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The Saint #2
The Saint: The Last Hero
Templar makes the acquaintance of his archvillain, destroys a dangerous death ray, and thereby saves the world from catastrophe and a second Great War. Written in 1930.
317 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1930
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854 people want to read
About the author
Leslie Charteris
586 books161 followersBorn Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, Leslie Charteris was a half-Chinese, half English author of primarily mystery fiction, as well as a screenwriter. He was best known for his many books chronicling the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
October 16, 2020
No license to kill but that doesn't bother the Saint
This, the second Saint book, was originally titled THE LAST HERO. The first book being the difficult to obtain, THE SAINT MEETS THE TIGER. The third is ENTER THE SAINT which Leslie Charteris and others recommended reading first. Apparently Charteris would have been happy for the public to ignore THE SAINT MEETS THE TIGER. In an interview Charteris said, “it was only the third book I’d written, and the best, I would say, for it was that the first two were even worse.” I think I remember that he wrote maybe the first 30 Saint books while he was in his 20's.
Steve Bailie in the forward to THE SAINT CLOSES THE CASE recommends next reading THE AVENGING SAINT followed up by THE SAINT'S GETAWAY. In his words, "And as soon as you have finished it, go straight to The Avenging Saint, which picks up three months after The Last Hero (aka The Saint Closes the Case) ends. Then read The Saint’s Getaway. Together, all three volumes make up one of the Saint’s biggest and greatest adventures.
In this novel, Simon Templar is a sort of free lance James Bond using any means at his disposal, legal or illegal, to prevent spies from stealing a new, vicious weapon which would alter the world. He and his companions also judge this weapon to be so dangerous that they believe even Great Britain shouldn't have it. They plan to suppress it even if it is necessary to kill the inventor. A quixotic goal, a quixotic plan but a rollicking good adventure. For these goals, quixotic or not, the Saint fights furiously, fiercely and, for some of his enemies, fatally.
The younger Saint in these early books is more direct, more action oriented, and more violent than the more mature Saint of later books. That later Saint, while never shying from a fight, excelled at such things as conning con artists and forming sophisticated plans to foil the "ungodly." He also exhibited the patience this younger Saint lacks while never losing his exuberance for life, action and danger.
This, the second Saint book, was originally titled THE LAST HERO. The first book being the difficult to obtain, THE SAINT MEETS THE TIGER. The third is ENTER THE SAINT which Leslie Charteris and others recommended reading first. Apparently Charteris would have been happy for the public to ignore THE SAINT MEETS THE TIGER. In an interview Charteris said, “it was only the third book I’d written, and the best, I would say, for it was that the first two were even worse.” I think I remember that he wrote maybe the first 30 Saint books while he was in his 20's.
Steve Bailie in the forward to THE SAINT CLOSES THE CASE recommends next reading THE AVENGING SAINT followed up by THE SAINT'S GETAWAY. In his words, "And as soon as you have finished it, go straight to The Avenging Saint, which picks up three months after The Last Hero (aka The Saint Closes the Case) ends. Then read The Saint’s Getaway. Together, all three volumes make up one of the Saint’s biggest and greatest adventures.
In this novel, Simon Templar is a sort of free lance James Bond using any means at his disposal, legal or illegal, to prevent spies from stealing a new, vicious weapon which would alter the world. He and his companions also judge this weapon to be so dangerous that they believe even Great Britain shouldn't have it. They plan to suppress it even if it is necessary to kill the inventor. A quixotic goal, a quixotic plan but a rollicking good adventure. For these goals, quixotic or not, the Saint fights furiously, fiercely and, for some of his enemies, fatally.
The younger Saint in these early books is more direct, more action oriented, and more violent than the more mature Saint of later books. That later Saint, while never shying from a fight, excelled at such things as conning con artists and forming sophisticated plans to foil the "ungodly." He also exhibited the patience this younger Saint lacks while never losing his exuberance for life, action and danger.
February 26, 2015
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2018
“From battle, murder, and sudden death, Good Lord, deliver us!’’ ’ he quoted once. ‘How can any live man ask for that? Why, they’re meat and drink – they’re the things that make life worth living! Into battle, murder, and sudden death, Good Lord, deliver me up to the neck! That’s what I say . . .’
So the Saint gives his life rule ... This book is wondrful! Technically the third Saint book after Meet The Tiger and Enter The Saint it was actually the first Saint novel published by Hodder & Stoughton and kind of kicked off the whole series. Charteris wished he'd never written 'Tiger' and 'Enter' was a rewrite of some earlier 'Thriller Magazine' short stories, published within a few months of Last Hero, in order to give some background to the Saint. Sharp eyed readers will notice that in these earlier stories the Saint has met his police nemesis 'Claud Eustace Teal', yet in Last Hero Teal, is fooled into believing, albeit briefly, that someone else is The Saint.
Originally known by the much better title 'The Last Hero' and published in 1930 we meet a young, fearless, energetic, poetic, idealistic and inspirational Saint.
This is a super rip roaring adventure of yesteryear, a wholesome Good vs Evil thriller where The Saint and his Cherubs battle even their own country to save Europe from another War, and the world from an invention so terrible that no right thinking person would ever want on the battlefield. Sadly, there is much worse now, so this remains a period piece set firmly in 1930.
In England today there are thousands of men blind, maimed, crippled for life, who might have been whole now. There are as many again in France, Belgium, Germany, Austria. The bodies that God gave, and made wonderful and intricate and beautiful – torn and wrecked by your science, often made so hideous that men shudder to see them . . . Does science need no justification for that?’
Says The Saint,
‘That is not my business.’
Says the Scienist, motivated by money and power, and in so doing seals his fate!
There is a nobility in this story, a beauty and morality too. ‘Nothing is won without sacrifice.’ Says the last Hero, who interestingly is not The Saint, despite, sarcastically the book's villian awarding Templar that epithet.
There is some wonderful, sparkling old fashioned dialogue, I loved this to the villian,
"Weren’t you the stern of the elephant in the circus my dear old grandmother took me to just before I went down with measles? Or were you the whatsit that stuck in the how’s-your-father and upset all our drains a couple of years ago?’"
