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Richard Hannay #5
The Island of Sheep: Classic Adventure Story of Richard Hannay #5
The Island of Sheep: Classic Adventure Story of Richard Hannay #5 (Illustrated with Audio Book Free Download) includes 10 illustrations with 3 audio books free download
1. Mr Standfast
2. 39 Steps
3. The Three Hostages
Plot summary
The action occurs some twelve years later on from the last novel, when Hannay, now in his fifties, is called by an old oath to protect the son of a man he once knew, who is also heir to the secret of a great treasure. He obtains help from Sandy Arbuthnot, now Lord Clanroyden, and Lombard. The action takes place in England, Scotland and on the Island of Sheep. This is located in what Buchan describes as 'the Norlands': clearly the Faroe Islands. There are several stereotypical villains, in particular D'Ingraville from The Courts of the Morning, and the book also focuses on Hannay's son, Peter John, now a bright but solemn teenager.
1. Mr Standfast
2. 39 Steps
3. The Three Hostages
Plot summary
The action occurs some twelve years later on from the last novel, when Hannay, now in his fifties, is called by an old oath to protect the son of a man he once knew, who is also heir to the secret of a great treasure. He obtains help from Sandy Arbuthnot, now Lord Clanroyden, and Lombard. The action takes place in England, Scotland and on the Island of Sheep. This is located in what Buchan describes as 'the Norlands': clearly the Faroe Islands. There are several stereotypical villains, in particular D'Ingraville from The Courts of the Morning, and the book also focuses on Hannay's son, Peter John, now a bright but solemn teenager.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1936
63 people are currently reading
1149 people want to read
About the author
John Buchan
1,697 books463 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
John Buchan was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.
As a youth, Buchan began writing poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction, publishing his first novel in 1895 and ultimately writing over a hundred books of which the best known is The Thirty-Nine Steps. After attending Glasgow and Oxford universities, he practised as a barrister. In 1901, he served as a private secretary to Lord Milner in southern Africa towards the end of the Boer War. He returned to England in 1903, continued as a barrister and journalist. He left the Bar when he joined Thomas Nelson and Sons publishers in 1907. During the First World War, he was, among other activities, Director of Information in 1917 and later Head of Intelligence at the newly-formed Ministry of Information. He was elected Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities in 1927.
In 1935, King George V, on the advice of Canadian Prime Minister R. B. Bennett, appointed Buchan to succeed the Earl of Bessborough as Governor General of Canada and two months later raised him to the peerage as 1st Baron Tweedsmuir. He occupied the post until his death in 1940. Buchan promoted Canadian unity and helped strengthen the sovereignty of Canada constitutionally and culturally. He received a state funeral in Canada before his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom.
John Buchan was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.
As a youth, Buchan began writing poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction, publishing his first novel in 1895 and ultimately writing over a hundred books of which the best known is The Thirty-Nine Steps. After attending Glasgow and Oxford universities, he practised as a barrister. In 1901, he served as a private secretary to Lord Milner in southern Africa towards the end of the Boer War. He returned to England in 1903, continued as a barrister and journalist. He left the Bar when he joined Thomas Nelson and Sons publishers in 1907. During the First World War, he was, among other activities, Director of Information in 1917 and later Head of Intelligence at the newly-formed Ministry of Information. He was elected Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities in 1927.
In 1935, King George V, on the advice of Canadian Prime Minister R. B. Bennett, appointed Buchan to succeed the Earl of Bessborough as Governor General of Canada and two months later raised him to the peerage as 1st Baron Tweedsmuir. He occupied the post until his death in 1940. Buchan promoted Canadian unity and helped strengthen the sovereignty of Canada constitutionally and culturally. He received a state funeral in Canada before his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
March 31, 2023
Twelve years after The Three Hostages Richard Hannay is in his fifties and feeling like a has-been. He is recalled to action by an old oath to protect the son of a man he once knew. A gang of vicious blackmailers have targeted the son and Hannay and his old comrades take on the challenge of shaking off the rust to come to his aid.
I especially like the fact that Hannay's son, 14-year-old Peter John, seems to be a chip off the old block, taking on danger to protect others, including the 13-year-old daughter of the blackmailer's target.
Multiple readings have proven just as exciting and fun to read as the first time. I have both read it in print and listened to Peter Joyce's excellent narration on different occasions. Both are wonderful..
I especially like the fact that Hannay's son, 14-year-old Peter John, seems to be a chip off the old block, taking on danger to protect others, including the 13-year-old daughter of the blackmailer's target.
Multiple readings have proven just as exciting and fun to read as the first time. I have both read it in print and listened to Peter Joyce's excellent narration on different occasions. Both are wonderful..
December 31, 2019
The book is dedicated to John Buchan’s son, Johnnie: “To J.N.S.B. who knows the Norlands and the ways of the wild geese”. In the book, Peter John, son of Mary and Richard Hannay, shares many of Johnnie’s interest in birds, nature and wild places.
The book opens with Hannay feeling a little too settled and comfortable in his life at Fosse Manor in the Oxfordshire countryside. Fosse Manor resembles Buchan’s own family home, Elsfield, and perhaps Hannay’s restlessness reflects Buchan’s own feelings as he contemplated his forthcoming role as Governor General of Canada.
The oft-quoted line from the classic film Casablanca – “Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine” – comes to mind as Hannay has chance encounters with an old friend, Lombard, from his days in Rhodesia, and shortly afterwards with the son of the man, Haraldsen, to whom – along with Lombard and former comrade, Peter Pienaar – he swore an oath to come to his aid should he ever be required.
Other characters from previous novels turn up including a villain from South America and Hannay’s old friend, Sandy Arbuthnot, who once again demonstrates the mastery of disguise for which he is renowned, although some suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader may be required in one particular case.
The story builds to a dramatic climax on the isolated Island of Sheep as there is a final reckoning between Haraldsen’s son and his allies, and the gang of baddies pursuing him. Peter John and Anna (Haraldsen’s daughter) play an important role in events and knowledge of the habits of wildlife proves crucial.
The Island of Sheep is an engaging adventure set in some interesting locations. #ReadJB2019
The book opens with Hannay feeling a little too settled and comfortable in his life at Fosse Manor in the Oxfordshire countryside. Fosse Manor resembles Buchan’s own family home, Elsfield, and perhaps Hannay’s restlessness reflects Buchan’s own feelings as he contemplated his forthcoming role as Governor General of Canada.
