El Enigma de las Arenas
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- Create Date：2022-03-31 02:41:52
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Erskine Childers
- ISBN：8435055663
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Summary
Aburrido del verano londinense y de la monotonía de su trabajo en el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores， Carruthers acepta la invitación de su amigo Davies para participar en un crucero por el Báltico。 Pero pronto se da cuenta de que el curioso viaje no va a ser de placer。 El Dulcibella resulta no ser un yate， sino un bote destartalado， y conforme navegan por las traicioneras aguas y arenas movedizas， Carruthers se da cuenta de que sus conocimientos de alemán pueden tener una posibilidad insospechada。。。 Es el comienzo de una aventura tan peligrosa como emocionante y plagada de desafíos。 Y poco a poco Carruthers se contagia del entusiasmo y la templanza de su amigo， para descubrir en su propio interior nuevas fuerzas y un， hasta entonces desconocido， sentido moral。
Reviews
Javier Bollain
，
Demasiado tecnico， no se sabe si es una novela de espías o de náutica
Vicki
，
2 1/2 stars。 I think an abridged version would be great。 the full version has long passages of nautical detail only a sailor would enjoy， also heavy with unnecessary descriptions of locations including maps。 The core spy story is excellent and keeps the reader engaged but is bogged down by the aforementioned。
David
，
The bit of racism in the first paragraph didn't endear me to this book from the start。 Two posh boys go sailing; they stumble on to something and turn into amateur spies - is the basic plot。 War looms， even though it's set over a decade before was actually broke out。 Parts are just unconvincing。 The sailing detail is excessive for me。 A lot of the sentences are tortuous and meaning can be lost。 The plot can be serpentine and things may be clear to the characters （a bit） but not the reader。 As is The bit of racism in the first paragraph didn't endear me to this book from the start。 Two posh boys go sailing; they stumble on to something and turn into amateur spies - is the basic plot。 War looms， even though it's set over a decade before was actually broke out。 Parts are just unconvincing。 The sailing detail is excessive for me。 A lot of the sentences are tortuous and meaning can be lost。 The plot can be serpentine and things may be clear to the characters （a bit） but not the reader。 As is the nature of such books， it sort of comes together at the end。 Is Dollman a double agent or not？ His actions do suggest otherwise。The notes suggest that this book might have been influential in pointing out that Britain was set up to run an empire， but not fight a war （see Blackadder Goes Forth）。 Did this lead to Britain having a North Sea fleet; it certainly had one ready for Jutland？ The author managed to get himself executed in the Irish Civil War， which doesn't increase my regard for him。Any book can benefit from re reading， but I won't be bothering with this one。 。。。more
Rebecca Fung
，
I don't know much about spy thrillers。I found this an interesting book。 It was very detailed but I found that good and part of what made it convincing。 I liked the Davies character。 However it did get a bit slow at times and I found it 。。。 well， it lost a bit of the thrillingness and the end was rather abrupt。 It did have a very English flavour。A nice portrait of the times and of a sea adventure。 I don't know much about spy thrillers。I found this an interesting book。 It was very detailed but I found that good and part of what made it convincing。 I liked the Davies character。 However it did get a bit slow at times and I found it 。。。 well， it lost a bit of the thrillingness and the end was rather abrupt。 It did have a very English flavour。A nice portrait of the times and of a sea adventure。 。。。more
Aoife
，
A “not sure what to give this” 3 stars。 Overall this book isn’t for me。 A lot of what many fans admire about this novel， the correctness of the nautical terminology and the detail of the sands and coastline， was not for me at all。 Too detailed in areas that just were not of interest to me。 However， it is a very well written novel （so I can’t rate this lower） and the foresightedness of this is remarkable。
Linda
，
Too much detail about sailing！
Steve
，
Interesting pre-WWI spy novel especially considering the author's background。 Interesting pre-WWI spy novel especially considering the author's background。 。。。more
Isca Silurum
，
Free with audible membership， enjoy listening to Anton Lesser。Better than the film。
Felix Martin
，