And this to the love of his life,
Oh, Pat, dear lass, I love you too much to be unselfish! I love your eyes and your lips and your voice and the way your hair shines like gold in the sun. I love your wisdom and your understanding and your kindliness and your courage and your laughter. I love you with every thought of my mind and every minute of my life. I love you so much that it hurts. I couldn’t face losing you. Without you, I just shouldn’t have anything to live for . . . And I don’t know where we shall go or what we shall do or what we shall find in the days that are coming. But I do know that if I never find more than I’ve got already – just you, lass! – I shall have had more than my life . . .’
Brilliant!
I loved this period thriller and believe it well worth your time!
May 23, 2019
This was a dramatization of the short story. Kind of fun. Old Time Radio sort of drama featuring The Saint & pretty typical.
July 12, 2014
This is one of the early Saint novels in which the Saint is more than a one man show, he is leading a group of idealistic young men and Patricia Holm, the love of his life. They blindly follow him in his adventures which this time involves a superweapon which would cause mayhem and death on the battlefields of Europe when used in a "next"war. This book written in 1930 was already under the long shadow of a future war in Europe of which the writer Leslie Charteris was convinced would happen.
Simon Templar decides having seen what damage this weopon can do that he must not only keep it out of the hands of foreign powers he must keep it out of the hands of those who decide about war or peace. In essence he has decided that he will be the one who will take way any knowledge about the workings of the weapon by removing the inventor from the land of the living. This is be a total different Saint from that one portraited by Roger Moore.
In the attempt to rid the world of another mad scientist the Saint runs into an enemy he previously encountered and it does become a match of wits between the various partners. And at the end there will be a victor, but the victory comes at a dear price for Simon Templar.
This early Saint book shows a vastly different Saint from the later books, tv-series or even books. The wordsmith CHarteris seems to enjoy making the Saint state absolute brilliant constructed sentences and his great descriptions should be a joy for those enjoying the English language.
I reread this novel with the new release of the Saint books this year, I could have picked several different versions of this book as I own several versions of the book in English and two other languages. Rereading the Saint series has it charmes mostly as I enjoy the early Saint and this gives me another excuse to enjoy them once more.
Simon Templar decides having seen what damage this weopon can do that he must not only keep it out of the hands of foreign powers he must keep it out of the hands of those who decide about war or peace. In essence he has decided that he will be the one who will take way any knowledge about the workings of the weapon by removing the inventor from the land of the living. This is be a total different Saint from that one portraited by Roger Moore.
In the attempt to rid the world of another mad scientist the Saint runs into an enemy he previously encountered and it does become a match of wits between the various partners. And at the end there will be a victor, but the victory comes at a dear price for Simon Templar.
This early Saint book shows a vastly different Saint from the later books, tv-series or even books. The wordsmith CHarteris seems to enjoy making the Saint state absolute brilliant constructed sentences and his great descriptions should be a joy for those enjoying the English language.
I reread this novel with the new release of the Saint books this year, I could have picked several different versions of this book as I own several versions of the book in English and two other languages. Rereading the Saint series has it charmes mostly as I enjoy the early Saint and this gives me another excuse to enjoy them once more.
August 12, 2013
i started reading the james bond books when i was quite young.
i enjoyed the saint tv show.
the books should have been a natural for me, but i gave them a big old swerve. it wasn't that they were not easily available to me - the place where i got my second hand james bond books (and second hand sf, horror and crime books) from was awash with the saint novels - and i think the reason why i passed was a few of the books i looked at were all short stories. for some reason i thought this was childish - oh to be 13 again.
(by the way did anyone else buy loads of books from the bookstall in south harrow market? i think it was the place where my love of books was allowed to come to full fruition).
move forward several decades and thanks to my pal paul i have finally read a saint novel.
wow.
not what i was expecting at all. and so much the better for all that.
not the saint of the tv show, and so much the better for that.
lots of action, some of it quite brutal. the saint might be a polite chap but he can be a nasty piece of work when he wants to be.
there is a nice current of humour throughout the book - something you won't get with the bond novels of fleming.
while simon templar could probably hold his own with doc savage in all but the brains department his abilities are not from years of honing them but just from being a british toff. fantastic. (quite why american pulp heroes are seen as being 'supermen' while templar, drummond, biggles, hannay et al remain just men - even though they all foil plots to take over the world.
can't wait to read another one.
i am hooked.
(cheers paul)
i enjoyed the saint tv show.
the books should have been a natural for me, but i gave them a big old swerve. it wasn't that they were not easily available to me - the place where i got my second hand james bond books (and second hand sf, horror and crime books) from was awash with the saint novels - and i think the reason why i passed was a few of the books i looked at were all short stories. for some reason i thought this was childish - oh to be 13 again.
(by the way did anyone else buy loads of books from the bookstall in south harrow market? i think it was the place where my love of books was allowed to come to full fruition).
move forward several decades and thanks to my pal paul i have finally read a saint novel.
wow.
not what i was expecting at all. and so much the better for all that.
not the saint of the tv show, and so much the better for that.
lots of action, some of it quite brutal. the saint might be a polite chap but he can be a nasty piece of work when he wants to be.
there is a nice current of humour throughout the book - something you won't get with the bond novels of fleming.
while simon templar could probably hold his own with doc savage in all but the brains department his abilities are not from years of honing them but just from being a british toff. fantastic. (quite why american pulp heroes are seen as being 'supermen' while templar, drummond, biggles, hannay et al remain just men - even though they all foil plots to take over the world.
can't wait to read another one.
i am hooked.
(cheers paul)
March 1, 2015
From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
Simon Templar tackles arch-villain Dr Rayt Marius in a deadly struggle to save the world from an evil weapon. Stars Paul Rhys.
Simon Templar tackles arch-villain Dr Rayt Marius in a deadly struggle to save the world from an evil weapon. Stars Paul Rhys.
