation. But this time some of it was in Latin. Once again, this was my favorite of the three that I read.
March 14, 2018
Anche se è il terzo libro, dal punto di vista storico viene dopo il primo, perché è inserito in mezzo alla storia del primo. Otto Prohaska viene mandato a comandare i primi aerei sul fronte dell'Isonzo. luoghi accuratamente descritti, per me che abito vicino e ci vado in gita. C'è pure il monte Svinjak, che l'autore per motivi letterari sposta più a sud. Avventure rocambolesche, tutti i vicini muoiono in incidenti e lui sopravvive perfino ad una caduta nel no- man's land fra i due fronti, fra buche di bombe, gas avvelenati, bombe a mano rigettate fuori... il clima però è meno ironico e più drammatico, meno da ridere e molto da riflettere: la mattanza dei fanti, in cui fra Cadorna e Boroevic non c'è differenza fra chi attacca senza pensare al numero di morti e chi difende altrettanto a oltranza, e invece i cavalieri dell'aria, singoli ed eroici. C'è un conte Carraciolo che sembra una copia di D'Annunzio- con una imprevedibile liberazione da una condanna alla Oberdan/Battisti per tradimento ( con disputa. essendo fiumano, il plotone di esecuzione deve essere austriaco o ungherese? e in che lingua ordinare il fuoco?) un Potocznik ( che guarda caso mi fa pensare ad un Alfredo Pototschnik- che invece fu volontario italiano) germanizzante che teorizza già il nazismo e pangermanesimo. Insomma, c'è poco da scherzare in quella mattanza...
September 9, 2012
WW1 from the Austro-Hungarian point of view. Sadly unique because no one has before or since tackled the subject. Pity he only wrote 4 books.
August 29, 2018
Cross Catch-22 with Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Martin novels and set it in a World War I airfield of the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Flying Service high in the Dolomites, told in the sardonic voice of one of the most charming narrators you'll ever have read, and you might have some idea of what's in store in this stunningly original novel.
Above everything else, it's the protagonist/narrator who kept me hooked on every page, as he and his Hungarian pilot--whose only shared language they can communicate in is Latin--undertake various hapless missions at the behest of clueless officers. Told with a wry perspective, he manages to portray the utter incompetence, mismanagement, and wasteful slaughter on both sides of the front in a serious yet fully entertaining manner which is both believable and maddening, without ever crossing the line into farce. I also learned a lot about an unknown (to me) First World War battlefront on the mountainous border between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. And on top of everything else, I devoured with gusto all the details of rickety flying machines and their quirks and dangers.
Biggins is an extraordinary writer. I don't understand why his Ottokar Prohaska series, of which this is the third, isn't as popular as O'Brian's naval series. It should be.
Above everything else, it's the protagonist/narrator who kept me hooked on every page, as he and his Hungarian pilot--whose only shared language they can communicate in is Latin--undertake various hapless missions at the behest of clueless officers. Told with a wry perspective, he manages to portray the utter incompetence, mismanagement, and wasteful slaughter on both sides of the front in a serious yet fully entertaining manner which is both believable and maddening, without ever crossing the line into farce. I also learned a lot about an unknown (to me) First World War battlefront on the mountainous border between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. And on top of everything else, I devoured with gusto all the details of rickety flying machines and their quirks and dangers.
Biggins is an extraordinary writer. I don't understand why his Ottokar Prohaska series, of which this is the third, isn't as popular as O'Brian's naval series. It should be.
May 25, 2020
The first part was a little slow and I had to set it down for a while but as it got going I could not put it down. I think that has more to do with the truth about incompetent officers getting piles of people killed then of the writing style.
I have a dry sense of humor and there are some pretty tragic parts of the story that I had to chuckle at since I could see the sarcastic comments coming from my mouth.
I have a dry sense of humor and there are some pretty tragic parts of the story that I had to chuckle at since I could see the sarcastic comments coming from my mouth.
January 13, 2025
A fantastic tale, full of action and info.
My only criticism in fact would be that TOO much happened to poor old Otto in a short space of time.
It has certainly whetted my appetite to learn more about WWI flying.
My only criticism in fact would be that TOO much happened to poor old Otto in a short space of time.
It has certainly whetted my appetite to learn more about WWI flying.
May 18, 2021
Another delightful one, full of rich historical detail, and the adventure of improvisation of both human spirit and engineering innovation that must have been such a distinctive part of the time, and which Biggins brings alive so brilliantly. And of course the comedy, of engineering disasters and of Kafkaesque bureaucratic absurdities- which must have been part of the era too, and which I've only ever read in Biggins' writing. Again, our hero Otto leaps boldly and comically into fantastic contraptions of partially-solved engineering problems- these ones flying in the air rather than submerging under the sea, and again the comic heroism is a joy, a laugh, and an inspiration all at once.
I have only a couple of criticisms- I felt like this one was a little more heavy-handed than the first one- it is quite clear which characters are foreshadowing the fascist ideology which will give rise to Hitler. I don't begrudge the author, I think it's pretty widely recognized that the seeds of fascism were planted in WW1- but were the good guys and bad guys so obvious, so early? To some degree, I feel like I'm patting myself on the back undeservedly when the proto-fascist characters are revealed. I was certainly aware in Book 1 that I was witnessing events that would lead to fascism, but apart from our protagonist and his wife, I felt it was more difficult to predict which of the characters would, if they lived that long, go on to accept fascist ideology and which would reject it. Here, it's much clearer, and I expect somewhat clearer than it would have been for people of the time- after all, while not every German was seduced by Hitler's regime, his support was pretty broad, and must have included people who, if their political allegiences had not been known, would probably been thought of as kind and decent. History is filled with people who fought to the death on the wrong side of moral conflicts sincerely believing in their own goodness, and the righteousness of their own cause, and that serves as a critical check for ourselves- unless we think very hard, how can we be sure that we are on the right side of history? And really, few authors of historical genre fiction can even hold a candle to the quality Biggins delivers in this respect- and that's what makes his writing readable for me, or rather, that's what makes so many other authors UNreadable.
