An Old Captivity

I was very impressed by the story, which, although it contained elements of the supernatural, is so realistic that it reads like a memoir! It tells of a young pilot who is hired to fly an expedition into Greenland, and in the process takes a dream journey back in time in the footsteps of a young slave captured by the Vikings.

It is a tribute to Nevil Shute's talent that there are no villains in this book, and yet I found myself reading far into the night, compelled to find out what happens. Its brilliant conclusion winds all the stories together so satisfactorily I had no objection to reading it over and over again!

I was very impressed by the story, which, although it contained elements of the supernatural, is so realistic that it reads like a memoir! It tells of a young pilot who is hired to fly an expedition into Greenland, and in the process takes a dream journey back in time in the footsteps of a young slave captured by the Vikings.

It is a tribute to Nevil Shute's talent that there are no villains in this book, and yet I found myself reading far into the night, compelled to find out what happens. Its brilliant conclusion winds all the stories together so satisfactorily I had no objection to reading it over and over again!

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A fascinating book by Shute. His usual competent engineer hero is tasked with organising an archaeologist's air photography mission to Greenland, sponsored by the archaeologist's rich elder brother, and to his dismay accompanied by the archaeologist's daughter. The planning and implementation of the expedition are lovingly detailed; the year is roughly 1937 (the book was published in 1940, but there is no mention of impending war).

And then three quarters of the way through, we have a sudden shift; and our competent engineer hero falls into a coma and dreams of a past life as a Scottish slave among the Viking settlers of Greenland, with the professor's daughter being his lover's reincarnation. show more That part of the story told on its own could easily fall into total cliche, but the fact that we have had a couple of hundred pages of technical exposition beforehand makes it tremendously effective. A very pleasant surprise. show less

I was very impressed by the story, which, although it contained elements of the supernatural, is so realistic that it reads like a memoir! It tells of a young pilot who is hired to fly an expedition into Greenland, and in the process takes a dream journey back in time in the footsteps of a young slave captured by the Vikings.

It is a tribute to Nevil Shute's talent that there are no villains in this book, and yet I found myself reading far into the night, compelled to find out what happens. Its brilliant conclusion winds all the stories together so satisfactorily I had no objection to reading it over and over again!

Nevil Shute wrote one of the most hauntingly depressing books I've ever read, "On the Beach". I was glad to find this old-fashioned adventure novel by him, in which a pilot in the late 1930's is hired by a wealthy archaeologist to fly an aerial photography expedition to northern Greenland, in an attempt to prove that the Scots long ago travelled there and set up colonies. The archaeologist's spoiled and beautiful daughter insists on coming along to care for her father. Seeing as how this is billed as an adventure-romance, the rest is pretty easy to anticipate, although Shute does a fine job of elevating the adventure and the romance above the typical fare of the day. And there is a bit at the end in which the pilot, tripped out on show more sleeping pills, seemingly channels the spirit of the young male Scot who, along with a female compatriot, was kidnapped by Leif Ericson, and helped him explore Greenland and northern Canada. This not only explains the title of the book, but adds a new dimension to an already pretty good read. Not as powerful as Shute's masterpiece work, but an intriguing tale by a fine storyteller regardless. show less

An Oxford professor hires Donald Ross to pilot a seaplane to Greenland to take a photographic survey, seeking evidence of Viking and Celtic settlements. Professor Lockwood plans to accompany Ross. Lockwood’s nineteen-year-old daughter, Alix, feels he should not travel alone, so she decides to accompany him. Lockwood and Alix have no idea what they are getting into.

The first three-fourths of this book is about the trip to Greenland. It describes the preparations and the trip itself, how seaplanes are refueled, and lots of aviation-related specifics. It takes a hard turn in the last quarter, becoming almost a different book completely, though still set in Greenland. The characters are well-developed. I enjoyed it up to the last quarter, show more which ventured into bizarre territory.

It was published in 1940 and reflects many of the attitudes of the time. I had previously read Shute’s A Town Like Alice, which I enjoyed immensely. This one does not quite measure up, but the writing is strong. I will definitely be reading more of his work.

3.5 show less

An Oxford professor hires Donald Ross to pilot a seaplane to Greenland to take a photographic survey, seeking evidence of Viking and Celtic settlements. Professor Lockwood plans to accompany Ross. Lockwood’s nineteen-year-old daughter, Alix, feels he should not travel alone, so she decides to accompany him. Lockwood and Alix have no idea what they are getting into.

The first three-fourths of this book is about the trip to Greenland. It describes the preparations and the trip itself, how seaplanes are refueled, and lots of aviation-related specifics. It takes a hard turn in the last quarter, becoming almost a different book completely, though still set in Greenland. The characters are well-developed. I enjoyed it up to the last quarter, show more which ventured into bizarre territory.

It was published in 1940 and reflects many of the attitudes of the time. I had previously read Shute’s A Town Like Alice, which I enjoyed immensely. This one does not quite measure up, but the writing is strong. I will definitely be reading more of his work.

3.5 show less