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Levkas Man
The strange love-hate relationship between a young man and the anthropologist who adopted him starts in Amsterdam and moves swiftly to Malta and the isles of Greece.
322 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1971
41 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
Hammond Innes
105 books107 followersRalph Hammond Innes was an English novelist who wrote over 30 novels, as well as children's and travel books.He was awarded a C.B.E. (Commander, Order of the British Empire) in 1978. The World Mystery Convention honoured Innes with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bouchercon XXIV awards in Omaha, Nebraska, Oct, 1993.
Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex, and educated at the Cranbrook School in Kent. He left in 1931 to work as a journalist, initially with the Financial Times (at the time called the Financial News). The Doppelganger, his first novel, was published in 1937. In WWII he served in the Royal Artillery, eventually rising to the rank of Major. During the war, a number of his books were published, including Wreckers Must Breathe (1940), The Trojan Horse (1941) and Attack Alarm (1941); the last of which was based on his experiences as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Battle of Britain at RAF Kenley. After being discharged in 1946, he worked full-time as a writer, achieving a number of early successes.
His novels are notable for a fine attention to accurate detail in descriptions of places, such as in Air Bridge (1951), set partially at RAF Gatow, RAF Membury after its closure and RAF Wunstorf during the Berlin Airlift.
Innes went on to produce books in a regular sequence, with six months of travel and research followed by six months of writing. Many of his works featured events at sea. His output decreased in the 1960s, but was still substantial. He became interested in ecological themes. He continued writing until just before his death. His last novel was Delta Connection (1996).
Unusually for the thriller genre, Innes' protagonists were often not "heroes" in the typical sense, but ordinary men suddenly thrust into extreme situations by circumstance. Often, this involved being placed in a hostile environment (the Arctic, the open sea, deserts), or unwittingly becoming involved in a larger conflict or conspiracy. The protagonist generally is forced to rely on his own wits and making best use of limited resources, rather than the weapons and gadgetry commonly used by thriller writers.
Four of his early novels were made into films: Snowbound (1948)from The Lonely Skier (1947), Hell Below Zero (1954) from The White South (1949), Campbell's Kingdom (1957), and The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959). His 1973 novel Golden Soak was adapted into a six-part television series in 1979.
Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex, and educated at the Cranbrook School in Kent. He left in 1931 to work as a journalist, initially with the Financial Times (at the time called the Financial News). The Doppelganger, his first novel, was published in 1937. In WWII he served in the Royal Artillery, eventually rising to the rank of Major. During the war, a number of his books were published, including Wreckers Must Breathe (1940), The Trojan Horse (1941) and Attack Alarm (1941); the last of which was based on his experiences as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Battle of Britain at RAF Kenley. After being discharged in 1946, he worked full-time as a writer, achieving a number of early successes.
His novels are notable for a fine attention to accurate detail in descriptions of places, such as in Air Bridge (1951), set partially at RAF Gatow, RAF Membury after its closure and RAF Wunstorf during the Berlin Airlift.
Innes went on to produce books in a regular sequence, with six months of travel and research followed by six months of writing. Many of his works featured events at sea. His output decreased in the 1960s, but was still substantial. He became interested in ecological themes. He continued writing until just before his death. His last novel was Delta Connection (1996).
Unusually for the thriller genre, Innes' protagonists were often not "heroes" in the typical sense, but ordinary men suddenly thrust into extreme situations by circumstance. Often, this involved being placed in a hostile environment (the Arctic, the open sea, deserts), or unwittingly becoming involved in a larger conflict or conspiracy. The protagonist generally is forced to rely on his own wits and making best use of limited resources, rather than the weapons and gadgetry commonly used by thriller writers.
Four of his early novels were made into films: Snowbound (1948)from The Lonely Skier (1947), Hell Below Zero (1954) from The White South (1949), Campbell's Kingdom (1957), and The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959). His 1973 novel Golden Soak was adapted into a six-part television series in 1979.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 27, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in September 2000.
An unusual thriller which manages to combine palaeontology with international politics, Levkas Man is one of the best novels Innes wrote, probably because it arose from an obsessive interest in the origins of the human race.
Paul Van der Voort returns to his adoptive father's house in Amsterdam to find it unexpectedly empty. He has always been a disappointment to Pieter Van der Voort, a distinguished investigator of human origins, and has ended up a merchant seaman. Just now, he has accidentally killed a man, and following his father to Greece seems to be a good idea.
Pieter is looking at caves on the island of Levkas to try to find evidence of early man, to support his theory that Greece was the way used into Europe by the continent's earliest human settlers. The problems he has stem from three sources: his own unhealthy obsession with his theory; rival academics seeking to take credit for his discoveries; and the Greek authorities, convinced by international tension related to Arab-Israeli conflict, their own inability to understand how anyone could be interested in prehistoric rather than classical archaeology, and Van der Voort's earlier work in Russia that he must be a Soviet spy.
This kind of paranoia may seem fairly ludicrous, but then this was right in the middle of the Cold War, in which Greece played an uneasy part. Another aspect of the book may seem equally ludicrous, but are absolutely true to life - the discussions of the propaganda value of discoveries of human origins. Archaeology has been used to bolster nationalistic ideas even before the Nazis, but what does it matter politically whether the earliest Europeans lived in Greece, Italy, or southwestern Russia?
Paul is drawn into the whole thing because everyone assume that he must have a closer relationship to his father than is actually the case. One of the main centres of interest in the novel is his character's development, as he learns more about both himself and Pieter.
An unusual thriller which manages to combine palaeontology with international politics, Levkas Man is one of the best novels Innes wrote, probably because it arose from an obsessive interest in the origins of the human race.
Paul Van der Voort returns to his adoptive father's house in Amsterdam to find it unexpectedly empty. He has always been a disappointment to Pieter Van der Voort, a distinguished investigator of human origins, and has ended up a merchant seaman. Just now, he has accidentally killed a man, and following his father to Greece seems to be a good idea.
Pieter is looking at caves on the island of Levkas to try to find evidence of early man, to support his theory that Greece was the way used into Europe by the continent's earliest human settlers. The problems he has stem from three sources: his own unhealthy obsession with his theory; rival academics seeking to take credit for his discoveries; and the Greek authorities, convinced by international tension related to Arab-Israeli conflict, their own inability to understand how anyone could be interested in prehistoric rather than classical archaeology, and Van der Voort's earlier work in Russia that he must be a Soviet spy.
This kind of paranoia may seem fairly ludicrous, but then this was right in the middle of the Cold War, in which Greece played an uneasy part. Another aspect of the book may seem equally ludicrous, but are absolutely true to life - the discussions of the propaganda value of discoveries of human origins. Archaeology has been used to bolster nationalistic ideas even before the Nazis, but what does it matter politically whether the earliest Europeans lived in Greece, Italy, or southwestern Russia?
Paul is drawn into the whole thing because everyone assume that he must have a closer relationship to his father than is actually the case. One of the main centres of interest in the novel is his character's development, as he learns more about both himself and Pieter.
February 9, 2013
The only way I can describe the experience of reading any Hammond Innes book is to say it feels like I'm reading a 1950's black & white movie. A very good black & white movie.
October 8, 2014
I am surprised this book is not better known, because it is not only Hammond Innes's most complex and literary book, but an excellent novel in any company. It is concerned with the origins of man and with early man's similarities with his modern counterpart, and has a troubled father-son relationship and a tense cold war backdrop.
Pieter Van der Voort has a theory that Greece was where the earliest humans first settled in Europe and is exploring caves on the island of Levkas to try to find evidence of early man. He is obsessed with his theory, rival academics seek to take credit for his discoveries and the Greek authorities are unhelpful, thinking he might be a Soviet spy as he had worked in Russia.
Paul Van der Voort, his adopted son and an ex-sailor gets drawn into his father's affairs. They are very different people and not close; the relationship between them is shown well. Pieter is, appropriately perhaps, closer to his early humans than he is to his son. The finale in the Levkas caves is masterful and also typically Innes.
Pieter Van der Voort has a theory that Greece was where the earliest humans first settled in Europe and is exploring caves on the island of Levkas to try to find evidence of early man. He is obsessed with his theory, rival academics seek to take credit for his discoveries and the Greek authorities are unhelpful, thinking he might be a Soviet spy as he had worked in Russia.
