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dzurladyA book published in 1939, this is a 'boys own adventure' book that is amusing because of its mild badness, by which I mean it has dated somewhat and is very much a book of the Id.
Spoilers abound this review. They also abound in the blurb of the book, which is a textbook case of how not to write a blurb:
1This part is actually wrong - Bill goes over later.
After having read part of the blurb and thus knowing the plot of over half the book before got past the first page, I began reading. However, it was still entertaining, partially for the language and partially for the way that everything happily fell into place for Roger, the Hero of the book. (Bill is only there as an accessory, really, and appears and disappears as necessary.)
Firstly, the language. This includes gems such as The next two hours passed more quickly, now that he felt the warmth and glow of the strong Navy cocoa inside him (Navy cocoa - breakfast of champions?) and 'By the living jingo' snapped Devereux. (Devereux is actually pretty awesome.) There were quite a few phrases that have dropped out of use, including 'He certainly seemed to know his onions,' Roger agreed.
There are many happy coincidences that allow Roger to Save the Day, including the time that he is on the Spanish ship they capture and then fights off another ship trying to sink her, all by himself, after a bomb temporarily knocks out Devereux. ('It's up to you, Samways,' he murmered. 'Everything's up to you. Bring the men out safely.') And all this while he has a headwound. (Bill helps by taking notes for the ship's journal, for the inevitable post action inquiry.)
Then there is the brief rivalry with another midshipman named Manders, who thinks Roger is getting ideas above his station. Roger gets the chance to Show his Pluck in a boxing match, where his superior intellect, skill and health allow him to beat Manders, who is considerably stronger than him.
Despite Manders having hated Roger enough to try and beat the living shit out of him, directly after Roger humiliates Manders by thrashing him in their fight this is what Manders says: 'I'm sorry for what I said, Samways. It was a rotten thing to have done. Guess that I was jealous of your good luck on being on board the Spanish destroyer. I apologise.' And then suddenly all is sorted and they are friends!
(This is totally what I mean by it being id fiction - Roger is smart and skilful and athletically brilliant, and it wins him friends and admiration, and all his problems are easily solved.)
(Manders is later redeemed enough that the plot rewards him (and it is a reward) by giving him change of a train (yes, a train, in a book that until that point had been mostly about ships) in combat, where he is sadly shot.)
The book is dedicated to Sarah Aaronsohn, whose story is related as an anecdote in the latter stages of the book. There is quite a lot of similar info dumping in the book, where Duff Educates the Reader by having one of his characters explain something to the others; some of it is actually pretty interesting. Some of it is... not so interesting, like the part that explains why the Palestinians don't mind the Jews coming to live in Palestine. (No. Just, no.)
I shall end my review with a short account of my favourite part of the book, wherein Roger is a Spy and Saves the Day, for the Good of His Country and World Peace.
So Roger is stationed on Malta (which is described in such a way that I am now interested in going there, so that part was nice), and there is concern that all these ships are going missing, and it might kick off another World War (WW2 not having happened yet; it gives the book a note of sadness whenever they talk about trying to prevent it from happening.) And Roger is approached by what turns out to be a spy from Shinaea (a made up country, set on throwing the world into war!) and to cut a long story short, ends up undercover on their pirate hideout, from whence they are dastardly destroying ships to stir up paranoia and international suspicion. While escaping, he is shot in the shoulder, a painful wound that makes it difficult for him to sail the boat but is miraculously healed when he is rescued by a British ship and given a clean pair of grey flannels, where upon he is able to deliver reports and lead expedition parties to eradicate the pirates without any futher pain or discomfort.
I can't in all good conscious say it was a rollicking good read, but it certainly was rollicking.
