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The Riddle Of The Sands

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The Riddle Of The Sands

By: Erskine Childers
Narrated by: Anton Lesser
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Riddle of the Sands is set during the long suspicious years leading up to the First World War and is a classic of spy fiction.©2008 BBC Audiobooks Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Action & Adventure Classics Espionage Mystery Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense
Gripping Plot • Excellent Spy Fiction • Superb Reading • Fascinating Premise • Superior Writing • Unexpected Twists
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Despite my seemingly derogatory title, this is very good and well narrated. Highly recommend! Also recommend the 70s film starring Michael York of the same title.

Stirring Schoolboy Adventure

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This is an interesting book, with a fascinating premise: that Germany could use its Frisian Islands militarily against Britain.

It’s very technical with regard to nautical terminology and details, which aren’t my thing so I just let them flow past while my hands did other things. So it was good for multitasking.

I am interested in geography, so I kept bringing up maps to orient myself to where they were. Again, there’s a lot of detail.

I’m left wondering if publishing this novel acted as a deterrent to trying an attack of the type described here during WWI.

The narrative character started out as a drawling pain in the rear. Thankfully, the drawling and complaining didn’t continue into the second half of the book.

Interesting look back at espionage prior to WWI, and a kind of historical futurism. Just be aware that the British habit of casually stated racial superiority is on full display, as is the pro-colonialism perspective of the day.

Beware the casual racism of 1903, otherwise great

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This is an excellent early example of spy fiction, and a prescriptive example of predictive literature given its focus on a German dream of invading Britain a decade before WW1. The Riddle of the Sands is a listen you want to get to the end of, even if you are not a Yachting enthusiast.

Keeps One Awake

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The sands of the title refer to the coastal sands of Germany, it’s 1900 or so, and I won’t say anything beyond that for fear of giving away too much. The narration is one of the finest I’ve encountered here, in the cultured accents called for by the characters, although I had to slow down the playback slightly to avoid missing anything.

Deserves its reputation as one of the greatest spy novels

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A classic that is engaging, exciting, entertaining, and even humorous at times.

So well written that you forget it was written close to 100 years ago.... as good or better than any modern thriller.

a great listen

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A bit slow to qualify as a thriller by modern standards, but a must read for anyone who likes classic spy novels. Very well performed.

Classic

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By modern standards, this story unfolds very, very slowly. It is realistic and quite believable.

The performance is perfect. Anton Lesser is masterful.

A 19th Century Classic

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It simply moved too slowly to hold my interest. I suspect that someone with sailing experience would find it more engaging. The writing is superior and perhaps I will return to give it another read/listen

Terrific narrator with excellent writing

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Riddle of the Sands was published in 1903, 11 years before WWI started, but it is redolent with the suspicion between Germany and other countries that circulated at that time and resulted, finally, in the Great War. The Riddle is that our two young spies gradually realize that Germany is planning an invasion of England via the low-water tributaries in the Frisian islands, pulling low-draft troop carriers among the natural channels through the sands . The places named are real and you can follow the plot on Google Earth.

Anton Lesser does a superb reading, and reads with the tones of a young man, which is crucial, because while the plot and action are gripping, the characterization and character development is just as beautifully and humorously written, and this is why it seems to me almost a crime to settle for an abridged version of this classic. You won't regret listening to the original.

Our narrator, Carruthers, is a rising young star in the Foreign Office, and when he reluctantly boards the Dulcibella, he is deeply disappointed that it is not the stylish, elegant yacht with crew that he had dressed and packed for. He is a prig, and no sailor, and both faults get well and truly reformed during this story as he grows up, learns to sail, and finds his place in the world -- because however "at sea" he may feel in a boat, Carruthers has talent and courage as a spy on land that make the reader feel he would be wasted in the Foreign Office.

Of course there is a beautiful girl. And a dubious father. And Germans, nice and otherwise, whose accents Lesser performs convincingly. Best of all, there is a VIP who comes to inspect how well the invasion plans are working out. This is "he who insists" on coming.


SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER





"He who insists" is the Kaiser. Kaiser Wilhelm II, ruler of Germany, avid yachtsman, committed to building up Germany's navy. The idea that Germany might invade England is hardly remarkable: most wars involve the aggressing Continental power considering it very carefully, or actually doing it. The last ones were Napoleon and Hitler, both of whom made elaborate plans for invasion, but never actually carried them out. Eleven years after this book came out, Germany used its navy to try to starve England out via U-Boots sinking ships carrying imports, rather than invasion. But in the meanwhile this book, Riddle of the Sands, resulted in some large changes in the British navy basing, because in fact, the plan was plausible.

The most delightful moment in the book, to me, is when Carruthers, needing a quick exit from his hiding place, not only wrecks the Kaiser's boat, but also gets him to help cast off the dinghy he's in so he can row away. He gives brusque orders in the confusion of running the boat aground, and as a yachtsman used to quick hands-on sailing, the Kaiser obeys him!

There is a Michael York movie of this book which is excellent and fairly close to the original.

A great read and excellent for the WWI centennial

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Set at the dawn of the 20th century, a pair of amateur British spies on a yacht uncover a German invasion plan based in the Friesian coast. The novel influenced British naval planning in the years before WWI.

Story and narration are both excellent. It makes me want to sail the Friesian coast, pipe in hand, and visit the small islands and harbors just as the author did over a century ago.

Excellent Anglo-German Naval Arms Race Spy Yarn

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