In this, the second book of his WWI series, Downing reprises two genuinely likable characters from the first book. And, because of each's flaws, they'In this, the second book of his WWI series, Downing reprises two genuinely likable characters from the first book. And, because of each's flaws, they're better together than they are apart. But, during this book, they're together perhaps two percent of the time. I object both to all the switching back and forth as well the lost plot opportunities were they together....more
Great peek into the little known naval battles of the Adriatic in WWI. Decent adventure, loosely based on the Italian sinking of the Austrian Viribus Great peek into the little known naval battles of the Adriatic in WWI. Decent adventure, loosely based on the Italian sinking of the Austrian Viribus Unitis Dreadnaught, and Battleship Wien, in harbor with a midget submarine, jury-rigged by strapping two sailors on live torpedoes. Those two acts ended the Austrian Navy offensive capabilities.
Book is filled with Reeman-esqe Royal Navy chair-sailors frustrating RN Commd'r Smith's task, and clumsy love interest-but a surprise twist. ...more
A sort of "Goodbye to All That" written first from the perspective of the French peasantry, then from two British officers. The first two segments covA sort of "Goodbye to All That" written first from the perspective of the French peasantry, then from two British officers. The first two segments cover very nearly the same events--only the first third is narrated by a French woman, the second third by and Englishman. All but the first third of the book is long out of print, probably because of the extended, out-of-date racial theory discussion in the third part. Which is a shame; ignoring that, the female narrator of the first third is a quite a character. (The first third, published as Spanish Farm, is on Kindle.)
"He taught the three arts of war, so much more necessary than musketry, field engineering or tactics: Wrangling, Scrounging, and Winning.
Wrangling was the art of obtaining one's just due by unfair means. For instance, every officer and man in the B.E.F. had allotted daily rations, his camp or billet, his turn for leave. In practice, to get these necessities, it was well to know the man who provided them and do him some small service. …
Scrounging could be defined as obtaining that to which one had not a shadow of a claim by unfair means. … It was simply done. You walked around whistling, with your hands in your pockets and a cigarette in your mouth, until you saw what you wanted, and then took it.…
Wrangling is known in peacetime. Scrounging was a necessity of war. There was another Art that was more truly an Art than either of these. This was the Art of Winning. It may be defined as Stealing. More fully, it was the Art of obtaining that which one has no right to, for the sake of obtaining it, for the joy of possession."
"He had long found that the great art of war lay not in killing Germans, but in killing time."
"He roughed out the area between the "front" of that date and the Rhine, supposing for the sake of argument that we went no farther, and divided this by the area gained, on an average, at the Somme, Vimy and Messiness. The result he multiplied by the time taken to prepare and fight those offensives, averaged again. The result he got was that, allowing for no setbacks, and provided the pace could be maintained, we should arrive at the Rhine in one hundred and eighty years."
"There was nothing consciously, offensively military about the Colonel, "regular" or professional soldier that he was. He would never have swaggered in Alsace, massacred in Tripoli, Dreyfused in France. He would never have found it necessary. For Colonel Birchin was not a state official. He was an officer of the watch, the small band of paid soldiers that Stuart and subsequent kings kept to defend themselves from mobs, national armies and other inconvenients."
"After years of effort and sacrifice, Dormer remained a stranger in France. He might know parts of it tolerably well, speak its language fairly, fight beside its soldiers, could feel a good deal of intelligent admiration for its people and institutions, but nothing would ever make him French. It would perhaps have been easier to assimilate him into Germany."...more
Just barely four stars. The main character, McColl, isn't as convincing, isn't as fleshed out, as the lead in Downing's "Station" series. The book meaJust barely four stars. The main character, McColl, isn't as convincing, isn't as fleshed out, as the lead in Downing's "Station" series. The book meanders a bit, like old fashioned luggage covered with city stamps, before any plot is presented. Eventually, plot -- and central conflict -- arrive. It's just that neither is hugely believable. McColl works for Cumming, and mentions Sidney Reilly several times--alas, McColl (and, I guess, Downing) are no Sidney Reilly.
Yet, it's an enjoyable read and clearly the first of a War 1 spy series. I certainly would read the next....more
Nooilforpacifists
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world-war-one-fiction
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