The Riddle of the Sands
Erskine Childers
The Riddle of the Sands
Arguable one of the finest spy stories ever written, Erskine Childers' book introduced Edwardian readers to the idea of a 'secret service'. In an enthralling tale of a duel among the islands and sandbanks of the North Sea, two amateur investigators and yachtsmen discover sinister preparations off the German coast. At great peril both from an implacable enemy and furious storms at sea, they stake their lives on the strength of their doughty boat, the Dulcibella. Will they fight their way back to England in time to sound a warning? The Riddle of the Sands caused a sensation when it appeared in 1903, with statesmen and soldiers drawn into a debate about Britain s readiness to repulse a naval invasion. So strong was its impact that one critic later accused its author of almost single-handedly starting a European war.
5.0 out of 5 based on 1 reviews
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Omniscore:
|
| Classification |
Fiction |
| Genre |
Classic Fiction |
| Format |
Paperback |
| Pages |
272 |
| RRP |
£2.99 |
| Date of Publication |
May 2009 |
| ISBN |
978-1840221787 |
| Publisher |
Wordsworth Editions |
| |
Arguable one of the finest spy stories ever written, Erskine Childers' book introduced Edwardian readers to the idea of a 'secret service'. In an enthralling tale of a duel among the islands and sandbanks of the North Sea, two amateur investigators and yachtsmen discover sinister preparations off the German coast. At great peril both from an implacable enemy and furious storms at sea, they stake their lives on the strength of their doughty boat, the Dulcibella. Will they fight their way back to England in time to sound a warning? The Riddle of the Sands caused a sensation when it appeared in 1903, with statesmen and soldiers drawn into a debate about Britain s readiness to repulse a naval invasion. So strong was its impact that one critic later accused its author of almost single-handedly starting a European war.
Reviews
The Observer
Alice Fisher
"Out of context, the story of Erskine Childers's The Riddle of the Sands sounds like a bog standard thriller, but that's because so many books are pale echoes of this exceptional novel... The writing is gripping and it's a marvel that Childers manages to make the minutiae of sailing and navigation so engrossing."
07/06/2009
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