February 26, 2017
Unlike previous Saint stories, which were straightforward realistic crime dramas, this tale saw Simon Templar entering the realm of both science fiction and spy fiction. The novel starts an unspecified length of time after the events of Enter the Saint with an account of Simon Templar, The Saint, foiling an assassination attempt on a visiting prince by tricking the would-be assassin into blowing himself up. This leads to The Saint becoming a cause célèbre among the British people, to the point where the government offers him not only a full pardon for past crimes, but also a job as a sanctioned crime-buster. Templar politely refuses, saying he prefers to remain underground, his identity a secret to all but a select few. (He would revisit this decision, however, in the later story "The Impossible Crime" (featured in the collection Alias the Saint) and again in the novel, She Was a Lady.)
The tone of the book is far more romantic and tragic than the average Simon Templar books. In most books of the series, the reader can know in advance that no matter what terrible threats and perils Templar would face, he would survive them all and live to have new adventures in the next book and the next.
The tone of the book is far more romantic and tragic than the average Simon Templar books. In most books of the series, the reader can know in advance that no matter what terrible threats and perils Templar would face, he would survive them all and live to have new adventures in the next book and the next.
December 26, 2022
If you're familiar with the Roger Moore TV show of the '60s or the dreadful Val Kilmer movie (ugh!), then this Saint will be a new one for you - and he's much better. In the early Saints, Simon Templar doesn't work alone. He has his companions - his girlfriend, Patricia "Pat" Holm, his friends, Norman Kent and Roger Conway, and his servant, Orace, who reminds me of Albert Campion's Magersfontein Lugg. There are others that show up periodically - Dicky Tremayne, Peter Quentin, Archie Sheridan, and Monty Hayward.
To quote the foreword of this edition:
"He believed that life was full of adventure and he went forth in the full blaze and surge of that belief…
Into battle, murder and sudden death, Good Lord, deliver me up to the neck!”
Charteris, Leslie (2014-03-18). The Saint Closes the Case (The Saint Series) (p. 5). Thomas & Mercer. Kindle Edition.
I have heard more than one reviewer call this the best Saint novel, their favorite Saint novel, or both - and I agree. Prior to reading "The Saint Closes the Case," I had read "The Saint in New York," "The Saint and Mr. Teal," "Alias the Saint", and "Enter the Saint." However, "Closes the Case" is the best of them all, which is saying a lot.
"Closes the Case" is quite different than the other books mentioned above. With the exception of "New York," the books are actually collections of three or four separate stories, which can be read independently. They have little to no relation to each other. "Closes the Case," though, is about one thing - the Saint's quest to prevent anyone - his government or someone else's - to possess a highly dangerous weapon. Templar is perfectly willing to kill to destroy it.
Simon and his girlfriend Pat accidentally come across a demonstration of the weapon, the Electron Cloud, which incinerates its victims in a very brief period of time. Simon becomes obsessed with destroying it. However, he is not the only one to witness the demonstration. A mysterious man - later revealed to be a foreign operative - is also spying on the test. Simon realizes he has a rival, which complicates things somewhat. Simon's plan is to hunt down the inventory of the Electron Cloud, Dr Vargan, eliminate him, and destroy the weapon. Of course, things aren't quite that simple. They never are.
This is a fast-moving story. From the beginning, when the Saint foils an attempted assassination of a foreign prince, to the tragic end, the action never lets up. This book was written in 1929 when Leslie Charteris was 22 years old. Amazing.
There are two things that stand out to me -
1. The Saint makes numerous statements, even long speeches, about war and weapons of mass destruction that sound very modern to my ears. There was an atmosphere in the book that seemed reminiscent of World War II or later. Yet it was another 10 years before World War II started.
2. The Electron Cloud is a devastating weapon. I was reminded of the atom bomb, though it is a far worse, far deadlier weapon than the Electron Cloud.
This is a Saint novel that I will definitely reread, like "The Saint in New York," another favorite of mine. If you enjoy "Closes the Case," I recommend reading "The Avenging Saint," which is the sequel.
To quote the foreword of this edition:
"He believed that life was full of adventure and he went forth in the full blaze and surge of that belief…
Into battle, murder and sudden death, Good Lord, deliver me up to the neck!”
Charteris, Leslie (2014-03-18). The Saint Closes the Case (The Saint Series) (p. 5). Thomas & Mercer. Kindle Edition.
I have heard more than one reviewer call this the best Saint novel, their favorite Saint novel, or both - and I agree. Prior to reading "The Saint Closes the Case," I had read "The Saint in New York," "The Saint and Mr. Teal," "Alias the Saint", and "Enter the Saint." However, "Closes the Case" is the best of them all, which is saying a lot.
"Closes the Case" is quite different than the other books mentioned above. With the exception of "New York," the books are actually collections of three or four separate stories, which can be read independently. They have little to no relation to each other. "Closes the Case," though, is about one thing - the Saint's quest to prevent anyone - his government or someone else's - to possess a highly dangerous weapon. Templar is perfectly willing to kill to destroy it.
Simon and his girlfriend Pat accidentally come across a demonstration of the weapon, the Electron Cloud, which incinerates its victims in a very brief period of time. Simon becomes obsessed with destroying it. However, he is not the only one to witness the demonstration. A mysterious man - later revealed to be a foreign operative - is also spying on the test. Simon realizes he has a rival, which complicates things somewhat. Simon's plan is to hunt down the inventory of the Electron Cloud, Dr Vargan, eliminate him, and destroy the weapon. Of course, things aren't quite that simple. They never are.
This is a fast-moving story. From the beginning, when the Saint foils an attempted assassination of a foreign prince, to the tragic end, the action never lets up. This book was written in 1929 when Leslie Charteris was 22 years old. Amazing.
There are two things that stand out to me -
1. The Saint makes numerous statements, even long speeches, about war and weapons of mass destruction that sound very modern to my ears. There was an atmosphere in the book that seemed reminiscent of World War II or later. Yet it was another 10 years before World War II started.
2. The Electron Cloud is a devastating weapon. I was reminded of the atom bomb, though it is a far worse, far deadlier weapon than the Electron Cloud.
This is a Saint novel that I will definitely reread, like "The Saint in New York," another favorite of mine. If you enjoy "Closes the Case," I recommend reading "The Avenging Saint," which is the sequel.
September 30, 2013
Ok I will have to give some credit to my brother as years ago while I was learning all about science fiction he was going through pulp crime and thrillers and I can still remember the hunts we had looking for the next obscure title he was looking for.
