Reviews

Greenmantle: Large Print by John Buchan

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zoefruitcake's review against another edition

4.0

I read the Thirty-Nine Steps years ago so I was aware of what I was getting myself into. Obviously it is very dated (and published in the midst of WWI rather jingoistic) but it is also very entertaining and was a surprising page turner!

english_lady03's review against another edition

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4.0

Did you know that The Thirty Nine Steps was actually the first in a series of four novels? I didn't until recently. Greenmantle is the second in that series: marking the return of Buchan's iconic character, Richard Hannay.

Glad to have discovered this series which was a pioneering volume of the spy fiction genre.

jon288's review against another edition

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5.0

A bit dated, but for it's age it holds up remarkably well. This copy was my Grandad's and is still in good condition. A fun spy/adventure tale

theconstantreader's review against another edition

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3.0

Ragging on this book for being unbelievable is akin to watching any movie with Jason Statham in it and getting upset that the stunts are wild. You've got to appreciate it for what is and tune out that critical part of your mind to jump on board for a good yarn if you want to get into this book.

It started off really strong for me and I was enjoying it more than The Thirty-Nine Steps which is the first book in the series. Unfortunately though it dragged on that little bit too long for me to continue to enjoy reading it quite as much as I had during the first third of the book.

Nevertheless, it is fun and entertaining. Full of twists and turns, close calls and getaways. This book is everything you'd expect from an adventure-spy novel.

rschmidt7's review against another edition

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5.0

Sequel better than Original

Greenmantle is the sequel to Buchan's novel 39 Steps, and in this case, I would say the sequel is far and away the better of the two. It is also much longer, which is a good thing. Everything that the first book did right, this book expands a hundredfold and improves upon.

The book stars the same hero, Richard Hannay, a South African fighting for the UK in World War I. The plot revolves around a mysterious Eastern conspiracy that the English suspect is being cooked up between the Germans and the entire Muslim world, via the Turks. British spy hijinks ensue. If you enjoy early 1900s British adventure novels, well then this is absolutely the book for you! I loved it. I wish I had read this book when I was about 11 years old. The adventure, the mystery, the improbable plot presented with a stiff upper lip, the exotic settings and the atmosphere of the Great War, all of these definitely appealed to the boy in me. Read this book if you like adventure, spies, or WWI. The best thing is, it's in the public domain, so you should be able to get it free!

smitchy's review against another edition

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3.0

Read this with the knowledge that it is simple pulp-fiction. Action packed and full of unlikely co-incidences and old fashioned rascism (It was written in 1920's)