I haven't read any Biggles books for 40 years or so, and kind of expected something really cringe worthy. I wasn't half as bad as I expected.

But, the characters are really wooden, and there are some racial slurs and clear signs of the "white man's burden" in it. That being said, the plot is deftly told, and even though we know this is a story about airplanes and pilots, Johns only dwells on the flying when it's meaningful, and then only describes the flying back and forth in passing as the plot picks up pace.

I don't think I will read another Biggles book soon.