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The Wild Geese
Book by Carney, Daniel
279 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
4 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Carney
9 books25 followersThe son of a British diplomat. He grew up in the Far East and was educated in England. He traveled extensively throughout the world before settling in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in 1963 where he joined the British South African Police. After three and a half years of service, he resigned to take up a career in real estate and writing. He passed away in 1987 at the age of 42.
Three of his novels, The Whispering Death, The Wild Geese, and Return of the Wild Geese were turned into movies.
Three of his novels, The Whispering Death, The Wild Geese, and Return of the Wild Geese were turned into movies.
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January 17, 2016
“It would appear that, as the civilized world grows more respectable, it tends to use mercenaries for its more distasteful chores”
- Sir Edward Matherson - the unscrupulous banker character, who hires a unit of mercenary soldiers to stage a military coup in an African nation - from the novel ‘The Wild Geese’
‘The Wild Geese’ written by Rhodesian novelist Daniel Carney was originally titled ‘The Thin White Line’ and was published in 1978 with the plot revolving around a bunch of mercenaries who are hired by a businessman named Sir Edward Matherson for a rescue mission in Africa.
The book and it’s film adaptation were released – both with the title The Wild Geese - almost simultaneously as the book was initially in an unpublished state when film producer Euan Lloyd came across the story and made the offer for a movie adaptation to Daniel Carney. Carney’s novel was published just before the movie release and Reginald Rose adapted the novel for a screenplay after making some alterations in the characterization and the plotline to make it more appealing and well balanced to the audience.
It can be said that the character of Sir Edward Matherson and the specific events and actions that unfold in the novel ‘The Wild Geese’ are fictional or entirely based on rumors and speculations, but the generic theme that it portrays is wholly based on real-life history - the blood-soaked history of the African civil wars and the involvement of Mercenary forces in these political conflicts. Mercenary forces that operated in Africa during the sixties and seventies had both financial & national interests as motivational factors - we can easily trace the roots of the modern day Privatized Military Industries or Private military companies to these groups of ‘Soldiers of Fortune’. - and they often played influential roles in the outcomes of these conflicts and the novel taps on these realities to create a pretty absorbing military adventure.
The Flight of the Wild Geese
Both the novel and the film was named The Wild Geese in reference to the Irish soldiers who left Ireland to continental Europe for serving in the European armies in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. These soldiers are broadly referred to as the ‘Wild Geese’ and the migration of the Irish soldiers of fortune to the continent in organized units is collectively referred to as the ‘Flight of the Wild Geese’. Of these the exodus of a group of 19,000 Irish countrymen and countrywomen - 14,000 Irish Jacobite soldiers and around 6,000 women and children - under Patrick Sarsfield from Ireland to France on 22 December 1691 to serve James II is most notable.
While researching why these Irish soldiers of fortunes were referred to as ‘Wild Geese’, I came across two interesting references, which I will add here. The first reference came from ‘Irish Landed Gentry’ by John O’Hart circa 1880s, which had a footnote about the ‘Wild Geese’ as given below:
This footnote reference was actually taken from ‘The Spirit of the Nation; or Ballads and Songs by the writers of “The Nation” ’ originally published circa 1840s and had the reference while presenting the poem named ‘Wild Geese’ by M.J. Barry.
Another reference was found in the volume ‘The Wild Geese: The Irish Brigades of France and Spain’ by Mark McLaughlin, which this following passage:
Carney’s Novel & The Movie Adaptation
Daniel Carney, who lived in Rhodesia and who served in the British South Africa Police is familiar with the African setting of the novel and this familiarity can be easily sensed in his writing. He mixes exciting military action with shades of romance and drama to create a quiet decent war adventure novel.
It all starts when Sir Edward Matherson, a British multinational businessman hires the services of an alcoholic Colonel Allen Faulkner, a former British Army officer and a veteran mercenary soldier of the Congolese Civil War. The mission was pretty straightforward; Faulkner had to assemble a team of mercenaries to rescue Julius Limbani the former president of Congo from the clutches of the current president General Ndofa and bring him back to London. Faulkner recruits some of his old fellow mercenary team members and with their help assembles a band of fifty mercenaries – a team made up of both elderly veterans and young soldiers and whose motivations range from personal financial gains to purely reliving the old glorious days of adventure – and the planning, training and execution stages of the mission are portrayed in average detail level by the author.
Even though the author doesn’t go much in to the background detailing of his characters he succeeds in making their personalities feel alive for the reader. The same can be said about the level of detailing that is invested into the narration too; it is not in-depth or extremely detailed like the works of some of the master writers in the thriller/ war genre, but it is not too shallow either. One of the most striking portion of the book was a pretty detailed discussion about the then political and racial scenario of Africa between two of the characters, which sadly is not portrayed with the same level of detailing in the movie adaptation.
