Review of Hornet Flight by Ken Follett

Review of Hornet Flight

By Ken Follett

 

Hornet Flight is a fast-paced WWII spy thriller that centers on the adventures of Harald Olufson, an industrious, self-sacrificing Danish youth of eighteen, and a classic Scandinavian blond with an ingrained love of tinkering with engines and getting things to work. It is this particular characteristic that drives the story forward. Harald is about to undertake a serious mission for the Allies that will have serious repercussions for the war effort. Harald must deliver sensitive photos of an ultra-secret German radar tower located on the Jutland Peninsula to England by flying a dusty, broken-down old Hornet Moth biplane across the North Sea. And all without flying lessons. Along the way, we meet many interesting, well-developed characters such as Reverend Olufson, his stern Evangelical Lutheran father, Peter Fleming, the fascist and frustrated police detective, and Hermia Mount, the courageous MI6 operative who is also in love with Harald's brother.

At times, the action is told through the point of view of Harald, other times, it is throught the lens of Peter Fleming or Hermia Mount, giving us greater insight into their characters. But there is no question that the readers are pulling for Harald, who is a hero right up to the end. The action sequences are pure Follett, riveting and breath-taking. We experience undercover police surveillances all across Denmark, police interrogations, dangerous flight sequences, and the riveting power struggles between Harald and his father, Harald and Peter, and Harald and his female counterpart, the Danish-Jewish ballerina, Karen Duchwitz. But readers are also introduced to the brave men and women of the Danish resistance, who made enormous sacrifices to undermine the Nazi invaders and the sympathizers among them.

But above all, Hornet Flight is a testimony to the bravery of ordinary citizens who fought back against Fascism and refused to back down in the face of overwhelming odds. I wholeheartedly recommend "Hornet Flight" for its superb depiction of bravery under pressure, courage under fire, and love amidst the despair of war.

--Sophie Schiller

Top Ten Ingredients of Favourite Historical Fiction

by Mary Tod (http://awriterofhistory.com/2012/11/13/top-ten-ingredients-of-hf/)

In his book Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century’s Biggest Bestsellers, James W. Hall sets out twelve ingredients that drive bestsellers to the top of the charts. I’ve written about Hit Lit in three separate posts: Thoughts from Hit Lit, More Features of Hit Lit, and Hit Lit – the Final Six Features. According to Hall, best sellers incorporate the following: (1) an offer you can’t refuse, (2) controversy of the day, (3) colossal characters doing magnificent things on a sweeping stage, (4) America as paradise, (5) an abundance of facts and information, (6) inner workings of a secret society, (7) bumpkins versus city slickers, (8) God sells, (9) re-enactment of American national myths, (10) rebels, loners, misfits and mavericks, (11) fractured families and (12) sex.
Do the same ingredients apply to historical fiction? This is the question I’ve been deliberating for the last two weeks and I have some preliminary thoughts. I would be grateful for your feedback.
To come up with this list, I’ve analyzed interviews with top historical fiction authors (my own and others) and looked at reviews of their works in a number of forums. I’ve also looked for materials discussing the ‘popularity of historical fiction’. The survey I conducted last spring showed that the top three reasons people read historical fiction are to bring the past to life, to enjoy a great story and to understand and learn. Not surprisingly, these reasons are reflected in the ingredients that distinguish favourite authors and best selling historical fiction.
My analysis suggests the following critical ingredients.

1. Superb writing. Similar to Hall’s first feature – an offer you can’t refuse – this ingredient covers prose, pacing, emotional resonance, plot twists and entertainment value. Table stakes for high quality fiction of any genre.
2. Dramatic arc of historical events. In essence, successful authors are masters at finding and selecting what Hilary Mantel calls ‘the dramatic shape in real events’.
3. Characters both heroic and human. Readers want to experience famous figures as believable characters complete with doubts and flaws. Readers also seek stories showing every day people accomplishing heroic tasks in times so different from today.
4. Immersed in time and place. Activating all senses, authors like Sharon Kay Penman, Bernard Cornwell, Margaret George and others transport readers to another era from the very first paragraphs of their novels.
5. Corridors of power. Whether ancient Rome, Tudor England or the American Civil War, best selling novels expose the structure, corruption and machinations of monarchy, military, religion, law, nobility, and upper-class society.
6. Authentic and educational. Readers love to learn. The hallmark of a top historical fiction author is meticulous research followed by carefully chosen information to create a seamless blend of history and story.
7. Ageless themes. Instead of Hall’s ‘controversy of the day’, favourite historical fiction dramatizes thought-provoking themes that are as important today as they were long ago.
8. High stakes. Life, kingdoms, epic battles, fortunes, marriage, family. In historical fiction, characters risk on a grand scale.
9. Romance. Men and women from long ago rarely chose their partners. Love was often thwarted. Women were pawns. Favourite authors incorporate this type of conflict.
10. Dysfunctional families. Kings beheading their queens, brothers killing brothers, daughters betrothed at the age of six, incest, rivalry between father and son, wives banished or locked away – merely a few examples of dysfunctional family life that are the subjects of successful historical fiction.