Captain W E Johns - Read Online Free Books Archive

Biggles Flies North

Fri, 09 Dec 2022 15:05:36 +0200

Biggles is arrested for murder and theft!

Answering a call for help from an old friend, Biggles, Algy, Ginger and Smyth fly to Fort Beaver in Canada. There they intend to meet up with Wilks, or Captain Wilkinson of 187 Squadron as he used to be known.

Wilks has started a small airline business called 'Arctic Airways' but is having problems with a man named Jake 'Brindle' McBain and his cronies.

But when they arrive, Wilks is nowhere to be found, and Biggles gets an unfriendly reception...

A classic Biggles adventure, perfect for fans of Derek Robinson and Max Hennessy.

To Worlds Unknown

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 20:01:05 +0200

This book starts with everybody already in the Tavona. The nine people onboard consist of our usual heroes, Rex Clinton, Tiger Clinton, Professor Lucius Brane and Toby Paul, together with their alien friends, Gator, the commander of the Tavona, Borron, the navigator and Vargo Lentos, who is effectively the interstellar relations officer. The other two are the skeleton crew for the Tavona namely Nibo, a signals expert and Lesta, a mechanic. The object of this voyage, a few months after the last adventure, is merely a trip to Mars to see how the work of restoration is progressing. On the journey, the Professor spots a new planetoid and the Tavona lands to investigate. Here everybody is captured by small gorilla like creatures, but our heroes are able to escape when the creatures eat tablets from the medicine cabinet and become unconscious. Leaving for Mars, this strange world is named Nomad by the Professor. On the journey to Mars, Rex sees a strange face staring in at one of the windows on the Tavona. The mystery is solved when they arrive at Utopia on Mars and a Martian called Pavlo collects a sketch that he had previously left onboard. Somehow it had been a reflection of the sketch that Rex had seen. Going on to Mino, our heroes hope to meet with their friend Multova and find out more about the secret of the extraordinary long life of the people of Dacoona. Before they go to Mino, however, they go with Pavlo in his space ship, the Miconda, to explore the planet of Golcana. Here the friendly people exist in pairs, each pair being identical twins. The Miconda is destroyed in an electrical storm and this maroons the explorers. Other aggressive natives then attack the friendly natives and Tiger uses his rifle to fight them off. Rescued by the Tavona, our heroes go on to Mino and meet with Multova. Rex gets to spend some time with Morino. Rex bumps into Rolto and he tells Rex about a planet in the Third Region called Lila which, Rolto says, contains some of the earlier inhabitants of Earth and they speak Hebrew. Multova tells everybody about the latest research into the longevity of the Daccoonians. It appears that they can only live on their own planet and fall ill when taken to another. Rex tells everybody about what Rolto has said and they all resolve to go to Lila to investigate Rolto's claims. They travel in Multova's faster spaceship, whose name translates as 'Grey Lady' and the Tavona is to follow on. When they stop at the planet Lut for water, Rex goes for a paddle in a brook and finds himself trapped in a cement like substance, known as Klantz. Freed, the journey to Lila is resumed. At Lila communication commences with the use of the word 'Jehovah', the Hebrew name for God and an initial hostile atmosphere, (thanks to Rolto's previous visit), is defused. When the Tavona arrives later, it contains a messenger from Terromagna called Nargil, who has come to order Multova's immediate return, as he is urgently required. A visitor from the planet of Romunda in the Fourth Region has arrived at Terromagna seeking help. Romunda is near to a planet called Parvo and the satellite of that planet has gone out of orbit and is going to crash into Parvo. Every available spacecraft is needed to evacuate as many people as possible from Parvo to another planet named New Parvo. Travelling urgently in the Grey Lady to Romunda, where they have very advanced spacecraft, they meet up with a Romundian named Dominov. A short delay allows Dominov to demonstrate a device that the Romundians have that transmutes one metal into any other metal. Our heroes then go and save the last of the inhabitants of Parvo when no other ship dares land. Returning to Romunda, they find a great fleet of ships used in the evacuation, including the Tavona in which Rex returns to Mino to spend some time with Morino. The others follow on later after experiencing the wonders of Romunda and Terromagna. Some ten days later, the Tavona returns our heroes to Glensalich Castle back home in Scotland.

