The ThirtyNine Steps John Buchan 9781542820035 Books
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The Thirty-Nine Steps By John Buchan
The ThirtyNine Steps John Buchan 9781542820035 Books
Scotsman John Buchan’s fabulous The 39 Steps is rightly considered a seminal classic in the Adventure/Spy genre and it is for good reason it was on The Guardian’s Best 100 English Novels list at #42.This exciting tale of espionage defined the man-on-the-run tale in breathless fashion, and was the first of the author’s Richard Hannay tales. What remains remarkable is the contemporary prose. Though it takes place before the first World War, offering insight into the view of what was happening at that time, the tale is timeless, and with minor changes, could easily be a thrilling espionage adventure told in our day. Books need to be judged within their context, and while most do, some don't. At least on Amazon, it has a solid four-star average after hundreds of reviews, which I feel more accurately reflects how much fun this is to read.
That's not to say some of what happens isn't implausible, almost Cornell Woolrich implausible, but with a style and pace which makes Robert Ludlum seem lethargic — no easy task — the reader is having so much fun they simply don’t care. Reading The 39 Steps is fun and exciting, which is what it is supposed to be. Watching Hannay escape time after time until the thrilling confrontation and conclusion is exhilarating.
Buchan writes as though using lighting bolts rather than a pen, and we’re just along for the electric-charged ride. The 39 Steps is the quintessential can’t-put-down read. That thrill you got as a youngster reading a mystery adventure by flashlight beneath the covers was captured by Buchan and moved forward into adulthood, and on that level it doesn't just succeed, it shines. It's on The Guardian's list for good reason.
The book differs from Hitchcock’s famous British film adaptation in that there is no love interest for Hannay here; frankly because it isn’t needed. A rollicking good old-fashioned tale that set a bar seldom reached since. Fabulous fun and quite enjoyable when read, if you don't try to compare it with modern-day spy novels.
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The ThirtyNine Steps John Buchan 9781542820035 Books Reviews
If you, like many since Downton Abbey and other things came along to feed us anglophiles, enjoy a genuine drama that is also a thriller, this is the book for you. It is not politically correct, it is written of and in a period hat will never exist again and what Americans once considered "Merry olde England."
If you like Sherlock, you will love this. If you love a spy thriller, this is your book. If you'd like to go back several decades before Agatha Christie, come along! This is from the days of "hale fellow, well met," and I look forward to following the other Richard Hannay books that gleam like gems at dusk as I sip on a gin and tonic.
Don't buy this version. The last 6 or so pages are out of order and missing content. So, after having read the whole book, I have no idea how it ends. And now I am wondering if anything else was missing from the rest of the text? Even though it's a fairly cheap version, don't waste your money, unless you want to puzzle out the ending for yourself. I guess I'll go watch the movie now so I can see the resolution of this tale.
I was heartbroken when this book ended. Richard Hannay, where are you in our world? These are terrific adventure stories from a lost era. I was particularly grateful that Buchan doesn't bother to spend energy on scene-setting. The Great War... unleashed ancient hatreds... and bands of devilish men... who tried to do evil to our hero. Uh, ok! And we're off to the races.
This is a classic spy story and was a best seller in its time and may be said to have made John Buchan's fortune. The story takes place in England and Scotland just before the start of World War I. Readers acquainted with the time and place will find the setting familiar, both geographically and socially. For the others, this is an excellent introduction and tutorial to the period, all in an amusing and easy to read slim book. The villains are of course the Germans, but even they are almost gentlemen and it's not their fault that they are not English.
The protagonist is a James Bond of his time, but without the gadgets and no sex; it's all just a matter of brain and some brawn. A "colonial," the protagonist has a fairly low opinion of his home country, and even a lower one of foreigners, except of course the rural Scots. The boo is definitely not pc, and for those not offended by this, this book is a must. It is surprisingly compelling and the price is certainly right.
This is a World War I era spy/adventure/mystery/thriller story written as part of the British government's propaganda efforts, in which most prominent British writers were enlisted. It's full of British "good old chaps" who instantly trust and aid each other despite wild tales and incongruities. The villains, of course, are German. Amazing coincidences abound to further the story. How the Germans got most of their knowledge and perpetrated their deeds remains unexplained when the book has ended. How did they locate Scudder to kill him? How did they track and then anticipate the movements of Hannay (yes, I know they had an aeroplane, but that's not saying enough). Most of the book is a bit of a travelogue with Hannay fleeing the Germans through Scotland (Buchan was a Scot) without really knowing who they are or what they are up to. Of course the British commoners thwart the seemingly invincible German intelligence agents. Perhaps innovative when it was written, but now best read as a period piece.
As many other purchasers have complained, this is a terrible (or wonderful) example of what can go wrong with cheap, print-on-demand printing. The last pages of the book - right at the climax of the mystery - are out of order or missing. So the whole experience is ruined.
Not the first time I have ordered a book from with similar P.O.D. errors
, which I understand Jeff Bezos started as a book publishing venture, should be ashamed of their lack of quality control.
Scotsman John Buchan’s fabulous The 39 Steps is rightly considered a seminal classic in the Adventure/Spy genre and it is for good reason it was on The Guardian’s Best 100 English Novels list at #42.
This exciting tale of espionage defined the man-on-the-run tale in breathless fashion, and was the first of the author’s Richard Hannay tales. What remains remarkable is the contemporary prose. Though it takes place before the first World War, offering insight into the view of what was happening at that time, the tale is timeless, and with minor changes, could easily be a thrilling espionage adventure told in our day. Books need to be judged within their context, and while most do, some don't. At least on , it has a solid four-star average after hundreds of reviews, which I feel more accurately reflects how much fun this is to read.
That's not to say some of what happens isn't implausible, almost Cornell Woolrich implausible, but with a style and pace which makes Robert Ludlum seem lethargic — no easy task — the reader is having so much fun they simply don’t care. Reading The 39 Steps is fun and exciting, which is what it is supposed to be. Watching Hannay escape time after time until the thrilling confrontation and conclusion is exhilarating.
Buchan writes as though using lighting bolts rather than a pen, and we’re just along for the electric-charged ride. The 39 Steps is the quintessential can’t-put-down read. That thrill you got as a youngster reading a mystery adventure by flashlight beneath the covers was captured by Buchan and moved forward into adulthood, and on that level it doesn't just succeed, it shines. It's on The Guardian's list for good reason.
The book differs from Hitchcock’s famous British film adaptation in that there is no love interest for Hannay here; frankly because it isn’t needed. A rollicking good old-fashioned tale that set a bar seldom reached since. Fabulous fun and quite enjoyable when read, if you don't try to compare it with modern-day spy novels.
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