Many (many) years have passed and sadly my brother has disposed of his books but my memory of there is still there. Well this weekend I was able to secure two of them. This is the first Saint book I have read and yes I know it is not the start of the series but cannot be helped. Anyway I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes it is dated in its language and attitudes although the mention of the cars and constantly smoking almost gives away it's age. However the comments about the war and weapons of mass destruction are very prophetic considering this was written in 1930. So the book.
I must say I really enjoyed it. It's a fun fast romp around England all to save the day and see Simon Templar meet out his own kind of justice. I will be looking for others in the series and I am keen to see how the character evolves and develops.
Many (many) years have passed and sadly my brother has disposed of his books but my memory of there is still there. Well this weekend I was able to secure two of them. This is the first Saint book I have read and yes I know it is not the start of the series but cannot be helped. Anyway I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes it is dated in its language and attitudes although the mention of the cars and constantly smoking almost gives away it's age. However the comments about the war and weapons of mass destruction are very prophetic considering this was written in 1930. So the book.
I must say I really enjoyed it. It's a fun fast romp around England all to save the day and see Simon Templar meet out his own kind of justice. I will be looking for others in the series and I am keen to see how the character evolves and develops.
April 8, 2014
I used to watch the TV series of the Saint with my dad when I was little. I've always loved his suave yet romantic idealism, a Knight of the Round Table transplanted into the 20th century. The books do not disappoint :)
June 8, 2016
Meh. In general, I thoroughly enjoy Saint stories, but this one stretched a bit too far to ever fully draw me into its magic. It is a product of its time, certainly, but even then ... a single half mad scientist inventing a weapon to destroy the world all by himself? Really? Oy.
October 19, 2013
Review posted on BookLikes:
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December 23, 2021
For my money, The Last Hero (aka The Saint Closes the Case) is the best of all the Saint books. On one level merely a good thriller, on another level it’s a very serious book indeed, because it deals with the horrors of war and what it’s worth sacrificing to avoid them; and its great merit is that it makes its points without ever becoming preachy or leaden.
Kingsley Amis, in his insightful and entertaining opus The James Bond Dossier, expends considerable space on considering what goes into the making of a good villain. Charteris’s best villains are easily the equal of Fleming’s, and The Last Hero has two them!
One may safely invent a sinister arms merchant from any country (although Rayt Marius is much more sinister than most). To present a sinister head of state, however, presents a problem: obviously one can’t use a real head of state, for reasons of both plausibility and libel. There are two traditional solutions, both moderately unsatisfactory: to invent a fictional country, which will irritate any reader with the basics of geography; or to be mysterious about which state it actually is. Charteris here opts for the second alternative, and great villain though Marius undoubtedly is, for me Crown Prince Rudolf of ---------- is the best in the whole Saint Saga.
(It is of course logically pointless to try and work out what the country really is, but it’s quite fun trying anyway, which Charteris obviously realises as he plants clues in various places. It’s somewhere in the Balkans. The Saint doesn’t yet speak the language, which therefore can’t be French, German or Spanish. The Prince is Marius’s own prince, and Marius was once a guttersnipe in the slums of Prague; on the other hand, we later learn that the Prince’s appendix is in Budapest. The most telling clue (not divulged till Getaway) is that the Prince’s family owned the Montenegrin crown jewels. [King Nikola of Montenegro might in fact be the prototype of Rudolf’s father, were not the time-frame all wrong. This is cool juggling. How many readers are familiar enough with Montenegrin history to know whether he did in fact have son called Rudolf?] )
Professor K.B. Vargan has invented a weapon called the Electron Cloud, able to incinerate large numbers of people in minimum time. The British Government wants it, and so does Prince Rudolf, who has military ambitions. The story revolves around the efforts of the Saint and his friends to keep the weapon from ever being used at all, for the sake of the men and boys “who’d just be herded into it like dumb cattle to the slaughter, drunk with a miserable and futile heroism, to struggle blindly through a few days of squalid agony and die in the dirt”.
The familiar friends — Orace, Pat, Roger, Norman — are all here. Charteris was later dismissive of his early work, as older authors often are. But whatever its deficiencies, this book and its sequel Knight Templar have a drive and fire, and an idealism (eccentric though it be), that lifts them above the mundane.
Kingsley Amis, in his insightful and entertaining opus The James Bond Dossier, expends considerable space on considering what goes into the making of a good villain. Charteris’s best villains are easily the equal of Fleming’s, and The Last Hero has two them!
One may safely invent a sinister arms merchant from any country (although Rayt Marius is much more sinister than most). To present a sinister head of state, however, presents a problem: obviously one can’t use a real head of state, for reasons of both plausibility and libel. There are two traditional solutions, both moderately unsatisfactory: to invent a fictional country, which will irritate any reader with the basics of geography; or to be mysterious about which state it actually is. Charteris here opts for the second alternative, and great villain though Marius undoubtedly is, for me Crown Prince Rudolf of ---------- is the best in the whole Saint Saga.
(It is of course logically pointless to try and work out what the country really is, but it’s quite fun trying anyway, which Charteris obviously realises as he plants clues in various places. It’s somewhere in the Balkans. The Saint doesn’t yet speak the language, which therefore can’t be French, German or Spanish. The Prince is Marius’s own prince, and Marius was once a guttersnipe in the slums of Prague; on the other hand, we later learn that the Prince’s appendix is in Budapest. The most telling clue (not divulged till Getaway) is that the Prince’s family owned the Montenegrin crown jewels. [King Nikola of Montenegro might in fact be the prototype of Rudolf’s father, were not the time-frame all wrong. This is cool juggling. How many readers are familiar enough with Montenegrin history to know whether he did in fact have son called Rudolf?] )
Professor K.B. Vargan has invented a weapon called the Electron Cloud, able to incinerate large numbers of people in minimum time. The British Government wants it, and so does Prince Rudolf, who has military ambitions. The story revolves around the efforts of the Saint and his friends to keep the weapon from ever being used at all, for the sake of the men and boys “who’d just be herded into it like dumb cattle to the slaughter, drunk with a miserable and futile heroism, to struggle blindly through a few days of squalid agony and die in the dirt”.