My only other criticism -and it's mild at best- is that the dialogue is often contrived because all his characters are as witty and savvy as John Biggins. But I suppose that's a difficulty with many authors.
I have only a couple of criticisms- I felt like this one was a little more heavy-handed than the first one- it is quite clear which characters are foreshadowing the fascist ideology which will give rise to Hitler. I don't begrudge the author, I think it's pretty widely recognized that the seeds of fascism were planted in WW1- but were the good guys and bad guys so obvious, so early? To some degree, I feel like I'm patting myself on the back undeservedly when the proto-fascist characters are revealed. I was certainly aware in Book 1 that I was witnessing events that would lead to fascism, but apart from our protagonist and his wife, I felt it was more difficult to predict which of the characters would, if they lived that long, go on to accept fascist ideology and which would reject it. Here, it's much clearer, and I expect somewhat clearer than it would have been for people of the time- after all, while not every German was seduced by Hitler's regime, his support was pretty broad, and must have included people who, if their political allegiences had not been known, would probably been thought of as kind and decent. History is filled with people who fought to the death on the wrong side of moral conflicts sincerely believing in their own goodness, and the righteousness of their own cause, and that serves as a critical check for ourselves- unless we think very hard, how can we be sure that we are on the right side of history? And really, few authors of historical genre fiction can even hold a candle to the quality Biggins delivers in this respect- and that's what makes his writing readable for me, or rather, that's what makes so many other authors UNreadable.
My only other criticism -and it's mild at best- is that the dialogue is often contrived because all his characters are as witty and savvy as John Biggins. But I suppose that's a difficulty with many authors.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2014
Meticulously researched, John Biggins has written a third satisfying yarn about another little known aspect of the Great War -- the Isonzo Front, circa 1916. Our tireless hero (if you can call him that), Schiffsleutnant Ottokar Prohaska is once again immersed in adventures most modern day readers probably have little knowledge about. This time Otto dons the flying leathers of the Fliegertruppe (Flik 19F) and takes to the air in parachute-less contraptions where more pilots burned to death than was most likely recommended by the Austro Hungarian aviation manuals.
I have found the details Mr. Biggins puts into his work to be remarkable, especially considering this was written more than 20 years ago. With the 21st century advantage of the internet, I have found everything he has written so painstakingly accurate, that I am more than a little impressed with how well he did it. Needless to say, I encourage you to look up some ship names or the backstory of some of the characters that cross these pages -- you will begin to truly wonder if you aren't really reading a non-fictional account after all.
If you had picked up the previous books in the series, then you will know that the chronologies of Otto's adventures are too numerous to mention. However, if you are so emboldened, you should strap on your flying helmet and prepare for takeoff. Flying with Mr. Biggins is always well worth the journey.
I have found the details Mr. Biggins puts into his work to be remarkable, especially considering this was written more than 20 years ago. With the 21st century advantage of the internet, I have found everything he has written so painstakingly accurate, that I am more than a little impressed with how well he did it. Needless to say, I encourage you to look up some ship names or the backstory of some of the characters that cross these pages -- you will begin to truly wonder if you aren't really reading a non-fictional account after all.
If you had picked up the previous books in the series, then you will know that the chronologies of Otto's adventures are too numerous to mention. However, if you are so emboldened, you should strap on your flying helmet and prepare for takeoff. Flying with Mr. Biggins is always well worth the journey.
January 31, 2012
The death of the Hapsburg Empire as seen throw the eyes of an imperial officer during WW I. Otto Prohaska is seconded to the flying corps and the book follows his exploits during the fruitless struggles between the Austro-Hungarians and Italians which, as many other WW I conflicts, cost millions of lives.
The detail about the war in the book is fascinating but so is the context, the fall of an empire, the rise of European nationalism, and the seeds of Nazism are covered nicely by Biggins, a history academic himself. Indeed, I can imagine this book being written as a teaching aid to cover this period.
But in the end it is the tragedy of the war that prevails. Much later life, Otto is asked what it was like to be a flying ace. He tells this unwelcome inquisitor to climb to the top of a very high building with a stranger, cover the person in kerosene, light it and push the stranger out of the window. Then, stand on the ledge and wait for someone to do the same to you.
The detail about the war in the book is fascinating but so is the context, the fall of an empire, the rise of European nationalism, and the seeds of Nazism are covered nicely by Biggins, a history academic himself. Indeed, I can imagine this book being written as a teaching aid to cover this period.
But in the end it is the tragedy of the war that prevails. Much later life, Otto is asked what it was like to be a flying ace. He tells this unwelcome inquisitor to climb to the top of a very high building with a stranger, cover the person in kerosene, light it and push the stranger out of the window. Then, stand on the ledge and wait for someone to do the same to you.
December 19, 2012
A much better book IMHO than book two of the series. The author seems back on track with his writing and his characters. I especially liked the homage he pays to the poor soldiers on both side who fought and died on the Italian front. The interview with the American aviation enthusiast at the end is classic....highly recommended.
Want to read
December 18, 2009I own this book - probably a discard; wouldn't have bought it - but it's there . . . y'know?
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March 12, 2015
Accurate history. Characters to care about. Occasionally funny. What's not to like?
July 7, 2015
A very interesting story about a very interesting person in a very interesting time.
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