Friday, August 31

Book Review: Hornet Flight by Ken Follett

Author: Ken Follett
Title: Hornet Flight
Genre: Historical Fiction 
Pages: 420
Published: December 2nd 2002 
Where I Got It: Gift

It is June 1941 and the war is not going well for England.  Across the North Sea, eighteen-year-old Harald Olufsen takes a shortcut on the German-occupied Danish island of Sande an discovers an astonishing sight that will change the momentum of the war.  He must get word to England-except that he has no way to get there.  He has only an old derelict Hornet Moth biplane rusting away in a ruined church: a plane so decrepit that it is unlikely ever to get off the ground...even if Harald knew how to fly it.


I have heard of this author but I have never tried him out, so when my friend randomly gifted this to me, I was pretty excited. Plus WWII is always interesting. I always feel like I am learning something new. 

The story is set in 1941 and the war is not going well. England is pretty much alone and Germany is taking over everything. Things happen and Harald discovers something that can change everything. But how on Earth will he get this info out?

There were a lot of characters at play here. Harald, though, is the main character. I liked him, but I really did like Hermia and Karen. I found them more interesting. Harald was okay, but those two were the best I felt. 

The action was good but it take me a long while to really get into the story. The beginning started off quickly, but I did not connect with anyone right away. After a certain event, I became invested and was curious about how everything was going to be okay. The Nazis made it impossible for them for sure. 

There is a lot of description here and sometimes it did seem over-the-top and slowed down the narrative. However, there were times when we really needed it to understand the world and the characters. 

In the end, I did enjoy this. It took a while to get through but I was curious. I was worried how everything was going to be okay in the end. Nazis are worrisome like normal. Overall, I shall stamp this with 3 stars. Some over-description and slow spots, but I did like the story. Lots of action and a good set of characters.  





2 comments:

Blodeuedd said...

Yeah, I am not sure about this one

Carole Rae said...

Aye, I want to read another one by him. I hear the other ones are way better.