The familiar friends — Orace, Pat, Roger, Norman — are all here. Charteris was later dismissive of his early work, as older authors often are. But whatever its deficiencies, this book and its sequel Knight Templar have a drive and fire, and an idealism (eccentric though it be), that lifts them above the mundane.
October 28, 2015
I have childhood memories of The Saint, but I'm not sure which of Charteris works I read. Recently, my wife asked me about the TV Series and I realized I needed to refresh my memory to give a good answer, since I had a vague sense that none of the recent movies and few of the series are true to Charteris' original.
My suspicions were correct. Simon Templar is neither spy nor thief, as Val Kilmer or Adam Rayner might have us believe. He is an idealistic vigilante enamored with romantic notions of chivalry. The surprise to me--having refreshed my memory--is that he is also ruthless and anything but saintly. This is a contradiction perhaps lost in a juvenile reading of the fantasy. In fact, the moral greys bothered me a bit in Charteris' early stories, but what can't be ignored is the sparkling quality of the writing. The razor wit and depth of the prose is well worth revisiting, even as the settings and methods will seem quite dated to young readers today. The Saint Closes the Case (a clumsy renaming of the original, The Last Hero) has several stunning monologues describing The Saint's heeding the "sound of the trumpet" and overcoming difficulty as some divine force was on his side. The gripping scenes of complex stand-offs and strategic play and counter-play between The Saint's team and its enemies don't seem as long wordy as they are. They get an iron grip on the reader's attention and go well beyond the usual "adventure romp" fare.
The more juvenile aspects of the earlier stories show through mostly in the love interest of Patricia Holmes. She is somehow simultaneously powerful but not a fully liberated woman; and while she is to be the Juliet to Simon's Romeo, the portrayal is a bit cartoonish.
There is a reason these stories remain in publication, long after their original circumstances were contemporary. Leslie Charteris is as skilled in laying down English as Simon Templar is in dispatching wrongdoers.
My suspicions were correct. Simon Templar is neither spy nor thief, as Val Kilmer or Adam Rayner might have us believe. He is an idealistic vigilante enamored with romantic notions of chivalry. The surprise to me--having refreshed my memory--is that he is also ruthless and anything but saintly. This is a contradiction perhaps lost in a juvenile reading of the fantasy. In fact, the moral greys bothered me a bit in Charteris' early stories, but what can't be ignored is the sparkling quality of the writing. The razor wit and depth of the prose is well worth revisiting, even as the settings and methods will seem quite dated to young readers today. The Saint Closes the Case (a clumsy renaming of the original, The Last Hero) has several stunning monologues describing The Saint's heeding the "sound of the trumpet" and overcoming difficulty as some divine force was on his side. The gripping scenes of complex stand-offs and strategic play and counter-play between The Saint's team and its enemies don't seem as long wordy as they are. They get an iron grip on the reader's attention and go well beyond the usual "adventure romp" fare.
The more juvenile aspects of the earlier stories show through mostly in the love interest of Patricia Holmes. She is somehow simultaneously powerful but not a fully liberated woman; and while she is to be the Juliet to Simon's Romeo, the portrayal is a bit cartoonish.
There is a reason these stories remain in publication, long after their original circumstances were contemporary. Leslie Charteris is as skilled in laying down English as Simon Templar is in dispatching wrongdoers.
January 18, 2015
On my reading challenge I'm counting this as the book that made me cry...simply because I never expected to cry...
"I am an absurd idealist. But I believe that all that must come true. For, unless it comes true, the world will be laid desolate. And I believe that it can come true. I believe that, by the grace of God, men will awake presently and be men again, and colour and laughter and splendid living will return to a grey civilisation. But that will only come true because a few men will believe in it, and fight for it, and fight in its name against everything that sneers and snarls at that ideal.”
This is NOT the Roger Moore Saint from the TV show...hey, I could count it for a book that was turned into a TV show...I might do that!! This Saint is fiercely loyal to his friends...deeply in love with a plucky woman, and both amoral and deeply idealistic.
This story is set between the wars in Europe, and Simon Templer and his 'gang' stumble onto a super weapon that will take the fun and glory out of fighting, and Simon feels the need to interfere...
He gets himself sideways with the police, the secret service, the crown prince of Germany, and a megalomanic who also want the weapon. Mayhem ensues.
I love Dashielle Hammet and Charteris is a new find. This novel ends on a cliffhanger, so I will probably hunt down the next few.
The narrator who read the book put the perfect amount of drawl into the Saint's words.
Great fun...and it made me cry.
"I am an absurd idealist. But I believe that all that must come true. For, unless it comes true, the world will be laid desolate. And I believe that it can come true. I believe that, by the grace of God, men will awake presently and be men again, and colour and laughter and splendid living will return to a grey civilisation. But that will only come true because a few men will believe in it, and fight for it, and fight in its name against everything that sneers and snarls at that ideal.”
This is NOT the Roger Moore Saint from the TV show...hey, I could count it for a book that was turned into a TV show...I might do that!! This Saint is fiercely loyal to his friends...deeply in love with a plucky woman, and both amoral and deeply idealistic.
This story is set between the wars in Europe, and Simon Templer and his 'gang' stumble onto a super weapon that will take the fun and glory out of fighting, and Simon feels the need to interfere...
He gets himself sideways with the police, the secret service, the crown prince of Germany, and a megalomanic who also want the weapon. Mayhem ensues.
I love Dashielle Hammet and Charteris is a new find. This novel ends on a cliffhanger, so I will probably hunt down the next few.
The narrator who read the book put the perfect amount of drawl into the Saint's words.
Great fun...and it made me cry.
October 3, 2018
An early The Saint novel in which our hero and his helpers rid the world of a dangerous super-weapon. A thrilling adventure but also a serious plea against the evil that Charteris, even in 1930, thought would lead to another world war.
Once into it, one is hooked!
The GR blurb:
'Simon Templar is the Saint—daring, dazzling, and just a little disreputable. On the side of the law, but standing outside it, he dispenses his own brand of justice one criminal at a time.
