kailey_luminouslibro's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Richard Hannay is caught up in another adventure! This time an old friend from South Africa, Haraldsen, is being hunted by evil men with a vendetta against his father. Richard's son, Peter John, is now in his teens and is eager to help his father protect Haraldsen's family, especially since he has a lovely teenage daughter, Anna. After dodging the bad guys all around the city, they escape into the country and make their last stand on the Island of Sheep.
I really love the writing style of these adventure books. It keeps that tension and mystery through every chapter, and we get to experience it all through Richard's eyes. We feel his fear and excitement and despair in each scene, and his relief when they are all safe again.
I found it interesting to hear more about Richard's past in this book. There is a lengthy chapter describing how he met Haraldsen's father in South Africa and how they swore eternal friendship after surviving some tough times together. That bond of friendship continues even after the elder Haraldsen's death, and Richard remains loyal to Haraldsen's family even when it means putting his life in danger.
There is a lot of exciting back and forth in the plot, figuring out what the bad guys want, who is working for them, where they are hiding, and where they are likely to attack. It was cat and mouse for most of the book, until the good guys finally decide that they are sick of running. They make a desperate last stand on the island, but it is the teenagers who ultimately discover the clue to saving them all.
I really love the writing style of these adventure books. It keeps that tension and mystery through every chapter, and we get to experience it all through Richard's eyes. We feel his fear and excitement and despair in each scene, and his relief when they are all safe again.
I found it interesting to hear more about Richard's past in this book. There is a lengthy chapter describing how he met Haraldsen's father in South Africa and how they swore eternal friendship after surviving some tough times together. That bond of friendship continues even after the elder Haraldsen's death, and Richard remains loyal to Haraldsen's family even when it means putting his life in danger.
There is a lot of exciting back and forth in the plot, figuring out what the bad guys want, who is working for them, where they are hiding, and where they are likely to attack. It was cat and mouse for most of the book, until the good guys finally decide that they are sick of running. They make a desperate last stand on the island, but it is the teenagers who ultimately discover the clue to saving them all.
jeffphilly's review against another edition
4.0
Not too bad. Surprisingly, I liked this book better than the early ones in the series. Often times, it's the early books in the series that are better. Even though I liked this book overall, I'm happy to be finished with the series and relieved to be moving onto something else. Especially, as these type of books are generally not my thing. As for this book in particular, it really read largely like a whodunit mystery. It did keep my interest though, which I was greatly surprised about all things considered.
elizafiedler's review against another edition
3.0
Yeah, it's an engaging adventure spy story, but the "good guys" are white supremacists and the book is full of racism, especially antisemitism and orientalism. The next generation hero kid (and his deceased father) even uses Norse religion to justify his frankly Aryan politics. And Buchan was outspoken against Hitler? Really? I was very surprised to learn this. Apparently he also became more liberal toward the end of his life, but that's not saying much.
rhardware's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
dadtheroadmasterowner's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
ianbanks's review against another edition
4.0
Probably the best-paced of all the Richard Hannay books, but spoiled by the sheer number of coincidences and the improbable climax. Hasn't aged as well as earlier books but still a great read.
lnatal's review
4.0
From TIA:
Three part dramatisation of the final Richard Hannay novel.
Many years earlier, Hannay had sworn to defend the interests of Marius Haraldsen, a wealthy Danish gold-prospector and expert in Norse lore, against a group of unscrupulous former business associates and assorted desperados. Hannay, Pienaar and fellow Englishman Lombard join Haraldsen at his camp on a Rhodesian plateau, and in a scene worthy of Rider Haggard, they beat off an attack on their hill-top redoubt with timely help from local tribesmen.
Some thirty years later, with Haraldsen now dead, Albinus, the surviving member of the original gang and Troth, the son of one of the others, decide to take the vendetta to the next generation. Gathering around them a new group of ne'er-do-wells, they seek to extort Haraldsen's son Valdemar out of his substantial fortune. Haraldsen junior, a bookish young widower, leaves the baronial house built by his father on the Island of Sheep, puts his thirteen year-old daughter Anna in a boarding school, and goes to ground in England. Fearful for his own and his daughter's safety, he decides to turn for help to his father's old comrades from his Africa days, Lombard and Hannay.
https://archive.org/details/IslandOfSheepThe1983
Three part dramatisation of the final Richard Hannay novel.
Many years earlier, Hannay had sworn to defend the interests of Marius Haraldsen, a wealthy Danish gold-prospector and expert in Norse lore, against a group of unscrupulous former business associates and assorted desperados. Hannay, Pienaar and fellow Englishman Lombard join Haraldsen at his camp on a Rhodesian plateau, and in a scene worthy of Rider Haggard, they beat off an attack on their hill-top redoubt with timely help from local tribesmen.
Some thirty years later, with Haraldsen now dead, Albinus, the surviving member of the original gang and Troth, the son of one of the others, decide to take the vendetta to the next generation. Gathering around them a new group of ne'er-do-wells, they seek to extort Haraldsen's son Valdemar out of his substantial fortune. Haraldsen junior, a bookish young widower, leaves the baronial house built by his father on the Island of Sheep, puts his thirteen year-old daughter Anna in a boarding school, and goes to ground in England. Fearful for his own and his daughter's safety, he decides to turn for help to his father's old comrades from his Africa days, Lombard and Hannay.
https://archive.org/details/IslandOfSheepThe1983
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