a stunning debut from a virtualy unkown author | A Sailor of Austria: In Which, Without Really Intending...

This edition/printing is seriously flawed | A Sailor of Austria: In Which, Without Really Intending to, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of ... | John Biggins

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	• A Sailor of Austria: In Which, Without Really Intending to, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of ... John Biggins McBooks Press, 2005 - 376 pages average customer review:based on 27 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Sailor of Austria

Both John Biggins and Ottokar Prohaska are to be treasured!! Biggins style is to educate the reader and keep him laughing at the same time - only George MacDonald Fraser and Flashman are rivals in this genre'. Biggins has made history memorable and taught me things that I did not think even existed. Good job, John....Good job!!

a stunning debut from a virtualy unkown author

I picked up this book about one month after I heard about it in the publishing companys catalog and I can without a moments hesitation say this is one of the best books I have ever read.Otto Prohaska is such a well written character he is a good and loyal person that serves with a passion a nation that has only caused him hardship and abandoned him.

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This edition/printing is seriously flawed

An interesting work, reminding one of Flashman. Entertaining and educational.

However, this edition/printing is seriously flawed. In no less than two copies I have purchased, the text stops at page 96, repeats pages 49--96, then skips ahead to page 145. Make sure that your copy does not have this prining error!

Addenum: a email to the Publisher got me very prompt and excellent service. See this Publisher's superb list of Naval Fiction!

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A Sailor of Austria

Very good reading if one is into this type of reading. I would also recommend John Biggins other books featuring Otto Probaska.I would suggest reading A Sailor of Austria as the first book,then the others fall into place nicely.To myself it was an A+.

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What a pleasant discovery

I've always been confused by the Sound of Music. Why would a land-locked country like Austria need a naval captain? This, and many other little-known aspects of the first world war are explored in this extraordinary novel.

Set primarily in the Adriatic sea during world war I, the story follows the career of naval officer Otto Prohaska. The Balkan coast at that time was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Prohaska, a native of Czechoslovakia, also a part of the empire at that time, experiences a series of adventures which are in turn, poignantly tragic and laugh out loud hilarious. Biggins weaves a story full of pastiches and events which are fascinating if only because the setting is relatively unknown here in the west.

However, what makes this novel succeed is not simply a well-researched, skillfully written story about an interesting subject. That would simply be a Tom Clancy-style book. What elevates this to the Patrick O'Brian level is the depth of the protagonist's character. Dismayed by the decay of the Hapsburg dynasty, he clings to the structure provided by the military life. That contributes greatly to the richness that makes this book such a rewarding read.

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In this ironic, hilarious, and poignant story, Otto Prohaska is a submarine captain serving the almost-landlocked Austro-Hungarian Empire. He faces a host of unlikely circumstances, from petrol poisoning to exploding lavatories to trigger-happy Turks. All signs point to the total collapse of the bloated empire he serves, but Otto refuses to abandon the Habsburgs in their hour of need.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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