Customer Reviews

The Eagle Has Flown: A Novel (G K Hall Large Print Book Series)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is the sequel to Higgins' earlier work "The Eagle has Landed," a story about a small group of German paratroopers sent to England in 1943 to kidnap Winston Churchill. It picks up just after "Landed."

Heirich Himmler charges one of his SS generals with putting together a plot to break out the only survivor of the first mission, Lt. Col. Steiner, who's being held as a POW in London. General Schellenberg recruits former IRA gunman Liam Devlin, now in Lisbon, to run the operation in England. Devlin succeeds, with the help of a pair of down-on-their-luck English fascist sympathizers and one of Devlin's old IRA sleeper contacts in London. There's also a subplot of an attempted SS coup against Hitler, and Devlin & company's attempt to thwart it.

This book isn't quite on par with "Landed," but is a good read nonetheless. If you read "Landed," then you'd probably enjoy this book, although it did leave the issue of what happened to the survivors unresolved at the end, which sticks in my craw a little bit. I would have liked it better if Higgins had extended the epilogue and wrapped everything up, but it seemed he was leaving the door open for a third book in the series. I did think it was interesting how Higgins framed most of the narrative: The prologue and epilogue were set in the present day, as though an aging Liam Devlin was telling the story to Higgins.

I thought the most interesting character was Captain Asa Vaughn, an American pilot who fought the Soviets for the Finns, but when the Finns allied with the Germans, was given a choice: the SS or a concentration camp. He joined the SS, with the condition that he only fights on the Eastern Front. He's ordered to fly into England and exfiltrate Devlin and Steiner. I would have liked Higgins to go into some more detail about Vaughn and what happened to him after the war; what did he do with the rest of his life? Did he ever go back to the States? Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait for Higgins to turn out the 3rd book to clear up this and my other questions.

If you liked "The Eagle has Landed," you like "The Eagle has Flown," but be prepared for some unresolved questions at the end.

A Review by Jace

The end of the Second World War is near, and Hitler is relentless. British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, had been kidnapped by a secret Nazi spy group and no one knows his exact location. Except for one man Kurtis Steiner who is being held prisoner by the British forces. Jack Higgins enters the story as a young historian who must now find the keys to unravel the secret mysteries of the Nazi army. He is sent on a mission to Ireland to find the closest link to Kurtis Steiner, but is unknowing of what he will find. Higgins must fight his way through chambers, dungeons and ward of enemy spies and troops. Higgins is in for the fight of his life and he is bringing you along for the ride.

This book is a masterpiece. It shows the true horror of war from a different stand point. Many war books show you a view from the U.S. but this book gives you a look from the British and Nazi sidelines. It also has a truckload of suspense. I was awake at night wondering what would happen next. My head was full of predictions and guesses of who was to die next, and what was behind that door. My hair was on end through the entire story. This book also brought along enough action for everybody, and had leftovers. Higgins challenges his mind against the mind of a Nazi general and henchman. Higgins challenges tanks and specially trained troops. This book is a work of art.

I would recommend this book to anybody who has read a bond book. This novel blows good old James out of the water. It has mystery, suspense, and action. I was left with my jaw on the floor. Higgins has left his heart in this book, which makes it worth the read.

I enjoyed the sequel to the Eagle has Landed. I thought it had many of the qualities, attributes, and certainly same style that made the Eagle has Landed a terrific read - fast, flowing, and tight. I have read a couple of Higgin's books in between the Eagle series, and hadn't really enjoyed them. But reading this book has made me want to read Higgins again.

As its prequel, Higgins introduced us to a variety of characters, some good, some bad, none perfect. There are parallels between most of the characters - the pilot, the blackmarketeering gangsters, the Nazi spies etc. The British were not as serendipitious in this case as before, though Ludlum did lead readers to think they might be. Devlin should have learnt not to leave live enemies behind, esp blackmarketeers. The ending though, was rather abrupt. Readers could have guessed that Himmler had something up his sleeve but I was disappointed when his real intent for the rescue of Steiner was not more sinister. OTOH, how his plots were discovered were just to ridiculous.

this is another superb ouiting by Higgins. Great fun all around. What an ending! very exciting!

A fast-paced sequel but lacking the depth of character and charm of the first one!

I loved this story, I especially like the way he mixes fact with fiction to make it seem so real.

Liam Devlin, Colonel Stiener and the SS are back in the sequel to the Eagle has Landed. Packed with more action than the first, filled to the brim with excitement and suspenese, this novel easily dwarfs its predesceor. So good, you will never want to put it down. You begin to know and befriend the characters and upon finishing the book, you feel a sense of loss. I highly recomend this book

Higgins has never let me down!!! Men's type of adventure in every book he has written or is writing! I will be a loyal fan of Mr. Higgins. His writing skills always shine through.

More information on Jack Higgins can be found at:

The Unofficial Jack Higgins Homepage

Http://www.scintilla.utwente.nl/users/gert/higgins