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Band of Brothers
Book by Gann, Ernest K.
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
3 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Ernest K. Gann
58 books99 followersErnest K Gann was an aviator, author, filmmaker, sailor, fisherman and conservationist.
After earning his pilot license, Gann spent his much of his free time aloft, flying for pleasure. The continuing Great Depression soon cost him his job and he was unable to find another position in the movie business. In search of work, he decided to move his family to California. Gann was able to find odd jobs at Burbank Airport, and also began to write short stories. A friend managed to get him a part-time job as a co-pilot with a local airline company and it was there that he flew his first trips as a professional aviator. In the late 1930s many airlines were hiring as many pilots as they could find; after hearing of these opportunities, Gann and his family returned to New York where he managed to get hired by American Airlines to fly the Douglas DC-2 and Douglas DC-3.
For several years Gann enjoyed flying routes in the northeast for American. In 1942, many U.S. airlines' pilots and aircraft were absorbed into the Air Transport Command of the U.S. Army Air Forces to assist in the War Effort. Gann and many of his co-workers at American volunteered to join the group. He flew DC-3s, Douglas DC-4s and Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express transports (the cargo version of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber). His wartime trips took him across the North Atlantic to Europe, and then on to Africa, South America, India, and other exotic places. Some of his most harrowing experiences came while flying The Hump airlift across the Himalayas into China. In the years to come Gann's worldwide travels and various adventures would become the inspiration for many of his novels and screenplays.
At the end of World War II, the Air Transport Command released the civilian pilots and aircraft back to their airlines. Gann decided to leave American Airlines in search of new adventures. He was quickly hired as a pilot with a new company called Matson Airlines that was a venture of the Matson steamship line. He flew from the U.S. West Coast across the Pacific to Honolulu. This experience spawned ideas that were developed into one of his best-known works, 'The High and the Mighty.' Matson ultimately soon fell prey to the politically well-connected Pan American Airlines and failed. After a few more short-lived flying jobs, Gann became discouraged with aviation and he turned to writing as a full-time occupation.
Gann's major works include the novel The High and the Mighty and his aviation focused, near-autobiography Fate Is the Hunter. Notes and short stories scribbled down during long layovers on his pioneering trips across the North Atlantic became the source for his first serious fiction novel, Island in the Sky (1944), which was inspired by an actual Arctic rescue mission. It became an immediate best-seller as did Blaze of Noon (1946), a story about early air mail operations. In 1978, he published his comprehensive autobiography, entitled A Hostage to Fortune.
Although many of his 21 best-selling novels show Gann’s devotion to aviation, others, including Twilight for the Gods, and Fiddler's Green reflect his love of the sea. His experiences as a fisherman, skipper and sailor, all contributed storylines and depth to his nautical fiction. He later wrote an autobiography of his sailing life called Song of the Sirens.
Gann wrote, or adapted from his books, the stories and screenplays for several movies and television shows. For some of these productions he also served as a consultant and technical adviser during filming. Although it received positive reviews, Gann was displeased with the film version of Fate Is the Hunter, and removed his name from the credits. (He later lamented that this decision cost him a "fortune" in royalties, as the film played repeatedly on television for years afterward.) He wrote the story for the television miniseries Masada, based on 'The Antagonists.'
After earning his pilot license, Gann spent his much of his free time aloft, flying for pleasure. The continuing Great Depression soon cost him his job and he was unable to find another position in the movie business. In search of work, he decided to move his family to California. Gann was able to find odd jobs at Burbank Airport, and also began to write short stories. A friend managed to get him a part-time job as a co-pilot with a local airline company and it was there that he flew his first trips as a professional aviator. In the late 1930s many airlines were hiring as many pilots as they could find; after hearing of these opportunities, Gann and his family returned to New York where he managed to get hired by American Airlines to fly the Douglas DC-2 and Douglas DC-3.
For several years Gann enjoyed flying routes in the northeast for American. In 1942, many U.S. airlines' pilots and aircraft were absorbed into the Air Transport Command of the U.S. Army Air Forces to assist in the War Effort. Gann and many of his co-workers at American volunteered to join the group. He flew DC-3s, Douglas DC-4s and Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express transports (the cargo version of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber). His wartime trips took him across the North Atlantic to Europe, and then on to Africa, South America, India, and other exotic places. Some of his most harrowing experiences came while flying The Hump airlift across the Himalayas into China. In the years to come Gann's worldwide travels and various adventures would become the inspiration for many of his novels and screenplays.
At the end of World War II, the Air Transport Command released the civilian pilots and aircraft back to their airlines. Gann decided to leave American Airlines in search of new adventures. He was quickly hired as a pilot with a new company called Matson Airlines that was a venture of the Matson steamship line. He flew from the U.S. West Coast across the Pacific to Honolulu. This experience spawned ideas that were developed into one of his best-known works, 'The High and the Mighty.' Matson ultimately soon fell prey to the politically well-connected Pan American Airlines and failed. After a few more short-lived flying jobs, Gann became discouraged with aviation and he turned to writing as a full-time occupation.
Gann's major works include the novel The High and the Mighty and his aviation focused, near-autobiography Fate Is the Hunter. Notes and short stories scribbled down during long layovers on his pioneering trips across the North Atlantic became the source for his first serious fiction novel, Island in the Sky (1944), which was inspired by an actual Arctic rescue mission. It became an immediate best-seller as did Blaze of Noon (1946), a story about early air mail operations. In 1978, he published his comprehensive autobiography, entitled A Hostage to Fortune.
Although many of his 21 best-selling novels show Gann’s devotion to aviation, others, including Twilight for the Gods, and Fiddler's Green reflect his love of the sea. His experiences as a fisherman, skipper and sailor, all contributed storylines and depth to his nautical fiction. He later wrote an autobiography of his sailing life called Song of the Sirens.
Gann wrote, or adapted from his books, the stories and screenplays for several movies and television shows. For some of these productions he also served as a consultant and technical adviser during filming. Although it received positive reviews, Gann was displeased with the film version of Fate Is the Hunter, and removed his name from the credits. (He later lamented that this decision cost him a "fortune" in royalties, as the film played repeatedly on television for years afterward.) He wrote the story for the television miniseries Masada, based on 'The Antagonists.'
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 11, 2015
I read about Ernest Gann in a magazine article and decided to give one of his novels a try. Band of Brothers was one of the few titles available through my library, so picked it up. Through the first half of the story, I found Gann's characters and storyline intriguing. The writing itself is pretty pedestrian, but not bad. However, in the second half of the book, Gann's story really becomes disjointed. The actions of the characters don't mesh together and the conclusion is nearly invisible even though it was very predictable. Band of Brothers is more than 40 years old at this point and unfortunately it hasn't held up very well. I found it very interesting that the copy my library had hadn't been checked out in almost ten years before I did. I guess there was a reason for that.
February 6, 2019
It could have been a little bit shorter as I found the second half better than the first. This book does a great job of taking you through the history of aviation and airlines. It also places you in taiwan at a very interesting time. The characters are good and represent different parts of the world in a humorous way. It is interesting, adventurous, and has humor. Overall it is decent and if you have knowledge in old planes you will probably love it.
May 21, 2025
If you're a pilot who reads, it's impossible not to have read Gann's Fate is the Hunter. Somehow, though, I never realized he also wrote fiction until I was looking for something else in the library and saw his name on the spine of another book. I thought, "Wait, that Ernest Gann?" When I saw an airplane on the cover, I checked it out without even reading the description. I was not disappointed.
Gann's genius has always been that he manages to capture the romance of flight through the eyes and soul of someone who has actually been in the sky. It's a large part of his work, but that means I understand why some people think this book starts off slow: if you haven't experienced it, you won't get it and it will seem skippable. There were parts I loved, and often those were the same parts I knew that the general public might yawn at.
In fact, the part of the book that I yawned at was the pseudo-love story that seemed unnecessary. Sylvia was a fine character, but the romantic tension between her and the main character Alex felt tacked on. Nonetheless, the rest of the book is strong enough that it still deserves full credit. I may someday slip another of Gann's novels into my reading.
Gann's genius has always been that he manages to capture the romance of flight through the eyes and soul of someone who has actually been in the sky. It's a large part of his work, but that means I understand why some people think this book starts off slow: if you haven't experienced it, you won't get it and it will seem skippable. There were parts I loved, and often those were the same parts I knew that the general public might yawn at.
In fact, the part of the book that I yawned at was the pseudo-love story that seemed unnecessary. Sylvia was a fine character, but the romantic tension between her and the main character Alex felt tacked on. Nonetheless, the rest of the book is strong enough that it still deserves full credit. I may someday slip another of Gann's novels into my reading.
July 28, 2024
This was a novel. This was a history book. This was two. . . two. . . two books in one! (For the old farts among us who remember the old Certs commercials on television circa 1950s, 1960s.)
Ernie Gann wrote novels filled with suspense. He, having been somewhat of an aviation pioneer, writes a lot of history in his novels. I find it fascinating and love how he mixes early history of flight into his stories.
This was not his best novel. But "not his best" uttered regarding Gann's work doesn't mean it isn't good. In fact I thought it quite good, just that he has written even better.
If you like history, suspense, stories of aviation, a bit of. . . wait; a bit? Maybe more than a bit of love, then you should like this book. Let me suggest you find a copy and sit down for a thumping good read.
It took me all but a month to read this book. On a trip to Oklahoma City VAMC (Veterans Administration Medical Center) I lost my reading glasses. The VA provided a replacement but it took a while.
Ernie Gann wrote novels filled with suspense. He, having been somewhat of an aviation pioneer, writes a lot of history in his novels. I find it fascinating and love how he mixes early history of flight into his stories.
This was not his best novel. But "not his best" uttered regarding Gann's work doesn't mean it isn't good. In fact I thought it quite good, just that he has written even better.
If you like history, suspense, stories of aviation, a bit of. . . wait; a bit? Maybe more than a bit of love, then you should like this book. Let me suggest you find a copy and sit down for a thumping good read.
It took me all but a month to read this book. On a trip to Oklahoma City VAMC (Veterans Administration Medical Center) I lost my reading glasses. The VA provided a replacement but it took a while.
December 28, 2022
A fun read overall, especially once you get past the first hundred pages. I felt it was a slow start, but picked up pace and had a fun climax at the end. Gann's writing is always enjoyable when I want to satisfy my craving for aviation themed works.
October 10, 2017
Read in the 70s
December 24, 2017
dawn of the jet age, throw back to tri-moter pratt and whitley's
March 13, 2020
I finally found one that wasn't very good. Seems like Mr. Gann followed a formula on this one.
March 6, 2022
I wish I’d known about this writer sooner. The book has been on my shelves untouched for years and I’m glad I found it now. The plot is one frequently used in movies, a group of men experienced from the early days of flying band together to rescue a friend who has been jailed in China for homicidal negligence after the plane he was piloting with down with multiple deaths. The five friends know there is another reason for the crash and set out to investigate and prove it. There is significant description of details of early flight challenges that may be overdone for some readers, but I found it impressive and interesting. The ending is only a little disappointing – I wish the people responsible were more justly penalized for their part in the tragedy. But still well done and recommended.
January 18, 2016
When I picked this book up, I was expecting the more famous WWII book also called Band of Brothers so I went into it with high expectations. Although I had the wrong book, I still enjoyed it. I learned a lot of about the history of airplanes and how the technology has changed since the 60's. It was a simple, good story with a good ending. Next time I will double check the author before I begin a book with the same name though.
June 20, 2013
It's been months since I tried reading this novel. I just couldn't get through it. I'm not sure why; perhaps I was distracted. I should read it again, just as I should re-read Ganns's, Fate is the Hunter. His books are so hugely popular with aviators that I may be missing something extremely important about his writing.
April 1, 2013
Not quite a 4, but, definitely a stong 3.5! A little hard at first but you didn't want to quit.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews