Book Review |
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Biggles In France |
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This is just one of MANY Biggles books. They are all about the fictional character Biggles who is a flying ace in the army. Originally, they were set in World War 1 (as this book is) but later they were altered to be set in World War 2. Captain Johns was in the Royal Flying Corps himself from 1918 so many of the stories are based on his own experiences. Biggles in France was first published in 1935. The language is a little strange because of its age but this edition has excellent footnotes to explain the aviation slang and military terms that are used. The book is a collection of short stories or anecdotes that happened around the same time period rather than one long book so it is quick and easy to read. I found it interesting to learn how things were done then - I am not sure that it is all accurate though, or if some things have been exaggerated for fun or excitement. They certainly seemed to get away with a lot of daft behaviour and they never got told off for wrecking their planes or taking huge risks. The book is written from Biggles' point of view and it contains a lot of dialogue. It is odd though because Biggles himself is not given a lot of description - you are left to almost build your own picture of him, unless that sort of stuff is in one of the other books that you are supposed to have read first? It is an entertaining and light hearted book. Nothing bad ever happens which is not terribly realistic of war. The British hero is always shown as far superior to the German or French soldiers or airmen. However, the skirmishes are often exciting and some of the stories are very funny - I think one of my favourite is the story concerning Captain Wilkinson's pyjamas! I enjoyed reading it and I would be interested to read more in the series. Iestyn Evans Jan 2002 |
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