The oft-quoted line from the classic film Casablanca – “Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine” – comes to mind as Hannay has chance encounters with an old friend, Lombard, from his days in Rhodesia, and shortly afterwards with the son of the man, Haraldsen, to whom – along with Lombard and former comrade, Peter Pienaar – he swore an oath to come to his aid should he ever be required.
Other characters from previous novels turn up including a villain from South America and Hannay’s old friend, Sandy Arbuthnot, who once again demonstrates the mastery of disguise for which he is renowned, although some suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader may be required in one particular case.
The story builds to a dramatic climax on the isolated Island of Sheep as there is a final reckoning between Haraldsen’s son and his allies, and the gang of baddies pursuing him. Peter John and Anna (Haraldsen’s daughter) play an important role in events and knowledge of the habits of wildlife proves crucial.
The Island of Sheep is an engaging adventure set in some interesting locations. #ReadJB2019
December 3, 2009
Sir Richard Hannay, retired mining engineer, lives a comfortable suburban life outside London, but feels old age and stodginess coming on and longs to have his mettle tested again. He gets his chance when a promise he made years ago in Rhodesia, to defend the honor and fortune of a Nordic treasure-seeker and his heirs, needs to be fulfilled. The action ranges from South Africa, England, and Scotland to the beautiful, desolate Faroe Islands (check them out on Google image, they're amazing), as Hannay and his friends are attacked by blackguards, desperadoes, murderous scallywags, "apaches," sewer-rats, and sneak-thieves, and an army of blood-stained trolls, two children, and a falcon come to their defense (some of the language is a little melodramatic).
I think I enjoyed Hannay's reflections on his stuffy, settled life, and his denigrations of the stuffy, golf-filled lives of those around him, as much as his descriptions of the battles in the kraals, ornithological escapades on stormy mudflats, and sieges of skerries and voes. Buchan certainly spares no effort in finding and using topographical terminology.
I think I enjoyed Hannay's reflections on his stuffy, settled life, and his denigrations of the stuffy, golf-filled lives of those around him, as much as his descriptions of the battles in the kraals, ornithological escapades on stormy mudflats, and sieges of skerries and voes. Buchan certainly spares no effort in finding and using topographical terminology.
February 27, 2020
From TIA:
Three part dramatisation of the final Richard Hannay novel.
Many years earlier, Hannay had sworn to defend the interests of Marius Haraldsen, a wealthy Danish gold-prospector and expert in Norse lore, against a group of unscrupulous former business associates and assorted desperados. Hannay, Pienaar and fellow Englishman Lombard join Haraldsen at his camp on a Rhodesian plateau, and in a scene worthy of Rider Haggard, they beat off an attack on their hill-top redoubt with timely help from local tribesmen.
Some thirty years later, with Haraldsen now dead, Albinus, the surviving member of the original gang and Troth, the son of one of the others, decide to take the vendetta to the next generation. Gathering around them a new group of ne'er-do-wells, they seek to extort Haraldsen's son Valdemar out of his substantial fortune. Haraldsen junior, a bookish young widower, leaves the baronial house built by his father on the Island of Sheep, puts his thirteen year-old daughter Anna in a boarding school, and goes to ground in England. Fearful for his own and his daughter's safety, he decides to turn for help to his father's old comrades from his Africa days, Lombard and Hannay.
https://archive.org/details/IslandOfS...
Three part dramatisation of the final Richard Hannay novel.
Many years earlier, Hannay had sworn to defend the interests of Marius Haraldsen, a wealthy Danish gold-prospector and expert in Norse lore, against a group of unscrupulous former business associates and assorted desperados. Hannay, Pienaar and fellow Englishman Lombard join Haraldsen at his camp on a Rhodesian plateau, and in a scene worthy of Rider Haggard, they beat off an attack on their hill-top redoubt with timely help from local tribesmen.
Some thirty years later, with Haraldsen now dead, Albinus, the surviving member of the original gang and Troth, the son of one of the others, decide to take the vendetta to the next generation. Gathering around them a new group of ne'er-do-wells, they seek to extort Haraldsen's son Valdemar out of his substantial fortune. Haraldsen junior, a bookish young widower, leaves the baronial house built by his father on the Island of Sheep, puts his thirteen year-old daughter Anna in a boarding school, and goes to ground in England. Fearful for his own and his daughter's safety, he decides to turn for help to his father's old comrades from his Africa days, Lombard and Hannay.
https://archive.org/details/IslandOfS...
July 25, 2022
Written in 1936, this is a lovely story about rich males who seem able to drop their jobs / business dealings to support the son of a friend who is being threatened by unscrupulous types.
Richard Hannay and Sandy Clanroyden have both featured in other stories by John Buchan. Here they're helping a friend called Lombard who is trying to ensure the son of a deceased friend called Haraldsen from Scandinavia stays out of the hands of some swindlers. These people want money from Haraldsen because of an 'agreement' Haraldsen's father had with men called Barralty, Troth, and Albinus. These three aren't really criminal types but they're joined by D'Ingraville, Martel, and Carreras who definitely are.
The action zooms along from the Cotswolds, to the Scottish Borders, and eventually to the fictional Island of Sheep in the Norlands which seems to be part of Denmark. Here the denouement occurs and not all the characters survive.
There's plenty of hunting, shooting, and especially fishing talk. Hannay's son Peter John and Haraldsen's daughter Anna are central to the plot and eventually become firm friends in a brother and sister type of relationship.
Richard Hannay and Sandy Clanroyden have both featured in other stories by John Buchan. Here they're helping a friend called Lombard who is trying to ensure the son of a deceased friend called Haraldsen from Scandinavia stays out of the hands of some swindlers. These people want money from Haraldsen because of an 'agreement' Haraldsen's father had with men called Barralty, Troth, and Albinus. These three aren't really criminal types but they're joined by D'Ingraville, Martel, and Carreras who definitely are.
The action zooms along from the Cotswolds, to the Scottish Borders, and eventually to the fictional Island of Sheep in the Norlands which seems to be part of Denmark. Here the denouement occurs and not all the characters survive.
There's plenty of hunting, shooting, and especially fishing talk. Hannay's son Peter John and Haraldsen's daughter Anna are central to the plot and eventually become firm friends in a brother and sister type of relationship.
August 25, 2017
The Island of Sheep is the fifth of five books by John Buchan featuring intrepid Richard Hannay. The most well-known book is the first, The 39 Steps, which was also made into at least two movies. I've read the first three and jumped book 4, The Three Hostages, for one of my reading challenges. I will get back to the 4th book in the near future.