When the Saint and Patricia Holm stumble upon a government test of a weapon of mass destruction, they realize they've seen something that must be kept away from the wrong hands. But the Saint's nemesis Rayt Marius is already nearby….
There is only one way to stop Marius from using the weapon to start a war—kidnapping the scientist who built it. The plot comes to a climax on the banks of the River Thames, and not everyone will survive.
Leslie Charteris was born in Singapore and moved to England in 1919. He left Cambridge University early when his first novel was accepted for publication. He wrote novels about the Saint throughout his life, becoming one of the 20th century's most prolific and popular authors.'
Once into it, one is hooked!
The GR blurb:
'Simon Templar is the Saint—daring, dazzling, and just a little disreputable. On the side of the law, but standing outside it, he dispenses his own brand of justice one criminal at a time.
When the Saint and Patricia Holm stumble upon a government test of a weapon of mass destruction, they realize they've seen something that must be kept away from the wrong hands. But the Saint's nemesis Rayt Marius is already nearby….
There is only one way to stop Marius from using the weapon to start a war—kidnapping the scientist who built it. The plot comes to a climax on the banks of the River Thames, and not everyone will survive.
Leslie Charteris was born in Singapore and moved to England in 1919. He left Cambridge University early when his first novel was accepted for publication. He wrote novels about the Saint throughout his life, becoming one of the 20th century's most prolific and popular authors.'
December 9, 2012
Absolutely excellent read of the second Simon Templar novel in the series. A great story, Charteris is a master of the genre - the pulsating tension throughout the adventure injects a bloodrush worth experiencing. Our hero is an infectious thunderbolt of dry, poetic wit and debonair chivalry, and you can't help get involved when he's fending off the bad guys. The story is one of the 'Pulp' genre having been written in 1930 and its dark undertones are only lightened by the sometimes hilarious banter that 'The Saint' cajoles his sidekicks and enemies into partaking. A touch of 'Science-Fiction' with this story too in the form of a deadly device that could prove costly to the entire world. Furthermore, we are treated to a relatively melancholy ending which is draped in a beautiful scenario. A great character and one of the first modern-day 'swashbucklers'...looking forward to reading more 'Saint' adventures - Thank You, Leslie! Sidenote: It's not difficult to imagine Sir Roger Moore in his guise of the sixties Templar as you read the prose - fabulous!
August 24, 2014
From 1930, THE SAINT CLOSES THE CASE would be in modern parlance a fix-up novel. It was initially two separate stories published in THRILLER magazine in 1929. Charteris took a chunk out of the first story and dropped the second in the middle, of course doing some re-writing to smooth things over.
The tale concerns Simon Templar and his lady Patricia stumbling upon a demonstration of a new weapon of mass destruction. The Saint is appalled and determines to stop this weapon. The world is still getting over the Great War and the millions sacrificed to then new weapons of tanks and machine guns.
Opposing him is Dr. Rayt Marius in this, the first of a loose trilogy with the villain. He grabs Patrivia in a bid to get the scientist and his device, necessitating a rescue.
The Simon Templar of this early story is not the genteel fellow of later stories. He's perfectly willing to kill the scientist if he can't be persuaded to abandon development of his super weapon.
Excellent.
The tale concerns Simon Templar and his lady Patricia stumbling upon a demonstration of a new weapon of mass destruction. The Saint is appalled and determines to stop this weapon. The world is still getting over the Great War and the millions sacrificed to then new weapons of tanks and machine guns.
Opposing him is Dr. Rayt Marius in this, the first of a loose trilogy with the villain. He grabs Patrivia in a bid to get the scientist and his device, necessitating a rescue.
The Simon Templar of this early story is not the genteel fellow of later stories. He's perfectly willing to kill the scientist if he can't be persuaded to abandon development of his super weapon.
Excellent.
October 13, 2010
Saint books improve with the latter books. This is the second. It is mushroom in the prose style and the silly plot. There are flashes of effective writing. If this were the first Saint book I read, I would have read no others. I started with a much later book and know of the good things to come.
August 11, 2014
Originally written in the 1920's, this early Simon Templar adventure is a good, pulpish adventure. I was expecting more of a series-mystery novel. I believe that I read a Saint story or two quite a few years ago (I remember seeing the little haloed stick figure on books at my grandmother's house, and seeing copies of the magazine lying about), but I've never really been a fan. As I recall, I thought the television series made him seem like a low-budget Bond imitation, and I don't remember ever reading the comics or encountering the radio dramas. The Saint isn't a detective or spy in this book, but more of a pulp adventure hero: the book cover says a modern-day Robin Hood. In this early story he is the leader of a group of evil-fighting associates, much like Doc Savage or Avenger, though I believe he was pretty much a solo act in his later years. It's a very enjoyable story, as one would expect since his adventures are still in print after close to a century, though a couple of points bothered me. First was the dialog, which may have been witty and dazzling when new, but eventually rang a little false and far too florid and effete to my ears. Surely the bad guys and good guys wouldn't just stand there and exchange witticisms for that many pages, with the Saint calling everyone silly sweetheart names. Secondly, the Saint's lady love, Patricia Holm, doesn't seem to accomplish much except to be captured and need to be rescued a bit too often. She had a lot of potential, but didn't do anything with it except be a damsel-in-distress. Finally, I didn't like the ending. The copy on the back of the cover says one of his friends makes the ultimate sacrifice, so it's no more of a spoiler to say that I thought the protagonist should have found a way to save him, not to duck out to safety with the rest of the crew. Overall, I enjoyed the story, and will probably someday make a point to pick up another couple of books in the series. I won my copy of this book from Goodreads, in a Firstreads giveaway.
December 14, 2015
Alright, let me first say that I've avidly read my share of period adventure fiction, including loads of stuff from the 30s... and for what it's worth, I'd seen plenty of the 60s TV show. I thought I knew what to expect. In fact, I bought this book (under the title “The Last Hero”) along with 3 other Charteris “The Saint” books in one go when I was last at Powell's City of Books. Anyhow, I thought I knew what to expect here, or at least I knew what I hoped for, and that isn't what I got.
