The Riddle of the Sands edition by Erskine Childers Mystery Thriller Suspense eBooks
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The Riddle of the Sands is a 1903 novel by Erskine Childers. The book, which enjoyed immense popularity in the years before World War I, is an early example of the espionage novel and was extremely influential in the genre of spy fiction. It has been made into feature-length films for both cinema and television. The novel "owes a lot to the wonderful adventure novels of writers like Rider Haggard, that were a staple of Victorian Britain". It was a spy novel that "established a formula that included a mass of verifiable detail, which gave authenticity to the story – the same ploy that would be used so well by John Buchan, Ian Fleming, John le Carré and many others." Carruthers, a minor official in the Foreign Office, is contacted by an acquaintance, Davies, asking him to join in a yachting holiday in the Baltic Sea. Carruthers agrees, as his other plans for a holiday have fallen through. He arrives to find that Davies has a small sailing boat (the vessel is named Dulcibella, a reference to Childers's own sister of that name), not the comfortable crewed yacht that he expected. However Carruthers agrees to go on the trip and joins Davies in Flensburg on the Baltic, whence they head for the Frisian Islands, off the coast of Germany. [...]
The Riddle of the Sands edition by Erskine Childers Mystery Thriller Suspense eBooks
Riddle of the Sands is a fictional tale of amateur espionage prior to WW1. The author definitely has a magnificent way with words. In fact, the amazingly precise descriptions are absolutely captivating! It has special appeal for anyone with a solid blue-water sailing background, for almost all of the book takes place in the East Frisian Islands off the northern coast of Germany.It is the story of two young Englishmen, only one of them a skilled yachtsman (much like the author), who set out to spy on the Germans. The fear is that the Kaiser is planning an attack on England's East Coast, for which the British are not prepared. Can the two young men figure out what the Germans are doing on their North Sea coast?
The story was written in 1903, well before the onset of The Great War.This prescience on the part of the author lends much to the power of the tale. However, some of the exploits late in the book strain even the most generous readers' credibility. A little like the Hardy Boys, but for adults. But, to be sure, the author's style of precise narration keeps the reader's attention. It is clear he is limited in his descriptions by Victorian constraints; Most adult readers will be amused by this propriety.There is no mention at all of even the purest of romance, nothing of even the most basic of scatological content (Is there even a marine head on the little yacht?), and, of course, no profanity whatsoever.
A warning: detailed maps of the region are essential if you are to really follow the meandering that takes place. However, the 'charts' supplied in the Kindle version are useless in this regard. You must be able to see the various channels, inlets and canals if you are to make any sense of things. The author's constant pleas to "See Chart A" or "See Chart B" attest to this necessity. You will learn a lot about Schleswig-Holstien by the time you are finished, even if you've never heard of the region before. And an awful lot about tides and sand bars.
In sum, it is a gripping yarn, certain to please all sailors, amateur or not.
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The Riddle of the Sands edition by Erskine Childers Mystery Thriller Suspense eBooks Reviews
I am aware that this is meant to be a classic, but I was sorely disappointed. It was not an easy read for a number of reasons. First, the vocabulary is obscure—century-old British English and many old nautical terms unknown to this sailor. Second, the writing style is remarkably ponderous. Third, the actions described are simply unnatural and unrealistic. Last, the thin plot line is obscure and thin, and it certainly does not flow.
It is rare for me to consider abandoning a book, but this one sorely tempted me.
This was a great discovery for me, though the novel is hardly a secret to scholars of espionage novels. The continually unfolding dramatic relationship between the two main characters is told in magnificent prose that brings out all the subtleties of personal interaction between two complex personalities. As a spy novel, it will pass the high bar set by lovers of John Le Carre. The shifting, treacherous sands of the shallow German coastline, through which the heroes navigate their small sailboat, is a profound metaphor not only for the mystery they wish to solve and subterfuge they encounter, but also for the continual trickery which the human character imposes upon itself and others in its attempt to see reality clearly, and beneath which lurks the ever-present danger of war--which the two heroes seek to prevent, or at least prepare for. If this novel may appear dated to some, it can only be because English prose no longer rises to the excellence demonstrated here.
This book was published in 1903. The story line could be a very good 1930's Alfred Hitchcock movie with two main characters, of course from Oxford, with one being an upper class gentleman and the other being a commoner who is very skilled in practical matters, like sailing, navigation, and military theory. In 1903, Germany was ascendant and Britain ruled the world. The protagonists discuss whether there will be a bipolar world, with Germany acquiring some world-wide colonies/protectorates, or a war. The commoner believes that Britain is vulnerable to littoral invasions; compare this with the development of the Littoral Combat Ship in the USA. The eBook comes with four maps, which are discussed in the text. I had trouble viewing them on my PaperWhite. You can follow the action using your online map of choice. One reason that I rated it with 5 stars is the inclusion of an Epilogue, where the author discusses the real world situation of 1903 and the lack of utility of battleships in the North Sea. In our current time, the world is again facing a possible multi-polar world. If you enjoy Alan Furst novels, you might enjoy this. Remember it's an eBook - won't clutter up your house - and it's cheap.
Riddle of the Sands is a fictional tale of amateur espionage prior to WW1. The author definitely has a magnificent way with words. In fact, the amazingly precise descriptions are absolutely captivating! It has special appeal for anyone with a solid blue-water sailing background, for almost all of the book takes place in the East Frisian Islands off the northern coast of Germany.
It is the story of two young Englishmen, only one of them a skilled yachtsman (much like the author), who set out to spy on the Germans. The fear is that the Kaiser is planning an attack on England's East Coast, for which the British are not prepared. Can the two young men figure out what the Germans are doing on their North Sea coast?
The story was written in 1903, well before the onset of The Great War.This prescience on the part of the author lends much to the power of the tale. However, some of the exploits late in the book strain even the most generous readers' credibility. A little like the Hardy Boys, but for adults. But, to be sure, the author's style of precise narration keeps the reader's attention. It is clear he is limited in his descriptions by Victorian constraints; Most adult readers will be amused by this propriety.There is no mention at all of even the purest of romance, nothing of even the most basic of scatological content (Is there even a marine head on the little yacht?), and, of course, no profanity whatsoever.
A warning detailed maps of the region are essential if you are to really follow the meandering that takes place. However, the 'charts' supplied in the version are useless in this regard. You must be able to see the various channels, inlets and canals if you are to make any sense of things. The author's constant pleas to "See Chart A" or "See Chart B" attest to this necessity. You will learn a lot about Schleswig-Holstien by the time you are finished, even if you've never heard of the region before. And an awful lot about tides and sand bars.
In sum, it is a gripping yarn, certain to please all sailors, amateur or not.
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