This 1978 movie adaptation of the novel was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen & produced by Euan Lloyd - The same director-producer team who was behind the 1980 war movie 'The Sea Wolves' starring Roger Moore, David Niven and Gregory Peck.
When producer Euan Lloyd purchased the rights for the novel from Carney his idea was to go for an all-star adventure movie starring Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris and Stewart Granger. It was the American film director John Ford who recommended Andrew V. McLaglen as a director to Euan Lloyd and McLaglen remembers about his teaming up with Euan Lloyd in an interview given in 2009.
Hardy Krüger, Richard Burton, Roger Moore and Richard Harris in the movie ‘The Wild Geese’ – When it came out in 1978 it was an all-star adventure film.
The casting of Richard Burton as Colonel Allen Faulkner, Roger Moore as Lieutenant Shawn Flynn, Richard Harris as Captain Rafer Janders and Hardy Krüger as Lieutenant Pieter Coetzee was spot-on and the fact that Burton, Moore and Harris were a bit aged when they did the film made the elderly world weary characters that they adapted from the book feel so natural on-screen. Burton, Moore and Harris all portrays their characters with powerful and dramatic performances and the personalities their characters carry makes the viewer care about what is going to happen to each of them as they move along the storyline.
Roger Moore as Lieutenant Shawn Flynn with his silenced Walther P38
Another memorable character, both from the book and the movie, is that of the Regimental Sergeant Major Sandy Young played by Jack Watson. This steel hard character who is totally devoted to Faulkner and who whips up the band of mercenaries into a fighting unit through his no-nonsense methods has a strong presence both in the narrative and on screen.
RSM Sandy Young (Regimental Sergeant Major) played by Jack Watson in the movie fires a Sterling L2A1 submachine gun.
The main drawback of the novel, which was the lack of in-depth detailing, is not felt in the movie as the storyline is fast and the all-star cast puts together a pretty memorable onscreen performance.
The real Mercenaries in the Wild Geese movie
The movie adaptation of ‘The Wild Geese’ saw some close associations with real-life mercenaries. In an interview given to the 'Entertainment Weekly' in 2012, Roger Moore who played a major role in the movie made this comment regarding the real mercenaries who associated with the film:
Michael "Mad Mike" Hoare, the legendary mercenary leader who created the 5 Commando, Armee Nationale Congolaise in the Congo Crisis of the 1960s was employed as a technical military adviser for the movie adaptation. While serving in Congo during the 60s, Hoare used the ‘Wild Geese’ as the emblem for his mercenary forces.
The movie also had some real-life former mercenaries playing the role of the characters in the mercenary forces led by Faulkner.
The character of ‘Tosh Donaldson’ was played by ‘Ian Yule’, a real-life mercenary who operated in Africa during the 1960s and 70s.
The most notable is the character of "Sergeant Tosh Donaldson" played by Ian Yule, who had been a real mercenary in Africa in the 1960s and 1970s and had served under Major Mike Hoare in Congo. Ian Yule who was active in movies as an actor and stuntman also was a technical advisor for the film adaptation of ‘Wild Geese’.
This book and the movie are both the product of its time and at times may feel dark in its depictions; but if you are a fan of mercenary stories like The Professionals, The Dogs of War, Dark of the Sun and Ronin then ‘The Wild Geese’ will be quite interesting.
- Sir Edward Matherson - the unscrupulous banker character, who hires a unit of mercenary soldiers to stage a military coup in an African nation - from the novel ‘The Wild Geese’
‘The Wild Geese’ written by Rhodesian novelist Daniel Carney was originally titled ‘The Thin White Line’ and was published in 1978 with the plot revolving around a bunch of mercenaries who are hired by a businessman named Sir Edward Matherson for a rescue mission in Africa.
The book and it’s film adaptation were released – both with the title The Wild Geese - almost simultaneously as the book was initially in an unpublished state when film producer Euan Lloyd came across the story and made the offer for a movie adaptation to Daniel Carney. Carney’s novel was published just before the movie release and Reginald Rose adapted the novel for a screenplay after making some alterations in the characterization and the plotline to make it more appealing and well balanced to the audience.
It can be said that the character of Sir Edward Matherson and the specific events and actions that unfold in the novel ‘The Wild Geese’ are fictional or entirely based on rumors and speculations, but the generic theme that it portrays is wholly based on real-life history - the blood-soaked history of the African civil wars and the involvement of Mercenary forces in these political conflicts. Mercenary forces that operated in Africa during the sixties and seventies had both financial & national interests as motivational factors - we can easily trace the roots of the modern day Privatized Military Industries or Private military companies to these groups of ‘Soldiers of Fortune’. - and they often played influential roles in the outcomes of these conflicts and the novel taps on these realities to create a pretty absorbing military adventure.
