Biggles Charter Pilot
Jan. 28th, 2024 08:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rosanicusI can't say that the experience of reading this was entirely without problems. However, it was also full of bizarre and wonderful insanity. So here is my power ranking of all the short stories in lieu of an overall review. I will say that the connecting tissue of Ginger telling the stories to various members of 666 Squadon was consistently my favourite part, because it's so fun getting to see them in a bit of downtime as opposed to the go go go action of something like Spitfire Parade.
1. The Adventure of the Enchanted Island
Well obviously BIG CRAB is going to be high on this list. I really liked the almost scientific nature of this story, with the megafauna from deep in the ocean splitting open from the lack of pressure at sea level. I also obviously liked the decapod. This was my first Johnsian decapod and I look forward to more, if only because the recent discussion of oviposition in my comments has me predisposed to cracky filth. This is all YOUR fault.
2. The Adventure of the Inquisitive Dodos
Just good clean fun all around. I wish Dr Duck had managed to bring his dodo back to England and lavish affection on it because that's what I'd like to do to one of these huge stupid birds.
3. The Adventure of the Horticultural Hermits
Absolutely insane concept on many levels, which obviously makes it incredible. The whole idea of a bunch of priests who are just supernaturally good at botany is amazing and the super fast growing vines almost destroying the Wanderer was an excellent denouement.
4. The Adventure of the Luminous Lily
The science of this is COMPLETE nonsense and I adored that about it. The fact the flowers have no bulbs and are instead apparently spontaneously generated by a big old pit full of carnivorous worms is exactly what I wanted from Charter Pilot and you may quote me on that.
5. The Adventure of the Counterfeit Crusaders
While this story has a none zero racism quotient which I did NOT appreciate, it also has a secret Nazi spy organisation operating in disguise as a lost settlement of 13th century Crusaders who worship St George instead of God. Which was amazing. As was Biggles refusing to dress up not only because he "has a horror of dressing up" (not true, I've read Biggles & Co) but also because he had SMELLED A RAT. Very excellent hijinks.
6. The Adventure of the Patagonian Giants
They all grow to nine feet tall and almost destroy the Wanderer with their newfound superhuman strength after being fed some soup. The soup-er serum is made of moss and mussels cooked together. This is the sort of Charter Pilot story which I will use in the future to justify literally any nonsense trope I want.
7. The Adventure of the Purple Cloud
I liked the concept of this one more than the execution I think. Also the solution being airborne pesticide spraying is interesting, I've just done some cursory research (read some of the Wikipedia page on DDT) and found out that pesticides were used like this during WW2 to prevent the spread of malaria and other insect-borne diseases. It seems like WEJ had his finger on the pulse here.
8. The Adventure of the Haunted Creek
I absolutely loved the resolution of this story and I enjoyed the setting but as is unfortunately common in this book the setup of the mystery involved some casual racism against Aboriginal people. At least I got the joy of remembering a video I saw recently where a crow sang a little song.
9. The Adventure of the Musty Mammoth
Much more boring than a story about Ginger almost dying from mammoth has any right to be. I think WEJ should've just gone whole hog and had a secret still-alive cadre of mammoths living in a cave system or something, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing in this book by a long shot.
10. The Adventure of the Oxidised Grotto
Just sort of boring really. I enjoyed the description of the pure white cave with its many pure white animals but I can't say it linked up very clearly with the idea of orichalcum. Like are we just saying that orichalcum is lithium levels of reactive.
11. The Adventure of the Golden Shirts
That shark should've eaten more East India Company employees. Shark was slacking off.
12. The Adventure of the Silent Death
This one has a fantastic premise and some excellent insane non-science about evolution. However it also features perhaps the most staggeringly racist statement in the entire book, so here it languishes in the quarantine zone. It's a shame really because swarming bloodsucking bats that hypnotise you first is exactly the sort of insanity I enjoy.
13. The Adventure of the Abominable Caveman
Okay so I enjoyed the reveal that the "caveman" was actually a guy in a costume, and even that the reason for the deception was to make way for a seal clubbing operation. But it was still just not very good was it.
14. The Adventure of the Crooning Crocodile
This one has a fun reveal (crocodile turns out to be a guy in a crocodile skin) but as noted we are below the racist event horizon and cannot excuse Everything About It Really. The whole book has a really unfortunate tendency to uncritically portray non-white people as inherently gullible or foolish and in need of "guiding" by our heroes, which is just bullshit innit.
15. The Adventure of the Green Horse
Can we retire the word troglodyte from existence please.
16. The Adventure of the Suspicious Volcano
Nothing supernatural or exciting in this one, just a wildly racist depiction of the villain and various Mexican characters who show up and do mischief like throwing bricks at Biggles' head. Also the twist was extremely obvious so I was just waiting for it to be revealed rather than engaged in the "mystery". Not WEJ's worst perhaps but certainly down there.
1. The Adventure of the Enchanted Island
Well obviously BIG CRAB is going to be high on this list. I really liked the almost scientific nature of this story, with the megafauna from deep in the ocean splitting open from the lack of pressure at sea level. I also obviously liked the decapod. This was my first Johnsian decapod and I look forward to more, if only because the recent discussion of oviposition in my comments has me predisposed to cracky filth. This is all YOUR fault.
