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Medusa / the Doomed Oasis
871 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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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 of 1 review
August 8, 2016
Last year I ordered quite a few Hammond Innes titles from my favorite online used bookseller, and this 2-in-1 volume was one of my selections.
First was Medusa. Published in 1988, it dealt with political tensions on the island of Menorca in the Mediterranean Sea. Our hero Mike Steele was supposedly an ex-adventurer but we never learn just exactly what kind of adventures he had in the past. Whatever they had been he did not seem to learn much from them since he bumbled his way through the entire book, never knowing what was going on around him, missing important signals that would have kept him out of danger, and generally earning my contempt. The story seemed as rambling and confused as Steele himself, and I had to force my way through it. There were a few good scenes here and there, but overall it
was no anywhere near as gripping as other Innes titles I have read.
On to The Doomed Oasis, published in 1960. In this story we travel from Wales to the deserts of Arabia with Aubrey Grant, a lawyer who becomes caught up in the lives of a certain Colonel Whitaker and his illegitimate son David, who both are fighting for the same thing: to save Saraifa from the neighboring tribesmen (feuds in this region last for hundreds of years or more) and from the desert itself (the dunes, the dunes!). I liked Grant, because even though he was a mostly reluctant participant in events, he was much more capable than Steele had been in Medusa. I was sympathetic towards him, not annoyed with him. Makes a huge difference in any story, but especially in a non-stop adventure like this one. Politics and oil exploration play a big part here, and I am now curious to learn more about those days just before the oil boom made the region what it is today. I never knew there had been such a British presence in the area, for one thing.
I am giving this 2-in-one a 3 star rating, but individually Medusa would get 2 and Oasis 4. I think Innes was much more on his game in his earlier books.
First was Medusa. Published in 1988, it dealt with political tensions on the island of Menorca in the Mediterranean Sea. Our hero Mike Steele was supposedly an ex-adventurer but we never learn just exactly what kind of adventures he had in the past. Whatever they had been he did not seem to learn much from them since he bumbled his way through the entire book, never knowing what was going on around him, missing important signals that would have kept him out of danger, and generally earning my contempt. The story seemed as rambling and confused as Steele himself, and I had to force my way through it. There were a few good scenes here and there, but overall it
was no anywhere near as gripping as other Innes titles I have read.
On to The Doomed Oasis, published in 1960. In this story we travel from Wales to the deserts of Arabia with Aubrey Grant, a lawyer who becomes caught up in the lives of a certain Colonel Whitaker and his illegitimate son David, who both are fighting for the same thing: to save Saraifa from the neighboring tribesmen (feuds in this region last for hundreds of years or more) and from the desert itself (the dunes, the dunes!). I liked Grant, because even though he was a mostly reluctant participant in events, he was much more capable than Steele had been in Medusa. I was sympathetic towards him, not annoyed with him. Makes a huge difference in any story, but especially in a non-stop adventure like this one. Politics and oil exploration play a big part here, and I am now curious to learn more about those days just before the oil boom made the region what it is today. I never knew there had been such a British presence in the area, for one thing.
I am giving this 2-in-one a 3 star rating, but individually Medusa would get 2 and Oasis 4. I think Innes was much more on his game in his earlier books.
Displaying 1 of 1 review