Paul Van der Voort, his adopted son and an ex-sailor gets drawn into his father's affairs. They are very different people and not close; the relationship between them is shown well. Pieter is, appropriately perhaps, closer to his early humans than he is to his son. The finale in the Levkas caves is masterful and also typically Innes.
October 31, 2019
As he was to do later, in Solomons Seal, Hammond Innes, here, indulges his tendency to conduct the reader through a specialist's understanding of an arcane subject area they might have little exposure to. In Solomons Seal, it would be the often obscure world of philately, or stamp collecting. With Levkas Man, it was the much broader and much more challenging subject of anthropology and the study of early man.
Innes' story unfolds gradually, as does the mystery at the core of it. Set against the backdrop of the Aegean Sea, however, such a pace is fitting. Not only does the very atmosphere of the warm Mediterranean world seem appropriate to the slow moving structure of the plot, so does the mystery and search to solve it fit into the timeless world of ancient artifacts, smugglers, and the embattled race to find the record of early man's entry into the sea's islands. Meanwhile, as ever seems to be the case, all is threatened with the onslaught of yet another war in the Middle East. Not even the soothing landscapes of an older world can escape the threat of imminent destruction wielded by modern man, who is only following in the violent footsteps of his ancient forebearers.
Finally, a note about the protagonist, Paul Van der Voort. Something enjoyable about Innes is that he creates some very flawed heroes. And Paul Van der Voort is among his more flawed. That does nothing, however, than make his story all the more interesting and unpredictable. The details of life often get in the way of neat little resolutions in Innes' novels. So it happens, here. Rootless Paul is as much a mystery at the end as he was in the beginning. That doesn't mean the exploration of his character--and his relationship with his father--was anything less than complete. Just that people often retain something unknowable about them, often unknowable even to themselves.
Innes' story unfolds gradually, as does the mystery at the core of it. Set against the backdrop of the Aegean Sea, however, such a pace is fitting. Not only does the very atmosphere of the warm Mediterranean world seem appropriate to the slow moving structure of the plot, so does the mystery and search to solve it fit into the timeless world of ancient artifacts, smugglers, and the embattled race to find the record of early man's entry into the sea's islands. Meanwhile, as ever seems to be the case, all is threatened with the onslaught of yet another war in the Middle East. Not even the soothing landscapes of an older world can escape the threat of imminent destruction wielded by modern man, who is only following in the violent footsteps of his ancient forebearers.
Finally, a note about the protagonist, Paul Van der Voort. Something enjoyable about Innes is that he creates some very flawed heroes. And Paul Van der Voort is among his more flawed. That does nothing, however, than make his story all the more interesting and unpredictable. The details of life often get in the way of neat little resolutions in Innes' novels. So it happens, here. Rootless Paul is as much a mystery at the end as he was in the beginning. That doesn't mean the exploration of his character--and his relationship with his father--was anything less than complete. Just that people often retain something unknowable about them, often unknowable even to themselves.
September 20, 2024
I began reading thrillers in high school, starting with Alistair MacLean. My cadre of British writers grew to include Desmond Bagley, Douglas Reeman, Duncan Kyle, Colin Forbes, Eric Ambler, Jack Higgins, and Dick Francis. Lurking in the background all this time has been Hammond Innes.
I remember looking at the hardcover of Levkas Man when it was first published in 1971 thinking I should read it. So here I am 45 years later finally reading it.
Innes writes at an even pace, with a high attention to detail. At least in this novel he attempts to portray menace, fear, and subdued violence in equal portions. I enjoyed it very much. Both Doc and Louise would find it interesting. It is a definite recommendation for Kent.
I remember looking at the hardcover of Levkas Man when it was first published in 1971 thinking I should read it. So here I am 45 years later finally reading it.
Innes writes at an even pace, with a high attention to detail. At least in this novel he attempts to portray menace, fear, and subdued violence in equal portions. I enjoyed it very much. Both Doc and Louise would find it interesting. It is a definite recommendation for Kent.
July 1, 2013
Found this book incredibly interesting, as I have read some of the other reviews and I do agree with that it was rather slow but I enjoyed that about it, the description and the setting that was portrayed was enough to keep me reading on. There was parts in the book that gave me insight into different cultures, behaviorisms of the characters and there was an element of geological learning which I as an Anthropologist enjoyed. If you like sailing, Geology/Archeology and strange family issues I'd recommend this book.
October 31, 2017
I always enjoy Hammond Innes' thrillers, usually involving sailing in some way. This one, from 1971 involves an archeologist lost in Greece after running afoul of Greek authorities and the British academic world. His (adopted) son returns to the old archeologist's home in Amsterdam to discover that he has disappeared, and after much convoluted plot devices, ends up tracking him down. The action is pretty much non-stop, the characters are, in general, interesting, and the underlying science is not too outlandish, so all in all it is an entertaining book to read.
May 6, 2014
Due to my own recent fascination with early humans, it was interesting to explore the novel that represented Innes' own fascination with the same subject. I can't help but wonder what he would have done with all the discoveries of the last few years. This novel holds up remarkably well and the relationship of father to son and the struggles therein resonate so clearly against the backdrop of impending war and the larger backdrop of the violence in man the species. What a great read.
June 29, 2013
Well researched book rekindling my interest in prehistory.
The references to Malta make it more readable to us Maltese and the authors notes and explanations are especially helpful.
A map of the islands mentioned in the story would have been very helpful if included in the book.
The negative is that after so much build up in the story I found the ending flat.
The references to Malta make it more readable to us Maltese and the authors notes and explanations are especially helpful.
A map of the islands mentioned in the story would have been very helpful if included in the book.
The negative is that after so much build up in the story I found the ending flat.
January 17, 2019
An interesting and very readable novel by British author Hammond Innes concerning the fractured relationship of a father and his adoptive son's search in the Greek islands for evidence that modern man originated from Africa.
An Australian/German TV series from this book was produced in 1981, but to date I've never seen it.
An Australian/German TV series from this book was produced in 1981, but to date I've never seen it.
January 2, 2019
A riveting read. Quite a unique thriller with origin of man as the background. One of the rare thrillers that extends beyond mere thrills and delves into the internal workings of men and women. Also paints a very evocative picture of Greece.
October 31, 2025
I enjoyed reading this novel by Hammond Innes. The locations of the story (the Netherlands and Greece) add to the appeal of the book and the characters are well-drawn and interesting. The plot can be slow at some points but it's generally a well-written, interesting and thought-provoking story. Innes obviously had an extensive knowledge of boating and this features a lot. I particularly liked the scene of the underwater cave dive. Academic stealing, estranged relationships to a parent and the origins of Man are all themes that are touched upon in this book.
July 7, 2023
From time to time a book by Innes makes an easy read. You'll have a flawed hero a gutsy heroine and some serious adversary whether in the shape of a man or a mountain. But this felt different. The central story of the search for the origin of man and the debate over man's innate evil made this almost metaphysical. The characters were intriguing too especially the hero's obsessed father. Not a page turner but more a book to leave me thinking. Not something I often say about this author.
October 23, 2019
3.5*
Great setting (Holland and then the Greek islands) and an intriguing premise but I couldn't warm to the main character. Since the book is written in the first person by that character, it interfered with my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
Great setting (Holland and then the Greek islands) and an intriguing premise but I couldn't warm to the main character. Since the book is written in the first person by that character, it interfered with my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
August 14, 2021
One of his very best. The author's note at the end worth a read.
April 16, 2025
Found this book at a hostel. No cover so took it as a good sign that it was well read. I liked it but not sure I would recommend it. Made me want to go sailing in the Mediterranean.
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August 2, 2011I first read Hammond Innes books nearly a couple of decades ago and liked them for the plots. Wasn't disappointed this time - it seemed to be fairly thoroughly researched to make the story believable.
February 28, 2012
Slow and not that good, but I liked parts of it.
September 26, 2012
What a nice book! Learned loads (which I always like to do when I read) about Greece, Greek Islands & Fossils :O)
August 7, 2013
Enjoyed it and felt that I had learned a lot without really trying
July 18, 2016
Good read
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews