Biggles on Mystery Island by W. E. Johns was first published in 1958 by Hodder & Stoughton. Since then there have been at least 3 subsequent editions. The events in the book take place among the islands of the Pacific Ocean
Synopsis[]
Biggles and co. are asked to investigate the disappearances of a number of ships which were supposed to have called at the British island of Orotovoa in the Pacific Ocean. Because French and Swedish citizens number among those missing, Biggles is accompanied by Marcel Brissac and a Swedish policeman, Sven Heldersen.
Plot[]
Note: The sections below contain spoilers. In particular, the plot subpage (click here) contains an extended summary of the narrative in the book
Characters[]
The Special Air Police[]
- Air Commodore Raymond
- Biggles
- Algy
- Ginger
- Bertie Lissie
Others[]
Aircraft[]
Ships[]
Places[]
Visited[]
(See also The South Seas Trail.)
- Paris
- Stockholm
- Australia - airport not stated, but given that Biggles was flying a Sunderland, Darwin is plausible as flying boats certainly called at Darwin.
- Fiji
- Tahiti
- Atuona
- Oratovoa
Mentioned[]
- Christmas Island
- San Francisco
- Panama
- Honolulu
- Salina Cruz
- Taka-Uka (Marquesas)
Incongruities[]
- There's a fair amount of contradictory references in the text about the location of the mystery island. See the article Oratovoa for a discussion.
Chronology[]
- The mention of the impending British nuclear tests (what is now known as Operation Grapple) more or less imposes a date of early 1957 on the events in the book. See article on Christmas Island.
Other Research Notes[]
Editions[]
International titles[]
- French: L'île mystérieuse de Biggles (Presses de la Cité 1958)
- Swedish: Biggles och den mystiska ön (Wahlströms 1959)
- Czech: Biggles v jícnu sopky (Riopress 2000)