2. The Adventure of the Inquisitive Dodos
Just good clean fun all around. I wish Dr Duck had managed to bring his dodo back to England and lavish affection on it because that's what I'd like to do to one of these huge stupid birds.
3. The Adventure of the Horticultural Hermits
Absolutely insane concept on many levels, which obviously makes it incredible. The whole idea of a bunch of priests who are just supernaturally good at botany is amazing and the super fast growing vines almost destroying the Wanderer was an excellent denouement.
4. The Adventure of the Luminous Lily
The science of this is COMPLETE nonsense and I adored that about it. The fact the flowers have no bulbs and are instead apparently spontaneously generated by a big old pit full of carnivorous worms is exactly what I wanted from Charter Pilot and you may quote me on that.
5. The Adventure of the Counterfeit Crusaders
While this story has a none zero racism quotient which I did NOT appreciate, it also has a secret Nazi spy organisation operating in disguise as a lost settlement of 13th century Crusaders who worship St George instead of God. Which was amazing. As was Biggles refusing to dress up not only because he "has a horror of dressing up" (not true, I've read Biggles & Co) but also because he had SMELLED A RAT. Very excellent hijinks.
6. The Adventure of the Patagonian Giants
They all grow to nine feet tall and almost destroy the Wanderer with their newfound superhuman strength after being fed some soup. The soup-er serum is made of moss and mussels cooked together. This is the sort of Charter Pilot story which I will use in the future to justify literally any nonsense trope I want.
7. The Adventure of the Purple Cloud
I liked the concept of this one more than the execution I think. Also the solution being airborne pesticide spraying is interesting, I've just done some cursory research (read some of the Wikipedia page on DDT) and found out that pesticides were used like this during WW2 to prevent the spread of malaria and other insect-borne diseases. It seems like WEJ had his finger on the pulse here.
8. The Adventure of the Haunted Creek
I absolutely loved the resolution of this story and I enjoyed the setting but as is unfortunately common in this book the setup of the mystery involved some casual racism against Aboriginal people. At least I got the joy of remembering a video I saw recently where a crow sang a little song.
9. The Adventure of the Musty Mammoth
Much more boring than a story about Ginger almost dying from mammoth has any right to be. I think WEJ should've just gone whole hog and had a secret still-alive cadre of mammoths living in a cave system or something, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing in this book by a long shot.
10. The Adventure of the Oxidised Grotto
Just sort of boring really. I enjoyed the description of the pure white cave with its many pure white animals but I can't say it linked up very clearly with the idea of orichalcum. Like are we just saying that orichalcum is lithium levels of reactive.
11. The Adventure of the Golden Shirts
That shark should've eaten more East India Company employees. Shark was slacking off.
12. The Adventure of the Silent Death
This one has a fantastic premise and some excellent insane non-science about evolution. However it also features perhaps the most staggeringly racist statement in the entire book, so here it languishes in the quarantine zone. It's a shame really because swarming bloodsucking bats that hypnotise you first is exactly the sort of insanity I enjoy.
13. The Adventure of the Abominable Caveman
Okay so I enjoyed the reveal that the "caveman" was actually a guy in a costume, and even that the reason for the deception was to make way for a seal clubbing operation. But it was still just not very good was it.
14. The Adventure of the Crooning Crocodile
This one has a fun reveal (crocodile turns out to be a guy in a crocodile skin) but as noted we are below the racist event horizon and cannot excuse Everything About It Really. The whole book has a really unfortunate tendency to uncritically portray non-white people as inherently gullible or foolish and in need of "guiding" by our heroes, which is just bullshit innit.
15. The Adventure of the Green Horse
Can we retire the word troglodyte from existence please.
16. The Adventure of the Suspicious Volcano
Nothing supernatural or exciting in this one, just a wildly racist depiction of the villain and various Mexican characters who show up and do mischief like throwing bricks at Biggles' head. Also the twist was extremely obvious so I was just waiting for it to be revealed rather than engaged in the "mystery". Not WEJ's worst perhaps but certainly down there.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-28 12:58 pm (UTC)The science in the Space books is all on about the level of the red carnivorous high-speed worms (and isn't it great that I can write that sentence and it refers to an actual published book), and WEJ continues to be bizarrely fascinated with orichalcum, the Martians make stuff out of it.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-28 04:52 pm (UTC)I look forward to the Space books eventually! I find hard sci-fi hard to get into (haha) but hopefully the insanity of it will help.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-28 03:26 pm (UTC)And I wholeheartedly agree that the opening of each chapter with Ginger settling down to tell stories to the others is probably the best thing about the book, they're all such nice little snapshots <3
no subject
Date: 2024-01-28 04:55 pm (UTC)MORE 666 Squadron hanging out! MORE I say!! WEJ is so good at group dynamics, I really just need more of it forever.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-28 05:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-28 08:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-28 04:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-28 04:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-28 06:35 pm (UTC)All of this having the framework of Ginger storytelling to 666 Squadron delights me already. :D
And I agree with the comments - WEJ was wonderful at group dynamics.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-28 07:13 pm (UTC)The group dynamics are what brings me back to all his series I think, he really understands how to make everyone's voices distinct and still bounce off each other.