Product Description

When Richard Hannay, the hero of The Thirty-nine Steps, is recalled by the Head of British Intelligence from the Western Front at a critical moment in the battle for France, he has little idea that his contribution to the war effort will be much more crucial than the command of his Brigade in Flanders. In his strange odyssey to unravel the most sinister of conspiracies to defeat the allies in the West he travels from an idyllic manor house in the Cotswolds to a provincial Garden City where pacifism is the order of the day, through Scotland and London under attack, and thence back to the trenches, and the greatest battle of the First World War. There, amid the devastation and the squalor, he finds both love and a horrifying glimpse of chemical warfare before the thrilling dénoument in the skies above the battlefield.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #112263 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Synopsis
When Richard Hannay, the hero of "The Thirty-nine Steps", is recalled by the Head of British Intelligence from the Western Front at a critical moment in the battle for France, he has little idea that his contribution to the war effort will be much more crucial than the command of his Brigade in Flanders. In his strange odyssey to unravel the most sinister of conspiracies - to defeat the allies in the West - he travels from an idyllic manor house in the Cotswolds to a provincial Garden City where pacifism is the order of the day, through Scotland and London under attack, and thence back to the trenches, and the greatest battle of the First World War. There, amid the devastation and the squalor, he finds both love and a horrifying glimpse of chemical warfare before the thrilling denoument in the skies above the battlefield.

Customer Reviews

Very much part of the Buchan tradition
Readers who cannot stomach the idea of a protagonist who does not share current modern sensibilities should be warned; Mr Standfast is quite capable of arousing the same unwarranted controversy as its predecessors. Warning must also be also given of Buchan's habit of periodically inserting a bit of social commentary between the action scenes conducted by the returning Richard Hannay.

That said, Mr Standfast is a fascinating tale with a trademark John Buchan plot that should satisfy those who enjoyed The Thirty-Nine Steps. Hannay's adventures see him return to the Scottish Highlands, as well as wartime France and neutral Switzerland in pursuit of yet another international spy ring, masterminded by an old Hannay enemy - the Graf von Schwabing. Thus we are back on familiar territory indeed with ingredients of world conspiracy, physical challenges and dark suspicions.

However, those seeking a return of characters from previous books such as Blenkiron, Pienaar and Arbuthnot will be disappointed, as these occupy either a peripheral role within the book or simply fail to appear. The progression of the storyline is not always the smoothest or most concise either, and the pace of the book not always consistent.

It could be concluded, then, Mr Standfast epitomises both John Buchan's talents as a writer and his flaws. A potential reader should be willing to interpret the book according to its place in history, while still taking pleasure in the narrative itself which is, at times, an enjoyable example of its type.