The Flight of the Wild Geese
THE Wild Geese -- the Wild Geese -- 'tis long since they flew- 'Wild Geese' by Irish poet Michael Joseph Barry
O'er the billowy ocean's bright bosom of blue;
For the foot of the false-hearted stranger had curst
The shores on whose fond breast they'd settled at first;
And they sought them a home afar off o'er the sea,
Where their pinions, at least, might be chainless and free.
Both the novel and the film was named The Wild Geese in reference to the Irish soldiers who left Ireland to continental Europe for serving in the European armies in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. These soldiers are broadly referred to as the ‘Wild Geese’ and the migration of the Irish soldiers of fortune to the continent in organized units is collectively referred to as the ‘Flight of the Wild Geese’. Of these the exodus of a group of 19,000 Irish countrymen and countrywomen - 14,000 Irish Jacobite soldiers and around 6,000 women and children - under Patrick Sarsfield from Ireland to France on 22 December 1691 to serve James II is most notable.
While researching why these Irish soldiers of fortunes were referred to as ‘Wild Geese’, I came across two interesting references, which I will add here. The first reference came from ‘Irish Landed Gentry’ by John O’Hart circa 1880s, which had a footnote about the ‘Wild Geese’ as given below:
The recruits for the Irish Brigade were generally conveyed to France in the smugglers which bought foreign wines, brandy etc., to the West Coast of Ireland, and were entered on the ships’ books as ‘Wild Geese’: hence this became the common name for them among the country people.
This footnote reference was actually taken from ‘The Spirit of the Nation; or Ballads and Songs by the writers of “The Nation” ’ originally published circa 1840s and had the reference while presenting the poem named ‘Wild Geese’ by M.J. Barry.
Another reference was found in the volume ‘The Wild Geese: The Irish Brigades of France and Spain’ by Mark McLaughlin, which this following passage:
“… the Irish peasants continually escaped to France through a network of smugglers. This constant emigration was romantically styled ‘The Flight of the Wild Geese’. ”
Carney’s Novel & The Movie Adaptation
Daniel Carney, who lived in Rhodesia and who served in the British South Africa Police is familiar with the African setting of the novel and this familiarity can be easily sensed in his writing. He mixes exciting military action with shades of romance and drama to create a quiet decent war adventure novel.
It all starts when Sir Edward Matherson, a British multinational businessman hires the services of an alcoholic Colonel Allen Faulkner, a former British Army officer and a veteran mercenary soldier of the Congolese Civil War. The mission was pretty straightforward; Faulkner had to assemble a team of mercenaries to rescue Julius Limbani the former president of Congo from the clutches of the current president General Ndofa and bring him back to London. Faulkner recruits some of his old fellow mercenary team members and with their help assembles a band of fifty mercenaries – a team made up of both elderly veterans and young soldiers and whose motivations range from personal financial gains to purely reliving the old glorious days of adventure – and the planning, training and execution stages of the mission are portrayed in average detail level by the author.
Even though the author doesn’t go much in to the background detailing of his characters he succeeds in making their personalities feel alive for the reader. The same can be said about the level of detailing that is invested into the narration too; it is not in-depth or extremely detailed like the works of some of the master writers in the thriller/ war genre, but it is not too shallow either. One of the most striking portion of the book was a pretty detailed discussion about the then political and racial scenario of Africa between two of the characters, which sadly is not portrayed with the same level of detailing in the movie adaptation.
This 1978 movie adaptation of the novel was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen & produced by Euan Lloyd - The same director-producer team who was behind the 1980 war movie 'The Sea Wolves' starring Roger Moore, David Niven and Gregory Peck.
When producer Euan Lloyd purchased the rights for the novel from Carney his idea was to go for an all-star adventure movie starring Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris and Stewart Granger. It was the American film director John Ford who recommended Andrew V. McLaglen as a director to Euan Lloyd and McLaglen remembers about his teaming up with Euan Lloyd in an interview given in 2009.
Oh, man, that was fabulous! That was a whole new start for my career, man, are you kidding? That was great. A really solid action war picture, with a superb cast: Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, Stewart Granger – just incredible. This producer called me up. I’d only met him once before, Euan Lloyd, an English producer. And he said, “You know, I was talking to John Ford one day just before he died [in 1973]”, and Ford asked him who was gonna direct The Wild Geese and he said they hadn’t thought of a director yet. So Ford said, “Well, you ought to try that young McLaglen, ’cause he really knows how to make pictures.”[ Source]
Well, I never knew that, except when he told me that Ford had really helped me there. But he was like that; he would sort of help you behind your back. And, so I did the film.
