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7th out of 12 books
—
14 voters
Spandau Phoenix (World War Two #2)
by
Greg Iles
The Spandau Diary—what was in it? Why did the secret intelligence agencies of every major power want it? Why was a brave and beautiful woman kidnapped and sexually tormented to get it? Why did a chain of deception and violent death lash out across the globe, from survivors of the Nazi past to warriors in the new conflict now about to explode? Why did the world's entire his...more
Paperback, 704 pages
Published
April 1st 1994
by Signet
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He's a pretty extraordinary writer. This was his first book, and it's the book of a master, you think. And there are so many more. And what's interesting is that he changes genre, or perhaps rather, motif. After writing this book and his next, Black Cross, both Nazi-themed, he completely left that world particularly because he didn't want to face the pressure of having to stay "on subject" for the rest of his career. The only sense in which this is a pity is that those two books, rich in possibl...more
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Here's a not-so-funny story...after reading Greg Iles' excellent Mortal Fear, it was with much excitement and expectation that I dove into this one. And I wasn't disappointed...and then I was. Let me explain...
I'm 100 pages into this great story about papers that have been discovered at the Spandau prison in 1987 that would blow the lid off what we now understand about WWII, and this all revolves around Rudolf Hess' mysterious solo flight to England in 1941. So I'm enjoying this so far and what...more
I'm 100 pages into this great story about papers that have been discovered at the Spandau prison in 1987 that would blow the lid off what we now understand about WWII, and this all revolves around Rudolf Hess' mysterious solo flight to England in 1941. So I'm enjoying this so far and what...more
Using the enigmatic mystery of Hitler's second in command's reasons for flying solo to the UK in the early days of WWII, this novel expands on the mystery by asking who it really was who took the solitary dare towards Britain. Rudolf Hess, Hitler's right hand man for most of his pre-war political career did indeed land in England on May 10th, 1941. Or did he? When the Rudolf Hess who had been incarcerated in Spandau Prison since the conclusion of the Nuremberg Trials suddenly comes to die under...more
I come across a lot of these modern thriller type books at work, and most of them are quite poor in my view. However, I was quite impressed with this, Greg Iles's debut novel. What sets this apart from other novels of a similar type (many of them written by more popular writers, I might add) are two things: The writing is very solid and measured, showing a very intelligent control of pacing and an excellent grasp of character, and the characters themselves are for the most part depicted in shade...more
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Reviewed at : Mama Kucing Meow : Spandau Phoenix
Reviewed On : 15 March 2011
This is a very fast paced book. Something like Tom Clancy's Power Play Series. Innocent bystander turns into desperate combatants at the brutal violence, global intrigue, treason, and terror. Every nations are in a battle for supremacy. There is nobody you can trust.
It was so fast paced that I felt lost at certain parts. One part of me wants to know the outcome as soon as possible and another part of me was frustrated by...more
Reviewed On : 15 March 2011
This is a very fast paced book. Something like Tom Clancy's Power Play Series. Innocent bystander turns into desperate combatants at the brutal violence, global intrigue, treason, and terror. Every nations are in a battle for supremacy. There is nobody you can trust.
It was so fast paced that I felt lost at certain parts. One part of me wants to know the outcome as soon as possible and another part of me was frustrated by...more
Having just finished reading Black Cross by Geg Iles, I hopped onto this follow up. I prefer his more current novels in terms of storyline. However, I was really drawn into the premise of this book. The historical fiction aspect of what may have happened if Rudolf Hess was never in Spandau prison caught me off guard.
This novel, even though it was slow developing and contained too many characters, was very intriguing and well crafted. After completing the book, I had to really think about how eas...more
This novel, even though it was slow developing and contained too many characters, was very intriguing and well crafted. After completing the book, I had to really think about how eas...more
A very week 3 stars. Maybe I've read too many thrillers this summer, but I just wasn't as impressed as I should have been with this book. The dialogue is good and it moves along okay, but perhaps 695 pages are a little too many. I don't usually mind long reads if there's a payoff but the conspiracy here was a one-trick pony (did Greg Iles really need to take 4/5ths of the book to explain the big twist anyone reading knew the whole time?) that got stretched too far. Also, for what is allegedly a...more
We didn't realize this was Greg Iles first novel. We read it to complete his booklist, as once we discovered his work, we have really enjoyed virtually every one of his books. This one, basically a thriller involving a supposed historical incident associated with the Nazi's during WWII, is long (~700 pages) and complicated, and loaded with characters and subplots -- definitely not our favorite Iles. ("Black Cross" has much these same elements...)
