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The 39 Steps (Richard Hannay, #1)

John Buchan

Start date: February 1, 2023

Finish date: February 28, 2023

Discussion: Short Story/Novella Collection

Why we're reading this: February 2023 Short Story Read
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Short Story/Novella Collection

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What Members Thought

Jun 19, 2019 RJ - Slayer of Trolls rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: guardian-1000-read, 1001-books-read

An early example of what would become the "spy" genre, Buchan's first "shocker" (as he called it) novel tells the fictitious tale of a pre-WWI German attempt to steal England's military secrets. The character Richard Hannay would go on to make appearances in several other Buchan stories, and 20 years after publication a young fellow by the name of Alfred Hitchcock released a film based (loosely) on this novel. The story is quaint by modern standards with very obvious Arthur Conan Doyle influence ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Sep 23, 2015 Laura rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, espionage, fiction-20th-century, read-2015, british-literature, gutenberg, 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you

Free download available at Project Gutenberg

5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 05, 2018 Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... rated it liked it

Shelves: mysteries-thrillers, classics, 1001-books

This book is a lot of fun: it is fast and witty. The writing is clever. The moors and glens of Scotland are a perfect wild setting for this rollicking book. But, I didn't find Hannay to be a believable character. He was just too perfect. He knew how to do everything. In fact, he was the best at everything. In the modern mystery book genre I often have the same complaint. In fact if you have read my reviews of the Jack Reacher books you will have seen me say this often. I want my characters to be ...more

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Sep 15, 2013 Kai Coates rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: group-bookish, w14-bookish-challenge

Despite being my first reading, The 39 Steps felt very familiar. John Buchan's action-packed adventure tale is considered the first modern spy thriller, and it set the tone for everything about the genre. Richard Hannay is the Everyman who is thrown into the middle of a game with international consequences - a game only he can solve. He crisscrosses the varied landscape of Great Britain in an attempt to escape both the people who think he committed murder and the people who want to kill him. Tra ...more

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Nov 04, 2018 Tom Britz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This novel, written at the start of WWI, concerns a German spy ring, murder and a mad three week scramble for his life by Richard Hannay. Hannay, a well to do aristocrat, is taken into the confidence of a desperate English spy who is afraid that his cover has been blown. After hearing the man's tale, Hannay decides to harbor the man, only to come home one day and find the man dead, skewered to the floor by a long knife.
Thus begins a thrilling three week scramble for Richard Hannay through the Sc ...more

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