Spoilers abound this review. They also abound in the blurb of the book, which is a textbook case of how not to write a blurb:
A very up-to-date story of the navy. Roger Samways and Bill Margrie are on the Conway together and great chums. The author himself, an old Conway boy, gives a vivid description of life on the training ship, and of an adventure with a barge adrift in a gale which gives Roger change to show that he is made of stout stuff. The chum's next ship is the cruiser Thotmes, in which they are due to serve for a year a midshipmen. A derelict Spanish destroyer is sighted, and a boat sent to board her, Roger and Bill accompanying the Lieutenant in command.1 While she is streaming towards port, other Spanish ships appear, and a lively scrap follows; the Lieutenant is wounded, and Roger carries on, bringing his ship through in triumph. A narrow escapre from torpedoing in the Thotmes is their next excitement, and then Roger finds himself approached by the spy of a foriegn power. Acting on instructions from his superiours, he leads the man on, and thanks to his work, the island stronghold of a 'pirate power' is discouvered and destroyed. Action in the East comes next, with a sucession of excitements, and finally we bid farewell to the two heros as Sub-Lieutenatns in the Royal Navy.
1This part is actually wrong - Bill goes over later.
After having read part of the blurb and thus knowing the plot of over half the book before got past the first page, I began reading. However, it was still entertaining, partially for the language and partially for the way that everything happily fell into place for Roger, the Hero of the book. (Bill is only there as an accessory, really, and appears and disappears as necessary.)
Firstly, the language. This includes gems such as The next two hours passed more quickly, now that he felt the warmth and glow of the strong Navy cocoa inside him (Navy cocoa - breakfast of champions?) and 'By the living jingo' snapped Devereux. (Devereux is actually pretty awesome.) There were quite a few phrases that have dropped out of use, including 'He certainly seemed to know his onions,' Roger agreed.
There are many happy coincidences that allow Roger to Save the Day, including the time that he is on the Spanish ship they capture and then fights off another ship trying to sink her, all by himself, after a bomb temporarily knocks out Devereux. ('It's up to you, Samways,' he murmered. 'Everything's up to you. Bring the men out safely.') And all this while he has a headwound. (Bill helps by taking notes for the ship's journal, for the inevitable post action inquiry.)
Then there is the brief rivalry with another midshipman named Manders, who thinks Roger is getting ideas above his station. Roger gets the chance to Show his Pluck in a boxing match, where his superior intellect, skill and health allow him to beat Manders, who is considerably stronger than him.
Despite Manders having hated Roger enough to try and beat the living shit out of him, directly after Roger humiliates Manders by thrashing him in their fight this is what Manders says: 'I'm sorry for what I said, Samways. It was a rotten thing to have done. Guess that I was jealous of your good luck on being on board the Spanish destroyer. I apologise.' And then suddenly all is sorted and they are friends!
(This is totally what I mean by it being id fiction - Roger is smart and skilful and athletically brilliant, and it wins him friends and admiration, and all his problems are easily solved.)
(Manders is later redeemed enough that the plot rewards him (and it is a reward) by giving him change of a train (yes, a train, in a book that until that point had been mostly about ships) in combat, where he is sadly shot.)
The book is dedicated to Sarah Aaronsohn, whose story is related as an anecdote in the latter stages of the book. There is quite a lot of similar info dumping in the book, where Duff Educates the Reader by having one of his characters explain something to the others; some of it is actually pretty interesting. Some of it is... not so interesting, like the part that explains why the Palestinians don't mind the Jews coming to live in Palestine. (No. Just, no.)
I shall end my review with a short account of my favourite part of the book, wherein Roger is a Spy and Saves the Day, for the Good of His Country and World Peace.
So Roger is stationed on Malta (which is described in such a way that I am now interested in going there, so that part was nice), and there is concern that all these ships are going missing, and it might kick off another World War (WW2 not having happened yet; it gives the book a note of sadness whenever they talk about trying to prevent it from happening.) And Roger is approached by what turns out to be a spy from Shinaea (a made up country, set on throwing the world into war!) and to cut a long story short, ends up undercover on their pirate hideout, from whence they are dastardly destroying ships to stir up paranoia and international suspicion. While escaping, he is shot in the shoulder, a painful wound that makes it difficult for him to sail the boat but is miraculously healed when he is rescued by a British ship and given a clean pair of grey flannels, where upon he is able to deliver reports and lead expedition parties to eradicate the pirates without any futher pain or discomfort.
I can't in all good conscious say it was a rollicking good read, but it certainly was rollicking.