Hey Guys,

I just finished reading War Eagles by Carl Macek on friday.



The War Eagles story is set just prior to the start of WWII and revolves around a publicly humiliated Army Air Corps test pilot who was court-martialed and discharged from the service for an unauthorized flight that ultimately endangered the life of President Roosevelt. He takes the only job he can get—flying an experimental airplane around the world from pole to pole—and ends up stranded on an uncharted island above the Arctic Circle. The island is inhabited by a lost tribe of Norsemen who ride giant eagles that, in a surprising turn of events, become America’s only hope against a devastating sneak attack by the Nazis and their powerful new electromagnetic weapon.

The novel is based on an original concept by King Kong creator/producer Merian C. Cooper. One of a number of intriguing film ideas Cooper never got off the ground, do to his own wartime activities with the Flying Tigers. The adventure tale about a lost tribe of eagle-riding warriors has long fascinated Harryhausen, whose Ray Harryhausen Presents shingle is also developing a feature film version with Angel Gate parent company Left Field Film Corp. and Hand Picked Films.

The book, which has been adapted by Carl Macek, (anime’s greatest monster) from the original movie concept. War Eagles reads a lot like a HEX scenario, dishonored hero goes on journey, crashes, finds lost tribe, bonds with the ofrior orn that destroyed his plane, wins the heart of the hilmir's daughter, and leads the tribe in battle against the Nazis. The book can almost broken into parts, first Lt. J.P. Brandt’s accident and court-martial, then his job flying pole to pole, the crash, his eventually becoming a member of the tribe, and then the fight against the German Zepplin over New York. Except for some incongruities, a female MP guarding Brandt in 1939, and Utahraptors that seem to be T-rex size, it was actually a very enjoyable read. Nothing special in pulp terms, but good none the less.