Este es uno de esos libros a los que he llegado a través de otras lecturas。 Un clásico en toda regla del género de novela de espionaje。 De hecho， como algunos apuntan， puede incluso que sea la madre de todas las novelas de espías que han venido después y de la que muchos autores habrán recibido influencia。 Y no es para menos。 Childers armó una novela fantástica， de esas que van de menos a más y que como un viendo fuerte y un oleaje firme atrapan al lector como si fuera un barco en mitad de un oc Este es uno de esos libros a los que he llegado a través de otras lecturas。 Un clásico en toda regla del género de novela de espionaje。 De hecho， como algunos apuntan， puede incluso que sea la madre de todas las novelas de espías que han venido después y de la que muchos autores habrán recibido influencia。 Y no es para menos。 Childers armó una novela fantástica， de esas que van de menos a más y que como un viendo fuerte y un oleaje firme atrapan al lector como si fuera un barco en mitad de un océano， a merced de los elementos （en este caso del escritor）。Como todas novelas de principios de siglo XX， esta sigue bebiendo de la tradición narrativa inglesa del siglo XIX y por tanto hay algo de eruditismo en ella。 Childers derrocha conocimientos marinos para detallar con absoluta minuciosidad todo un periplo náutico por los mares del Norte y Báltico y las islas Frisias y sus bancales de arena。 Una vez superada toda esta maraña de tecnicismos náuticos y geográficos y acostumbrado a ellos， el lector se va a encontrar con una historia muy interesante y verosímil para la época con giros inesperados y con todo lo que， mil veces después， escritores de este género han ido replicando en novelas de espías posteriores。 Vamos， una joyita de novela。https://leyendolavidaenpapel。blogspot。。。 。。。more
Monica Bond-Lamberty
，
I found the premise of this book interesting and wanted to read it。But ultimately it wasn't as good of a read as it must have been when written。The writing of the age about women and loyalty and the like wasn't to my liking and there was a lot of sailing and channels and sand， a lot more than I needed。I think I am more interested in the effects of the book than the book itself。 I found the premise of this book interesting and wanted to read it。But ultimately it wasn't as good of a read as it must have been when written。The writing of the age about women and loyalty and the like wasn't to my liking and there was a lot of sailing and channels and sand， a lot more than I needed。I think I am more interested in the effects of the book than the book itself。 。。。more
Carys
，
A wonderful book， reminded me of days sailing， reminded me of Arthur Ransome books and John Buchan books。 4 stars as it was a bit long winded in places。
Laird Henkel
，
Interesting from a historical perspective （as possibly the first "spy" novel）。 I give the story 3 stars， but as someone interested in sailing， I add 1 star for all the boating， although I'll admit some of the navigation discussion gets a bit wearying。 Interesting from a historical perspective （as possibly the first "spy" novel）。 I give the story 3 stars， but as someone interested in sailing， I add 1 star for all the boating， although I'll admit some of the navigation discussion gets a bit wearying。 。。。more
Ginny
，
I didn't really enjoy reading this book （too many details flooding the text）， but once I made it to the end I can say I did enjoy the story just not the way it was written。 I didn't really enjoy reading this book （too many details flooding the text）， but once I made it to the end I can say I did enjoy the story just not the way it was written。 。。。more
Carolyn Page
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This remarkable book， written before World War I， aimed to alert the British public and government to the threat of German naval attack using the tidal waterways and lowlands of the Frisian coast。The men in my life have always spoken of it with great enthusiasm and it is indeed a ripping yarn of true-hearted men， good with boats and committed to a cause。 It also offers us many of the pleasures of our favourite Edwardian novels: the main character， Davies， is quietly heroic while his side-kick Ca This remarkable book， written before World War I， aimed to alert the British public and government to the threat of German naval attack using the tidal waterways and lowlands of the Frisian coast。The men in my life have always spoken of it with great enthusiasm and it is indeed a ripping yarn of true-hearted men， good with boats and committed to a cause。 It also offers us many of the pleasures of our favourite Edwardian novels: the main character， Davies， is quietly heroic while his side-kick Carruthers （the narrator） could probably have secured a membership in Bertie Wooster’s Drones Club。Childers uses the contrast between these two characters to great comic effect in the early chapters （before things get Really Serious later in the story）。 Published in 1903， it succeeded in rousing the British government to build up its naval capabilities and to adopt other policies that would better prepare Britain for war。Sadly， despite the important role Childers played in helping improve Britain’s naval capabilities， he was sentenced to death by firing squad in 1922 for his actions in support of Irish nationalism。 。。。more
Kevin Varney
，
Nor。mally books written by Celtic separatists would get one star from me， but since Erskine Childers was shot by firing squad， I am prepared to overlook it in this case。 It was a very different sort of seafaring story， yachting around the Baltic and the west German coast。 There's only two crew and the seas are not very deep。 You certainly get a very good idea of what it is like to sail a yacht。 It is very vivid The spy story was pretty good too。 It was credible。 In fact so credible， that when I Nor。mally books written by Celtic separatists would get one star from me， but since Erskine Childers was shot by firing squad， I am prepared to overlook it in this case。 It was a very different sort of seafaring story， yachting around the Baltic and the west German coast。 There's only two crew and the seas are not very deep。 You certainly get a very good idea of what it is like to sail a yacht。 It is very vivid The spy story was pretty good too。 It was credible。 In fact so credible， that when I found out what is was I was a little disappointed。 I thought all the cat and mouse thinking about what they were thinking， and what they were thinking about what you were thinking was done well。I did not like the ending quite so much as the rest， but it was a great member of the seafaring genre。 。。。more
Kealan O'ver
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Reminded me of Moby Dick in that its basically just a thin narrative stretched around endless and uninteresting descriptions of the authors favourite past-time （sailing in this case; whaling in Moby Dicks）。 First book I've given up on in a very very long time。 Reminded me of Moby Dick in that its basically just a thin narrative stretched around endless and uninteresting descriptions of the authors favourite past-time （sailing in this case; whaling in Moby Dicks）。 First book I've given up on in a very very long time。 。。。more
Toria
，
Was intrigued by the blurb but didn't end up enjoying it very much。 Wasn't as interesting as I had hoped Was intrigued by the blurb but didn't end up enjoying it very much。 Wasn't as interesting as I had hoped 。。。more
Malcolm Wardlaw
，
The real riddle here is not so much of the sands， as of why this book is considered a classic。 It is not an especially interesting story because the premise is not plausible， nor is it a well-told story。The first third or so are quite good， if a little laboured。 Carruthers is a snobbish young man of the society set of London who lives at a time when Britain has ruled the world for a century and there is no sign of any end in sight。 He is bored and accepts an invitation from an obscure old friend The real riddle here is not so much of the sands， as of why this book is considered a classic。 It is not an especially interesting story because the premise is not plausible， nor is it a well-told story。The first third or so are quite good， if a little laboured。 Carruthers is a snobbish young man of the society set of London who lives at a time when Britain has ruled the world for a century and there is no sign of any end in sight。 He is bored and accepts an invitation from an obscure old friend， Davies， from Oxford。 He is less than impressed to find himself installed upon a small yacht under what he views as squalid circumstances in what he views as the dreary backwater shoals of northern Germany。As the days pass， we find there is something of a plan behind Davies' having invited his Foreign Office friend。 You see， strange experiences in these waters have convinced Davies that the Germans are up to something。 Carruthers， being of the Foreign Officve， provides a social link into the Establishment back home that Davies lacks， having failed to gain entry either to the Royal Navy or the Indian Civil Service。The problem is that the plot does not develop much from there。 Far too much narrative is spent on pointless speculation upon rather little action。 Childers is not effective at building a sense of great stakes by feeding in hints。 Up to the very end， the reader has little to go on， and when the plot is revealed， it is not that interesting because it is not very plausible， and we readers were not shown enough earlier for us to take any guesses。As a 'thriller'， I do not rate The Riddle of the Sands。 I note that the film made in 1979 similarly suffered from a distinct lack of action and tension。 I can only suppose that back in the early 1900s when this book was published， it made more impact on a society far gentler than our own。 Europeans then could still think of themselves as civilised。 There had not yet been a First World War， let alone the barbarities of the Second World War and the endless terrorism， proxy wars， civil wars and revolutions that have blighted Western society since 1945， and which are still ongoing。If you like a rather long-drawn-out cosy mystery， then The Riddle of the Sands is for you。 Otherwise， I'd stick with Fred Forsyth or Tom Clancy or similar。 。。。more
Archie Dunbar
，
I love this book。 Have read and reread it over the years。 I have done a bit of small boat sailing in shallow tidal waters and can easily relate although Childers descriptions are fine if you haven't had the experience。 I love this book。 Have read and reread it over the years。 I have done a bit of small boat sailing in shallow tidal waters and can easily relate although Childers descriptions are fine if you haven't had the experience。 。。。more
Robert Holm
，
Sailing around in the rain and the wind and the cold and the fog of late autumn among the perpetual sand banks and mud holes off the Frisian coast in some leaky old tub - as far as I'm concerned the expression "hell on earth" has now found a geographical location， but Childers lovingly describes it as paradise。 To each their own， but only the kind of people who enjoy sailing - for reasons best known to themselves - could possibly get something out of this alleged novel， which in reality is nothi Sailing around in the rain and the wind and the cold and the fog of late autumn among the perpetual sand banks and mud holes off the Frisian coast in some leaky old tub - as far as I'm concerned the expression "hell on earth" has now found a geographical location， but Childers lovingly describes it as paradise。 To each their own， but only the kind of people who enjoy sailing - for reasons best known to themselves - could possibly get something out of this alleged novel， which in reality is nothing but a collection of endless nautical terms combined with almost literal excerpts from Childers' own sailing escapades （minus the spy stuff）， on which an ultra-realistic and thus hopelessly boring "invasion literature" plot has been slapped。 This is further dragged down by a love interest that apparently was forced on Childers by some editor， the way these things usually go。 How this thing is a spy fiction classic is not easy to see。 In fact， it's so desiccatedly dry and bogged down in pointless minutiae that it frequently reads like non-fiction。 I suspect the real interest （from critics） comes from the English-born Childers having been executed in 1922 for having been an Irish republican。 The mere thought of that should make most present-day radicals wet themselves with outrage and excitement， given the political underpinnings of Irish republicanism。 That's probably also why this book is still seen as acceptable （as far as I know）， despite its "anti-German" message。 Critics of a certain persuasion love to sneer at the invasion literature genre， despite the fact that， after two world wars， it sort of seems as if the people who warned about German aggression more than a century ago might actually have had， you know， a point。 。。。more
ferri
，
I stopped reading at one third of the book。 It was quite boring for me。 And strange writing for me as a non-English reader。
David
，
The book itself is very good and interesting to read。 But I have reduced one star because the author was so deluded with the Imperial Britain as he was supporting the very evil that took his life later。
Bill Sheridan
，
As I enjoy reading nautical tales from time to time and as this novel has something of a classical status as an early spy story， I thought I would read The Riddle of the Sands。 The story is set at the beginning of the twentieth century and is crammed with excellent descriptive passages。 These basically centre around sailing on a small yacht around a string of islands off the northeast coast of Germany between the estuaries of the rivers Elbe and Emma。The descriptions of the islands and the adjac As I enjoy reading nautical tales from time to time and as this novel has something of a classical status as an early spy story， I thought I would read The Riddle of the Sands。 The story is set at the beginning of the twentieth century and is crammed with excellent descriptive passages。 These basically centre around sailing on a small yacht around a string of islands off the northeast coast of Germany between the estuaries of the rivers Elbe and Emma。The descriptions of the islands and the adjacent mudflats， sandbars， dunes and coastal waterways are second to none as are descriptions and detail of life aboard this fairly basic yacht。 The author certainly manages to create and maintain an atmosphere of intrigue accentuated by the late autumn gloom of their surroundings。 It is fair to say that I enjoyed this book more for its excellent descriptive passages than for the storyline which， although mysterious throughout， I found to be somewhat slow-moving until towards the end。 。。。more
Barbara
，
Interesting， but not an easy read。 Despite all the nautical terms， the 2 main characters were likeable， but the ending is disappointingly vague。 Gesine does an admirable job as the reader for the Librivox edition， but best to have a hard copy on hand for reference。 The Penguin edition has a bio of the author。 He may be more interesting than his book！
Pip
，
This was a thoroughly enjoyable listen。 The Audible version is narrated by Anton Lesser， who made all the yachting details seem exciting， even to someone who is not particualy interested in sailing。 It begins with the narrator， Carruthers， a Foreign Office lackey， revealing himself as a prejudiced social climber， who only accepts the invitation from his acquaintance， Davies， to sail in the Baltic because he is miffed at being required to remain in London over the summer while everyone else is on This was a thoroughly enjoyable listen。 The Audible version is narrated by Anton Lesser， who made all the yachting details seem exciting， even to someone who is not particualy interested in sailing。 It begins with the narrator， Carruthers， a Foreign Office lackey， revealing himself as a prejudiced social climber， who only accepts the invitation from his acquaintance， Davies， to sail in the Baltic because he is miffed at being required to remain in London over the summer while everyone else is on holiday。 He duly meets Davies with a huge portmanteau of white flannels and blazers， expecting a luxury cruise， but， instead， finds Davies a solo yachtsman on an unprepossessing little craft。 The taciturn Davies is difficult to get to know， but as the pair warm to each other， Carruthers gradually realises that his invitation has been for motives other than a gentle sail and some duck shooting。 Tension builds slowly but steadily as the pair investigate some suspicious behaviour and the climax is satisfyingly exciting。 The story of the author's life is even more exciting and intriguing。 I really enjoyed this one。 。。。more
Bill Tress
，
To live on the coast and everyday enjoy the sea， sand， and the occasional porpoise or whale sighting would be my idle life。 This piece of fiction takes me back to my dream with all its sights and smells。 Then add two young men on an adventure for God and Country and you have something like Huck Finn’s escapades on the Mississippi。 This story is about the period leading up to World War 1， “The Great War”， the war that changed the World。 Reviewers classify this work as one of the first spy stories To live on the coast and everyday enjoy the sea， sand， and the occasional porpoise or whale sighting would be my idle life。 This piece of fiction takes me back to my dream with all its sights and smells。 Then add two young men on an adventure for God and Country and you have something like Huck Finn’s escapades on the Mississippi。 This story is about the period leading up to World War 1， “The Great War”， the war that changed the World。 Reviewers classify this work as one of the first spy stories， yet to me it is also a great sailing adventure story。 Childers brilliantly blends the two main characters。 They are ideally suited to each other in the persona of Carruthers and Davies。 The formation of the partnership as narrated by Carruthers makes the story most compelling。 Each character brings a range of attributes， Carruthers brings German language skill， sophistication， and diplomacy while Davies is intuitive， good spirited and a genius in navigation and seaman ship。 In both characters， we see elements of our author。 Childers used Carruthers as the narrator of this adventure， he assumes the role of an affable raconteur who talks to the reader and occasionally takes the reader into his confidence。 Childers was a gifted storyteller， and his gift is communicated through Carruthers， The reader at times has the feeling that we are sitting with Carruthers at his London Club and being regaled by his adventure over a couple of bourbons。 Other times， the reader can feel the salt spray， the sway of the boat and the smell of the musky mud flats in the fiords of Friesland。 The purpose of this fiction was to awaking England to the threat of German invasion from the North Sea。 It seems this northern approach to the island was ignored by the British politicians and the Naval Hierarchy。 Yet， Germany was at its closest to the island through its northern coastline。 In the introduction to this fictional story， Milton Bearden suggests a third level of understanding – a story behind the story。 The point raised was whether there was an institutional hand hidden somewhere in the creation of Riddle。 This reader believes there was， yet Childers went to his grave with the answer。 Childers kicks off this adventure by having Davies sends a letter to an acquaintance， Carruthers at the Foreign Office in London。 Davies had concluded that what he senses and sees in his travels in this northern German coast， the fiords of Friesland， are disturbing。 He needs help and Davies recalls a somewhat casual acquaintance from his past who had the talents he felt he needed。 Carruthers in a discouraged state of mind， considers the request strange， yet it would be an escape from the summer doldrums of London， so he accepts the request and goes to meet Davies， hoping to enjoy a short vacation on a comfortable yacht。 Humor is injected by our author with the surprise that Carruthers gets at first sighting of the accommodations on the strange sailing ship that Davies somehow sailed across the North Sea from England。 Davies called it the Dulcibella， a sturdy but malodorous and impossibly cramped thirty-foot ketch。 Carruthers expected to be on a boating vacation with crew and staff to support his every need， when Davies attempted to handle the large load of luggage himself Carruthers says， “Aren’t your men here”？ Then frustrated by this ugly duckling of a sailboat， Carruthers could not get his luggage down through the hatch。 Childers affirmed the affability of Carruthers in his quick reconciliation to all these unforeseen annoyances。 Davies over time explains why he had requested the help of Carruthers and during these early periods of adjustment， Carruthers adapts his mindset to life on the cramped quarters and the spartan living conditions。 After most of Davies suspicions are shared with Carruthers， he also sees the need to get to the bottom of this mystery。Childers was in the British Navy during the Great War and his knowledge of navigation and seamen ship is presented to the reader through Davies。 One point this reader found strange was the comment that while Davies loved the sea and had studied the naval history of Britannia， he had tried to enlist in the English Navy and yet failed。 Nothing else is said on this subject and Carruthers continues to sing the praises of the genius level seamen skills demonstrated by his new shipmate， I would have liked to have known why Davies failed。The villain in this tale is Herr Dollman。 He was once a British naval officer who is suspected by our twin spies of defecting。 The character of Dollman is never quite developed。 We never find out what caused his defection to the German cause。 He does try to kill Davies， yet the German’s don’t quite trust him， but that is all we are given。 I would have liked more depth to this character。 Davies in his small boat performs thrilling feats of seamanship chasing Dollman around the fiords of Friesland。 If you like tales of the sea these chapters are quite fascinating。 The final chapters are very exciting and bring the adventure to a close， yet there is much to ponder about this book and its author。 The epilogue and a reread of the introduction are quite necessary， they create a context to this wonderful work of fiction。 。。。more
Kristel
，
BOTM for Reading 1001 in October 2021。 I read and listened to this one。 Written in 1903。 the book is reportedly a first in the line of espionage literature。 The story takes place on a yacht and in the waters along the European coat of Netherlands and Germany。 Germany and England are working on naval supremacy and the story occurs before WWI。 The book also is a book of yachtmenship and anyone who is in to that might enjoy the adventure。 It wasn't always easy for the one who knows nothing。 The det BOTM for Reading 1001 in October 2021。 I read and listened to this one。 Written in 1903。 the book is reportedly a first in the line of espionage literature。 The story takes place on a yacht and in the waters along the European coat of Netherlands and Germany。 Germany and England are working on naval supremacy and the story occurs before WWI。 The book also is a book of yachtmenship and anyone who is in to that might enjoy the adventure。 It wasn't always easy for the one who knows nothing。 The detail is complete as far as the coast， the islands， and the sands。 This book was a leading espionage and set the stage for those that followed。 。。。more
Jane McNabb
，
Riddle of the Sands: A review（By Erskine Childers）My rating: 5*****I first read this book about 50 years ago; I was in my first faculty job and finally could afford a modest， used sailboat。 I read it for the small-boat cruising adventures in the Baltic Sea。Fast forward。 This time I read it as an early entry into the spy/espionage genre: two young English men， strictly amateurs， scoping out German military activities on the Germaniccoastal islands of the Baltic Sea。 The time is about 1900， and Ca Riddle of the Sands: A review（By Erskine Childers）My rating: 5*****I first read this book about 50 years ago; I was in my first faculty job and finally could afford a modest， used sailboat。 I read it for the small-boat cruising adventures in the Baltic Sea。Fast forward。 This time I read it as an early entry into the spy/espionage genre: two young English men， strictly amateurs， scoping out German military activities on the Germaniccoastal islands of the Baltic Sea。 The time is about 1900， and Carruthers and Davies are worried about Germany’s desire to invade England。Written in the rather florid style of that time， the many characters are well-developed。 Carruthers and Davies have guts a mile wide， and they kept me hooked well into several nights。 There is a tiny bit of romance， and lots of polite-ish （but scary，） government heavies。 Maps A and B are referred to frequently， but are illegible， even on my iPad。 They resemble 3rd or 4th generation faxes。Overall， the book is rather long， but the length is well used。 I enjoyed both readings， but perhaps for different reasons。 Highly recommended （both times。） 。。。more
Sarah Ensor
，
Be aware this story contains the antisemitism and racism of the British Edwardian middle class。It's a spy thriller and a piece of social and political history about industrial Germany turning to face the British empire and its sea power， or the lack of it at the beginning of the 20th century。Here patriotism is emotional， tangible and required。 This may jar with a 21st century reader living with a venal government， particularly for those of us who understand the Union Jack as the butcher's apron Be aware this story contains the antisemitism and racism of the British Edwardian middle class。It's a spy thriller and a piece of social and political history about industrial Germany turning to face the British empire and its sea power， or the lack of it at the beginning of the 20th century。Here patriotism is emotional， tangible and required。 This may jar with a 21st century reader living with a venal government， particularly for those of us who understand the Union Jack as the butcher's apron the state uses to keep the blood of is。 But the novel is well enough written for this to not matter very much and it must have hit the zeitgeist because as it went to print in 1903， a Committee of National Defence was being formed in Britain。Some of the character development is impressive particularly where Carruthers grows from being a spoilt， entitled prigg to a half decent human being who stops taking himself so seriously。 There are scenes and people in pubs and sea-washed villages that feel very real。 The best of it is the detail from Childers own experience of sailing the miles of sand and mud flats off the north German coast。 It left me feeling burnt by the salt and wind and ready to run away to sea。 。。。more
Linda
，
Having read this in e-reader form， I had to go online for the maps and sketches。 （Do use the maps while reading！） It’s a slower pace than a contemporary action/adventure but that just allows one to soak up the damp and salt and creeping danger。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=El Enigma de las Arenas
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=El Enigma de las Arenas&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft