Flight of Eagles – Jack Higgins – Book Review

Goodreads blurb: In the early days of World War II, nations were forced to choose sides in the epic battle that would change history forever. But for two brothers, fate had already made the choice. Separated as boys, Max and Harry Kelso have grown up to become ace fighter pilots — Max with the German Luftwaffe and Harry in Britain’s RAF. Now, the machinery of war has set in motion an intrigue so devious, so filled with peril, that it will require them to question everything they know, everything they hold most dear: their lives, their families, their loyalties. Against impossible odds, it is their courage alone that will decide the course of the war…

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From my teenage years I have been a big fan of World War 2 stories, more so when they involved points of view from both sides of the war like this book Flight of Eagles by Jack Higgins does. It therefore goes without saying that I quite enjoyed the book. Although it must be said that this was the first WW-II novel that I have read and all of my exposure to such stories so far was via the Commando and its affiliated series of comics.

That being said, the yarn that the author spins with this book, of twin brothers separated during their teenage years, fighting for opposing airforces with their stories following an eerily similar pattern as far as their flying career goes makes for interesting reading. With a shared love for flying, courtesy their fighter pilot father, Max and Harry Kelso quickly make a name for themselves in their respective fighting units and rise among the ranks amassing as many medals and honors as they can.

While Max and his mother Elsa get embroiled on the wrong side of the Nazis and the Gestapo, Harry falls in love and his life is not without its own fair share of worries; all this apart from the raging war that is going on around them. How their lives become interesting and intriguingly intertwined and how the fact that they are twins is tried to be used by the ‘powers that be’ form the interesting climax of this book.

The author Jack Higgins himself is a war veteran and therefore leaves his indelible stamp on the book itself. While he has let his fantasy fly a little bit when it comes to a few plot points, overall the book makes for good reading.

Click here to purchase the book from Flipkart [Link] or Amazon [Link].

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Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers in return for a honest and unbiased review.