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Jack Higgins

PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2006 2:36 pm
by Matbow
Planning on buying "Eye of the Storm"...anyone read one of his books?

PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2006 3:24 pm
by Monsoon
I've read loads of them, but this is definitely an author who i have long since fallen out of love with. I think his earlier books were better mainly because they were much more varied. However like a lot of authors he has in recent years just stuck with the same set of characters who get wrapped up in pretty much the same set of plots with a stereotype baddie for book after book.
It also seems to me that the books have got smaller over the years and are simply churned out for financial purposes rather than to write a great novel. Although he must be loaded anyway so it is probably the publishers who are driving the bandwagon along in this way. It's not as though the books are cheaper either, i think the hardbacks retail at a similar price to other hardbacks but are a damn sight thinner!
Now having said all that..Eye of the storm, i think this is the first of a long line of books about Sean Dillon, and trying not to give anything away i think it was based on a true story locally but during the time of the first Gulf war. Probably not a bad book to read but the books that follow are all too easy to predict.
My favourite Higgins books are the renowned 'Eagle has landed', Cold Harbour and a book he wrote as Harry Patterson called The Valhalla Exchange.

PostPosted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 8:35 am
by daveshow
I have read a few of his books including eye of the storm and i have to say its a good read!

PostPosted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 12:07 pm
by WSI
read just one, don't ask me which. For me not above average - plain fare

PostPosted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 11:09 am
by Jester
Most of the earlier Jack Higgins books were very good. It is only with the use of the "Sean Dillon" character that I have found them lacking in invention. Every story now is almost identical to the previous one and having faithfully read all (or almost all) his books I cannot now bring myself to read any more of them.

PostPosted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 1:39 pm
by Penitent
Higgins was fantastic in the 70s and 80s. Lately he seems to write the same book over and over again. But any book of his early years is a decent read.

Specially "The Eagle has Landed" This may be considered one of the blue prints of the WWII Thriller sib-genre.

PostPosted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 2:15 pm
by Matbow
I actually bought myself the classic Jack Higgins box set just before xmas for the bargainous price of £7! I've just started "Eye of the Storm" so I'll let you guys know how I'm going!

PostPosted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 2:58 pm
by Son of the Silver Fox
Eagle has landed was great, haven't tried any others.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:06 pm
by Matbow
I've just about finished the box set and as mentioned elsewhere I too am finding the books very formulaic. There's nearly always an escape in an aeroplane and they all love bushmills whiskey!

Probably won't bother buying anymore...

PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:29 pm
by Penitent
I Have started "The Eagle Has Flown" this week. The sequel to "The eagle has landed". I will let everybody know if it is a "worthy" sequel.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:46 pm
by Connors
I have "Eagle Has Landed", its an amazing read.

I also have a copy of its sequel but just haven't had the time to read it yet. I'll wait for Penitent's review of it.

PostPosted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:36 am
by Monsoon
I read it a long time ago so my memory of it is now a bit hazy. I enjoyed it but it was not so good as 'Eagle has Landed' but it was deffo better than the books he's been writing in the last few years.

PostPosted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:08 pm
by Penitent
I finished “The Eagle has Flown” today. I have to agree with Monsoon, not as good as the original. But I still enjoyed it. The story starts where “The Eagle has Landed” left it and my favorite character the Irishman Liam Devlin is back. It has a couple of good twists and it is a very fast read. Perfect for a couple of rainy afternoons.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:43 pm
by Penitent
I just finished reading “Storm Warning”; another entry on the WWII sub-genre that Higgins does so well. This was written back in the seventies; his best period. It is about a sailboat full of German nationals crossing the Atlantic at the end of the war from Brazil to Germany. In the end people on opposite sides come together to achieve a common goal; save those in need and peril fighting an implacable foe – The Sea.

Re: Jack Higgins

PostPosted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 3:02 am
by tedd
I've read two or three of Higgins books and although I think he has a great story line I feel that he abbreviates his books so much that they just seem like outlines that need a lot of filling in with some description to make them into a readable and reasonable length book. They are just not satisfying!!!