Greenmantle (1916)

This is the second book in the WWI-era Richard Hannay espionage/adventure series.

This installment finds Hannay embedded with the enemy as he travels through Europe and Turkey seeking the enemy's greatest secret.

It was a simple read, and at times the author used obvious plot devices to get the protagonist out of a sticky situation. But who cares? It was a great ride! ( )

Excellent Richard Hannay adventure. ( )

Greenmantle
John Buchan
April 10, 2011

This is a rollicking yarn, spy mystery, and adventure, set in WW1. The hero, Richard Hannay, is tasked to leave his battalion in France to undertake a difficult mission in Germany and Turkey, heading off a plan of the German general staff to rise up a muslim prophet, the Greenmantle of the title. The rise of the Jihad would embarass and impede the British war effort. There is a journey on a tramp steamer, evasion of sinister German officials. a trip down the Danube and into Turkey, ultimately victory by the Russians. Hannay has friends in an old Boer tracker, Peter, and a British spy, and enemies in the form of a sinister countess. Coincidence drives the plot, but the atmospherics and adventure are rich. ( )

Longer than The 39 Steps and the adventure drags on too long for me. Still, it's the same sort of thing, same main character, same pre-World-War-I setting. If you loved The 39 Steps, you should love this. If you didn't love The 39 Steps, well... ( )

A great read - highly cinematic and visual and the plot roars along nicely. Also a fascinating sight into geopolitics and the prevailing cultures of a century ago. Hannay's stiff upper lipped Brit and his motley bunch of fellow spies are more scared of a woman's wiles than of the trenches, but surprisingly (perhaps) understanding of Turkish and Islamic culture; the evil Germans are mixed with thoroughly decent fellows and overall the messages were more subtle than I would perhaps have expected. Buchan clearly believes that the British are best, but in a more nuanced world than one might anticipate from an arch imperialist.