The Blue Max

Rating:
Summary: Add to your WW1 library - ranks with the best
Review: Don't be put off if you have seen the second rate film of the same name. This is a well written and serious book which explores the complex and terminal experiences of a German pilot in the last months of WW1.

Rating:
Summary: The Blue Max is worth the read
Review: I felt the book was very well written by Jack Hunter and his WWI aviation sketches in the book were a very nice companion to the story. The movie of the same name is completely different from the book. In the novel Bruno Stachel is a moody alcoholic who quest for the medal of his dreams. He is even more ruthless and unpredictable than the actor George Peppard portrayed as the character in the movie. The Willie Von Kulgermann, Otto Hiedelmann and Katie Von Klugermann chcarcters are all there but have a different twist on them than the movie. The ending is (as you might expect) completely different from the film. If you are a fan of the movie and WWI aviation then definately buy and read the book for a perspective. I have always looked at the movie and story as a snapshot of what the Germans must have been going through in the Jastas in WW I. It is an easy read at 280 pages.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite World War I Novel...
Review: I've read this book many times. Unlike other WWI Novels, this one has aged well. The movie that was based on this is altogether a different creature, yet both are enjoyable. Stachel realizes his shortcomings in the film, yet is carried away by all the glory that is swept over him. In the novel, Stachel is a full time passenger on the low self esteem bandwagon and his winning the Blue Max seems not to change him a wit. Only near the end does he seem to glimpse hope, yet all runs afoul due to his own selfishness.

The aerial action scenes are good (though I had a problem with one scene where Stachel and Von Klugermann are jumped by five SPADS, Stachel is flying a Pfalz {a sluggish aircraft at best}, and Von Klugermann, an Albatros, but during the melee, they shoot down three, yet they seem to suffer nary a scratch which I'm sorry seems unlikely, one of them would have been brought down or at the very least, shot up), and there's plenty of them. Sometimes I get the feeling that Mr. Hunter held the RAF in low esteem, but that's just me being analytical. His characterizations are first rate, and the novel moves along briskly. His observations into alcoholism are fantastic. His description of Stachel's need for alcohol and the release he believes that it gives is harrowing.

A good read.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite World War I Novel...
Review: I've read this book many times. Unlike other WWI Novels, this one has aged well. The movie that was based on this is altogether a different creature, yet both are enjoyable. Stachel realizes his shortcomings in the film, yet is carried away by all the glory that is swept over him. In the novel, Stachel is a full time passenger on the low self esteem bandwagon and his winning the Blue Max seems not to change him a wit. Only near the end does he seem to glimpse hope, yet all runs afoul due to his own selfishness.

The aerial action scenes are good (though I had a problem with one scene where Stachel and Von Klugermann are jumped by five SPADS, Stachel is flying a Pfalz {a sluggish aircraft at best}, and Von Klugermann, an Albatros, but during the melee, they shoot down three, yet they seem to suffer nary a scratch which I'm sorry seems unlikely, one of them would have been brought down or at the very least, shot up), and there's plenty of them. Sometimes I get the feeling that Mr. Hunter held the RAF in low esteem, but that's just me being analytical. His characterizations are first rate, and the novel moves along briskly. His observations into alcoholism are fantastic. His description of Stachel's need for alcohol and the release he believes that it gives is harrowing.

A good read.

Rating:
Summary: The Blue Max is highly researched and tersely written
Review: Jack D. Hunter meticulously researched his WW1 novel about German ace pilots, their airplanes, and the fierce competition they employed in their quest for the country's highest military award, the "Blue Max." Vastly superior to the film by the same name, the novel features superb characterisation of its hero, Bruno Stachel, the alcoholic fighter-ace whose arrogance spells his undoing in the story's ending. Aviation buffs will delight in the wealth of detail about planes and tactics. The dialogue rings true and the plot is fast paced.

Rating:
Summary: The Blue Max is highly researched and tersely written
Review: Jack D. Hunter meticulously researched his WW1 novel about German ace pilots, their airplanes, and the fierce competition they employed in their quest for the country's highest military award, the "Blue Max." Vastly superior to the film by the same name, the novel features superb characterisation of its hero, Bruno Stachel, the alcoholic fighter-ace whose arrogance spells his undoing in the story's ending. Aviation buffs will delight in the wealth of detail about planes and tactics. The dialogue rings true and the plot is fast paced.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Aviation classics of the Great War
Review: Jack D. Hunter produced what may be the finest novel of the genre. The study of Bruno Stachel is superb, and the subtext of his struggle with alcoholism permits the reader to examine a deplorable but eventually sympathetic character.

The aerial sequences are beautifully written and the author's easy familiarity with aircraft types of the period is evident.

The motion picture is a shallow, banal version of this work and the two stories are almost unrelated. She the movie if you must, but read the book regardless

Rating:
Summary: One of the Aviation classics of the Great War
Review: Jack D. Hunter produced what may be the finest novel of the genre. The study of Bruno Stachel is superb, and the subtext of his struggle with alcoholism permits the reader to examine a deplorable but eventually sympathetic character.

The aerial sequences are beautifully written and the author's easy familiarity with aircraft types of the period is evident.

The motion picture is a shallow, banal version of this work and the two stories are almost unrelated. She the movie if you must, but read the book regardless

Rating:
Summary: Ah yes, The Blue Max
Review: Who has'nt seen the classic movie starring George Peppard(a fellow Michigan boy)? So you've got to read the book too! However, it is much different than the movie. In the book Bruno Shtachel is an alcholic for one thing, and most of his problems stem from that. I had to look long and hard to find a copy of this book and when I did I was suprised to find how different it was from the movie. Actually I would say that the movie is better but I would still highly recommend the book. It was finally reprinted again in 1996 in limited quantities so is more easily available. All WW1 aviation fans must and probably do have this book. Thats why its so hard to find.