Author Topic: Biggles, Britain's Greatest Pulp Hero? (Read 13358 times)

Etranger · « **on:** 08 July 2006, 12:31:51 PM »

Not just for the children, with a plot worthy of the finest Pulp:

Biggles and Algy go to visit Biggles' Uncle. Biggles ... when he was a toddler called his father's brother, Dick, 'Dickpa' ....... [They] find Dickpa's house in a state of siege. Whilst exploring in Brazil, Dickpa had struck the trail of some ancient treasure, but his villainous porters found out and turned against him. Escaping to England, they have followed him and have him trapped in his own house. Biggles escapes from the house with a plan.

Returning with a rented aircraft, Dickpa and Algy are rescued from the house and ....... they all travel to South America on a treasure hunt. They have bought a plane and shipped it out ....... Arriving at Manaos, ..... they find trouble. Dickpa is arrested and thrown into jail by a corrupt official. Biggles gets him out, with the help of Algy and Smyth and they make a getaway in their amphibian aircraft, ...... the 'Condor'.

Suffering a magneto failure, Biggles is forced to land on the river. Here, they are caught up by the current and swept towards the falls. Smyth manages to fix the problem in time for Biggles to fly off the falls ......

Landing, Biggles goes off to explore. When he returns, Indians have captured the rest of the crew ..... Trailing after them ...... Biggles uses flares to scare the Indians away ....... the adventurers travel to where Dickpa has previously found gold in a cave. Here they find that there has been a rock fall and they have to spend time clearing it. On the return journey, they are shocked to see another plane - the villains.....

Returning to the 'Condor', they find it has gone! Guessing that the baddies have spotted ....... tow[ed] it away, Biggles realises that it must be down river. Crossing the Amazon on a Balsa raft ...... Biggles is able to get them transport. Biggles, Algy, Dickpa and Smyth find the 'Condor' and steal it back.

..... Next morning they ...... are attacked by ants. Returning to Dickpa's cave, there is an earthquake and everybody is trapped inside. Smashing their way through a man made wall, a path is found that eventually leads to the top of a plateau. Here they find a vast crater and in it, an old long lost city. Here, the bodies of the long dead inhabitants remain and eventually a huge room filled with a fabulous treasure is found.

Taking a few portable items, they plan to return to the 'Condor' and fly up and land on the plateau. Biggles is the first to cross a precarious bridge ...... when an earthquake strikes and he is lucky to make it to the other side ...... Embarking on a dangerous journey alone, Biggles is attacked by a huge bird ......and has to survive numerous perils ..... [to reach the plane]

Biggles lands on the plateau ...... to load the treasure and fly to Bolivia. However, ...... the volcano ..... erupts

Flying away ...... they are then attacked by the baddies plane. ...... armed with a machine gun and Biggles has no armaments. Algy uses an oil drum as a missile and brings the enemy plane down.

Flying to Bolivia, the 'Condor' becomes fog bound and .... Biggles has to make a forced landing. Surviving this, Dickpa notices the strange ore in the rocks where they have crash landed. They have discovered silver! .....

Edited from http://www.biggles.info/ The Cruise of the Condor. Plenty more Pulp plot where that comes from.

Howard Whitehouse · « **Reply #1 on:** 08 July 2006, 01:29:46 PM »

I read this book when I was ten, along with about fifty others in the Biggles series. It made me the man I am today.

Not that that's necessarily a good thing --- :

:

Prof.Witchheimer · « **Reply #2 on:** 08 July 2006, 01:48:34 PM »

sounds great, unfortunately i didnt read anything about Biggles, i will give him a try. And now i know who is this mini...

Is the movie good?

Prof. Dietrich Hes · « **Reply #3 on:** 08 July 2006, 01:54:33 PM »

Howard,
Reading Biggles books makes you short?

Glad I havent read them

Etranger · « **Reply #4 on:** 08 July 2006, 02:28:06 PM »

Yes, I had that figure in mind when I initially posted. Haven't seen the movie so can't comment on it.

Howard Whitehouse · « **Reply #5 on:** 08 July 2006, 02:37:00 PM »

Steve, reading Biggles apparently makes you short, and near sighted, and likely to play blues harmonica, paint figures and write children's adventure books.

Actually the last part might be correct. I'd certainly be happy if 50 of my books could one day be found on a library shelf!

Prof.Witchheimer · « **Reply #6 on:** 08 July 2006, 02:44:05 PM »

Howard, is that written by you? Unfortunately not translated in german, my daughter don't speak english

Operator5 · « **Reply #7 on:** 08 July 2006, 02:50:22 PM »

Sadly, I am lacking in my knowledge of Biggles (which could explain why I'm tall, with excellent vision and have never written a children's book --- though I have edited quite a few).

I must rectify that. I do agree, that based on the evidence, he may be the greatest of the British Pulp Adventurers, but I think I'm still a Saint or Nayland Smith man myself.

Rich

Prof. Dietrich Hes · « **Reply #8 on:** 08 July 2006, 03:21:28 PM »

Alex,
Yes, our Howard wrote that book.

Prof.Witchheimer · « **Reply #9 on:** 08 July 2006, 05:38:06 PM »

Quote from: "Etranger"

Biggles, Britain's Greatest Pulp Hero?

It seems so, i've found a Biggles yahoo group, it contains about 30000 (!!)posts.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Biggles

And Biggles' greatest opponent is the German spy officer Erich von Stalhein. I like that name, will use it for my pulp german staff

Erich von Stalhein:

Howard Whitehouse · « **Reply #10 on:** 10 July 2006, 04:53:36 AM »

The German publisher Dressler's will be translating 'The Strictest School' into German (they've just signed a deal with my publisher here), but I have no idea how long that takes to happen. Or, indeed, how a translater turns the very odd dialects of some of my characters into another language - is there a German equivalent to a Yorkshire accent and idiom, or a Georgia drawl? There must be ---

Prof.Witchheimer · « **Reply #11 on:** 10 July 2006, 11:40:46 AM »

Quote from: "Howard Whitehouse"

The German publisher Dressler's will be translating 'The Strictest School' into German (they've just signed a deal with my publisher here), but I have no idea how long that takes to happen. Or, indeed, how a translater turns the very odd dialects of some of my characters into another language - is there a German equivalent to a Yorkshire accent and idiom, or a Georgia drawl? There must be ---

no idea how the Yorkshire accent sounds but I can imagine the translator will assign it to one of the german dialects (like Swabian or Bavarian or another). Please let us know if the german book will be released!

KeyanSark · « **Reply #12 on:** 11 July 2006, 10:15:04 PM »

Although I'm spanish, I remember reading Biggles' adventures as a kid. In fact, I was thinking in him when I painted my Copplestone pilot...

Barry S · « **Reply #13 on:** 27 July 2006, 03:08:48 PM »

I just thought I would share my first 15mm human sculpt, (my only human sculpt in fact), which because of this thread, is based on the Biggles that was given away by Wargames Illustrated. Sorry for the poor image.

I know there is some improving to do and there are aspects I'm not pleased with but over all I'm happy.

I was fortunate enough to be given all my Uncles Biggles books from his childhood.

Cheers,

Barry

Barry S · « **Reply #14 on:** 27 July 2006, 03:37:44 PM »

I apologise for not displaying the miniature. For some reason I can't seem to get it to work......

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