tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post4347691132434220157..comments2024-01-07T09:36:51.796-08:00Comments on Chess, Comics, Crosswords, Books, Music, Cinema: Prashant C. Trikannadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-14243567573047582412013-01-20T08:23:02.780-08:002013-01-20T08:23:02.780-08:00Thanks very much, Colin. Innes' books have lon...Thanks very much, Colin. Innes' books have long been out of print and I am glad that they will be republished in June this year. If his other novels are anything like the one I read then I am queuing up to buy some of the titles. I haven't read THE LONELY SKIER but it sounds a lot like THE TROJAN HORSE. WWII was a major influence on British authors of the early to mid-20th century. I guess they had little other distraction at the time.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-12852240768797122782013-01-20T03:57:17.747-08:002013-01-20T03:57:17.747-08:00Nice review. I quite like Innes - what I've re...Nice review. I quite like Innes - what I've read of him that is - but most of his stuff has been long out of print. I have maybe four or five of his titles on my shelves and read The Lonely Skier over the Christmas break - a cracking post-war mystery/adventure with a nice claustrophobic feel. <br />I noticed on Amazon.uk that a bunch of his titles are being republished in paperback in June of this year, so I'll try to pick up a few of them then.<br /><br />ColinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-2496577689582119062013-01-20T00:06:11.473-08:002013-01-20T00:06:11.473-08:00Thank you, Ron! This book has its fair share of vi...Thank you, Ron! This book has its fair share of villains and though Innes mentions one main traitor among the high-and-mighty of Britain, you know there are many more in disguise, aligned secretly with the Nazis.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-87544669536866740052013-01-20T00:02:22.527-08:002013-01-20T00:02:22.527-08:00Thank you, Jeff! THE TROJAN HORSE is an interestin...Thank you, Jeff! THE TROJAN HORSE is an interesting novel, indeed, and I found it especially so owing to my interest in WWII fiction. Like Charles mentioned early on, Innes' prose is slow but not slow enough to put off a reader unused to his style of writing. There is little torture but not in an explicit way and yet you can visualise Kilmartin's helpless situation. Innes is also "judicious" with his language, neither too tame nor too melodramatic.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-5480853404296539912013-01-19T23:45:14.761-08:002013-01-19T23:45:14.761-08:00My pleasure, Patti. I haven't read any books b...My pleasure, Patti. I haven't read any books by Michael Innes who, I have just found out, was a Scottish novelist and whose real name was J.I.M. Stewart. Another new writer to track down.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-55974757140043256172013-01-19T23:41:22.926-08:002013-01-19T23:41:22.926-08:00You are most welcome, Tracy. Considering your inte...You are most welcome, Tracy. Considering your interest in war-related fiction I am sure you will like THE TROJAN HORSE a lot. I read Innes a long time ago though I don't remember which of his books I did. I found this book by chance, one among a hundred-odd paperbacks at the used bookstore I frequent. Innes is a very readable author.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-84780336200120408292013-01-19T23:01:35.903-08:002013-01-19T23:01:35.903-08:00John, thanks for the appreciation. Innes definitel...John, thanks for the appreciation. Innes definitely livens it up with his graphic description of the sewer network and Andrew Kilmartin's escape through it. You can smell the stench as you read it, so to speak. I haven't seen too many of Innes' books in used bookstores but I intend to track down some of them. I really liked his writing. Besides, I want to find out if his other novels are set in the backdrop of real-life events like WWII. Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-87259849001760747102013-01-19T22:53:07.733-08:002013-01-19T22:53:07.733-08:00Richard, you are welcome. In this novel at least I...Richard, you are welcome. In this novel at least Innes focuses more on the situation, as it develops, rather than on the characters and places that are secondary to the plot. I hope to read some of his other novels.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-44990315928369313552013-01-19T22:48:23.745-08:002013-01-19T22:48:23.745-08:00Charles, he really could tell a story and you are ...Charles, he really could tell a story and you are right that his writing was "perfect for the age he wrote for." I enjoyed his traditional style of writing.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-70150556813612860362013-01-19T13:56:24.746-08:002013-01-19T13:56:24.746-08:00well reviewed. Like you, I find stories about trai...well reviewed. Like you, I find stories about traitorous villains nicely dark and nightmarish. Ron Scheerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15357501069513854664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-47139060601990345352013-01-18T17:43:59.601-08:002013-01-18T17:43:59.601-08:00Very nice review of an interesting-sounding novel,...Very nice review of an interesting-sounding novel, Prashant! Hammond Innes has always been on the periphery of my book buying. I've never read any of his works, but this sounds like a good place to start. I like how you mention that the book succeeds because of, and not in spite of, the details Innes includes. Some authors bog their writing down with way too much esoterica, but judiciously chosen details can really make the world depicted in the pages come alive.Jeff Flugelhttp://thestalkingmoon.weebly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-13917733597933584822013-01-18T17:10:26.607-08:002013-01-18T17:10:26.607-08:00Been such a long time since I have read him. Alway...Been such a long time since I have read him. Always mix him up with Michael Innes. Thanks for the reminder. pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-30276231656451984672013-01-18T16:28:56.002-08:002013-01-18T16:28:56.002-08:00This sounds like a book I would like a lot. I will...This sounds like a book I would like a lot. I will have to look for it. I have heard of the author but don't know much about his books. Thanks so much for pointing this out. And I love the vintage covers.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-23485482285674093242013-01-18T10:59:24.422-08:002013-01-18T10:59:24.422-08:00There's nothing like a pursuit through the sew...There's nothing like a pursuit through the sewers to enliven a book. Victor Hugo knew it. I find copies of Innes' THE WRECK OF THE MARY DEARE in every bookstore I ever set foot in, but I woudl never read it because when I find a certina title of a book repeatedly in used book stores I tend to think it's bad because everyone dumped the book. Rarely do I find anything else by Innes. I know he was very popular and prolific when he was being published. People must keep his other books because they're better! This is a book I would buy and read if I ever come across it. thanks for an enticing review on a writer I might never otherwise sample.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-34637658511838756682013-01-18T10:14:47.774-08:002013-01-18T10:14:47.774-08:00I read one of Innes' books while on a trip som...I read one of Innes' books while on a trip somewhere, but there were so many distractions I was never able to really sink into it. This looks like a great place to give him another try. Thanks, Joe!Rick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07978136287154214297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-66946057518227404402013-01-18T06:08:16.368-08:002013-01-18T06:08:16.368-08:00Innes could definitely write. He was somewhat slow...Innes could definitely write. He was somewhat slow for modern readers but just perfect for the age he wrote for and still readable.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com