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`about This Coast... In The Event Of War It Seems To Me That Every Inch Of It Would Be Important, Sand And All.' Executed In 1922 For His Involvement In Irish Republicanism, Childers In Remembered Most Vividly For His Ground-breaking Spy Novel, The Riddle Of The Sands (1903). In Spite Of Good Prospects In The Foreign Office, The Sardonic Civil Servant Carruthers Is Finding It Hard To Endure The Emptiness And Boredom Of His Life In London. He Reluctantly Accepts An Invitation From A College Friend, Davies, The Shyly Intrepid Yachtsman, And Joins Him On A Sailing Holiday In The Baltic. The Regeneration Of Carruthers Begins As He Is Initiated Into The Mysteries Of Seamanship, But The Story Builds In Excitement As Carruthers And Davies Discover A German Plot To Invade England. Like Much Contemporary British Spy Fiction, The Riddle Of The Sands Reflects The Long Suspicious Years Leading Up To The First World War And The Intricacy Of Its Conception And Its Lucid Detail Make It A Classic Of Its Genre. This Edition Is Complemented By A Fine Introduction Which Examines The Novel In Its Political And Historical Context. About The Series: For Over 100 Years Oxford World's Classics Has Made Available The Widest Range Of Literature From Around The Globe. Each Affordable Volume Reflects Oxford's Commitment To Scholarship, Providing The Most Accurate Text Plus A Wealth Of Other Valuable Features, Including Expert Introductions By Leading Authorities, Helpful Notes To Clarify The Text, Up-to-date Bibliographies For Further Study, And Much More.
Two amateur yachtsmen stumble upon a clandestine German naval operation while sailing the treacherous waters of the Frisian Islands. Carruthers, a bored civil servant, joins his acquaintance Davies on a sailing holiday that quickly transforms into a high-stakes intelligence mission. The narrative, presented through the lens of Carruthers' evolving perspective, details their efforts to uncover a plot to invade England. They must navigate both the physical dangers of the shifting sandbanks and the logical constraints of operating in hostile territory without official support.
Readers frequently highlight the technical precision of the sailing sequences, which ground the narrative in a tangible reality. Discussion often centers on the book's role as a foundational text for the modern spy thriller genre, noting its departure from the sensationalism of later works. Critics often point to the slow pacing as a deliberate choice that mirrors the methodical nature of the protagonists' investigation. The atmosphere of impending conflict is consistently praised for its subtlety and historical relevance. Many readers appreciate the balance between the technical nautical details and the growing sense of political urgency.
Page Count:
290
Publication Date:
1995-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0191563706
ISBN-13:
9780191563706
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