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Spandau Phoenix (World War Two #2)
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 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 this new conflict about to explode? Why did the world's entire history of World War II ha...more
Compact Disc, 0 pages
Published
March 20th 2010
by Brilliance Audio
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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 ...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 f...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 f...more
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...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...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 a...more
What sets this author a...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 h...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 h...more
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 ...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 ...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 write...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...more
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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.
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.
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, ...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, ...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 ...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.
This was a really great book. Took me forever to read it but I think if i had known more about Germany/Hitler/etc then it may have been easier to read. Regardless, the book was very well written and kept my interest!
Too many subplots and too many characters. Really - British, Americans, Germans, Russians, Israeli, South African, Columbians and Cubans. Really!!???? Why didn't you throw in the kitchen sink? Oh, he did - Nazis and a nuclear bomb. I'll stick with Jack Higgins, he does better with less.
Black Cross was better. This one felt dragged out... who is Hess? What was the secret mission? One fluff character "Sparrow" was not needed (woman assasin). The last third of the book was very exciting.
Interesting idea for a book. An old Nazi, Rudolph Hess is still around in the present time and still bent on getting the Jews. This time by dropping a nuc into Israel. MUCH too long and drawn out though.
not one of greg's best
too many characters for me to keep track
though parts are intriguing and hint at what is to come (being his first book)
an admirable take on a true event
just not for me
too many characters for me to keep track
though parts are intriguing and hint at what is to come (being his first book)
an admirable take on a true event
just not for me
Iles first major work, good story considering there are so many WWII novels written, he has a totally new twist and a great passion for story telling that makes it easy to read as well.
A complex plot revolving around the mystery of Rudolph Hess, his supposed double, and the discovery of a secret journal found in Spandau prison upon it's demolition. The author brings us from 1941 to 1987, where a neo-Nazi plot is unfolding. Great characters and a good story, if at times difficult to follow.
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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.
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