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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.