The Riddle of the Sands

Journalist, novelist, politician, agitator, spy--this author's life would make better reading than any of his fiction. Still, this spy thriller raised a lot of commotion when first published in 1903 (the year of Sherlock Holmes's retirement). Indeed, it spawned a whole genre. It is a first-person tale of stereotypical young Englishmen on the scent of German spies in the North Sea. This is all very conventional Edwardian fare except for the loving details of yachting and the prophetic hint of German imperial ambition. Simon Vance lends a mature sound and considerable technique to his narration, making Childers's seafaring not only apparent, but contagious. However, because the narrator is unable to generate the excitement inherent in the story, the set is merely serviceable. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


This novel was a sensation when it was published in Britain in 1903 because it made a convincing case for the imperialist threat posed by Britain's ally Germany. We follow two young Englishmen as they uncover a German military plot while sailing a small boat around Holland's coastal waters. The mystery is interesting, the social commentary more interesting, and if you are a sailor, the descriptions of rudders, tides, winds, water, and cooking in a miniscule cabin are riveting. (If you aren't a sailor, they're fun, but a bit much.) Richard Heffer is a sailor as well as a narrator, and his knowledge shows in his ability to make the sailing passages clear despite their complexity. He doesn't create different voices, which is fine because he excels in reading speech believably. All of real speech's pauses, shifts in tone, and changes of pace and intonation are beautifully rendered. A lovely job. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine