The Courts of the Morning
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The Courts of the Morning
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Narrated by:
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Peter Newcombe Joyce
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By:
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John Buchan
About this listen
Sir Richard Hannay introduces this last adventure involving his old friends.
John Blenkiron discovers that a ruthless industrialist is plotting to destabilise America and cause global turmoil. Although Bavarian born, Castor plans to dominate the world from Olifa, a small country in Latin America.
Hannay realises he is now too old for the job of thwarting these evil designs and enlists the aid of his old friend Sandy Arbuthnot, now Lord Clanroyden. Fortunately, Sir Archibald Roylance and his wife, Janet, are honeymooning in Olifa and are able to lend a hand. Sandy decides that revolution is the way forward, and Buchan draws on his experience of the tactics of the Boers in South Africa to describe the action of the campaign. Also, the villain is captured, and Janet is instrumental in effecting his ideological change but at great cost.
The novel was published in 1929. It is unlikely to be a coincidence that in the same year, American financial markets collapsed, giving another Bavarian national, who had been abusing his people, the opportunity to consolidate his power in Germany and, ultimately, make his insane bid for world domination.
©2016 Assembled Stories (P)2016 Assembled StoriesListeners also enjoyed...
Not Buchan’s best as it rambles and gets bogged down in unnecessary detail but if you are a fan of Buchan and the Hannay stories in particular you need to read it as the Olifa adventure is reference a lot in The Isle of Sheep and one of the main baddies in it is a character from The Courts. The Isle of Sheep - a cracking good romp anyway - makes more sense if you’ve read The Courts. So be a good chap, take your medicine and read the darned book?!
Part of the canon but not Buchan’s best
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A little clunkily narrated, but a good listen.
Buchan's tactical stories are rather better.
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With Sandy Arbuthnot (of Greenmantle fame) and the American speculator Blenkiron in tow, the story promises much but is strangely lifeless. It centres on a rebellion inspired and led by Arbuthnot, but almost all the real action happens off-stage, a bit like many of the battles in Shakespeare and is reported by characters who run on breathlessly to tell their news. There are a few set-pieces which are quite gripping, but this is not one of Buchan's best, and it is small wonder that it has fallen into relative obscurity.
For Buchan aficionados only, I feel.
Not vintage Buchan
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Such a boring book I could not finish reading.
Boring long winded
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