With all that preamble, The Island of Sheep brings a retired Hannay and some friends back into adventure to follow up on a promise they made to an old friend many years ago. That promise was to help this man's son should he ever be endangered by the friend's enemies. Hannay is enjoying retirement, living at Fosse with wife and son but still feels that he's getting rusty. Brief meetings with other old friends, Lombard, and Sandy, lord of Clanroyden, bring back the events in Africa that lead to the promise to help their old friend, Haraldsen, a Norlander and adventurer. A group of old and new enemies are threatening the son of Haraldsen to get his wealth. Hannay and his friends decide to help him against them.
The adventure moves to Scotland, home of Sandy and then to the Island of Sheep, somewhere near Denmark / Norway, the home of Haraldsen and his clan, for the final confrontation. The story moves along nicely, with sufficient action to keep you involved and also develops the characters in a manner where you can see them shaking off the rust of their retirements and inactivity to become more resolute in their efforts to help their friend. Buchan has an excellent descriptive writing style and you can see and feel the land he describes and his characters. In many ways it's probably a man's story, the women, wives of Hannay and his friends, are strong and resolute and supportive of the men but also play minor roles. I also liked Hannay's son, Peter John, who plays a nicely major role in the events.
All in all, an excellent ending to the Hannay adventures, enjoyable to read and a satisfying ending. (3.5 stars)
With all that preamble, The Island of Sheep brings a retired Hannay and some friends back into adventure to follow up on a promise they made to an old friend many years ago. That promise was to help this man's son should he ever be endangered by the friend's enemies. Hannay is enjoying retirement, living at Fosse with wife and son but still feels that he's getting rusty. Brief meetings with other old friends, Lombard, and Sandy, lord of Clanroyden, bring back the events in Africa that lead to the promise to help their old friend, Haraldsen, a Norlander and adventurer. A group of old and new enemies are threatening the son of Haraldsen to get his wealth. Hannay and his friends decide to help him against them.
The adventure moves to Scotland, home of Sandy and then to the Island of Sheep, somewhere near Denmark / Norway, the home of Haraldsen and his clan, for the final confrontation. The story moves along nicely, with sufficient action to keep you involved and also develops the characters in a manner where you can see them shaking off the rust of their retirements and inactivity to become more resolute in their efforts to help their friend. Buchan has an excellent descriptive writing style and you can see and feel the land he describes and his characters. In many ways it's probably a man's story, the women, wives of Hannay and his friends, are strong and resolute and supportive of the men but also play minor roles. I also liked Hannay's son, Peter John, who plays a nicely major role in the events.
All in all, an excellent ending to the Hannay adventures, enjoyable to read and a satisfying ending. (3.5 stars)
July 4, 2023
Richard Hannay is caught up in another adventure! This time an old friend from South Africa, Haraldsen, is being hunted by evil men with a vendetta against his father. Richard's son, Peter John, is now in his teens and is eager to help his father protect Haraldsen's family, especially since he has a lovely teenage daughter, Anna. After dodging the bad guys all around the city, they escape into the country and make their last stand on the Island of Sheep.
I really love the writing style of these adventure books. It keeps that tension and mystery through every chapter, and we get to experience it all through Richard's eyes. We feel his fear and excitement and despair in each scene, and his relief when they are all safe again.
I found it interesting to hear more about Richard's past in this book. There is a lengthy chapter describing how he met Haraldsen's father in South Africa and how they swore eternal friendship after surviving some tough times together. That bond of friendship continues even after the elder Haraldsen's death, and Richard remains loyal to Haraldsen's family even when it means putting his life in danger.
There is a lot of exciting back and forth in the plot, figuring out what the bad guys want, who is working for them, where they are hiding, and where they are likely to attack. It was cat and mouse for most of the book, until the good guys finally decide that they are sick of running. They make a desperate last stand on the island, but it is the teenagers who ultimately discover the clue to saving them all.
I really love the writing style of these adventure books. It keeps that tension and mystery through every chapter, and we get to experience it all through Richard's eyes. We feel his fear and excitement and despair in each scene, and his relief when they are all safe again.
I found it interesting to hear more about Richard's past in this book. There is a lengthy chapter describing how he met Haraldsen's father in South Africa and how they swore eternal friendship after surviving some tough times together. That bond of friendship continues even after the elder Haraldsen's death, and Richard remains loyal to Haraldsen's family even when it means putting his life in danger.
There is a lot of exciting back and forth in the plot, figuring out what the bad guys want, who is working for them, where they are hiding, and where they are likely to attack. It was cat and mouse for most of the book, until the good guys finally decide that they are sick of running. They make a desperate last stand on the island, but it is the teenagers who ultimately discover the clue to saving them all.
July 28, 2017
Another exciting adventure for Richard Hannay, this time with his 14-year-old son (as well as his old friend Sandy & others).
January 26, 2016
The first book in Buchan's Richard Hannay series, The 39 Steps, is by far the best known because of the Hitchcock film, but Island of Sheep, the last of the five novels, is actually quite a bit better, especially in terms of characterization and evocative landscape--so much of the novel takes place in the lush, hilly "Borderlands" area of Scotland and on a rocky, windswept island in the Faroes, north of Scotland. Interestingly, Buchan uses these locales to muse on the long-buried savagery that still lurks in the Scots and Scandinavians, dwelling on Norse mythology, the sagas, Viking raids, blood feuds that span generations, and berserker states. When Hannay, by this point no longer the youngish man of the earlier novels, learns that the son and granddaughter of an old friend are threatened by a dangerous group from Hannay's younger days ranging Africa and Asia, he determines to help, only to find that the son and granddaughter, seemingly weak, can draw on their northern heritage to ferociously defend themselves. These plot twists, while unusual, are in line with Buchan's continuing preocupations with race and racial characteristics, while his emphasis on pre-civilized Europe echoes Conrad's thoughts on the subject in Heart of Darkness.
January 15, 2017
The fifth and last Richard Hannay adventure. Hannay and friends (and two youngsters) combine to rebuff the efforts of a multifarious gang of blackguards to invade and capture a small Baltic island belonging to the son of an ancient enemy.
Much better than I remembered, this as usual combines adventure, brilliant descriptions of the countryside and wildlife (particularly in the tidal marshes of Essex), and reflections on how to live a worthy and honourable life.
