The Island of Sheep - John Buchan

Published by Penguin Books: Harmondsworth, Middlesex: 1963.
First published 1936.

 I picked this book up on a giveaway table in Richmond, having recognized the name of the author as being that of Greenmantle, a book that I enjoyed and that I found to be very much 'of its time'. Other than that literary connection, I knew nothing about the book going into it, except, presumably, that part of it would take place on an Island of Sheep!

It turns out that The Island of Sheep is actually the final novel that John Buchan wrote starring Richard Hannay - the same protagonist as that of Greenmantle! There are other books in between that book and this (and also one book that appears in the series before Greenmantle, and is probably the most well known in the series: The Thirty-Nine Steps, famously turned into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock). In this novel, Richard Hannay and some of his companions are tasked with helping the son of a former comrade defend his life, his daughter, and his fortune, against a gang of blackmailers, who may even go so far as murder to get what they want!

Just as with Greenmantle, The Island of Sheep feels like a product of its time: the white English protagonists think colonial Africa is a good excuse for adventure and are mildly racist towards most other ethnicities, the women are treated as 'softer' than the men, and a subplot features a group of whalers in heroic roles. Yet despite a slow beginning (in which numerous chapters are devoted to characters talking of prior events - another common technique of the time) the book did grow on me over time. It is far-fetched in places, relying too heavily on coincidence, good luck, and the villains being somewhat unobservant, but this adds to the 'fun' of the piece. This book won't blow you away, but it is a fairly harmless way to spend a few afternoons.

And, yes, they do end up on the titular island, which does indeed have sheep on it. So no false advertising there!

Completed 16 August 2020.

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