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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Глупо, но живо. Местами кажется, что книга написана специально в расчете на экранизацию — при том, что в 15-ом году в кино такого жанра еще не было.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
mysterious
tense
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
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Thirty-Nine Steps is often credited with pioneering the spy genre, but John Buchan’s novel should not be credited for much else. The author does an adequate job of painting the picture, that being English cities and Scottish countrysides amidst the outbreak of the First World War. However, Buchan’s novel is a tedious experience, despite being almost novella-like in length. Unfortunately, protagonist Richard Hannay is stiff figure, and very few of the characters are very memorable. Furthermore, most of the narration is composed of recounting Hannay running and hiding, which becomes agitating after the umpteenth time. Really, there is very little nuance to this text, and the authors that were inspired by it — namely Raymond Chandler and Eric Ambler — created far superior stories. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film deserves even more credit for transforming a bland thriller into a timely warning. (A popular review on Goodreads championing this novel claims that those who do not like it do not like old books. Frankly, The Thirty-Nine Steps is simply unremarkable, while many contemporary novels are both compelling and relevant.)
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
The Thirty-Nine Steps is the considered to be the first spy story, but only a Sith speaks in absolutes. The nature of what was the first of any genre is debated and disagreed upon to no end, so let us merely say that this is a very early novelette in the Spy Genre. Do not expect James Bond from this story though, it resembles a Hitchcock film far more (Hitchcock even adapted it once).
The story is fairly simple; A man stumbles across a conspiracy, runs away to the Scottish countryside and proceeds to try to discover the truth behind the plot and clear his name. Along the way he runs into helpful strangers, and sinister spies. Its a basic book that succeeds easily at what it wants to be.
What makes slighter more than that is the character of Richard Hannay, who is a fairly normal guy who gets scared, annoyed, angry, and is usually hungry. He's likable, fairly believable, and easy to relate to. He's also often quite funny, which I found to be a pleasant surprise. There a piece in the middle of the story that exists mostly for the purpose of political satire and succeeds quite well.
I think this story has not necessarily aged that well. I think modern audiences may find that they've read the story before in other forms and there is little that this offers over being the original. I oftentimes myself found it hard to care about the events which I consider to be more of a failure on my part than the author's.
The story is fairly simple; A man stumbles across a conspiracy, runs away to the Scottish countryside and proceeds to try to discover the truth behind the plot and clear his name. Along the way he runs into helpful strangers, and sinister spies. Its a basic book that succeeds easily at what it wants to be.
What makes slighter more than that is the character of Richard Hannay, who is a fairly normal guy who gets scared, annoyed, angry, and is usually hungry. He's likable, fairly believable, and easy to relate to. He's also often quite funny, which I found to be a pleasant surprise. There a piece in the middle of the story that exists mostly for the purpose of political satire and succeeds quite well.
I think this story has not necessarily aged that well. I think modern audiences may find that they've read the story before in other forms and there is little that this offers over being the original. I oftentimes myself found it hard to care about the events which I consider to be more of a failure on my part than the author's.
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
Racist, of its time.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous