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Espionage Thriller Novels - How Two Classics Founded the Genre

By James Marinero

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Published: 21Jan2012
Word count: 866
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Arguably the first modern espionage thriller novel was 'Riddle of the Sands' by Erskine Childers, dating back to 1903. Then along came 'The Thirty Nine Steps' by John Buchan, in 1915, made into a film released in 1935 starring Robert Donat - directed by none other than Alfred Hitchcock. Together, they helped define the genre, I believe.

I still have a copy of Childers's book on my bookshelf - as a sailor, it's a fascinating read for me, with a quite accurate portrayal of the 'sport' in those days. Of course, I'm a lot younger, but as a boy I sailed on yachts of 'Dulcibella's type many times, with coal stoves and decks which leaked copiously. The tale is basically a comment on Great Britain's woeful military status at the turn of the century, unprepared to counter a potential German invasion. It was quite propitious, but whether it was an influence on John Buchan, I don't know.

The real life events after Riddle of the Sands could be itself the subject of a thriller novel. Although he was born in London and had fought in the Boer War and the First World War, his views moved towards favouring a Free Ireland and he became an active Irish nationalist. He was himself a sailor and smuggled guns on his yacht 'Asgard'. The 28 ton yacht, which he had built reportedly for £1,000, is now a national treasure in Ireland. All sides suspected him of being a double/treble agent, so none trusted him fully, the three sides being the two warring parties in the Irish Civil War, and Great Britain. He was caught and tried by the Irish Provisional Government itself, and executed by firing squad for carrying a pistol. There are many twists to this true story - too many to go into here; suffice it to say that it's as involved a tale as any worthwhile espionage fiction supplies.

Now, to John Buchan. The core plot is one that has become a classic construct for espionage thriller authors alike - that of the 'man on the run'. As with Childers's book, it was focused on the potential for a German invasion of the United Kingdom, and operations of German spies in Britain. The book's title is itself a linkage throughout the story, and is a key to the puzzle that exercises Richard Hannay (the main character), and, of course, the reader.

It is said that Buchan described the novel as a 'shocker'. We don't use that term for the espionage or action genres, though I suppose the classification may be loosely used for horror stories these days. What he meant bythe term 'shocker' relates to the content being barely believable to its readers. Suspending reader belief and building plot credibility are key tools in the successful author's toolchest.

The ability to suspend belief is essential in some of the thriller novel sub-genres - e.g the supernatural thriller - if the thrills are to be credible and the reader is a sceptic. On the other hand, building credibility can be done by including copious details, such as might be found in the best of techno-thrillers.

Both Childers and Buchan included detail to build credibility, but Childers, given his sailing background albeit initially as an amateur, and later as a professional in the Royal Navy was able to excel.

There's one more interesting aspect - Hannay of 'The Thirty Nine Steps', progresses through a series of three further escapades in later books - perhaps the first example of the thriller novels 'franchise' now so popular with authors and readers alike.

James Marinero writes espionage thriller novels with themes including, the sea and science. 'Gate of Tears' focuses on the emergence of China as a financial and naval superpower in the Middle East and her digital warfare capabilities.

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