The Riddle of the Sands Robert Erskine Childers 9781543076639 Books
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The Riddle of the Sands is a novel that "owes a lot to the wonderful adventure novels of writers like Rider Haggard, that were a staple of Victorian Britain"; perhaps more significantly, 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." Ken Follett called it "the first modern thriller.
The Riddle of the Sands Robert Erskine Childers 9781543076639 Books
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 Robert Erskine Childers 9781543076639 Books Reviews
The Riddle of the Sands is one of those books that is more referred to than read! The novel famously served as a trumpet blast of warning to the British Naval authorities to shore up North Sea defenses and prepare for a possible sea invasion by the German Empire under the bellicose leadership of Kaiser Wilhelm II. The novel appeared in 1903 eleven years before the outbreak of World War I. The author is Erskine Childers (1870-1922) London born and half Irish,. Childers fought in the Boer War and World War I serving in the artillery. He and his American born wife Mary Alden Osgood smuggled weapons into Ireland in their rebellion against Great Britain. Childers was caught by the British and executed by firing squad in Dublin.
The novel is a hard assignment for a landlubber! I struggled to keep reading the nautically influenced prose which I found hard to understand. The novel is narrated by Carruthers a Civil Service employee who goes on a mission of discovery with his old school chum Daviess. The latter is an expert yachtsman. Much of the book deals with the details of their voyage. The bottom line is their discovery of a traitor Englishman named Dollmann who is helping the Germans prepare for a British invasion. I found the love interest Clara Dollmann to be flat. There is not much of a plot other than the discovery of the covert plan to wage war against England by the German plotters.
Childers has a style that is hard to follow and much of the book was a boring exercise for this reviewer. I give the novel four stars due to its historical importance as a warning sing of impending German hostility towards Great Britain which came real in August 1914.
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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