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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
Step into Intrigue
A classic in spy stories. A visitor in London gets mixed up in an espionage plot and spends weeks sorting everything out. Will he come to the right conclusions in time? The chases, escapes, disguises,etc. keep things moving along.
A classic in spy stories. A visitor in London gets mixed up in an espionage plot and spends weeks sorting everything out. Will he come to the right conclusions in time? The chases, escapes, disguises,etc. keep things moving along.
Putting aside the virulent antisemitism...
Wait. I don't WANT to put that aside.
It's not that this book would be good even if it didn't lean heavily into Elders of Zion conspiracy bullshit? But, y'know. Didn't help.
This is very much a book that people are told to read because it was an early example of a genre and did brand new things, but as a story itself? Sucks. Writing? Workmanlike. Protagonist? 'Everyman...except really good at everything too somehow'. Plot? Nonsensical. Contrivances? Plenty. It'd be a low two stars but I'm yanking that star away for, y'know. The virulent antisemitism.
Wait. I don't WANT to put that aside.
It's not that this book would be good even if it didn't lean heavily into Elders of Zion conspiracy bullshit? But, y'know. Didn't help.
This is very much a book that people are told to read because it was an early example of a genre and did brand new things, but as a story itself? Sucks. Writing? Workmanlike. Protagonist? 'Everyman...except really good at everything too somehow'. Plot? Nonsensical. Contrivances? Plenty. It'd be a low two stars but I'm yanking that star away for, y'know. The virulent antisemitism.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
For such a short book, I did find the ending dragged a little. However, I mostly found this to be incredibly enjoyable to read. I loved the humour and wit of the narrator throughout, though especially at the start. The plot is also easy to invest in, although some may find it hard to suspend a sense of disbelief at the amount of coincidences (he bumps into someone he knows on a quiet road in Scotland, really?) I can certainly see how this classic has stood the test of time.
Ripping yarn! This is generally held to be the first "chase" novel, and Buchan's sense of tension and only ever being one step ahead still holds up. All a bit far fetched as you might imagine given how long ago it was published, but I enjoyed the way Hanney made accidental little mistakes that kept the baddies on his tail.
I respect it's place as the OG of the spy novel, along with its influence in names such as Furst and Ambler, but it did very little for me.
Richard Hannay finds life so boring that he decides to get framed for murder, goes on the lam and becomes embroiled in some espionage. It's a perfectly adequate novel. I was on the Penguin Classics website flicking through the celebrity favourites, looking for a book to read. Ugh, they were all too long, or too about something boring so I ended up going with Jeffrey Archer's recommendation (?!), The Thirty-Nine Steps. Murder! Disguises! Espionage! Barely more than 100 pages long! Read it, don't read it. It's not life-changing.
Couldnt follow the plot anymore, didn’t enjoy it
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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