This book is obnoxious. It is a collection of low-brow, low grade action sequences which are all heavily cushioned between many long laborious and dense scenes of endless comical slang dialogue which is all supposed to convince the reader what a cool customer Simon Templer is. There's a plot in there someplace about an arch-villain who plans to use a scientist's new fancy death ray to get a war going in Europe and about “The Saint” refusing a pardon for past crimes so he can remain independent, but none of that has much to do with the endless stream of “clever” chatter and tiresome nicknames that pass between Simon and his too-cool buddies.
Essentially, the heroes here are always too smart and too able and too righteous, while the villains are too clumsy and not intimidating enough. Charteris sinks his best opportunities for tension and when he does try to bring about some suspense it's too little too late. Plus there's no travelogue aspect here, it's all set in nondescript British locations that might as well be cardboard backdrops for all the add to the atmosphere.
I've never read The Saint or anything by Charteris before (may never again if this is exemplary of his work), but to me this felt like the writings of a young person who feels he's too good for tropes or cliches, so he sort of “outsmarts” himself, right out of writing anything decent. I'm not saying an author shouldn't try to be original, but if one strips away too much from a genre it doesn't leave much for the poor reader to enjoy.
This book is obnoxious. It is a collection of low-brow, low grade action sequences which are all heavily cushioned between many long laborious and dense scenes of endless comical slang dialogue which is all supposed to convince the reader what a cool customer Simon Templer is. There's a plot in there someplace about an arch-villain who plans to use a scientist's new fancy death ray to get a war going in Europe and about “The Saint” refusing a pardon for past crimes so he can remain independent, but none of that has much to do with the endless stream of “clever” chatter and tiresome nicknames that pass between Simon and his too-cool buddies.
Essentially, the heroes here are always too smart and too able and too righteous, while the villains are too clumsy and not intimidating enough. Charteris sinks his best opportunities for tension and when he does try to bring about some suspense it's too little too late. Plus there's no travelogue aspect here, it's all set in nondescript British locations that might as well be cardboard backdrops for all the add to the atmosphere.
I've never read The Saint or anything by Charteris before (may never again if this is exemplary of his work), but to me this felt like the writings of a young person who feels he's too good for tropes or cliches, so he sort of “outsmarts” himself, right out of writing anything decent. I'm not saying an author shouldn't try to be original, but if one strips away too much from a genre it doesn't leave much for the poor reader to enjoy.
March 4, 2016
Originally published on my blog here in September 1999.">here in September 1999.
This, the second published volume in the Saint series proper, is the first full length novel in which he is the central character, and can perhaps make a better claim to be literature than anything else Charteris ever wrote.
How does The Last Hero differ from other Saint books and, indeed, set itself apart from the thirties thriller in general? The character of Simon Templar is not as central as usual, and Charteris manages to differentiate four different "good guys" and two "bad guys", none of them wholly stereotypical. (Compare this to, say, Dornford Yates, whose characters consist of one good guy and one bad guy, in male and female modes.) The book is very carefully constructed, leading up to one of the best-constructed surprise endings of any thriller ever written. A sombre mood prevails throughout, and this is perhaps motivated by the choice of subject matter.
The Last Hero is in fact an anti-war novel, in which Templar and his followers are not just trying to prevent a newly invented devastating weapon from falling into the wrong hands (as in Buchan) but into any hands, the British government included. Instead of a light hearted adventure for the fun of it - the characteristic nature of most of the Saint stories - this is deadly serious.
This, the second published volume in the Saint series proper, is the first full length novel in which he is the central character, and can perhaps make a better claim to be literature than anything else Charteris ever wrote.
How does The Last Hero differ from other Saint books and, indeed, set itself apart from the thirties thriller in general? The character of Simon Templar is not as central as usual, and Charteris manages to differentiate four different "good guys" and two "bad guys", none of them wholly stereotypical. (Compare this to, say, Dornford Yates, whose characters consist of one good guy and one bad guy, in male and female modes.) The book is very carefully constructed, leading up to one of the best-constructed surprise endings of any thriller ever written. A sombre mood prevails throughout, and this is perhaps motivated by the choice of subject matter.
The Last Hero is in fact an anti-war novel, in which Templar and his followers are not just trying to prevent a newly invented devastating weapon from falling into the wrong hands (as in Buchan) but into any hands, the British government included. Instead of a light hearted adventure for the fun of it - the characteristic nature of most of the Saint stories - this is deadly serious.
September 22, 2014
The Saint Closes the Case, also known as The Last Hero is a novel by Leslie Charteris, first published in 1930, about the now legendary Simon Templar.
This book takes Templar and his cohorts (yes, in the original books The Saint was not a crime fighting one man band, and he also has a regular girlfriend) from foiling an assignation attempt on a visiting prince to trying to stop a weapon of mass destruction from not only falling into the hands of a foreign power but also into the hands of his own government in order to prevent the mass industrial slaughter of World War One happening all over again.
He has to deal with the kidnapping of aforementioned girlfriend, the wounding of friends, an old enemy and the occasional irritation of Inspector Claude Eustace Teal of Scotland Yard. There is much fisticuffs, car chases, villainy and witty comments. It is an adventure novel, a mystery novel and, in a way a science fiction novel (when you read about the WMD, you’ll see what I mean).
If you think you know Simon Templar through the television and cinema versions, think again. The languid style of Templar’s speech can take a bit of getting use to, but all in all it’s a highly enjoyable read.
This book takes Templar and his cohorts (yes, in the original books The Saint was not a crime fighting one man band, and he also has a regular girlfriend) from foiling an assignation attempt on a visiting prince to trying to stop a weapon of mass destruction from not only falling into the hands of a foreign power but also into the hands of his own government in order to prevent the mass industrial slaughter of World War One happening all over again.
He has to deal with the kidnapping of aforementioned girlfriend, the wounding of friends, an old enemy and the occasional irritation of Inspector Claude Eustace Teal of Scotland Yard. There is much fisticuffs, car chases, villainy and witty comments. It is an adventure novel, a mystery novel and, in a way a science fiction novel (when you read about the WMD, you’ll see what I mean).
If you think you know Simon Templar through the television and cinema versions, think again. The languid style of Templar’s speech can take a bit of getting use to, but all in all it’s a highly enjoyable read.