Hardy Krüger, Richard Burton, Roger Moore and Richard Harris in the movie ‘The Wild Geese’ – When it came out in 1978 it was an all-star adventure film.
The casting of Richard Burton as Colonel Allen Faulkner, Roger Moore as Lieutenant Shawn Flynn, Richard Harris as Captain Rafer Janders and Hardy Krüger as Lieutenant Pieter Coetzee was spot-on and the fact that Burton, Moore and Harris were a bit aged when they did the film made the elderly world weary characters that they adapted from the book feel so natural on-screen. Burton, Moore and Harris all portrays their characters with powerful and dramatic performances and the personalities their characters carry makes the viewer care about what is going to happen to each of them as they move along the storyline.
Roger Moore as Lieutenant Shawn Flynn with his silenced Walther P38
Another memorable character, both from the book and the movie, is that of the Regimental Sergeant Major Sandy Young played by Jack Watson. This steel hard character who is totally devoted to Faulkner and who whips up the band of mercenaries into a fighting unit through his no-nonsense methods has a strong presence both in the narrative and on screen.
RSM Sandy Young (Regimental Sergeant Major) played by Jack Watson in the movie fires a Sterling L2A1 submachine gun.
The main drawback of the novel, which was the lack of in-depth detailing, is not felt in the movie as the storyline is fast and the all-star cast puts together a pretty memorable onscreen performance.
The real Mercenaries in the Wild Geese movie
The movie adaptation of ‘The Wild Geese’ saw some close associations with real-life mercenaries. In an interview given to the 'Entertainment Weekly' in 2012, Roger Moore who played a major role in the movie made this comment regarding the real mercenaries who associated with the film:
Well, we had “Mad Mike,” the Colonel. He really was a soldier and he was in charge of getting the mercenaries that we had. We had a few of them that were rather terrifying. They’d pull their bayonets and you’d be up against the wall with the point of a bayonet at your throat.
Michael "Mad Mike" Hoare, the legendary mercenary leader who created the 5 Commando, Armee Nationale Congolaise in the Congo Crisis of the 1960s was employed as a technical military adviser for the movie adaptation. While serving in Congo during the 60s, Hoare used the ‘Wild Geese’ as the emblem for his mercenary forces.
The movie also had some real-life former mercenaries playing the role of the characters in the mercenary forces led by Faulkner.
The character of ‘Tosh Donaldson’ was played by ‘Ian Yule’, a real-life mercenary who operated in Africa during the 1960s and 70s.
The most notable is the character of "Sergeant Tosh Donaldson" played by Ian Yule, who had been a real mercenary in Africa in the 1960s and 1970s and had served under Major Mike Hoare in Congo. Ian Yule who was active in movies as an actor and stuntman also was a technical advisor for the film adaptation of ‘Wild Geese’.
This book and the movie are both the product of its time and at times may feel dark in its depictions; but if you are a fan of mercenary stories like The Professionals, The Dogs of War, Dark of the Sun and Ronin then ‘The Wild Geese’ will be quite interesting.
November 30, 2019
I had watched the movie adaptation a long time back. It introduced me to Richard Burton and Hardy Kruger. The movie was pretty decent and the casting was spot on indeed.
Now coming to the book – I never thought I will get a chance to read the novel. It’s out of print. The price of the copy available on Amazon India will give most people a heart attack. But, I accidentally found a copy thanks to a second hand book store. There’s a reason why I love second hand book stores!
I did a cursory research before sitting down to write this review. Originally the title of the book was The Thin White Line. It was then changed to The Wild Geese. The final name has an interesting historical connection. Irish soldiers who went off to fight wars in continental Europe were called Wild Geese. You can read about it here.
The plot: A very influential British banker, Sir Edward Matheson, wanted a change of government in a certain African nation for the obvious reasons. The government and big business can do anything for their vested interests! Thus, Matheson hires an alcoholic mercenary, Colonel Allen Faulkner, to rescue an African politician, Julius Limbani, imprisoned by the dictator of the said country.
The good colonel would assemble his team of trusted old comrade-in-arms and recruit his band of mercenaries for the mission. But, missions rarely go as planned and all hell will break loose in Africa. You can look forward to non-stop action as the band fights to survive.
The author has deftly used the key ingredients of an engrossing war thriller. There is action, betrayal, revenge, and a bit of romance (this element excluded in the movie though). The action starts even before the men set foot on African soil. But, there is something even more for the reader – racial relationship or to be more precise racial tension in Africa. The conversations between Limbani and Lieutenant Pieter Coetzee, formerly of the South African Defense Force, would change Coetzee’s perception of race politics. The book has a detailed discussion between the two, but, understandably it was cut short a bit in the movie.
The author has also provided some back story for the major characters.
One more thing – I actually preferred the movie ending over the book ending. The ending of the movie was more satisfying and less melodramatic.
Lovers of war thrillers would compare this novel with Frederick Forsyth’s The Dogs of War. Both the novels revolve around similar plots - British business tycoons trying to set up puppet governments in African nations with the help of mercenaries. There is a betrayal in both the stories. I am a big fan of Forsyth! I have read and immensely enjoyed most of his books. But, if asked to compare between The Wild Geese and The Dogs of War, I would choose the former.
Overall, it is a book which fans of military/mercenary thrillers would enjoy.
Now coming to the book – I never thought I will get a chance to read the novel. It’s out of print. The price of the copy available on Amazon India will give most people a heart attack. But, I accidentally found a copy thanks to a second hand book store. There’s a reason why I love second hand book stores!
I did a cursory research before sitting down to write this review. Originally the title of the book was The Thin White Line. It was then changed to The Wild Geese. The final name has an interesting historical connection. Irish soldiers who went off to fight wars in continental Europe were called Wild Geese. You can read about it here.
The plot: A very influential British banker, Sir Edward Matheson, wanted a change of government in a certain African nation for the obvious reasons. The government and big business can do anything for their vested interests! Thus, Matheson hires an alcoholic mercenary, Colonel Allen Faulkner, to rescue an African politician, Julius Limbani, imprisoned by the dictator of the said country.
The good colonel would assemble his team of trusted old comrade-in-arms and recruit his band of mercenaries for the mission. But, missions rarely go as planned and all hell will break loose in Africa. You can look forward to non-stop action as the band fights to survive.
The author has deftly used the key ingredients of an engrossing war thriller. There is action, betrayal, revenge, and a bit of romance (this element excluded in the movie though). The action starts even before the men set foot on African soil. But, there is something even more for the reader – racial relationship or to be more precise racial tension in Africa. The conversations between Limbani and Lieutenant Pieter Coetzee, formerly of the South African Defense Force, would change Coetzee’s perception of race politics. The book has a detailed discussion between the two, but, understandably it was cut short a bit in the movie.
The author has also provided some back story for the major characters.
One more thing – I actually preferred the movie ending over the book ending. The ending of the movie was more satisfying and less melodramatic.
Lovers of war thrillers would compare this novel with Frederick Forsyth’s The Dogs of War. Both the novels revolve around similar plots - British business tycoons trying to set up puppet governments in African nations with the help of mercenaries. There is a betrayal in both the stories. I am a big fan of Forsyth! I have read and immensely enjoyed most of his books. But, if asked to compare between The Wild Geese and The Dogs of War, I would choose the former.
Overall, it is a book which fans of military/mercenary thrillers would enjoy.
May 16, 2020
“THE WILD GEESE” by Daniel Carney
The filmic adaptation of “The Wild Geese, starring the late, great Sir Richard Burton, Sir Roger Moore, Richard Harris, Stewart Granger, Jack Watson (God rest their souls), and Hardy Krüger (the last surviving major cast member, is one of all-time favourite action-adventure films
(highly underrated and under appreciated IMHO), and therefore it was with great eagerness that I obtained the original Daniel Carney novel that served as the basis for the screenplay.
Interesting to see the differences between the book and the movie:
—Rafer Janders’s little Mafia run-in got changed to Sean Fynn’s in the film.
—Janders as an American character in the novel as opposed to a Brit in the film
—Peter Coetzee as an affable giant Rhodesian rather than a bitter, smaller statured South African
—Shaun Fynn doesn’t have a previous professional acquaintance with Faulkner; he’s still a ladies’ man, but much more of a heartbreaker (and eventually an emotionally vulnerable **heartbreakee**) in the novel.
—Rafer and his son are both physically separated (due to Emile’s boarding school in Switzerland) and emotionally estranged, and Rafer has miserable living conditions to boot; contrast this with the film wherein they’re living together in the UK in a comfortable middle-class home.
—The Lt. Jeremy Chandor character in the novel was completely omitted from the movie.
—In the film, R.S.M. Sandy Young is physically tall, and whilst rough, gruff, and tough, possesses a heart of gold beneath the rough exterior; in the novel, he’s short in physical stature and truly ruthless, “who had so little love in him that all he had he reserved for Faulkner.” In the movie, Col. Faulkner calls Sandy by his first name, whilst in the book he simply addresses him as “R.S.M.”
—In the novel, during the actual assault, the mercenaries keep their helmets on, whilst in the film they ditch the helmets after their parachute landing and go back to wearing their berets.
—Last but not least, in the novel, we see a more human side of Sir Edward Matherson.
