“This is a book of great renown…Its beautifully sustained atmosphere…adds poetry, and…real mystery.” Ian Fleming
Description
While on a sailing trip in the Baltic Sea, two young adventurers-turned-spies uncover a secret German plot to invade England. Widely recognized as the first modern spy thriller, this lone masterpiece by World War I Royal Navy officer Erskine Childers was written in 1903 as a wake-up call to the British government to attend to its North Sea defenses. It accomplished that task and has been considered a classic of espionage literature ever since. Praised for its nautical action and richly authentic background as much as for its suspenseful spycraft, The Riddle of the Sands is the brilliant forerunner to the realism of Graham Greene and John le Carré.
Praise
“This is a book of great renown…Its beautifully sustained atmosphere…adds poetry, and…real mystery.” Ian Fleming
“Eric Ambler fans will find this a fascinating antecedent.” Publishers Weekly
“Simon Vance lends a mature sound and considerable technique to his narration, making Childers’ seafaring not only apparent, but contagious.” AudioFile
“The Riddle of the Sands has delighted generations of sailing aficionados and thriller readers with its nautical and political verisimilitude.” Booklist
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Oct 21, 2008 |
| Release Date | October 22, 2008 |
| Release Date Machine | 1224633600 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Literature & Fiction, Classics, Classics, Evergreen Classics, Classics, Fiction - All, Fiction - Adult |
Author Bio
Erskine Childers (1870–1922) was an Irish nationalist and novelist. He was the editor of the Cambridge Review and the author of the influential novel Riddle of the Sands, which the Observer listed as one of the “100 Greatest Novels of All Time.” It is considered by many to be the first spy novel.
Narrator Bio
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.
Overview
While on a sailing trip in the Baltic Sea, two young adventurers-turned-spies uncover a secret German plot to invade England. Widely recognized as the first modern spy thriller, this lone masterpiece by World War I Royal Navy officer Erskine Childers was written in 1903 as a wake-up call to the British government to attend to its North Sea defenses. It accomplished that task and has been considered a classic of espionage literature ever since. Praised for its nautical action and richly authentic background as much as for its suspenseful spycraft, The Riddle of the Sands is the brilliant forerunner to the realism of Graham Greene and John le Carré.
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