Oh dear, no more in this series to read!
Much better than I remembered, this as usual combines adventure, brilliant descriptions of the countryside and wildlife (particularly in the tidal marshes of Essex), and reflections on how to live a worthy and honourable life.
Oh dear, no more in this series to read!
August 8, 2022
The Island of Sheep is a 1936 novel by the Scottish author John Buchan, the last of his novels to focus on his characters Richard Hannay and Sandy Arbuthnot
Twelve years on from the last novel in which he featured, Richard Hannay, now in his fifties, is called by an old oath to protect the son of a man he once knew, who is also heir to the secret of a great treasure. Helped by old friends, Sandy Arbuthnot, now Lord Clanroyden, and Lombard, the action takes place in England, Scotland and on the Island of Sheep.
An engaging adventure set in some unusual locations. Definately worth a read.
Twelve years on from the last novel in which he featured, Richard Hannay, now in his fifties, is called by an old oath to protect the son of a man he once knew, who is also heir to the secret of a great treasure. Helped by old friends, Sandy Arbuthnot, now Lord Clanroyden, and Lombard, the action takes place in England, Scotland and on the Island of Sheep.
An engaging adventure set in some unusual locations. Definately worth a read.
December 28, 2015
A generally good example of this author's adventurous style, by no means his best but (thankfully) not his worst either. It's more reflective than his other adventure novels but still a reasonably fast-paced yarn. The key to the reflective nature lies in Hannay's judgement of himself, which appears fairly early on:
"We all make up pictures of ourselves that we try to live up to, and mine had always been of somebody hard and taut who could preserve to the last day of life a decent vigour of spirit. Well, I kept my body in fair training by exercise, but I realised that my soul was in danger of fatty degeneration. I was too comfortable. I had all the blessings a man can have, but I wasn't earning them...I looked at my face in the mirror in the carriage back, and it disgusted me...'You are a fool,' I said, 'You are becoming soft and elderly, which is the law of life, and you haven't the grit to grow old cheerfully.' That put a stopper on my complaints, but it left me dejected and only half-convinced".
There are, of course, classic Buchan moments....
"His wife, whom I had caught a glimpse of at the station in the preceding autumn, proved to be the most sumptuous of all Lombard's possessions"
But it didn't grab me like others he has written. There are a lot of shortcuts in this book that make it less than satisfactory. On the whole it's good fun and with a little more work it could have been truly great, but that's Buchan for you. He was surprisingly prolific and that, I suspect, was his main problem.
"We all make up pictures of ourselves that we try to live up to, and mine had always been of somebody hard and taut who could preserve to the last day of life a decent vigour of spirit. Well, I kept my body in fair training by exercise, but I realised that my soul was in danger of fatty degeneration. I was too comfortable. I had all the blessings a man can have, but I wasn't earning them...I looked at my face in the mirror in the carriage back, and it disgusted me...'You are a fool,' I said, 'You are becoming soft and elderly, which is the law of life, and you haven't the grit to grow old cheerfully.' That put a stopper on my complaints, but it left me dejected and only half-convinced".
There are, of course, classic Buchan moments....
"His wife, whom I had caught a glimpse of at the station in the preceding autumn, proved to be the most sumptuous of all Lombard's possessions"
But it didn't grab me like others he has written. There are a lot of shortcuts in this book that make it less than satisfactory. On the whole it's good fun and with a little more work it could have been truly great, but that's Buchan for you. He was surprisingly prolific and that, I suspect, was his main problem.
November 22, 2014
If any CS Lewis-approved author proves that our current non-classical education system is completely ineffective twaddle - this author does. I need to read this book with a reference manual, because there are so many classical references that I'm completely missing. Great underlying story - mixture of conscienceless criminals + half-baked manipulators in the business world, set against ancient underlying Nordic feuds that modern man doesn't understand....and then human instincts (not always logical) that kick in when you need them most. Plus, it has the happy ending element of bad (always thinking that it finally has the absolute upper hand) getting thoroughly trounced by an unpredictable, thoroughly normal circumstance that they couldn't have engineered or guarded against.
December 29, 2015
Another fun romp, perhaps a bit too close in structure to Huntingtower and The Free Fishers. But by golly the fellow could write! Honestly, Buchan has to be one of the most underrated authors of the 20th century.
October 8, 2025
The fifth book completes the Hannay circle, and ends up being in parts a facsimile of the first, the chase, disguises, villains and first class chaps and the like, not withstanding that, it is a far more agreeable story than the previous 3, though the lure of the Sandy novel may eventually get me to dip into Buchnan’s tales again, just not for a while, too many books in the to read pile to add any more at present…
April 20, 2021
I discovered JOhn Buchan in my late forties. His books are adventure stories but multi layered - and slightly surreal. They couldn’t contrast more with what I expected: imperial tales of derring do from cardboard cutout stereotypes. He’s a beautiful descriptive writer of landscape - in this novel capturing scenes in Africa, the Scottish Highlands and the Faroe Islands.
November 12, 2017
The Island of Sheep, published in 1936, is a well-written, engrossing adventure, the fifth and last of John Buchan’s novels featuring Richard Hannay. The first novel “The thirty-Nine Steps” was published in 1915 and introduced Hannay who found himself caught up in murder and mayhem involving possible foreign spies in the lead up to WW1. After the success of the first book, four Hannay novels followed over the next thirteen years with Hannay becoming more involved in being a spy and in adventurous exploits in Africa.
This final book in the series appeared after a gap of seven years. Hannay is now in his fifties and sitting on a commuter train feeling his age and reminiscing about his friend Lombard, whom he heard mentioned in a speech earlier that day, and their long ago exploits in Africa. “I felt about him as Browning felt about Waring in the poems, for I believed that sooner or later – and rather soon than late- he would in some way or other make for himself a resounding name. I pictured him striding towards his goal, scorning half-achievements and easy repute, waiting patiently for his big goal.” In contrast he fears he himself is drifting into the “smug suburban” life evidenced by his fellow commuters with their “flabby eupeptic faces”.
This adventure begins when Hannay realizes that the man sitting across from him is in fact Lombard. “Lombard had been absorbed into the great, solid, complacent middle class which he had once despised.” The encounter makes Hannah feel he has become “decrepit” too but over the next months his depression is also combined with a feeling that something is about to disrupt his ennui, and it does.