What sets this author apart from the pack is his...more
What sets this author apart from the pack is his...more
I finished the last half of this book in a day and loved it. Greg Iles needs to stick to historical fiction. He's great at it. This book was pretty complicated with a LOT of characters, but Iles did a great job of keeping them all straight and setting the scene a bit before diving into subsequent parts of the story.
This was also a great suspense novel, Iles seemed to find an unexplained part of WW2 and created a great fictional piece around explaining the disappearance of a very highly ranked N...more
This was also a great suspense novel, Iles seemed to find an unexplained part of WW2 and created a great fictional piece around explaining the disappearance of a very highly ranked N...more
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I went on an "ancient Nazi conspiracy" binge a couple of years ago and really liked this book. The ending is satisfyingly grandiose and dramatic, and the action was suspenseful and globe-begirdling.
But then I read it again last year and couldn't get past the first 30 pages. The writing is fairly bad, at least compared to literary thrillers like Iain Banks writes ("Complicity" sets an incredible bar for thrillers), and that's hard for me to get past these days. I think I'd have to really be in t...more
But then I read it again last year and couldn't get past the first 30 pages. The writing is fairly bad, at least compared to literary thrillers like Iain Banks writes ("Complicity" sets an incredible bar for thrillers), and that's hard for me to get past these days. I think I'd have to really be in t...more
This suspense thriller is based on the notion that the man imprisoned in Spandau Prison for many years was not Rudolf Hess, but his Nazi double. The nearly 700-page plot takes you from Britain to Germany to South Africa -- the long road to an explosive ending. While it brings you into the current times, it still often feels like a World War II thriller in mood. I didn't care for it as much as I have some of Greg Iles' other books, but I would still recommend it to readers who also enjoy writers...more
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Spandau Phoenix is Greg Iles first novel. He took a few known historical facts and wrote a complex novel speculating how the pieces fit together. What is known is that Rudolf Hess flew to Scotland during World War II in 1941. Reasons why are not commonly known and given to much speculation. He was captured, imprisoned during the war and tried as a war criminal at the Nuremberg Trials where he was given a life sentence. He spent the rest of his life in Spandau Prison in West Berlin. Spandau Priso...more
i have heard of greg iles over and over again...i started a couple books and read devil's punchbowl on a plane...and just found out this is one of 2 german/nazi based books with which he started his career. i have to hand it to him...this book picked up speed. had john grisham NOT recommended it so highly, i would have put it back. He reminds me a lot of Allan Folsom, another amazing and underrated author. i love acts 2 and 3 in this story and the conclusion was nice. i will for sure read more.
I don't know who would really care these days if back in 1941 Britain had a few Nazi sympathizers in high places, and possibly in the royal family, and I also thought after the first 150 pages that if Iles added one more character to keep track of my head would explode...but still...what a fun, action packed novel. Kept me absolutely riveted throughout its almost 700 pages...and by the last couple of hundred I didn't want to put it down. Great characters and great fun!
A journal is discovered in Spandau Prison which discloses that prisoner Nazi Hess was actually a phony, which could mean that England made a secret traty with Hitler before he attacked Russia. Various nations' agents vie for this journal and kidnappings ensue.
I found it difficult to read because a lot of names and places are thrown at you and historical references. I thought the plotline took a long time to develop. You had to wade through it.
I found it difficult to read because a lot of names and places are thrown at you and historical references. I thought the plotline took a long time to develop. You had to wade through it.
Greg Iles picks up a new, totally different subject each time and manages to do complete justice, every time. This one is based on World War 2 and the intrigues of Hitler's planning. It is very well researched and has a large canvas of characters. But at times it all seems a bit far-fetched, over-zealous and disconnected. I suspect it has got something to do with my general aversion towards war and war stories. I find it difficult to find heroism beneath the insanity.