In summation, the book and movie alike have a compelling storyline and characters and are full of action; whilst both have their fair share of humour and tragedy, the book has considerably more of the latter—especially the conclusion—which leaves the reader with more of a “heavy” feeling, while the film has more of a lighthearted (for lack of a better word) feel to it.
RANDOM STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:
—p. 42: The “elevator?” Doesn’t he mean the “lift?”
—p. 46: “The Tokarev, as handguns went, was a good, solid, simple weapon, *^effective between twenty-five and thirty yards with a good stopping power**.” [emphasis added] The author seems a trifle optimistic in its assessment.
—p. 62: “‘You were magnificent,’ Faulkner answered. ‘I could almost smell the cordite burning as you spoke...Until then we’ll celebrate at the Savoy. Tell me now, honestly. When did you last eat at the Savoy? Eat well, live rich. That’s what life’s all about. Anybody can die poor...Anyway,’ he reminded Janders. ‘It’s the only work we’re good at!’” Profound words from Col. Faulkner!
—p. 67: The AK-47 “obsolete” as of 1977? Um, I don’t think so; not now, and certainly back then!
The filmic adaptation of “The Wild Geese, starring the late, great Sir Richard Burton, Sir Roger Moore, Richard Harris, Stewart Granger, Jack Watson (God rest their souls), and Hardy Krüger (the last surviving major cast member, is one of all-time favourite action-adventure films
(highly underrated and under appreciated IMHO), and therefore it was with great eagerness that I obtained the original Daniel Carney novel that served as the basis for the screenplay.
Interesting to see the differences between the book and the movie:
—Rafer Janders’s little Mafia run-in got changed to Sean Fynn’s in the film.
—Janders as an American character in the novel as opposed to a Brit in the film
—Peter Coetzee as an affable giant Rhodesian rather than a bitter, smaller statured South African
—Shaun Fynn doesn’t have a previous professional acquaintance with Faulkner; he’s still a ladies’ man, but much more of a heartbreaker (and eventually an emotionally vulnerable **heartbreakee**) in the novel.
—Rafer and his son are both physically separated (due to Emile’s boarding school in Switzerland) and emotionally estranged, and Rafer has miserable living conditions to boot; contrast this with the film wherein they’re living together in the UK in a comfortable middle-class home.
—The Lt. Jeremy Chandor character in the novel was completely omitted from the movie.
—In the film, R.S.M. Sandy Young is physically tall, and whilst rough, gruff, and tough, possesses a heart of gold beneath the rough exterior; in the novel, he’s short in physical stature and truly ruthless, “who had so little love in him that all he had he reserved for Faulkner.” In the movie, Col. Faulkner calls Sandy by his first name, whilst in the book he simply addresses him as “R.S.M.”
—In the novel, during the actual assault, the mercenaries keep their helmets on, whilst in the film they ditch the helmets after their parachute landing and go back to wearing their berets.
—Last but not least, in the novel, we see a more human side of Sir Edward Matherson.
In summation, the book and movie alike have a compelling storyline and characters and are full of action; whilst both have their fair share of humour and tragedy, the book has considerably more of the latter—especially the conclusion—which leaves the reader with more of a “heavy” feeling, while the film has more of a lighthearted (for lack of a better word) feel to it.
RANDOM STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:
—p. 42: The “elevator?” Doesn’t he mean the “lift?”
—p. 46: “The Tokarev, as handguns went, was a good, solid, simple weapon, *^effective between twenty-five and thirty yards with a good stopping power**.” [emphasis added] The author seems a trifle optimistic in its assessment.
—p. 62: “‘You were magnificent,’ Faulkner answered. ‘I could almost smell the cordite burning as you spoke...Until then we’ll celebrate at the Savoy. Tell me now, honestly. When did you last eat at the Savoy? Eat well, live rich. That’s what life’s all about. Anybody can die poor...Anyway,’ he reminded Janders. ‘It’s the only work we’re good at!’” Profound words from Col. Faulkner!
—p. 67: The AK-47 “obsolete” as of 1977? Um, I don’t think so; not now, and certainly back then!
December 15, 2016
c1978. Carney (1944-1987) had been a policeman in the early sixties in Rhodesia. The story was based upon the rumours that followed the 1968 landing of a mysterious aeroplane in Rhodesia, which was said to have been loaded with mercenaries and ""an African President"" believed to have been a dying Moise Tshombe. This book was only published after a film had been made based on an as yet unpublished novel with the working title The Thin White Line. Ex-mercenary leader Col. Mike Hoare is quoted on the back cover ""The story is fast, gripping and exciting. It reflects faithfully the spirit of men who fight for money or adventure." Just goes to show how true the saying is that history just keeps repeating itself.
"
"
December 16, 2014
Not bad, not great.
I read it because I have a soft spot for the movie.