On a shooting trip to Norfolk with his fourteen year old son Peter he finds that there is a mysterious James Smith staying at the same inn who keeps very much to himself. Old habits die hard so Hannay becomes very curious about Smith and gradually realizes that he is behaving like a hunted man. Soon after that another of his fellow adventurers from the past, Sandy Clanroyden, shows him a piece of jade that he picked up in China which has writing on it. The only part they can make out is the name of another man from their past, Haraldson, whose goal in life was to recreate the world of the Norse sagas on his remote island home, the Island of Sheep, to which end he traveled the world in search of gold or buried treasures to provide the riches he needed to achieve his dream.
Then the adventure really begins when Lombard introduces Hannay to Haraldson’s son Valdemar who turns out to be the frightened young man he had encountered in Norfolk. He is in fear for his life because two enemies of his late father Troth and Albinus are now hunting for him because they believe he knows where to find his father’s treasure and they want to extract that information from him in any way they can. The young man calls on Hannay and Lombard to honour a solemn promise they made years ago to stand by Haraldson and his son if Troth and Albinus ever troubled them again.
So off they go looking for a safe haven for Haraldson. Further complicating matters is the fact that Haraldson has a thirteen year daughter, Anna, hidden away, he thinks, under an assumed name in a boarding school. She has to be taken to safety too and they all end up on the Island of Sheep. Hannay’s son Peter refuses to be left out of the action so he finds his way there as well.
Buchan builds the story to an exciting climax as the Troth, Albinus and their gang invade the island having cut it off from the outside world.
What gives an added dimension to this novel is secondary theme of passing initiative and a sense of duty on to the next generation. It comes from the many references Hanney and his friends make throughout the novel to the fact that they are no longer the young men who could tough it out in WWI and post-war Africa and maybe are not up to dealing with what they now face. What’s interesting is that in transferring their roles to the next generation it is not just to Hannay’s son, Peter John, but equally to Haraldson’s daughter, Anna, who is in fact the one who uses her mental and physical abilities as well as her local knowledge to bring the drama to a satisfactory conclusion.
I read this book while I was on a very long flight. Time passed quickly as I was kept riveted to the twists and turns of the novel.
This final book in the series appeared after a gap of seven years. Hannay is now in his fifties and sitting on a commuter train feeling his age and reminiscing about his friend Lombard, whom he heard mentioned in a speech earlier that day, and their long ago exploits in Africa. “I felt about him as Browning felt about Waring in the poems, for I believed that sooner or later – and rather soon than late- he would in some way or other make for himself a resounding name. I pictured him striding towards his goal, scorning half-achievements and easy repute, waiting patiently for his big goal.” In contrast he fears he himself is drifting into the “smug suburban” life evidenced by his fellow commuters with their “flabby eupeptic faces”.
This adventure begins when Hannay realizes that the man sitting across from him is in fact Lombard. “Lombard had been absorbed into the great, solid, complacent middle class which he had once despised.” The encounter makes Hannah feel he has become “decrepit” too but over the next months his depression is also combined with a feeling that something is about to disrupt his ennui, and it does.
On a shooting trip to Norfolk with his fourteen year old son Peter he finds that there is a mysterious James Smith staying at the same inn who keeps very much to himself. Old habits die hard so Hannay becomes very curious about Smith and gradually realizes that he is behaving like a hunted man. Soon after that another of his fellow adventurers from the past, Sandy Clanroyden, shows him a piece of jade that he picked up in China which has writing on it. The only part they can make out is the name of another man from their past, Haraldson, whose goal in life was to recreate the world of the Norse sagas on his remote island home, the Island of Sheep, to which end he traveled the world in search of gold or buried treasures to provide the riches he needed to achieve his dream.
Then the adventure really begins when Lombard introduces Hannay to Haraldson’s son Valdemar who turns out to be the frightened young man he had encountered in Norfolk. He is in fear for his life because two enemies of his late father Troth and Albinus are now hunting for him because they believe he knows where to find his father’s treasure and they want to extract that information from him in any way they can. The young man calls on Hannay and Lombard to honour a solemn promise they made years ago to stand by Haraldson and his son if Troth and Albinus ever troubled them again.
So off they go looking for a safe haven for Haraldson. Further complicating matters is the fact that Haraldson has a thirteen year daughter, Anna, hidden away, he thinks, under an assumed name in a boarding school. She has to be taken to safety too and they all end up on the Island of Sheep. Hannay’s son Peter refuses to be left out of the action so he finds his way there as well.
Buchan builds the story to an exciting climax as the Troth, Albinus and their gang invade the island having cut it off from the outside world.
What gives an added dimension to this novel is secondary theme of passing initiative and a sense of duty on to the next generation. It comes from the many references Hanney and his friends make throughout the novel to the fact that they are no longer the young men who could tough it out in WWI and post-war Africa and maybe are not up to dealing with what they now face. What’s interesting is that in transferring their roles to the next generation it is not just to Hannay’s son, Peter John, but equally to Haraldson’s daughter, Anna, who is in fact the one who uses her mental and physical abilities as well as her local knowledge to bring the drama to a satisfactory conclusion.
I read this book while I was on a very long flight. Time passed quickly as I was kept riveted to the twists and turns of the novel.
March 6, 2025
“Keeping a promise was one thing, but nursing a lunatic was another.”
this book was refreshing considering the fourth book’s mistakes, which I said was clumsy and too long. even though I was having a hard time trying to understand what was going on in the first chapters, I started to figure out by myself in the middle of the book. John Buchan’s writing has evolved. it is not about thrilling and controlling one’s emotions. our Richard now has a stable farming family-life. his son grew up and he is rather now a young figure being built different for sure. to be honest, I thought Richard and Mary would have other kids, but it never happened.
“Both Sandy and I had had amazing luck in life, but luck always turned in the end. My trouble was that I could not see how the affair could finish.”
“‘Go on,’ said Sandy, as he lit his pipe. He and Mary are the best listeners I know.”
but once again, Richard was not alone. in my opinion, Sandy was doing so much more good work than our Richard. it made me realize how old he grew and how distant he is from his business now. from what I remember, Sandy was a bit younger than our Richard - but I always remember being not so sure - and it showed. there were a lot of interactions in this book, which was very great! Macgallivray’s wisdom, Archie’s moving abilities. even Hamilton was back, I forgot his accent and all. but I have noticed how much Mary was absent. I understand that she is now a Lady, but she used to take part in helping resolve many issues and I really miss her. her absence somehow told that she is now taken for granted, I guess. just like in The Three Hostages, I was expecting her to make a move, but I guess it has never really happened.
