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Erskine ChildersThe Riddle of the Sands

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LibriVox recording of The Riddle of the Sands, by Erskine Childers.

Containing many realistic details based on Childers's own sailing trips along the German North Sea coast, the book is the retelling of a yachting expedition in the early 20th century combined with an adventurous spy story.

It was one of the early invasion novels which predicted war with Germany and called for British preparedness. The plot involves the uncovering of secret German preparations for an invasion of the United Kingdom. It is often called the first modern spy novel, and although others are as well, it was certainly very influential in the genre and for its time.

The book enjoyed immense popularity in the years before World War I and was extremely influential. Winston Churchill later credited it as a major reason that the Admiralty decided to establish naval bases at Invergordon, the Firth of Forth and Scapa Flow.
(Summary from Wikipedia)

Read by Gesine.

NOTE: The maps mentioned in this book can be seen here (scroll to bottom of page).

For more free audiobooks, or to become a volunteer reader, please visit librivox.org.

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This audio is part of the collection: The LibriVox Free Audiobook Collection
It also belongs to collections: Audio Books & Poetry; Community Audio

Artist/Composer: Erskine Childers
Source: Librivox recording of a public-domain text
Keywords: librivox; audio book; audiobook; fiction; childers; riddle; spy; espionage; invasion; world war I; mystery; yachting; sailing; adventure; spy novel; churchill

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Sorker - - June 29, 2010
Subject: Enjoyable If
http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/rec/rmapa.html
has all of the text and high-resolution maps.

I agree that the maps are important, so I supply a good link. And I agree that the pace is slow unless you care about yacht sailing. It's best to understand this as the precursor to modern spy novels.

If you like this, try Riley, Ace of Spies, a 1967 book or The True James Bond at http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/spies/sydney_reilly/index.html

Reviewer: annise - - June 18, 2010
Subject: Loved the sailing part
I really enjoyed the sailing part of the story, and the interplay of the 2 main characters - pity the writer didn't write anything else - great reading , interesting book.

Reviewer: Sayeth - - June 12, 2010
Subject: Free Listens review
Although the novel is a direct influence on later spy novels, I found much of the book not the exciting, suspense-filled yarn like those of John le Carre or Frederick Forsyth. Instead, the first part of the book reads like a travelogue of the Baltic coast mixed with a introduction to nautical terms. This part of the book highlights its difficulty as an audiobook; it relies heavily on the reader following the boat's progress on a map provided in the print editions. Later on in the novel, Childers delivers suspense and intrigue as the two friends creep through fog to spy on the German plans and find their earlier explorations pay off with their knowledge of high-tide paths through the treacherous estuaries.
Full review at http://www.freelistens.blogspot.com

Reviewer: gglowell - - December 2, 2009
Subject: riddle of the sands
I thoroughly enjoyed both the book and "Gesine's" reading of it -- her pronunciation, inflections, and cadence are always right on.

Thanks to the archive for hosting it, and thanks to Gesine for reading it.

g