It's interesting if you read it as a late 1970's White Rhodesian's perspective on what Africa is, what's impeding its progress and how Africa should be in order to achieve racial harmony and stability with a European-African power structure still on top.
Other than that, it roughly follows the movie. The principle changes being that there are some different characters, and an annoying soap opera in the middle- which I'll admit does add a little depth to the ending.
Without giving anything away, if you have seen the movie and are a fan, there is a surprise or two for you.
Not an entirely spellbinding read, but enjoyable enough.
I read it because I have a soft spot for the movie.
It's interesting if you read it as a late 1970's White Rhodesian's perspective on what Africa is, what's impeding its progress and how Africa should be in order to achieve racial harmony and stability with a European-African power structure still on top.
Other than that, it roughly follows the movie. The principle changes being that there are some different characters, and an annoying soap opera in the middle- which I'll admit does add a little depth to the ending.
Without giving anything away, if you have seen the movie and are a fan, there is a surprise or two for you.
Not an entirely spellbinding read, but enjoyable enough.
November 9, 2014
I always enjoyed the movie and decided to try the book. The actors believed this to be one of the best books about mercenaries, which was part of the reason so many high-profile actors starred in the movie of the same name. To my delight, the movie followed the book closely. There were a few surprises which I will not disclose (I don't want to spoil it for you).
Carney writes with clarity and imagination. The reader feels like they're on the mission right beside them. He points out the brutality of life as a mercenary, who is sometimes hero and sometimes anti-hero. Colonel Allan Faulkner is a leader by every respect, but corrupted by the thought of earning money. The bond shared between the mercs is evident in the book, and their dedication real. This sort of story actually happened in Africa based on what I know about history. I don't know if such camaraderie exists today (it's been over 25 years since I served in the military), but one can appreciate the professionalism these characters shared.
You will enjoy how the mission begins, how the team are selected and assembled, trained, and eventually dropped into Africa for a mission that will change their lives forever. Get ready for a fast-paced, exciting adventure!
David Lucero, author
Carney writes with clarity and imagination. The reader feels like they're on the mission right beside them. He points out the brutality of life as a mercenary, who is sometimes hero and sometimes anti-hero. Colonel Allan Faulkner is a leader by every respect, but corrupted by the thought of earning money. The bond shared between the mercs is evident in the book, and their dedication real. This sort of story actually happened in Africa based on what I know about history. I don't know if such camaraderie exists today (it's been over 25 years since I served in the military), but one can appreciate the professionalism these characters shared.
You will enjoy how the mission begins, how the team are selected and assembled, trained, and eventually dropped into Africa for a mission that will change their lives forever. Get ready for a fast-paced, exciting adventure!
David Lucero, author
July 4, 2014
Very good modern war story. Based on experiences the writer had serving as a mercenary. Recommended
January 26, 2025
The film adaptation of "The Wild Geese," starring the late Sir Richard Burton, Sir Roger Moore, Richard Harris, Stewart Granger, Jack Watson (God rest their souls), and Hardy Krüger (the last surviving major cast member), is one of my all-time favorite action-adventure films (highly underrated and underappreciated, in my humble opinion). Therefore, I eagerly obtained the original Daniel Carney novel that served as the basis for the screenplay.
It is interesting to see the differences between the book and the movie:
— Janders’s little Mafia run-in was changed to Sean Fynn’s in the film.
—Janders is an American character in the novel instead of a Brit in the film.
—Peter Coetzee is presented as a giant Rhodesian rather than a bitter, smaller-statured South African.
—Shaun Fynn doesn’t have a previous professional acquaintance with Faulkner; he’s still a ladies’ man but much more of a heartbreaker (and eventually an emotionally vulnerable heartbreaker) in the novel—Rafer and his son are both physically separated (due to Emile’s boarding school in Switzerland) and emotionally estranged, Rafer has miserable conditions; contrast this with the film wherein they’re living together in the UK in a comfortable-class home.
—The Lt. Jeremy Chandor character in the novel was omitted entirely from the movie.
—In the film, R.S.M. Sandy Young is physically tall, and while rough, gruff, and tough, possesses a heart of gold beneath the rough exterior; in the novel, he’s short in physical stature and truly ruthless, “who had so little love in him that all he had he reserved for Faulkner.” In the movie, Col. Faulkner calls Sandy by his first name, while in the book, he addresses him as “R.S.M.”
On a side note, the actor Ian Yule was a member of the mercenary team that appeared in the film
It is interesting to see the differences between the book and the movie:
— Janders’s little Mafia run-in was changed to Sean Fynn’s in the film.
—Janders is an American character in the novel instead of a Brit in the film.
—Peter Coetzee is presented as a giant Rhodesian rather than a bitter, smaller-statured South African.
