Humor as a major theme? Jacko as a comedian?

[kimmyschemy06]

I like Jacko. I like him even more than Jamie, no offense meant to Jamie's fans out there. His sense of humor lightens up an otherwise serious scene.

[Nisha Ward]

I actually felt that Fifi was the funniest character, though I did appreciate Jacko's personality. She was very over-the-top and dramatic, and always had something charming and funny to say to the boys. I particularly enjoyed the parts where she'd dramatically threaten to shoot the boys over things like boredom, and how she would keep bringing up the 'loony bin'.
I really appreciated the humour as it made the story feel more real, as people often joked to deal with the difficulties of war. Definitely the female spy characters had some of the funniest lines!

I agree. While I think Jacko was pretty funny, Fifi was definitely more comedic for me. Greg could have run the risk of turning her only into comic relief, but I feel like the use of humour with her character brought out how much she wanted to help them and to keep her own spirits up in the midst of not being able to do much about Henry. I also liked that it was friendly ribbing and not something more serious and unpleasant.

[Hiruni Bhagya 81]

Yes, Jacko is the most funny person I found in this book. He is unique. I really liked where he taught Jamie to hoot.
“See, Cap? You’ve got it. You’ve even attracted a sexy young lady
owl who-oo is desperate to meet you.”
“Bloody hell, Jacko! I can’t believe it,” said Jamie, shaking his
head. “Are you sure you’ll be able to tell the difference between my
hoot and the hoot of my prospective girlfriend up there?”
There I liked Jamie's humor as well.

[Mbrooks2518]

I haven't had the chance to read the book yet, but humor can be a great addition to any book with heavier subject matter.

[shaz1994]

Since the story revolves around a difficult war period,some humor is a good way to bring some warmth and keep the reader glued.

[Kishor Rao]

Jacko is the funniest one and I had an amazing time reading his witty jabs. It enhanced the reading experience immensely according to me

[magnoparisi]

Jacko is the funniest character by far.

“Great shot, Jacko.” “Thanks, Cap.” “You can call me Cap or whatever you like after that.” “Okay, Cap.”

[janinewesterweel]

I loved the general down-to-earth style that Greg Kater used throughout the story, with that lovely sense of humour as an underlying factor in all that was happening - the trauma of war, the intrigue of spying and gathering information, the tense moments when they could have been caught in the blink of an eye. For me, Jacko's character was especially likeable, and even just his "Australianisms" had me either chuckling or laughing out loud. One of my favourite lines, although not especially funny, just really tickled me: "If I have a bit of a kip now, I can set out at piccaninny dawn to trail her."

[Areej Tahir]

I have to agree with those who point out that humor was not a major/main theme in the book. It was more of a cherry on top.

A little correction: the statement you mention was actually made by Jamie, not Jacko. Nonetheless, Jacko was definitely the comic relief in the book. One instance that comes to mind is after he teaches Jamie to hoot. Jamie hoots so well an owl in the distance answers him. Jacko then says, “See, Cap? You’ve got it. You’ve even attracted a sexy young lady owl who-oo is desperate to meet you.”
You just gotta love Jacko.

Yes! I loved Jackie myself. Humor is much more difficult to write than to write serious stuff.

[Felicity Granger]

Any fictional novel gets stagnant real quick without a dose of humour. Of course, we should take into consideration the slightly dark tone of the events of the novel and understand the sensitive climate of the setting, but being constantly morose about certain things would put a damper on one's enjoyment of the book. It seems Kater understood this, so consequently, painted Jacko as someone aware of the gravity of their environment but who had the ability to make them seem less grim. I don't think he was a comedian per se, but rather the lighthearted character.

[Ferdinand_Otieno]

this book really sounds like a very funny one. I have to add it to my bookshelf

Jack O'brien comes off as cavalier yet professional and delivering one liners that serve as comic relief throughout the book.

[faint9]

Jacko may not have been the main comic character but the book has some humorous statements. Greg himself has done several descriptive statements that qualify this. For instance, when Johnny is kidnapped and taken to a Chinaman who was the chief of the banditry group, Greg says that, ' His words came out like a machine gun...'

One day Johnny borrows a car and a driver from Browning and here is the description of the car, 'The car was an old two-door Alvis which struggled and groaned as they navigated the rugged thirty-five mile. . . . '

[SunVixen]

It's always great when an author can incorporate humor into a dense, less humorous or light-hearted setting. I definitely agree!

I totally agree with you. A book without humor is like a dish cooked without any spices. It seems healthy, but it is very difficult to eat it.

Inserting humor into the context of historical fiction adds a light heart and wit to the prose and helps you get through it smoothly. Same applies to a real-life setting.

Humor in historical novels makes the characters more "alive" and real.

[Maria Ferreira Silva]

I always enjoy when a book has a comic aspect to it. It just brightens up the story!