I really enjoyed this book. It's very long but it keeps your interest throughout. I had to rewind the audible version numerous times to keep up with the characters because there are a lot of sub-plots, and although this work of fiction is based on real history, there are tons of possibilities of what else might or could have happened during and post-World War II. I've always been interested in that period of history and this book didn't disappoint. I had tons of questions running through my mind...more
Suspense, action novel revolves around the mystery of the disappearance of Rudolph Hess on a flight to Scotland in May 1941. Was he captured and held in Spandau prison in Berlin until he died in 1987 or was that his trained double? It's still an unsolved mystery about WW2, and England has yet to declassified Hess papers and documents.
I am a sucker for WWII stories. And with Iles you think you know where a story is going and what it's about and then he twists it. I'm amazed by how many balls he keeps up in the air and manages not to drop. I like this author and I'm going to read one of his non-WWII books and hope for the same level of writing.
I've read all of Greg Iles books and loved them, except for this one. I bought it like I did all the others and couldn't wait to read it but I couldn't get through it. It was much too violent for my taste. I like the thriller part of it but I just couldn't stomach the violence early on. Not typical of Greg's style.
Sep 26, 2010
Alison
added it
I've just spotted the common thread in all the books I read this September -- the Soviet Union!
This was a thrilling read with a complex plot. I'm not informed enough to know at which points it veered off from established fact into speculation, but it sure made for a good read.
This was a thrilling read with a complex plot. I'm not informed enough to know at which points it veered off from established fact into speculation, but it sure made for a good read.
I'd really like to give this 2 and a half stars. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't great. I thought it moved pretty slowly at times until near the end and then it began to speed up...a little. Again, not terrible but if you're looking for action/adventure, stick with David Baldacci.
This is a long book with many details and characters, and it's phenomenally good. I haven't read anything by this author so far that was anything but 5 star, but I still have many of his books to read. Spandau Phoenix is totally different subject matter than Mortal Fear, and yet the author makes every nuance so real.
This story takes place around the time Rudolph Hess disappeared while on a secret mission, and also in the 1980s. It involves several countries and their top brass, and yet it's an...more
This story takes place around the time Rudolph Hess disappeared while on a secret mission, and also in the 1980s. It involves several countries and their top brass, and yet it's an...more
A very complex story revisiting the 1941 "peace" visit that Rudolph
Hess made to England. Was it a legitimate effort to enter into an
alliance between England and Nazi Germany or the opening move in
a vast conspiracy. Good story but too long. 700 pages.
Hess made to England. Was it a legitimate effort to enter into an
alliance between England and Nazi Germany or the opening move in
a vast conspiracy. Good story but too long. 700 pages.
I'm glad I didn't read this book as my first Greg Iles' book. He's one of my favorite authors and you can definitely tell this is his debut novel. This book needed an editor. It was way too long and redundunt. Mr. Iles repeated himself several times describing characters or scenes. The middle section of the book jumped around to different characters without expanding their depth. The middle part was boring and hard to follow. I love his next books so maybe it was just a first time diaster or may...more
One of the most fascinating storirs about how the Germsn prisoners were treated after WW2? Quite an amazing story. I actually bought this book 3 times becuase I kept recomending it and it would never get returned. Pick it up, you will NOT be disappointed!
Greg Iles supplies an interesting variant on the conspiracies of what really happened when Rudolf Hess flew to Scotland on the eve of the war with the Russia. Was he to negotiate for peace, or was a more devious mission in store for him. Flash forward 50 years to the death of prisoner 7 (Hess) at Spandau Prison and the discovery of secret notes from Hess by a hapless German soldier and this story takes on a new dimension of intrigue. I felt the story fell apart a bit towards the end, although it...more
The sequel to Black Cross, but the characters are much older. Not as spellbinding as Black Cross but still a very worthy read. Would be best to read the two books one after the other so you don't forget characters and can pick up right where you left off.
A true page turner. An early Greg Iles work that takes the audience from WWII toward the end of the cold war.
Excellent character development, storytelling, and historical references woven into an amazing piece of fiction.
Two thumbs up!
Excellent character development, storytelling, and historical references woven into an amazing piece of fiction.
Two thumbs up!
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Greg Iles was born in Germany in 1960. He grew up in Natchez, Mississippi, and graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1983. He was active in a band called "Frankly Scarlet", but quit after realizing that the touring lifestyle was not conducive with his family life. Once no longer busy with the band, he turned his attention to writing.
Greg's novels have been translated into various languag...more
More about Greg Iles...
Greg's novels have been translated into various languag...more
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