“Peter john’s lack of scholastic success used to worry Mary sometimes, but I felt that he was going his own way and picking up a pretty education.”
“Peter John stood very stiff, as if he expected a scolding, but I wasn’t inclined to scold. It was a joy to have him with me.”
I think I should definitely give the MVP award to Peter John. it probably seems basic. but I am going to explain. his help was not brillant. true. but I was glad that we got to learn more about him. I thought he’d be only referred often and that’s it but turns out he was helping out his father and his friends. their relationship is quite odd, for I noticed that there not that close, which surprised me. I was expecting a more present figure. I don’t know why but I was reading all of Peter John’s lines with a strong young Scottish accent.
‘Pretty good,’ he said. England is the really confortable spot on earth - the only place where man can be utterly at home.’
‘Too comfortable,’ I said. ‘I feel I’m getting old and soft and slack. I don’t deserve this place, and I’m not earning it.’
‘I’m too old,’ I said, ‘and too slack.’
I have seen how much the writing has changed, like I have said. it used to be dealing with emotions, something quick and impactful. it is definitely filled with nostalgia. now, it is slower, I’d say. it is not a bad thing, but John Buchan himself depicts his own boredom and projects it on Richard. it’s quite pretty common for authors to make their MC represent their lives onto them, but dang! our Richard is so right : his life is stable and its best, yet it indeed is so boring… even with a little business like this now, it was not captivating. I just don’t understand why it seemed relevant to the author to write so many paragraphs to explain something that could’ve been better off in shorter terms for sure.
and Richard went from pessimistic behaviour to overthinking grown man mode:
“Then I went to bed with anxiety in my mind out of which I could not argue myself. The happy peace of Laverlaw had been flawed. I felt like the man in Treasure Island who was tipped the black spot.”
“I got a glimpse of Haraldsen’s face and gripped his arm, for I thought he was going to faint. He was white as paper, shaking like a leaf.”
Haraldsen’s character is quite intriguing but like, in a bad way. he is quite a fugitive, yes, but he has no courage at all. everything that was turned against him didn’t make him stand up for himself, but rather stay submissive. he is not capable of being strong, and I wonder why Richard was describing this much as a man so weak. really, it was a combination of someone incapable. it is no surprise that he needs an entire group of older men to help him out saving his and his daughter’s skins. Richard may describes himself as ‘old and slack’ but he can move better than him for sure.
‘I’m not going into this affair for fun,’ I explained. ‘It’s a solid obligation of honour.’
for my favorite chapter, I definitely kept in mind Chapter Six since it has the most interactions of them all, but I am convinced Chapter Twelve was the most interesting out there. I really enjoying travelling to Laverlaw and to Iceland with dear Richard and all of his friends. it really was a marvelous ending of Richard Hannay’s adventures as the MC and as the narrator. it has only been a month since I discovered this series, yet I read five books this fast. even though I enjoyed everything to the fullest, I feel like I need to take a break from it a little and focus on other books I want to read too. I will start the sixth book, The Courts of The Morning, as soon as I am capable of.
and for the finale, my favourite scene :
‘Why this honour?’ he asked. ‘Is it friendship or business? A sudden craving for my company, or a mess you want to be helped out of?’
‘Both,’ I said. ‘But business first.’
‘A job for the Yard?’
‘No-o. Not just yet, anyhow. I want some information. I’ve just got the track of a rather ugly affair.’
He whistled. ‘You have a standard for ugliness. What is it?’
‘Blackmail,’ I said.
‘Yourself? He must be a bold blackmailer to tackle you.’
‘No, a friend. A pretty helpless sort of friend, who will go mad if he isn’t backed up.’
even though Richard Hannay’s era as a MC is over, he will never be forgotten. a great ending, four stars.
this book was refreshing considering the fourth book’s mistakes, which I said was clumsy and too long. even though I was having a hard time trying to understand what was going on in the first chapters, I started to figure out by myself in the middle of the book. John Buchan’s writing has evolved. it is not about thrilling and controlling one’s emotions. our Richard now has a stable farming family-life. his son grew up and he is rather now a young figure being built different for sure. to be honest, I thought Richard and Mary would have other kids, but it never happened.
“Both Sandy and I had had amazing luck in life, but luck always turned in the end. My trouble was that I could not see how the affair could finish.”
“‘Go on,’ said Sandy, as he lit his pipe. He and Mary are the best listeners I know.”
but once again, Richard was not alone. in my opinion, Sandy was doing so much more good work than our Richard. it made me realize how old he grew and how distant he is from his business now. from what I remember, Sandy was a bit younger than our Richard - but I always remember being not so sure - and it showed. there were a lot of interactions in this book, which was very great! Macgallivray’s wisdom, Archie’s moving abilities. even Hamilton was back, I forgot his accent and all. but I have noticed how much Mary was absent. I understand that she is now a Lady, but she used to take part in helping resolve many issues and I really miss her. her absence somehow told that she is now taken for granted, I guess. just like in The Three Hostages, I was expecting her to make a move, but I guess it has never really happened.
“Peter john’s lack of scholastic success used to worry Mary sometimes, but I felt that he was going his own way and picking up a pretty education.”
“Peter John stood very stiff, as if he expected a scolding, but I wasn’t inclined to scold. It was a joy to have him with me.”
I think I should definitely give the MVP award to Peter John. it probably seems basic. but I am going to explain. his help was not brillant. true. but I was glad that we got to learn more about him. I thought he’d be only referred often and that’s it but turns out he was helping out his father and his friends. their relationship is quite odd, for I noticed that there not that close, which surprised me. I was expecting a more present figure. I don’t know why but I was reading all of Peter John’s lines with a strong young Scottish accent.
‘Pretty good,’ he said. England is the really confortable spot on earth - the only place where man can be utterly at home.’
‘Too comfortable,’ I said. ‘I feel I’m getting old and soft and slack. I don’t deserve this place, and I’m not earning it.’
‘I’m too old,’ I said, ‘and too slack.’
I have seen how much the writing has changed, like I have said. it used to be dealing with emotions, something quick and impactful. it is definitely filled with nostalgia. now, it is slower, I’d say. it is not a bad thing, but John Buchan himself depicts his own boredom and projects it on Richard. it’s quite pretty common for authors to make their MC represent their lives onto them, but dang! our Richard is so right : his life is stable and its best, yet it indeed is so boring… even with a little business like this now, it was not captivating. I just don’t understand why it seemed relevant to the author to write so many paragraphs to explain something that could’ve been better off in shorter terms for sure.
and Richard went from pessimistic behaviour to overthinking grown man mode:
“Then I went to bed with anxiety in my mind out of which I could not argue myself. The happy peace of Laverlaw had been flawed. I felt like the man in Treasure Island who was tipped the black spot.”