—Shaun Fynn doesn’t have a previous professional acquaintance with Faulkner; he’s still a ladies’ man but much more of a heartbreaker (and eventually an emotionally vulnerable heartbreaker) in the novel—Rafer and his son are both physically separated (due to Emile’s boarding school in Switzerland) and emotionally estranged, Rafer has miserable conditions; contrast this with the film wherein they’re living together in the UK in a comfortable-class home.
—The Lt. Jeremy Chandor character in the novel was omitted entirely from the movie.
—In the film, R.S.M. Sandy Young is physically tall, and while rough, gruff, and tough, possesses a heart of gold beneath the rough exterior; in the novel, he’s short in physical stature and truly ruthless, “who had so little love in him that all he had he reserved for Faulkner.” In the movie, Col. Faulkner calls Sandy by his first name, while in the book, he addresses him as “R.S.M.”
On a side note, the actor Ian Yule was a member of the mercenary team that appeared in the film
November 26, 2023
Entertaining read. I've watched the movie countless times. The characters are the same, but the roles of many of the men they play are different. One thing I did find in the book fascinating, and wish the movie could go deeper into it. was the relationship between Pieter Coetzee, a racist African, and the man they were sent to rescue, President Julius Limbani. At the beginning, Coetzee was as racist as they came, but Limbani made him see how both blacks and whites needed each other. In the movie, he said to Coetzee, "We must forgive you for the past, and you must forgive us for the present, otherwise there will be nothing left."
Glad I've finally read this book, although I think I enjoyed the movie more. Still, and interesting read.
Glad I've finally read this book, although I think I enjoyed the movie more. Still, and interesting read.
October 28, 2021
I was bought this book as a present from my Dad as it is one of our favourite films to watch together. Even though I know what happens in the film reading this book didn't make it any easier as with the film I have cried reading this Peter and Janders are my favourites and their deaths book or film versions doesn't make it any easier to not cry, the only consolation I have is that Peter died on the continent he loved with all his heart, Janders death hits me so hard because he so desperately wanted to get back to his son and be a proper father that his son could be proud of and respect. I am quite surprised that Faulkner died I was not expecting that.
February 2, 2025
THE classic mercenary novel, and, as with
The Dark Of The Sun
and
The Dogs Of War
, infinitely better than the movie.
Has a classic line that Daniel Carney repeats throughout his works:
"I get along with the Black Man alright. But if he were to march with his mob to try to burn down my kraal, I would shoot him, and if I did the same with my mob to his kraal, he would shoot men."
Far more realistic than the movie Coetzee's come-to-butthead moment with Limbani.
Also, avoids the Jane's Small Arms-meets Noah's Ark and blatant light discipline violation obvious gaffes of the filim, which is refreshing.
Has a classic line that Daniel Carney repeats throughout his works:
"I get along with the Black Man alright. But if he were to march with his mob to try to burn down my kraal, I would shoot him, and if I did the same with my mob to his kraal, he would shoot men."
Far more realistic than the movie Coetzee's come-to-butthead moment with Limbani.
Also, avoids the Jane's Small Arms-meets Noah's Ark and blatant light discipline violation obvious gaffes of the filim, which is refreshing.
September 13, 2019
Good read
August 7, 2021
I loved the movie and, 40+ years after the fact, really enjoyed the book.
December 30, 2021
I loved this book, more even than the movie which (if memory serves) was solid. The book is terse and well-described. Terrific characters in a dire situation.
August 23, 2024
Ngl, felt like I was watching the movie
December 19, 2024
Lots of violence, but very well written
August 9, 2025
Low Energy!
** 2 Stars.
** 2 Stars.
May 22, 2017
Better than the film and an entertaining yarn.
August 28, 2023
This is one of those books you can never read too many times. A gripping, fast- paced war story told with complete realism. It has a softer side as well, dwelling on the personalities and insecurities of the characters, and at times is very moving. A thoroughly enjoyable tale.
April 16, 2013
When one picks up a book like "The Wild Geese", one isn't going to expect a groundbreaking piece of literary excellence. One expects a rip-roaring tale of Kipling-esque, "Boys' Own" adventure. And it delivers. A fine action-adventure novel that is genuinely thrilling and addictive.
April 27, 2013
Not sure of the book was based on the movie or the other way around.
Reasonable story of mercenaries in Africa, just not up to the standard of my favorite African Author - Wilbur Smith.
Reasonable story of mercenaries in Africa, just not up to the standard of my favorite African Author - Wilbur Smith.
November 8, 2015
I loved the book and have watched the movie 100 times. I have English and Spanish copies. Interesting to compare the two
January 20, 2013
A good mercenary adventure, but not as good as the movie it inspired.
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