The Death Rays Of Ardilla

Sun, 16 Feb 2003 20:01:01 +0200

Judkins the butler introduces two unexpected guests. Vargo and Multova have arrived at Glensalich Castle, ostensibly to fetch more tea, but they also tell our heroes, the Professor Brane, Tiger, Toby and Rex, about continuing problems with the planet Ardilla. The effects of the rays have been getting worse. A spaceship on a survey mission to the planet Petroconda has gone missing. Amongst the crew was a friend of Vargo's called Quantos and he, Vargo, now intends to lead a rescue mission. Our heroes ask to go with him. Returning to the Tavona, a 12 year old boy called Donald Macdonald is caught trying to stow away on the ship. He is sent on his way. Multova tells everybody of the strange world of Dacoona where nobody seems to die. The planet has a low birth rate and high accident mortality rate to compensate. The people work for a period of time equivalent to eight months of the year and sleep for four months. The people have an unusual gland that acts as a super-repair device. Landing for a short time on Mars, where the work to reinhabit the planet has continued to progress, the Tavona then goes on to Mino, and from there on to Petroconda. Here the lost spaceship is found, deserted. A search is organised and three bodies are found, savagely beaten to death. Quantos is not amongst the dead. Storm clouds start to quickly gather in the sky. Borron is seen in the distance with a figure. It is Quantos. They are signalling for everybody to return to the ship. Everybody reaches the ship just in time before huge lumps of hail fall, like bricks. Quantos tells his story, the hail had killed his companions and he had been trapped. Borron tells everybody about a previous visit he had made to the moon of Petroconda, which had been named Selinda. The place had been highly civilised but had been laid waste by something mysterious. After hearing the account, the Professor suspects it may have been radioactivity that was responsible and a decision is made to go and investigate. On Selinda a volcano is discovered that ejects black smoke every 15 seconds. The remains of the last survivor of Selinda are found. A form of radioactivity has killed the population and laid waste to the planet. The Tavona returns to Petroconda and then on to Mino. The Professor sets his mind to dealing with the problem of the rays emanating from Ardilla. The trip to Terromagna is now extremely difficult as the rays have extended their influence and Multova departs to return home. The Tavona follows as Rolto, a space captain known to our heroes, has also disappeared whilst trying to find a way through. A strange planet is found on the journey, that is not on any of the space charts. Landing on the planet, it is found to be exceptionally cold, but strange tunnels are also found. Here strange ant- like creatures are found. Whilst moving on to another planet to look for Rolto, which the Professor names Aquania, Rex and the others begin to feel the effects of Ardilla's rays. Gator comes up with the idea of out-distancing the ray, that is, travelling faster than the ray. Rolto is not found on Aquania, but it is discovered that he had been there, before the Tavona is almost swept away by a tidal wave. Landing on another unknown planet, our heroes are attacked by birds. Arriving at Terromagna, Multova is there to meet them. He tells them that the scientists of Terromagna have worked out a way of emitting a reflecting medium at Ardilla, to reflect back the rays. A satellite will be sent up by rocket to orbit Ardilla. Our heroes go to see the launch of the satellite. The project is successful and all of the rays are blocked. A message is then received from Rolto, who was being held prisoner on Ardilla. The people of Ardilla are in a state of panic now that their rays are being reflected back on themselves and they want peace. The problem solved, our heroes discuss their plans for the return journey home.

Biggles Sets a Trap

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:35:03 +0200

Biggles and the Plot That Failed

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:35:06 +0200

Biggles Takes a Hand

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:35:07 +0200

Worlds Of Wonder

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:01:06 +0200

This book starts with a short forward that lists the previous eight books and then defines certain astronomical words. The book then commences with Professor Lucius Brane discussing the end of civilization on Earth, when a signal is received from Vargo Lentos that he intends to land. Vargo has brought with him some photographs taken on the planet Krona, with a camera that the Professor had given him. One photograph shows the inhabitants who all appear to be the same age when in fact their ages vary from 20 to 300 years! After the failure to ascertain the reason for the long life spans of the people on Dacoona, this is of interest to the Professor. Apparently, the children of Krona grow normally until adulthood and then eat only a particular type of bean, blue in colour. This prevents the deterioration of cells, but the beans have to be eaten constantly. An old man, failing to eat the beans would shrivel up and die within days. The Professor asks to go to Krona to investigate further. Travelling in the Tavona to Mars, Rex meets his old Martian girlfriend, Morino, who has now grown into a gorgeous young woman. Rex has a confrontation with Rolto, who is still very anti-Earth as he thinks the Earth people are likely to destroy themselves with atomic weapons and this will have an adverse effect on his world. The Professor gets permission from the High Council to travel to Krona and they do so. Krona has suffered from fires and two strange space ships are seen to leave. On landing at a village, it is established that the ships have been taking people, presumably as slaves. The fire has destroyed the villagers' supply of their life saving blue beans and without them, they will die. Tiger Clinton comes up with the idea of arming the villagers with bows and arrows so they can defend themselves against any future attacks. The Tavona flies to another village to get some bags of beans as a temporary measure to feed the people in the village in which they had first landed. It is in this first village that a house is put at our heroes' disposal. The village is surrounded by swamp and impassable, except for one path and that is beset with danger, a danger the villagers refer to as Ruxor. Ruxor turns out to be a huge reptilian dragon like creature that looks like a gargoyle. Tiger shoots it only to be attacked by more. The mysterious space raiders return to the village only to be met by a barrage of arrows. They leave and drop a gas bomb. Vargo uses the jets on the Tavona to blow the gas away. The next step is to remove the danger from the only exit path so that the people can leave their village to find more beans. The swamp is caused by a river that has become choked and burst its banks. Tiger decides to blow up this natural dam, thinking it will destroy the dragon like creatures as well. The Tavona travels back to Mars to get a bomb but is faced with a change of plan. A space ship of the Remote Survey Fleet has gone missing and the Tavona is the only available ship to go on a rescue mission. Rolto had already been sent to investigate but he had also disappeared. Vargo says he will take some bombs and return to Krona to assist the villagers after searching for the missing space ship. Our heroes travel to the planet of Barida, the destination of the missing ship. On attempting to land, our heroes see two space ships and recognise one of them as Rolto's. A strange force drags the Tavona down, but by using some of the bombs on board, Vargo is able to break free. Landing, the two space ships are investigated. One is the missing ship and the other is Rolto's ship. The crews are nowhere to be seen. Exploring, a defensive complex is found and here a tunnel is discovered. Here Rolto and the others are found, having been trapped inside. Attacked by the Baridians, the inhabitants of this world, our heroes are only saved when another hostile fleet of space ships arrive to attack the Baridians. The Tavona crew members return to Krona and find their villager friends in a dire state. More beans are fetched in the Tavona. The bombs are exploded to destroy the dam and kill the dragon like creatures. Any surviving creatures are washed away in the resulting flood. It is at this time that the space raiders return. Tiger opens fire on one of their ships with his rifle and manages to bring it down. The ships leave. Unfortunately, the bomb has started volcanic activity near the village. With the path now cleared, the villagers decide to leave and move to another friendly village where they can get supplies of the essential beans until they can start growing their own crops again. The Tavona leaves and returns to Mars where our heroes spend a few days before returning to Earth. The beans that the Professor has collected do not take to Earth soil and soon rot away.

Biggles in the Jungle

Sat, 06 Aug 2022 16:25:25 +0300

Biggles learns the law of the jungle.

It is the late 1930s. With the after-images of the Roaring Twenties fading and the world heading once more towards conflict, Biggles, Algy and Ginger head for tropical climes, and the trio layover in Belize.

While there, Biggles looks up his old pal Carruthers, Acting Governor of the territory, who is having problems. Someone – rumours abound about a self-styled 'King of the Forest' – is interrupting the flow of the nation's chief export, chicle, which is used to make chewing gum. In addition, three Americans have gone missing in the jungle, reportedly looking for treasure.

Belize has no air force, and so Biggles volunteers to take his amphibious aircraft, Wanderer, upriver to investigate...

Biggles flies again on another international adventure, perfect for fans of Derek Robinson and Max Hennessy.