“I got a glimpse of Haraldsen’s face and gripped his arm, for I thought he was going to faint. He was white as paper, shaking like a leaf.”
Haraldsen’s character is quite intriguing but like, in a bad way. he is quite a fugitive, yes, but he has no courage at all. everything that was turned against him didn’t make him stand up for himself, but rather stay submissive. he is not capable of being strong, and I wonder why Richard was describing this much as a man so weak. really, it was a combination of someone incapable. it is no surprise that he needs an entire group of older men to help him out saving his and his daughter’s skins. Richard may describes himself as ‘old and slack’ but he can move better than him for sure.
‘I’m not going into this affair for fun,’ I explained. ‘It’s a solid obligation of honour.’
for my favorite chapter, I definitely kept in mind Chapter Six since it has the most interactions of them all, but I am convinced Chapter Twelve was the most interesting out there. I really enjoying travelling to Laverlaw and to Iceland with dear Richard and all of his friends. it really was a marvelous ending of Richard Hannay’s adventures as the MC and as the narrator. it has only been a month since I discovered this series, yet I read five books this fast. even though I enjoyed everything to the fullest, I feel like I need to take a break from it a little and focus on other books I want to read too. I will start the sixth book, The Courts of The Morning, as soon as I am capable of.
and for the finale, my favourite scene :
‘Why this honour?’ he asked. ‘Is it friendship or business? A sudden craving for my company, or a mess you want to be helped out of?’
‘Both,’ I said. ‘But business first.’
‘A job for the Yard?’
‘No-o. Not just yet, anyhow. I want some information. I’ve just got the track of a rather ugly affair.’
He whistled. ‘You have a standard for ugliness. What is it?’
‘Blackmail,’ I said.
‘Yourself? He must be a bold blackmailer to tackle you.’
‘No, a friend. A pretty helpless sort of friend, who will go mad if he isn’t backed up.’
even though Richard Hannay’s era as a MC is over, he will never be forgotten. a great ending, four stars.
January 24, 2018
Similarly to his classic, Thirty-nine steps, this book contains adventure, danger, heroes and villains and at times is a hard book to put down, though at others a somewhat difficult book in 1930s English to read. The plot involves a sworn oath between Hannay, Lombard, and the older Haraldsen in which the former two assisted by Lord Clanroyden are called upon when the younger Haraldsen is faced with the prospect of evil intentions by dangerous villians to dispossess him of his immense wealth. From this point the story progresses from demands to threats, blackmail, kidnapping and open warfare and is somewhat far-fetched, though there are great descriptions of various landscapes.
While this book falls well short of the story line in thirty-nine steps, it is well written and well worth reading.
While this book falls well short of the story line in thirty-nine steps, it is well written and well worth reading.
October 31, 2010
A really interesting read. This is the last of the books which involve Richard Hannay. A true adventure story with plenty of action, nicely involving Hannay's young son this time.
Very much of its time, written in 1936, it is dated in style. This doesn't detract from the story, but got me a bit irritated at times. After all, the women are safely left waiting in the background whilst the men do all the interesting bits. That said, the young daughter of one of the charcacters does get involved, almost like some warrior queen, getting the locals to come to the aid of her besieged father.
I enjoyed reading it, so do give it a go yourself.
Very much of its time, written in 1936, it is dated in style. This doesn't detract from the story, but got me a bit irritated at times. After all, the women are safely left waiting in the background whilst the men do all the interesting bits. That said, the young daughter of one of the charcacters does get involved, almost like some warrior queen, getting the locals to come to the aid of her besieged father.
I enjoyed reading it, so do give it a go yourself.
December 30, 2011
This was the fifth and final novel written by John Buchan which starred that awesome spy-hunting, bad-guy-busting, luckiest-man-alive Richard Hannay. After first, The Island Of Sheep takes off quite slowly. There's certainly not as much action in this book as in Buchan's previous Hannay novels, but this is partially made-up for in the final few chapters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I have with the previous four that I've read. I really like this author's writing style and wish today's modern authors wrote similarly. Buchan knew how to tell a good yarn, that's for sure!
Read this book, but read the first four Richard Hannay novels first. You'll love them all.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I have with the previous four that I've read. I really like this author's writing style and wish today's modern authors wrote similarly. Buchan knew how to tell a good yarn, that's for sure!
Read this book, but read the first four Richard Hannay novels first. You'll love them all.
February 28, 2022
I confess... I just love John Buchan. The plots are so much fun, the characters are interesting (no cooky cutters in this one!) and the language is amazingly erudite, without being show-offy about the words the author knows. I admit that some of the dialects in the first one gets a little hard to get through, but there is little of it in here, just a taste, enough to give the flavor of talking to a native speaker without overwhelming the reader.
Great setting for this book, and so neat to see more of Hannay's young son.
Great setting for this book, and so neat to see more of Hannay's young son.
June 10, 2012
A great read, Buchan through and through. Although I was at first off-put by the appearance of a more aged Hannay, he has lost none if his vigour in this novel, and Buchan's decision to include Hannay's son, Peter-John adds another dimension to his character. With events such as a mountaintop siege in Africa, a thrilling car chase through Scotland, and a last stand on a Norland Island, the book, although initially slow, becomes fast-paced and exciting as the plot progresses.
June 29, 2016
Another classic Hannay adventure...
January 31, 2016
A great end to the series. The trip north to Norlands(/Faroe) was a particular highlight.
November 5, 2022
A gripping thriller worthy of Buchan. It kept me engaged throughout.
October 12, 2019
Review title: Accelerating adventure
Buchan's best stories (see The Thirty-nine Steps) start fast and boil to the finish. The Island of Sheep, his fifth Richard Hannay story, starts too slow, but accelerates to a fast finish.
Hannay, like his author, is settling into a slower pace of life.with his beloved wife Mary and young teenage son Peter John. He is no longer a World War I military man, but still reminisces about and meets them on occasion on his business trips to and from London. The stage for Sheep is set by a couple of extended second and third hand stories that slow the pace to a crawl. Hannay and a couple of his comrades had shared an East African adventure as young men defending a fellow traveler Haraldsen, and pledged to continue the adventure to the next generation when Haraldsen prophesied that his assailants would not give up. Now the decades have passed and when Hannay bumps into one of his pledge brothers on a train, then meets Haraldsen's son first anonymously and then directly as a man pursued by his father's enemies, the adventure is rejoined.
