Pilot Books
4 total works
A nicely-priced paperback edition of John Buchan's pivotal work of fiction, with an introduction by Gustavo Bondoni.
In Greenmantle (1916) Richard Hannay, hero of The Thirty-Nine Steps , travels across war-torn Europe in search of a German plot and an Islamic Messiah. He is joined by three more of Buchan's heroes: Peter Pienaar, the old Boer Scout; John S. Blenkiron, the American determined to fight the Kaiser; and Sandy Arbuthnot, Greenmantle himself, modelled on Lawrence of Arabia. The intrepid four move in disguise through Germany to Constantinople and the Russian border to face their enemies - the grotesque Stumm and the evil beauty of Hilda von Einem. In this classic espionage adventure Buchan shows his mastery of the thriller and the Stevensonian romance, and also his enormous knowledge of world politics before and during the First World War. This edition illuminates for the first time the many levels beneath the stirring plot and romantic characters. This book is intended for general public, war historians, students on Scottish literature courses.
In "The Three Hostages" (1924) Richard Hannay leaves his quiet and happy family life in the countryside to face the most evil opponent of his career. Dominick Medina, a seductive fallen angel, a master of thought control, and trusted by many of Britain's leaders, is a twisted product of the years shattered by war in Europe. In this `shocker', which is also a sophisticated masquerade, Hannay must use all his ingenuity to save not only three innocent hostages but also his own life - and his sanity. "The Three Hostages" explores the psychological consequences of war and the world of international business crime. In his introduction Karl Miller puts this swift and sinister novel in its idelological and literary context, drawing some eerie parallels with the threats and fears that face us today. This book is intended for students of Edwardian fiction.
'First we must go through the Valley of the Shadow ...And there is the sacrifice to be made ...the best of us.' In Mr Standfast (1991), the third of the four novels featuring Richard Hannay, we meet again Pieter Pienaar and John S Blenfiron, who are joined by the spirited Mary Lamington. It is 1917 and Hannay is brought out of the battlefield to perform the desperate task of tracking down and destroying a network of German spies. Hannay's opponent is Morton Ivery, the Bland master of disguise, who seeks to outwit Hannay as he and his agents are pursued through England, Scotland, France and Switzerland. For its pace and suspense, its changes of scene, and thrilling descriptions of the last great battles against the Germans, Mr Standfast offers everything that has made its author so enduringly popular.