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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Few readers today will come to "The Thirty-Nine Steps" without preconceptions based on Alfred Hitchcock's acclaimed film. Unfortunately, the novel suffers badly by comparison. It's not a bad piece of writing, but not great either -- and certainly not on a level with the 1935 movie. In particular, the plot includes several unlikely coincidences that Hitchcock and screenplay author Charles Bennett managed to eliminate.
Complete twaddle as a story but fast-paced. If you’re looking for a plausible, tautly written thriller it’s one to avoid but as a lighthearted caper and a pioneering product of its time, it’s enjoyable enough. No point trying to compare with Le Carre though - more like Sherlock Holmes. Silly but fun.
The Thirty-Nine Steps (Richard Hannay #1) by John Buchan is a solid classic adventure mystery series opener. It doesn't really waste any time and jumps right into things. As much as I liked this early take on early take on James Bond or George Smiley though, I definitely preferred the adaptations from 1935 by Alfred Hitchcock and the 1959 by Ralph Thomas. If I'd read this before I'd seen either of those, I might have been a little more hooked on this 110 year old story than I ended up being. I haven't decided if I'll continue the series, but I'm glad I've checked this off my tbr.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The is a must-read classic of espionage fiction. Although Richard Hannay has multiple fortuitous coincidence that stretch the reader's willingness to suspend belief, it is still an enjoyable early romp through the world of spydom.
Oldie but a goodie. Gonna rewatch the Hitchcock now!