August 25, 2014
Thomas & Mercer is re-releasing the Simon Templar books for a new generation. It really is astonishing how they both do and do not stand up since their original publication date in the 1930s.
This is also not the hard-boiled Saint we see in later books (some of which I read in high school); this is a younger, more humorous Simon Templar. With his fancy, fast, fictional automobiles and numerous homes, we are given the impression that he is quite well-to-do ... despite the author's assertions that Templar is "everyman.'
This is actually the second book in the series. In this outing, Templar and his lady friend Patricia stumble upon a demonstration of a weapon of mass destruction. Templar then goes about trying to stop the inventor and his financial backers from selling it to *any* government, whether His Majesty's or another.
There are a good many car chases, narrow escapes, and the other sorts of things that one might expect from adventure books of this type. It was an entertaining read ... but I don't know how much modern audiences would like it given the changes in warfare since the book was written.
This is also not the hard-boiled Saint we see in later books (some of which I read in high school); this is a younger, more humorous Simon Templar. With his fancy, fast, fictional automobiles and numerous homes, we are given the impression that he is quite well-to-do ... despite the author's assertions that Templar is "everyman.'
This is actually the second book in the series. In this outing, Templar and his lady friend Patricia stumble upon a demonstration of a weapon of mass destruction. Templar then goes about trying to stop the inventor and his financial backers from selling it to *any* government, whether His Majesty's or another.
There are a good many car chases, narrow escapes, and the other sorts of things that one might expect from adventure books of this type. It was an entertaining read ... but I don't know how much modern audiences would like it given the changes in warfare since the book was written.
August 24, 2014
From 1930, THE LAST HERO(later title was THE SAINT CLOSES THE CASE) would be in modern parlance a fix-up novel. It was initially two separate stories published in THRILLER magazine in 1929. Charteris took a chunk out of the first story and dropped the second in the middle, of course doing some re-writing to smooth things over.
The tale concerns Simon Templar and his lady Patricia stumbling upon a demonstration of a new weapon of mass destruction. The Saint is appalled and determines to stop this weapon. The world is still getting over the Great War and the millions sacrificed to then new weapons of tanks and machine guns.
Opposing him is Dr. Rayt Marius in this, the first of a loose trilogy with the villain. He grabs Patrivia in a bid to get the scientist and his device, necessitating a rescue.
The Simon Templar of this early story is not the genteel fellow of later stories. He's perfectly willing to kill the scientist if he can't be persuaded to abandon development of his super weapon.
Excellent.
The tale concerns Simon Templar and his lady Patricia stumbling upon a demonstration of a new weapon of mass destruction. The Saint is appalled and determines to stop this weapon. The world is still getting over the Great War and the millions sacrificed to then new weapons of tanks and machine guns.
Opposing him is Dr. Rayt Marius in this, the first of a loose trilogy with the villain. He grabs Patrivia in a bid to get the scientist and his device, necessitating a rescue.
The Simon Templar of this early story is not the genteel fellow of later stories. He's perfectly willing to kill the scientist if he can't be persuaded to abandon development of his super weapon.
Excellent.
June 2, 2019
Violent.
1930. Charteris bravely writes the "bad guy" to be Britain's own War Office Chemical Research division! (p. 32 of 311, chapter 2)
1930. Charteris bravely writes the "bad guy" to be Britain's own War Office Chemical Research division! (p. 32 of 311, chapter 2)
“But people would never stand for another war so soon. Every country is disarming——”
“Bluffing with everything they know, and hoping that one day somebody'll be taken in. And every nation scared stiff of the rest, and ready to arm again at any notice. The people never make or want a war—it's sprung on them by the statesmen with the business interests behind them.…
“Even if we are on the crest of a wave of literature about the horrors of war … The mind of a healthy young man is too optimistic. It leaps to the faintest hint of glory, and forgets seas of ghastliness.” (pp. 38–39 of 311, chapter 2)
August 23, 2016
This was a fun espionage yarn, in which Simon Templar (alias the Saint) and his companions sets out to stop another World War (which is just fresh from WWI, which shows how old the story is!) through his daring-do interventions that are just outside of the law. It would've been better with a lessening of the melodrama and wordiness. I am generally a disciple to law and order, however, so his skirmishes that result from taking the law into his own hands tend to irritate and make it harder for me to say, "Oh, it's just a story." Nonetheless, I found it engaging and witty with no regrets for spending two weeks of my life reading it.
April 11, 2019
I listened to this in an excellent audio production. I remember reading the Novell years ago under the name “The Saint and the Last Hero”.
It has all the great period energy of Charteris at his best, writing an evil scientist, an ambiguous leader of a foreign power, a lot of nasty spies and what Charteris called plug-uglies.
We have the suave and ever-amusing Saint and his wonderful associates, who will eventually disappear forever when other hands take over the franchise. But for now, enjoy Orace, the gallant and lovely Patricia Holm and a cast of men who all seem to be nearly in love with the Saint, so devoted are they to him and his piratical search for the good.
It has all the great period energy of Charteris at his best, writing an evil scientist, an ambiguous leader of a foreign power, a lot of nasty spies and what Charteris called plug-uglies.
We have the suave and ever-amusing Saint and his wonderful associates, who will eventually disappear forever when other hands take over the franchise. But for now, enjoy Orace, the gallant and lovely Patricia Holm and a cast of men who all seem to be nearly in love with the Saint, so devoted are they to him and his piratical search for the good.
April 5, 2020
De repente, uma pessoa apercebe-se que o português com que cresceu se tornou obsoleto. A evolução é gradual, funciona como uma anestesia, e com o passar dos anos não se tem a noção. É preciso pegar num livrito que foi traduzido por essa altura para entender. Faz confusão. Cresci a ouvir falar do Santo, muito apreciado pelo meu pai e pela minha tia. Acho que por essa altura li um dos livros. Mas não me recordava. Agora peguei neste volume e não gostei. É simplesmente obsoleto. Os conceitos, a linguagem, tudo. Infelizmente comprei uma série deles e não terei coragem, até ver, de pegar noutro. Ficarão para ali, à espera do que o futuro lhes traga.
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