Haven't posted one of these for a while, but have been newly enthused by the approach of Yuletide (I'm well aware that I'm unlikely to get Gimlet-fic, but still...). So, for your delectation, and my potential fic-writing convenience, let's attack...

Gimlet Goes Again (1944)
which I have in a beautiful first edition with dust jacket. *snuggles lovely book*

( Plot )

( Lines to cherish )

( Notes )

( Body count )

( Conclusions )

Oh frabjous day! Thanks to Nee-sama and the Collective, I am now the proud owner of the first two Gimlet books! *Joy* ^_____^

The Gimlet books, for those who don't know, form one of W.E. Johns' two not-as-popular-as-Biggles series, both pretty damn similar to Biggles in terms of ethos, setting, and extreme cases, characters. (The other, of course, being the Worrals series, which Johns wrote to encourage interest in the WAF in the same way he wrote Biggles partly to encourage interest in the RAF.) The Gimlet series follows a group of four crack commandos - 'Gimlet' King, 'Cub' Peters, 'Trapper' Troublay and 'Copper' Collson (yeah, I'm loving the excessive use of nicknames too) - who are largely mix-and-match versions of the Biggles characters. As Johns puts it, Gimlet's methods are rather less 'gentlemanly' than Biggles' - which means More Two-Fisted Nazi-busting action!!! Also big explosions and Actually Shooting People. Probably fewer giant squid however, though I'll keep you posted on the squid-count as I go through.

So, without further ado, let's all load our revolvers, check our gelignite and put up our fists for...

King of the Commandos (1943)
which I have in a lovely first edition, though without dust-jacket, and for Very Good Reason related to the apparent scary collectability of this book.

( Characters )

( Plot )

( Lines to cherish )

( Untold adventures )

( Body count )

( Conclusions )