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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I almost passed this one by recently, as I didn't recognise the title. It's one of those that despite being on the 1001 list seems to get overlooked a lot, which is a shame, because it's a rather enjoyable little nautical spy thriller.
Written as a warning to the British government about a possible weakness in its defenses, it was considered one of the first spy thrillers, and heavily influenced the genre.
Personally, I have a weakness for the sea, so the nautical theme appealed to me immensely. Lots of fun!
Written as a warning to the British government about a possible weakness in its defenses, it was considered one of the first spy thrillers, and heavily influenced the genre.
Personally, I have a weakness for the sea, so the nautical theme appealed to me immensely. Lots of fun!
A mildly boring spy novel or an exciting geography and sailing text, it’s all about perspective!
I was excited about this book and had high hopes for, possibly, the earliest example of the spy novel that inspired other writers. Childers himself sounds like quite the interesting chap, and the novel impacted history. It had its moments of adventure and intrigue, but mostly it was descriptions of sailing around coastlines and speculation on a few clues of a German plot. If you are expecting action, ubiquitous in newer spy novels, you will be disappointed. Though it had its moments, it was mostly uneventful and fairly boring, if I’m honest. Perhaps a biography of Childers’ life would be more interesting.
I was excited about this book and had high hopes for, possibly, the earliest example of the spy novel that inspired other writers. Childers himself sounds like quite the interesting chap, and the novel impacted history. It had its moments of adventure and intrigue, but mostly it was descriptions of sailing around coastlines and speculation on a few clues of a German plot. If you are expecting action, ubiquitous in newer spy novels, you will be disappointed. Though it had its moments, it was mostly uneventful and fairly boring, if I’m honest. Perhaps a biography of Childers’ life would be more interesting.
Intriguing and promising early spy thriller that was ultimately unsatisfying.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have never realised how little I knew about boats, and never a stronger disinclination to learn.
What a disappointment! I was expecting a rousing adventure tale and early spy story with a touch of Victorian derring-do, but instead was forced to endure “rich guys go on yacht voyage and stumble onto some kooky invasion.” This novel is cursed with the blisteringly long descriptive sentences that are a pleasure to read in the right hands (George Eliot, Anthony Trollope, Henry James) but are pure torture in the hands of a lesser stylist like Childers. After the first 50 pages I was yearning for Doyle, Wells, and, dare I say, even the ridiculous shenanigans of H. Rider Haggard. (At least his schlock was entertaining.) By the time the actual action begins to pick up (and I use the phrase loosely) about halfway through the book, I just didn’t give a damn about the characters, the plot, or the ending. This was a total dud.
Although the prose (and heavy nautical jargon) is a little difficult to follow at times, _The Riddle of the Sands_ is interesting for its premise, but far more interesting for its historical context — not only is it one of the earliest written spy thrillers that booted John Le Carre et all, but it turns out to have been extraordinarily prescient of WWI. Compared to modern entries in the same genre, I found it amazing how little there was in the way of direct action/explosions/overwrought drama, and how much deals with the collection of facts and good old fashioned reasoning .
A curious period-piece on the whole. Curious, as in, it is an interesting time capsule of how things were done back then. Remember, this was written before the First World War, and is set in the section of society who lived upstairs, not downstairs. Writing-wise, it's really not as dated as you might expect, and a darn sight more interesting - and at least there is a point to this - than The Secret Agent, from around the same time if I'm not mistaken. The idea behind the book, I think, was to warn and convince the British Govt, of the potential dangers of the German fleet coming into the North Sea through the sand banks of the Frisian area. That means, he wrote the book to show what he had found out, and show the powers that be, how, and where it could/would be done. "Good luck with that," you're probably thinking - both thinking about the pathetic paralysis of today's British government and thinking of the "they wouldn't do that! They might be Germans, but they're still Gentlemen!" attitude of the government of the time. Though, to be fair, the British did eventually prepare for war from this area some ten years before it finally came, so the book probably did have an effect.
It is/was another on my list of the best spy fiction novels, I'm not sure it's going to end as one of the best, maybe best to say it's one of the very first spy novels, in an earnest Enid Blyton-type way.
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It is/was another on my list of the best spy fiction novels, I'm not sure it's going to end as one of the best, maybe best to say it's one of the very first spy novels, in an earnest Enid Blyton-type way.
The world's best book blog: Speesh Reads
The world's best Facebook page: Speesh Reads
The book starts relatively slowly, and the first 200 pages or so are a bit of a slog through nautical terminology (interspersed with apologies from the author for omitting even more nautical detail). However, the story picks up gradually over the course of these 200 pages, and builds up eventually to a pacy and exciting thriller. Plenty of historical interest here too, and the book's left me with a desire to learn to sail and visit the East Frisian islands and the Baltic.