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Product Description
It is the summer of 1916 and, as luck would have it, Otto is assigned to the nascent, unreliable, and utterly frightening Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Flying Service. Ottto's aerial chauffeur is the self-willed Sergeant-Pilot Toth, with whom he can only communicate in broken Latin - although when all else fails, screaming will suffice! On the ground the rickety Habsburg Empire begins to crumble before the onslaught of WWI, while in the air Otto confronts a series of misadventures and the winds of change.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It is 1916 and Otto Prohaska, loyal officer in the Austro-Hungarian navy, is having a successful war. His exploits as a U-boat captain in the Mediterranean have gained him elevation to the status or Ritter von Prohaska, Knight of the Military Order of Maria-Theresa, and he has also won the heart and hand of a beautiful Hungarian countess. But all is not well. The Germans, Austria's allies, have decided that his recent exploits include the sinking by mistake of one of their submarines, and they want something done about him. The authorities have to take some action, but are not going to sacrifice a war hero. So a hurried transfer is in order, and as Prohaska has a pilot's licence, he finds himself transferred to the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Flying Service on the hotly-contested Italian front, where nature in the form of the Alps adds a further harsh dimension to the savagery of First World War combat.
The result is another excellent book on Biggins' all-too-short (only four volumes) account of the fascinating career and society of Otto Prohaska in a world now vanished for ever. The research is, as always, meticulous, the detail impressive, and the writing first rate. The nature of aviation and aerial combat in these early years of flying is brought to life. As always, Prohaska's wry humour and insight (the books are told as his memoir, recorded in old age) bring light to what might otherwise be a dark and tragic tale.
I heartily recommend all four Prohaska novels to anyone interested in historical or military fiction.
The result is another excellent book on Biggins' all-too-short (only four volumes) account of the fascinating career and society of Otto Prohaska in a world now vanished for ever. The research is, as always, meticulous, the detail impressive, and the writing first rate. The nature of aviation and aerial combat in these early years of flying is brought to life. As always, Prohaska's wry humour and insight (the books are told as his memoir, recorded in old age) bring light to what might otherwise be a dark and tragic tale.
I heartily recommend all four Prohaska novels to anyone interested in historical or military fiction.
Format:Paperback
Another superb read from John Biggins who is a real master of plotting and fascinating historical detail which encompasses not just run of the mill history (persons, dates , events etc) but also aero, naval and engineering detail. One really feels part of the story.
My only criticism of this story, the fourth (and hopefully not the last) in the series is that the reader does not learn what happened to Otto's pregnant wife! Is his child delivered safely? We should be told!
My only criticism of this story, the fourth (and hopefully not the last) in the series is that the reader does not learn what happened to Otto's pregnant wife! Is his child delivered safely? We should be told!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
7 reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
biggins best to date
1 Feb 2007
Format:Paperback
The third Otto Prohaska novel in John Biggins' acclaimed fictional series is a good deal better than his first; it is in fact excellent historical fiction. Biggins' character Otto Prohaska in this case covers the five months he spends in the Austro-Hungarian air force flying over the hellish Isonzo front with Italy, involved in photographic espionage and recon, desultory bombing runs, and various special tasks. Along the way he deals with incompetent and cowardly commanders, gallant and honorable (or not) foes and compatriots, the Emperor as well as mutineers, and all the fun and games of flying highly erratic and dangerous contraptions in every kind of weather.
Biggins has only gotten better at showing us the collapse of the venerable but decaying Empire, besieged from the outside and rotting from the inside. The languages, the regulations and meaningless red tape, the starvation and shortages caused by the war and the blockade - they are all there, presented with stark clarity and empathy. The horrors of war, constant suffering and death in causes both noble and less so, are another constant theme. In the end there remains some room for personal honor and even humor. One great quote which can summarize much of Biggins/Prohaska's viewpoint reads, "The truth of the matter is that two world wars were, for Europe, nothing but a vast experiment in negative Darwinism, in which the best died and the worst survived to breed."
Biggins has also done outstanding research on all types of WW1 aircraft, ships, weapons, etc., and the reader is amazed at the detail effortlessly presented in the book.
Of course for many readers the future WW2 will hover in the background as well; various characters in Biggins' account of the First carry within them the seeds of the very worst features of the Second, from the death camps, racism and nationalism, to wholesale bombing of civilians and the destruction of entire cities.
Biggins' characters are better and more fully drawn, the story lines hangs together better, the dialogue is tighter and the situations are all more interesting than in A Sailor of Austria. For current historical fiction, The Two Headed Eagle is an outstanding read and highly recommended.
Biggins has only gotten better at showing us the collapse of the venerable but decaying Empire, besieged from the outside and rotting from the inside. The languages, the regulations and meaningless red tape, the starvation and shortages caused by the war and the blockade - they are all there, presented with stark clarity and empathy. The horrors of war, constant suffering and death in causes both noble and less so, are another constant theme. In the end there remains some room for personal honor and even humor. One great quote which can summarize much of Biggins/Prohaska's viewpoint reads, "The truth of the matter is that two world wars were, for Europe, nothing but a vast experiment in negative Darwinism, in which the best died and the worst survived to breed."
Biggins has also done outstanding research on all types of WW1 aircraft, ships, weapons, etc., and the reader is amazed at the detail effortlessly presented in the book.
Of course for many readers the future WW2 will hover in the background as well; various characters in Biggins' account of the First carry within them the seeds of the very worst features of the Second, from the death camps, racism and nationalism, to wholesale bombing of civilians and the destruction of entire cities.
Biggins' characters are better and more fully drawn, the story lines hangs together better, the dialogue is tighter and the situations are all more interesting than in A Sailor of Austria. For current historical fiction, The Two Headed Eagle is an outstanding read and highly recommended.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Otto Takes to the Air
28 Aug 2007
Format:Paperback
John Biggins' books dealing with the character, Otto Prohaska, have been a delight to read and this one is no exception. The conscientious Habsburg naval officer has served as a U-Boat commander, secret agent and almost savior of the Archduke Ferdinand in pervious installments. In this one, he takes to the air as a combat pilot. All of this would seem ludicrous to many serving officers but, Biggins makes it believable.
Part of the charm of these books is that the protagonist is a basically good guy. He is employed by a decaying empire teetering on the brink of collapse but still tries to serve as best he can. All too often, his efforts are thwarted by the agents of the bureaucracy.
Like the others, this is a fascinating book. It is not only enjoyable, it gives a glimpse of the reasons for the internal decay of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Part of the charm of these books is that the protagonist is a basically good guy. He is employed by a decaying empire teetering on the brink of collapse but still tries to serve as best he can. All too often, his efforts are thwarted by the agents of the bureaucracy.
Like the others, this is a fascinating book. It is not only enjoyable, it gives a glimpse of the reasons for the internal decay of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
A singular series
16 Feb 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I stumbled on A Sailor of Austria several years ago and loved it. Looking for other books in the series, I discovered they were all out of print and even used copies were rare. I was excited to acquire a copy of The Emperor's Coloured Coat but it was something of a let-down. Fortunately, all the books in the Otto Prohaska series now seem to be available, thanks to McBooks. The Two-Headed Eagle is, like all of Biggins' books, very well written, intelligent, funny and extremely detailed concerning the Austro-Hungarian empire, its military, and the first world war. It is hard to come away from them with any faith in government or the military or any enthusiasm for war. But we do learn that some individuals can rise above the absurd - or at least learn to deal with it. It is a singular series in that no one writes anything quite like this. In spite of that, the story did drag for me, as it did in the Emperor's Coloured Coat, neither of which quite measured up to A Sailor of Austria in my view.
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