Now 100 pages into the novel the stage is finally set and the story accelerates to the usual Hannay pace. The final two-thirds of the novel are told in two essentially unbroken stories with just one pause for breath between the stories. Even though the parts of the story are broken into chapters, the story careens forward through the chapter breaks so it is hard to find a place to stop. I ended up reading the whole novel in just a couple of sittings. Along the way, Buchan provides enough plot to drive the adventure forward. leaves enough unsaid to provide some mystery and keep the reader guessing, introduces new characters who might break good or bad (Buchan has a finely calibrated moral compass), and relies on his familiar recurring characters to provide a comfortable remembered place for readers to settle in and enjoy.
Buchan's best stories (see The Thirty-nine Steps) start fast and boil to the finish. The Island of Sheep, his fifth Richard Hannay story, starts too slow, but accelerates to a fast finish.
Hannay, like his author, is settling into a slower pace of life.with his beloved wife Mary and young teenage son Peter John. He is no longer a World War I military man, but still reminisces about and meets them on occasion on his business trips to and from London. The stage for Sheep is set by a couple of extended second and third hand stories that slow the pace to a crawl. Hannay and a couple of his comrades had shared an East African adventure as young men defending a fellow traveler Haraldsen, and pledged to continue the adventure to the next generation when Haraldsen prophesied that his assailants would not give up. Now the decades have passed and when Hannay bumps into one of his pledge brothers on a train, then meets Haraldsen's son first anonymously and then directly as a man pursued by his father's enemies, the adventure is rejoined.
Now 100 pages into the novel the stage is finally set and the story accelerates to the usual Hannay pace. The final two-thirds of the novel are told in two essentially unbroken stories with just one pause for breath between the stories. Even though the parts of the story are broken into chapters, the story careens forward through the chapter breaks so it is hard to find a place to stop. I ended up reading the whole novel in just a couple of sittings. Along the way, Buchan provides enough plot to drive the adventure forward. leaves enough unsaid to provide some mystery and keep the reader guessing, introduces new characters who might break good or bad (Buchan has a finely calibrated moral compass), and relies on his familiar recurring characters to provide a comfortable remembered place for readers to settle in and enjoy.
February 12, 2021
This was a prize from school; 2nd in 2A in 1967! I think I bought The Thirty-nine Steps from the prize money as well, but you could only have one label, as Mr White, the deputy-head, had to write in the details, in a fairly elaborate italic script, and there were enough prizes already without repeating the job for a second book!
The story itself is a fairly typical Hannay yarn, recalling a blood oath sworn on an African hilltop years before, and now being redeemed by sorting out the blackmailers of the son of the original dedicatee of the oath, the Norlander Haraldsen. Early on we meet Hannay Minor, young Peter John, who plays his part later in the proceedings. We reside in turn at Fosse, the ancestral home of Hannay's wife, Mary, then Laverlaw, the even grander ancestral home of Lord 'Sandy' Clanroyden, and finally the Island of Sheep, Haraldsen's home manor, to fend off the final attack of the blackmailers. Socialists have apoplectic fits at the inherited wealth on show! There's an exciting car chase up the Great North Road, which is fun to try and follow on modern maps! There's the last minute reappearance of Sandy, but the day is saved by Peter John and Haraldsen's daughter Anna, who lead a crowd of bloodstained (and bloodthirsty!) whale-hunters to the rescue! And subsequently to a slap-up feast in the Great Hall. Trebles all round to celebrate another victory of good over evil!
The story itself is a fairly typical Hannay yarn, recalling a blood oath sworn on an African hilltop years before, and now being redeemed by sorting out the blackmailers of the son of the original dedicatee of the oath, the Norlander Haraldsen. Early on we meet Hannay Minor, young Peter John, who plays his part later in the proceedings. We reside in turn at Fosse, the ancestral home of Hannay's wife, Mary, then Laverlaw, the even grander ancestral home of Lord 'Sandy' Clanroyden, and finally the Island of Sheep, Haraldsen's home manor, to fend off the final attack of the blackmailers. Socialists have apoplectic fits at the inherited wealth on show! There's an exciting car chase up the Great North Road, which is fun to try and follow on modern maps! There's the last minute reappearance of Sandy, but the day is saved by Peter John and Haraldsen's daughter Anna, who lead a crowd of bloodstained (and bloodthirsty!) whale-hunters to the rescue! And subsequently to a slap-up feast in the Great Hall. Trebles all round to celebrate another victory of good over evil!
May 22, 2023
Its a ripper. I love the way Buchan gets all those beliefs in. The stoic joy of a winter morning shoot. The superiority of British civilization. The countryside reflecting the order that is British. But also the "higher" mystery. An acceptance of wild nature and the unexplained pattern of coincidences. Evil is just a part of the fabric. It must be fought by those of higher standing. An arrogant belief that the better classes can step outside the rules and be as bad as the baddies because they are pure. People know their place and station and are content with their lot. The gamekeeper is salt of the earth and loves his life. Ladies dont say much but they are staunch supporters of the heroes. Bad ladies are easy to spot with their made up faces and common accents. Good ladies usually have slim boyish figures and wear sensible clothes. Part comedy, part yearning with a chunk of good old public school bullying and superiority. Great.
September 9, 2024
Enjoyable. Buchan reaches the pinnacle of the Hannay series with this book. It manages to mix in quite a few different genre approaches. It's part adventure, part mystery, part thriller, and part psychological expose. I think it's what Buchan was working towards in all the previous Hannay editions. Here, he perfects his protagonists and their nemesis and provides them with a melancholy perspective over the passage of time and life. It also pushes towards a relatively peaceful conclusion. The earlier volumes, of course, had taken place amidst the Great War and human face offs in the Scottish wilderness. Here, there is resolution and catharsis, especially Haraldsen whose berserk explosion seems to evaporate a generation of frustrations and indecisiveness. So, too, with Lombard who has his imperialist soul restored to him, beating away the sloth and years of fat nurtured by London's suburbs. In other words, this novel is a a perfect end for Hannay's adventures as well as the troop of men he had surrounded himself with since that summer of 1914, which is when the series began.
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