Biggles, Secret Agent

Sat, 06 Aug 2022 16:25:24 +0300

Biggles turns spy in his most dangerous adventure yet!

Professor Max Beklinder, a British explosives expert, has reportedly been killed in a car crash in his native Lucrania, now under the control of an increasingly bellicose Germany.

But when a British agent reports Beklinder has since been seen alive with the Chief of the Secret Police, the authorities need to confirm for certain whether he is alive or dead. He had been working on a powerful new weapon for Britain that cannot fall into enemy hands.

When several intelligence agents fail to report back, Britain calls on Biggles, who immediately agrees to parachute into Lucrania with Ginger. Together they must find Beklinder, dead or alive, and make it back to Blighty. Little do they know that their old nemesis, Erich von Stalheim, is in play...

Biggles lands with a bang in this pre-WW2 adventure, perfect for fans of Derek Robinson and Max Hennessy.

Biggles' Special Case

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:35:08 +0200

Biggles Sees Too Much

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:16:33 +0200

Biggles and the Penitent Thief

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:35:09 +0200

Biggles and the Dark Intruder

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:35:02 +0200

The Quest For The Perfect Planet

Wed, 14 Sep 1977 20:01:07 +0300

This book starts with a short forward that discusses certain space related issues and defines certain terms. The book then commences with Professor Lucius Brane bemoaning the fact that, despite their extensive travels, they had yet to find an uninhabited world comparable in every respect with the one on which they had the good fortune to be born. Operating the signal lights to summon Vargo, the Professor also wants to find out more about the extraordinary life span of the Dacoonians. Judkins gets the tea ready for Vargo's arrival and Vargo arrives shortly afterwards. In the Tavona, Vargo, Gator, the captain and Borron, the navigator, agree to ask to be able to assist the Professor in a search for a planet that would be a suitable alternative to Earth. They start by discussing the world, Zora Ten, a planet that has shifted its orbit from the solar system Zora to the system Thenus and resolve to go there. Going firstly to Mars and the City of Utopia, they are amazed by the amount of work that has been done. Rex meets the dour Rolto again and then they continue on to Mino where permission will be asked from the High Council to go on the quest. The first planet they actually visit is known only as X 1001, a planet infested with snakes. Investigating a cave, they find a stream containing small inverted 'V' like shapes which acts likes a charged battery. Our heroes go on to land on various unnamed planets. On one in the Third Region, they find troglodytes and strange elephant like pachyderms. Often after landing, our heroes are unable to get out because the atmospheric conditions are totally unsuitable. On two occasions the shell of their ship is penetrated by pea sized meteorites. The next planet they land on has spiders with bodies the size of turtles and pig like creatures which have become inebriated after eating fermenting plums. There are friendly giant human like inhabitants here, whose staple item of food appears to be a giant form of celery. The Tavona speeds on, in the general direction of Zora Ten. Landing on another unnamed world, apparently perfect, where the only form of life is vegetable, our heroes all begin to laugh for no reason at all. Toby realises just in time that they are being poisoned by Nitrous Oxide. Landing on another planet, prehistoric creatures are found. Here a group of prehistoric human-like creatures attack and kill a giant sloth. The next planet visited is Flentos, which means, in Minoan, 'the Place of the Monkeys'. Here there are two species of creature, monkey and ape and our heroes witness them fighting savagely. The apes win. Moving on, more curious adventures occur, some trivial and some frightening, such as a planet where spiders are the dominant life form. Approaching the constellation of Ledon, a system with five suns, they find a planet that does not revolve. It is held in the gravitational grip of the suns. The side which faces the suns is in perpetual daylight and is desert, the other side is in perpetual night. Here the trees and animals are all white. The Tavona at last arrives at Zora Ten. Here they find a civilization destroyed by vast winds. Exploring, our heroes are soon caught in a windstorm and they realise that they are on a world in convulsions. Luckily, Gator and Borron have remained with the Tavona and are able to rescue them. Gator insists on returning home and the Professor doesn't protest. Gator says that if ever the Earth needs to be evacuated the population could move to Mars, which needs to be repopulated. The Tavona turns for home.