Tomorrow the World: In Which Cadet Otto Prohaska Carries the Habsburg Empire's Civilizing Mission to the Entirely Unreceptive Peoples of A

by John Biggins

Book Overview

Laced with smart humor, this naval tale follows the early career of Lieutenant Otto Prohaska, a cadet in the Austro-Hungarian Navy at the turn of the century. Bad luck continues to shadow Otto, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159013110X
• ISBN13: 9781590131107
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: McBooks Press
• Length: 374 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

rates just below sailor of austria

I've read Sailor of Austria 3-4 times now--that's a wonderful book indeed. The next two, which took Prohaska away from the sea were decent, but not of 5-star quality. Tomorrow the World was available only at a high price through used book dealers, but now it's back in print, and certainly worth buying. This is the prequel to Sailor of Austria: it narrates how Prohaska joined the K und K academy in Fiume and his adventures on the K und K's training sailing ship. The bulk of the story takes Prohaska to distant ports--Africa, Chile, the Pacific. Rounding the Horn by sail is an epic tale here. You'll meet some thoroughly unpleasant people on the ship--some officers and a truly nasty scientist who likes collecting fresh skulls--the fresher the better (Prohaska is put to work emptying the boiled-off flesh at one point). Cannibals--Prohaska survives, as you should expect--since hopefully you've read a sequel or three. For additional reading, nonfiction in this case, Georg von Trapp's excellent To the Last Salute about life of a K und K submarine in WW I was translated into English only a couple of years ago.

Outstanding!!!!

From reading reviews of Mr. Biggins' Otto Prohaska series, I thought that this would be a good book. However, I was wrong. This was an incredibly excellent, thought-provoking, and witty book. I recommend it to the history buff or anyone who enjoys a good read.

Great, enjoyable read!

Mr. Biggins provides us with a very detailed, descriptive story of seafaring at the turn of the century (1900) in a declining empire (Austria-Hungary). Full of humor, Mr. Biggins keeps his story interesting and flowing, rarely bogging down along the way. A good read for anyone who enjoys naval historical fiction.

Amazing creative writing

I have read each of the four Otto Prohaska novels written by John Biggins. Amazing creative work. Set in the first World War era, with the Empire of Austria/Hungary falling apart, Otto Prohaska experiences the total incompetence of the Austrian government and its military component. The actual writing is superb. I wish I recognized the place-names as well as the geography of the novels. Otto Prohaska lives to be over 100. His experiences are incredible. The writing is wry and tongue-in-cheek as he details his naval experience and his combat flying experience. First rate!

Tomorrow the World - Otto Prohaska Novels

ALL of these novels are gems. This one is one of his best. Set in the early 1900's, Prohaska is a cadet seaman on a voyage of discovery. Like all the novels, this one exposes the rotten core of the Austrian civil and military systems in a way that will have you rolling on the floor. I've loaned these books to my friends and they won't be coming back anytime soon. They have become a regular topic of conversation in my historical group. Highly recommended even if you aren't interested in the period.