The Clue of the Hissing Serpent

The Hardy Boys #53

by Franklin W. Dixon

Why is a wealthy sportsman so frightened by the serpent design on a mysterious balloon that he begs Frank and Joe Hardy to protect him? And who stole the ancient life-size chess king which is to be presented to the winner of the world chess championship? Targets of diabolical enemies, Frank and Joe find a clue that leads them across the Pacific to Hong Kong to help the police smash an international criminal organization.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure, Childrens, Middle Grade, Detective

181 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Franklin W. Dixon is the pen name used by a variety of different authors who were part of a team that wrote The Hardy Boys novels for the Stratemeyer Syndicate (now owned by Simon & Schuster). Dixon was also the writer attributed for the Ted Scott Flying Stories series, published by Grosset & Dunlap.
Canadian author Leslie McFarlane is believed to have written the first sixteen Hardy Boys books, but worked to a detailed plot and character outline for each story. The outlines are believed to have originated with Edward Stratemeyer, with later books outlined by his daughters Edna C. Squier and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Edward and Harriet also edited all books in the series through the mid-1960s. Other writers of the original books include MacFarlane's wife Amy, John Button, Andrew E. Svenson, and Adams herself; most of the outlines were done by Adams and Svenson. A number of other writers and editors were recruited to revise the outlines and update the texts in line with a more modern sensibility, starting in the late 1950s.
The principal author for the Ted Scott books was John W. Duffield.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Clue of the Hissing Serpent was the 53rd of the 58 books in the Hardy Boys original series. Grosset & Dunlap published it in the familiar blue illustrated cover in 1974 under the Franklin W. Dixon house pseudonym; the novel was written by Andrew E. Svenson for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. It seems a little more formulaic and simplistic than most of the earlier books; Chet has a new hobby (ballooning) that miraculously ties in, the Boys have to fly to an exotic location to wrap-up the action (Hong Kong, which was a mistake because of the casual ethnic racism that's prevalent in the text), Dad is investigating a case that just happens to be linked to what the Boys are investigating, etc., etc. Some of the dialog seems curiously dated: Joe says, "Holy crow!" a lot, and on page 29 he says, "I didn't get all those confounded thorns out of my britches!", which doesn't sound like something a teenager would announce. On page 58 they're up in a ballon and come under attack by men in another balloon and they check on its license plate number... do balloons in 1974 have license plate numbers? The really bizarre thing is on page 150, when the Boys are heading off to Hong Kong to solve the mystery. Their friends throw a surprise going away party and write a song to sing (with a three-piece combo; in 1974?!) to send them on their way:
"Frank, Joe, and Chet, farewell to thee,
Sock 'em, rock 'em
Till the Ruby King is free.
Hello, Hong Kong,
You can't hide Fong
or the slippery Eggleby.

For the Hardys will get you
Sooner or later,
So surrender right now while you can.
They'll give you fits
With their uncanny wits.
They'll always come up with their man!"

Well, that's a thing, isn't it? I'm surprised they came home. There are some clever bits in the plot and a few amusing situations, but overall, I'd say it was more appropriate for a seven-to-eleven-year-old reader than the ten-to-fourteen range advertised on the back cover.

[Readaholic Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing against the Hardy Boys but they are just not Nancy Drew.

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hardy Boys are introduced to a wealthy balloonist named Albert Krassner, by their friend Chet. This mystery has to do with a life-size Ruby King that eventually takes the boys abroad to Hong Kong.

There are certain parts of the book that I enjoyed, like the ballooning. And other parts that I'd rather forget. Like the traveling to Hong Kong.

A lot of this book seemed... pointless. Like filler or something. Not to mention the casual racism that peppered the story. It wasn't a terrible book. But it wasn't that great either..

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the others in the series.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another thrilling Hardy Boys adventure.
When Chet takes up ballooning, his teacher asks the Hardy Boys for help.
Soon danger is everywhere and the boys find themselves in the middle of a mystery that will take them to Hong Kong.
Great fun. Again, remember the time in which this was written....some not PC comments are here and there.

[David Allen Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great classic Hardy Boys adventure, complete with hot-air ballooning, an antique artifact, insights into the game of chess, and a mysterious wealthy client. A wide range of interests and adventure that makes for a readable and enjoyable Hardy Boys adventure. Having been written in the 1970s this story has aged rather well, although the illustrations are not as good as the earlier books and have some vestiges of the 1970s. Well on my way to re-reading the 190 Hardy Boys books of my youth, I much enjoyed re-reading The Clue of the Hissing Serpent!

[☮ morgan ☮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

” Chet sure does latch on to some good hobbies.”

This one has it all. Balloon Wars. High Stakes Chess. Cats!

