Operation Napoleon
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Review
Operation Napoleon is a intriguing movel, bleak and harsh in its description of cold, military narratives.
--Aesthetica Magazine
`There are hints of some of Indridason's trademark motifs--emotionally distant parents, brotherhood, the harsh Icelandic wilderness--but it's clear that he is using Operation Napoleon to address what seems to be a deeply controversial factor in Icelandic life: the US military presence at Keflavik.' --Euro Crime
`This is a textbook example of how to write a conspiracy thriller - fast, full of shocks, unpredictable - and with an unambiguous and unembarrassed sense of which are the goodies and which the baddies. Brilliant read.' --Morning Star
--Aesthetica Magazine
`There are hints of some of Indridason's trademark motifs--emotionally distant parents, brotherhood, the harsh Icelandic wilderness--but it's clear that he is using Operation Napoleon to address what seems to be a deeply controversial factor in Icelandic life: the US military presence at Keflavik.' --Euro Crime
`This is a textbook example of how to write a conspiracy thriller - fast, full of shocks, unpredictable - and with an unambiguous and unembarrassed sense of which are the goodies and which the baddies. Brilliant read.' --Morning Star
Book Description
A compelling international thriller sweeping from modern Iceland to America and Nazi Germany at the end of World War II
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Arnaldur Indridason is known for his popular and prize-winning
police procedural novels featuring Inspector Erlendur,six of
which have been published in the UK. 'Operation Napoleon',however,
is a stand alone thriller published in Iceland in 1999,but only
now translated into English.
The inventive plot concerns a German bomber plane,which shortly before
the end of the second world war,crashes into a glacier in Iceland
with both German and American officers on board.Having been hidden
in the glazier-In 1999, U.S. satellite equipment discovers the plane,
and their military covertly set about removing the plane and destroying
all evidence concerning the reason for the flight.The feisty Icelandic
lawyer via her brother comes across the American activities,and
tries to get to the bottom of it,whilst the some of the American
military will go to any lengths of brutality and deceit to hide
the secret of the plane.
Whilst not containing the depths of character of the Erlender
series,and requiring some suspension of credibilty,this is
fast-paced,highly readable thriller.
police procedural novels featuring Inspector Erlendur,six of
which have been published in the UK. 'Operation Napoleon',however,
is a stand alone thriller published in Iceland in 1999,but only
now translated into English.
The inventive plot concerns a German bomber plane,which shortly before
the end of the second world war,crashes into a glacier in Iceland
with both German and American officers on board.Having been hidden
in the glazier-In 1999, U.S. satellite equipment discovers the plane,
and their military covertly set about removing the plane and destroying
all evidence concerning the reason for the flight.The feisty Icelandic
lawyer via her brother comes across the American activities,and
tries to get to the bottom of it,whilst the some of the American
military will go to any lengths of brutality and deceit to hide
the secret of the plane.
Whilst not containing the depths of character of the Erlender
series,and requiring some suspension of credibilty,this is
fast-paced,highly readable thriller.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It's 1945, and in the dying days of the war, a German plane crashes into a glacier in Iceland. Over the years, the American Army makes several attempts to locate the wreckage, but they are always unsuccessful. Finally in 1999, a combination of movement in the ice and improved satellite technology reveals its location. The Americans immediately despatch a team of soldiers to retrieve the plane. When two Icelanders accidentally stumble on the operation, they are executed. However one of them has already contacted his sister Kristin to tell her what he saw. A team is sent to eliminate Kristin, who goes on the run, determined to find out what is the truth behind the mysterious plane and why the Americans are so desperate to keep its contents a secret.
The story starts well, with an intriguing hook. The "lone crusader on the run" device is hardly original, but it works well for thrillers. And most thrillers require you to sustain belief: that's part of the territory. However there are simply too many plot elements that make no sense. For example, the idea that two people can turn up on an elderly stranger's doorstep in the small hours of the morning and have the stranger happily let them in. Or that a brief and garbled conversation with her brother would immediately have Kristin grasping the central mystery and being determined to unravel it at any cost. Or that the American soldiers would freely kill Icelanders who don't really know what they are up to, whilst letting other Icelanders live for years knowing part of the mystery. As I read on, I got increasingly frustrated by the numerous gaps in logic and the way that characters repeatedly behaved in ways that simply made no sense.
The book has an original storyline and the Icelandic setting also gives it added interest. However the early momentum is lost as the plot's complexity requires lengthy explanations, which bog it down. It's also worth noting that the book was originally written in Icelandic. The translation is occasionally clunky (such as the use of the word "patronymic" by an American soldier when "surname" or "last name" would be far more likely to be used).
The story starts well, with an intriguing hook. The "lone crusader on the run" device is hardly original, but it works well for thrillers. And most thrillers require you to sustain belief: that's part of the territory. However there are simply too many plot elements that make no sense. For example, the idea that two people can turn up on an elderly stranger's doorstep in the small hours of the morning and have the stranger happily let them in. Or that a brief and garbled conversation with her brother would immediately have Kristin grasping the central mystery and being determined to unravel it at any cost. Or that the American soldiers would freely kill Icelanders who don't really know what they are up to, whilst letting other Icelanders live for years knowing part of the mystery. As I read on, I got increasingly frustrated by the numerous gaps in logic and the way that characters repeatedly behaved in ways that simply made no sense.
The book has an original storyline and the Icelandic setting also gives it added interest. However the early momentum is lost as the plot's complexity requires lengthy explanations, which bog it down. It's also worth noting that the book was originally written in Icelandic. The translation is occasionally clunky (such as the use of the word "patronymic" by an American soldier when "surname" or "last name" would be far more likely to be used).
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Long before there were Erlender and Sigurdur Oll, Arnaldur Indridason wrote this imaginative novel. In fact, it was copyrighted a decade ago, and only now has been published in Great Britain and Canada. (U.S. publication is scheduled for the fall of 2011, and the next Reykjavic Murder Mystery, "Outrage," is to be published in the UK in 2011.) It is a pity we have had to wait this long for an English translation of this work, but all the more reason to be grateful that that has now been done.
Just before the end of World War II a German bomber crashes on a large Icelandic glacier with American and German officers aboard. One of the senior German officers attempts to reach a nearby farm, while the others remain on the plane only to be buried by a blizzard and ice; then he disappears as well.
Over 50 years later, after a few failed attempts to find the plane by U.S. intelligence, they are finally successful, and a secret mission is undertaken to remove the plane and its contents.. Coincidentally, two young Icelanders on the glacier in a training mission spot the Americans and are captured, one killed and the other seriously injured. Before the capture, one of the men had contacted his sister, Kristin. She undertakes to discover the truth of her brother's fate, placing herself in danger in the process.
The tense plot follows Kristin as she challenges the Americans in an effort to find out what happened to her brother, leading her on an arduous journey to learn the facts of Operation Napoleon. The descriptions of the various elements of the story are overwhelming: the freezing weather, the subterfuge of the Americans, the divergent views of Icelanders vis-à-vis relations with United States authorities, and other conflicts. Written with a sharpness to which we have become accustomed from this author, the novel is highly recommended.
Just before the end of World War II a German bomber crashes on a large Icelandic glacier with American and German officers aboard. One of the senior German officers attempts to reach a nearby farm, while the others remain on the plane only to be buried by a blizzard and ice; then he disappears as well.
Over 50 years later, after a few failed attempts to find the plane by U.S. intelligence, they are finally successful, and a secret mission is undertaken to remove the plane and its contents.. Coincidentally, two young Icelanders on the glacier in a training mission spot the Americans and are captured, one killed and the other seriously injured. Before the capture, one of the men had contacted his sister, Kristin. She undertakes to discover the truth of her brother's fate, placing herself in danger in the process.
The tense plot follows Kristin as she challenges the Americans in an effort to find out what happened to her brother, leading her on an arduous journey to learn the facts of Operation Napoleon. The descriptions of the various elements of the story are overwhelming: the freezing weather, the subterfuge of the Americans, the divergent views of Icelanders vis-à-vis relations with United States authorities, and other conflicts. Written with a sharpness to which we have become accustomed from this author, the novel is highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
fairly entertaining read as long as you're prepared to suspend your...
Operation Napoleon was originally published in Icelandic in 1999, Indridason's third book after the first two, as yet untranslated, Detective Erlendur novels. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Rob Kitchin
reader
Reguardless what has been writen good or bad it is the indivual that choose the book and read it from cover to cover. Read more
Published 1 month ago by reader
A new translation by a professional translator might reveal a much...
This book is promising and is possibly much better than it now appears to be as it is marred by a truly awful translation. Read more
Published 3 months ago by MW
Far from his best
Lacks the strong characterisation of his Erlendur novels and their understated tone and procedural rigour. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Blockhead
"It might have been better if the glacier had held onto the plane...
Reading this recently translated 1999 novel by Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason feels much like reading a movie. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mary Whipple
A good yarn from start to end
Quite deliberately, i have not read any of the previous reviews, thus no bias can accrue! This is a good yarn from the beginning to the very last page. Read more
Published 7 months ago by G. D. Busby
Quite Different
Written over a decade ago but only recently translated into English 'Operation Napoleon' is quite different from what we have become accustomed to. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Toni Osborne
Good chase thriller, just ignore the plot
A gripping chase thriller, let down by an unbelievable plot. I really enjoyed seeing how the plucky heroine was going to escape from impossible situations each time and did find... Read more
Published 9 months ago by John Slaytor
Inspired!
I love Indridason's writing style. He has a way of making unusual and sometimes complex subjects very accessible to me. Read more
Published 9 months ago by G Kent
A Good Read
I really enjoyed this book and have passed copies on to friends and family. I think Indridason is an author who knows how to tell a good story. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Happy A
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