Biggles Goes to War - Captain WE Johns

Published by William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd/Armada: London, 1962 (1938).
Book 14 in the 'Biggles' series. Preceded by 'Biggles Flies South.' Followed by 'The Rescue Flight.'

I have never read a Biggles book before now, but having received this one for free, I decided to check it out. Yes, it is book 14 in the series, but I get the feeling that they are fairly stand-alone stories, and certainly didn't have trouble picking up the general plot in this one, anyhow.

James 'Biggles' Bigglesworth is a British pilot, having flown in battle in the past. Along with his friend Algenon 'Algy' Lacey and the somewhat-less-experienced trainee Ginger Hebblethwaite, Biggles is approached by the ambassador to Maltovia to help develop an airforce. At first, Biggles declines, not wanting to get involved in a foreign conflict, but soon after the Maltovian ambassdor has departed, Biggles is threatened by the ambassador of Lovitzna (the enemy of Maltovia) not to get involved, and this causes him to reconsider.

Biggles (and his friends) are very much products of their time, particularly in their gung-ho "Britain is the best" attitude to life. Of course, the plot supports their attitudes by having every problem able to be solved by plucky courage, tenacity, and piloting skills. It is interesting to read a book where pilots need a lot of skill to survive, not even having access to navigational equipment or radio support - it is particularly noticeable when Biggles and friends have to make their way across Europe to Maltovia, and must look for landmarks to aid their journey.

It's all very straightforward but still interesting. Death does occur on occasion, but is not the main focus. The good guys are clearly good and the bad guys are clearly bad, and Biggles gets to help the stereotypically damsel-eqsue princess of Maltovia to strengthen her claim to the throne.

Fun enough, but not a series I'm going to actively seek out.

Completed 9 December 2025.

Previous Book ~ Next Book

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Pōrangi Boy - Shilo Kino

Image
Published by Huia Publishers: Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, 2021 (2020). Niko Te Kainga-mataa lives in the small town of Pohe Bay, a predominantly Māori community where the New Zealand government is planning to build a prison. Niko's grandfather, Tangaroa, is opposed to the prison, saying that it is going to be built on Māori land that is being watched over by the taniwha Taukere. Unfortunately, Tangaroa is known as the "pōrangi man" (crazy man), and throughout the book we see that he has lost some of his mental faculties - even to the point of urinating on people. As his grandson, and as someone who also wants to stand up against the prison being built, Niko too is labelled as pōrangi. Through the book, Niko has to wrestle with his own beliefs regarding Taukere, as well as learning to take a stronger leadership role in the community, particularly in the area of protesting the prison. Being written by a Māori author, Shilo Kino,  The Pōrangi Boy has a very authentic M...
Read more

The Siege of Krishnapur - JG Farrell

Image
Published by Penguin Books Ltd.: Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England, 1975. First published 1973. Like the previous book I read ( Three Men in a Boat ) this book also 'is what it says on the tin.' The Siege of Krishnapur is set in the (fictional) village of Krishnapur during the Indian mutiny of 1857. One of the British residents, known as 'The Collector', has been worrying that something like this may occur and has fortified his property and the surrounds with mud walls and other defensive elements. When the mutiny finally strikes Krishnapur, the British population retreat into this area and must defend against wave after wave of Indian attack. The book focusses almost entirely on the British element of the story, with Indian characters playing very minor roles. This might be a sign of the times in which Farrell was writing, however as with his other (retroactively awarded) Booker prize-winning work Troubles , Farrell has a very subtle edge of almost satirical humour wea...
Read more

The Bullet That Missed - Richard Osman

Image
Published as an audiobook by Penguin Audio, 2022. Narrated by Fiona Shaw. Book 3 in the 'Thursday Murder Club' series. Preceded by ' The Man Who Died Twice. ' Followed by ' The Last Devil To Die. ' The third book in the Thursday Murder Club series begins to shift the status quo a little. Not only does it include a potential love interest for Ron and an old-flame for Elizabeth (there is also a potential love interest for Joyce but that is less unusual), but certain background realities - like Donna and Borden's developing relationship, and Steven's battle with dementia - are made more prominent, and particularly with the latter, begin to impact our characters (and the readers!) more than they have previously. The murder investigation and main subplot are both less important on the whole than the ongoing growth and development of the main characters, and yet both of the plots also have interest. The gang is investigating the murder of Bethany Waites, a rep...
Read more