[Tristan Naraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far...
Contains intermediate vocabulary
Great action
Easy to visualize

Final Review:
This book is really action-packed and mystery-filled. The fun of this book is really the connection between this book and the show I currently like watching on channel ABC: CASTLE. CASTLE is a medium that contains and discusses murder cases and the connection between two main characters Detective Beckett and Rick Castle writer and assistance to the detective. The connection is the thinking between Rick Castle and the Hardy Boys. The only difference is the type of action which both mediums contain and are greatly described. Franklin E. Dixon brilliantly describes the nature of a detective's work lifestyle. It is excellent ! Really one of the best of the entire series. This only one of the few that I have been reading since I was approx. six or seven years old. This book is consists of a total of 181 pages.

[Mark Zieg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the earliest book I can remember reading. Well, I couldn't read it at the time -- my Mom read it to me, chapter at a time, at night when putting me to bed.

It proved the start of a very long, and infinitely rewarding adventure spanning decades and continents. Thank you :-)

[Gabrielle Link · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a really good book, can't wait to read the next one!

[Ciara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second half of the book was racist.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mystery was interesting, but the story was difficult to read. Even given that this was written quite awhile back, some of the language regarding Asian characters borders on ridiculous. I do not think the writer was trying to be racist, but I get the feeling his/her experience with the Orient may have started and ending with the movie Breakfast at Tiffanys.

The macguffin in this book was unusual though, an almost life-sized chesspiece, the Ruby King. I don't think I have ever read another story with something like this.

I would not hand this book to young children, but for older kids the mystery is interesting, and it is a good way to show how language has changed over the last few decades. A completist or major fan of the books, however, should ...

Find it. Buy it. Read it.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A life sized chess piece, the Ruby King, owned by a chess group and stored in a vault at the wealthy Mr. Krassner's home is wanted by thieves. The Hardy boys try to keep it safe as they work on the mystery of the serpent designed hot air balloon. Chet's latest hobby is learning to pilot a hot air balloon and Mr. Krassner is his teacher. But what do the balloons, the serpent design and a giant chess piece have to do with each other? The boys have to travel to Hong Kong to find out the answers.

[Brentman99 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This particular story had an interesting plot and I think that young adults may like it.

One interesting point was that in the book the owner of the balloon asks Frank and Joe if they have been in a balloon before, to which he says no. However, I believe it was in book 46 the Secret Agent of Flight 101 the Hardy Boys and Chet use a balloon to get into a castle. It may have been a different boo, but they definitely had been in a balloon before.

[Danny Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zippy book sees the boys in a hot air balloon dogfight, navigating a plane through a thunderstorm, almost getting thrown over a cliff, escaping a collapsing building, arrested, uncovering wiretaps, and mugged all within a 72-hour-period.

Book slips into laughable 1960s-style racism near the end, making sure this youth-oriented tittle next goes right into the recycle bin.

[Saffron Mavros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the fact that there was no novelty in the story (from previous books), it was fun to read it. The villains and the Oriental angle were interesting.

Mr. Krassner, as a character, was engaging and fascinating, with multiple facets to him. The generalized target on the opium dens and gang wars of HongKong (and China) could be a sore point for Oriental readers.

[Edward Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so it's a little bit racist against "The Chinese" as they put it, but it was the 70s so the writer can be forgiven, I guess. At least the racism was casual and not overt, though I'm not sure which is worse!!

[Vijayekkumaran M · Rating 3 out of 5]

hardy boys

[Ethan Hulbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great "traveling" book. Crime and chess in Hong Kong! An excellent adventure and another dumb cover.

[Niranjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

" ... personalmente al denaro preferiamo di gran lunga misteri e avventure ... "
Una avventura mozza fiato degno degli Hardy boys!

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

A large portion of this book is set in the author's weird, racist idea of Hong Kong, this one aged particularly badly!

[Marcia Shimshak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this series as a kid. Reading it as an adult was disappointing. Sometimes you can’t go back.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was decent, though ridiculous that one of the characters is named Choy Bok.

[Sue Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story
Great mystery as always
Loved it

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Very very dated, but quite enjoyable. Was there ever a time when you could get a passport 2 days before flying?

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first read Hardy Boys, I think I was in class 5, I had such a crush on Frank Hardy. I liked the brainy one over the brawny one and that sums up my first impression of Hardy Boys.
In their late teens, Frank and Joe Hardy take after their detective father Fenton Hardy. Frank is the older of the two and has more breakthroughs in the cases because he is the brainy one. Joe is the younger brother who more often than not is useful when things get hot and they need to fight their way out.
Like Nancy Drew, the books in the The Hardy Boys series re written by ghostwriters under the collective pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon. And yes, the earlier books were better than the latter ones.

[Andy]

Imagine if you were being shot at by a person in a hot air balloon. The Clue of The Hissing Serpent is a book written by Franklin W. Dixon is a book filled with action and adventure like being shot at by a person in a hot air balloon. The book also has great escapes effects for example think about being an inch away from death and by the slightest margins escape unscathed.Along with weird effects they make manny friends like having a little Chinese boy jump in their taxi cab. In conclusion I consider that this book is one of the best Hardy Boys books and I would recommend it to anybody into action.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorite childhood series.