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critterbee 's review for:
The 39 Steps
by John Buchan
The Thirty-Nine Steps was an incredible, over-the-top, old school spy novel originally published in 1915. It is set in 1914 England and Scotland, starring our hero, Richard Hanney, who has the uncanny talent for getting out of difficult situations, often in fantastical ways.
In this first book of a series featuring the reckless, thrill-seeking Hanney, he stumbles upon international intrigue within the first few pages, and the breakneck pace continues through to the very end of the tale. There have been several film adaptations, and the story itself does have the potential for making spectacular action movies.
After learning that the stability of Europe is in danger, Hanney flees both the English police and a shadowy nefarious spy organization, heading north to the countryside in Scotland. As he attempts to decipher what exactly is happening, and how he can prevent disaster, he madly dashes across the countryside, only just ahead of those pursuing him. What follows are close calls, improbable situations, and lucky encounter after lucky encounter.
While this is typical of the 'sacrifice everything for country' breed of espionage novels, this was a little too implausible to be something that I would want to re-read. There are several things I disliked about the book - casual racism, careless endangerment of bystanders, and an overly-cocky hero walking the line between swashbuckling and manic alphahole with a knack for incredibly lucky escapes.
The good parts are the pacing - it is what it is, a fast, action-filled historic thriller.
In this first book of a series featuring the reckless, thrill-seeking Hanney, he stumbles upon international intrigue within the first few pages, and the breakneck pace continues through to the very end of the tale. There have been several film adaptations, and the story itself does have the potential for making spectacular action movies.
After learning that the stability of Europe is in danger, Hanney flees both the English police and a shadowy nefarious spy organization, heading north to the countryside in Scotland. As he attempts to decipher what exactly is happening, and how he can prevent disaster, he madly dashes across the countryside, only just ahead of those pursuing him. What follows are close calls, improbable situations, and lucky encounter after lucky encounter.
While this is typical of the 'sacrifice everything for country' breed of espionage novels, this was a little too implausible to be something that I would want to re-read. There are several things I disliked about the book - casual racism, careless endangerment of bystanders, and an overly-cocky hero walking the line between swashbuckling and manic alphahole with a knack for incredibly lucky escapes.
The good parts are the pacing - it is what it is, a fast, action-filled historic thriller.