Behind The Scenes
The plot of "Pilots Demobilized" was inspired by the discovery and development of Persian Gulf oil in the aftermath of World War II, and the cutthroat competition that resulted between British and American companies on the one hand, and their surrogates among the local clans and dynasties on the other, sometimes leading to real bloodshed. Charlier and Hubinon were especially inspired by the conflict in Abu Dhabi between the ruling Sheikh Shakbut, who favored British interests, and his brother Zayed, who was supported by the Saudi-American Aramco.
To date, the "Pilots Demobilized" trilogy remains the only one in which Buck, Tumb and Sonny are civilians and not employed by the U.S. military. This provoked a negative reaction from many fans, who had enjoyed the six preceding novels and found the characters much more dull in the world of international trafficking and economic espionage than they had been as war heroes. The authors took this lesson to heart; in the next novel, the trio were re-hired by the U.S. Air Force (and, three novels later, the Navy), and never left their uniform again.
Read more about this topic: Pilots Demobilized (Buck Danny)
Famous quotes containing the word scenes:
“One reason writers write is out of revenge. Life hurts; certain ideas and experiences hurt; one wants to clarify, to set out illuminations, to replay the old bad scenes and get the Treppenworte said—the words one didn’t have the strength or ripeness to say when those words were necessary for one’s dignity or survival.”
—Cynthia Ozick (b. 1928)