The Riddle of the Sands

By: Erskine Childers

Narrated by: Simon Vance

While on a sailing trip in the Baltic Sea, two young adventurers-turned-spies uncover a secret German plot to invade England. Widely recognized as the first modern spy thriller, this 1902 lone masterpiece by World War I Royal Navy officer Erskine Childers was written as a wake-up call to the British government to attend to its North Sea defenses. It accomplished that task and has been considered a classic of espionage literature ever since. Praised for its nautical action and richly authentic background as much as for its suspenseful spycraft, The Riddle of the Sands is the brilliant forerunner to the realism of Graham Greene and John le Carré.©2001 Mary Daheim (P)2002 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This is a book of great renown....Its beautifully sustained atmosphere...adds poetry, and...real mystery." (Ian Fleming)
"Simon Vance lends a mature sound and considerable technique to his narration, making Childers's seafaring not only apparent, but contagious." ( AudioFile)

Excellent writing but the story is lacking.

If you are a sailor and love excellent writing this book is for you. If you are not a sailor, the details about the seas, canals through estuaries and boating details become monotonous with little action to hold interest.

A very interesting book

A very interesting, well written and well-read book. The attention to detail was at the forefront of this genre of literature. Some of the elements of this book proved to foreshadow future military events.

Well written but very detailed

You'll like if you are a student of western history or naval affairs. Very well written and performed.

Fantastic book!

This book is wonderful. It is a little technical but if you are used to nautical stories it is no boundary. Great writing and a gripping story.

A great perspective on the threat of war

Any additional comments?

This book is not for those looking for an action-packed spy novel. I enjoyed it and was fascinated by the setting and the historical perspective - the book was written in 1903 to warn of the potential threat of German invasion of Britain. There is a lot of detail about sailing and tides on the northern coast of Germany. This detail can be a bit tedious at times, particularly if you can't imagine the geography. The printed book had a series of maps that help considerably, and these can be found online in the Project Gutenberg version. As a spy novel, it isn't particularly thrilling by today's standards, but it is a valuable perspective on the time before the first world war. Simon Vance's narration is wonderful.

One of the Best Reads

A very good read and sadly a disappointing listen.

Mostly 2 characters and the voices do need to be clearly distinguishable to work as an audio. Simon Vance usually is an excellent narrator and in this classic story of the sea, he misses the mark.
I appreciate the voices are not forced and accept it is a hard task.

Over a hundred years have passed since the writing of this classic British Espionage story, and there are some lovely allusions relating to the seas. The love of sailing and boating, curious minds, challenging the natural and man made forces by ordinary people and some good old fashioned adventures as the Riddle is solved. Even Riddles are a very British adventure, reflected in another more modern classic with .'.What have I got in my Pocket?.' (Bilbo Baggins)

If the act of reading is difficult, and you are ready to listen closely then this is a book well worth getting to know. Simon has a voice that is easy to listen to that does not jar on the ear drums, and, you will need to listen carefully.

Only if you love sailing...

Sounded interesting, but a real snoozer if you do not love sailing with all your heart and soul. I don't. The plot was lost in the interminable descriptons of sailing and shifting sandbars. A tremendous disappointment.