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The Island of Sheep

Authorised Edition
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( 1,074 ratings, 98 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Island of Sheep by John Buchan follows the adventures of Richard Hannay, who is drawn out of a peaceful retirement to honour a promise made in his youth. A plea for help takes him on a thrilling journey to protect an old friend's son from dangerous adversaries, involving unexpected twists and the beautiful, remote setting of an island. This crime and thriller novel combines action, intrigue, and Buchan's masterful storytelling.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might like this book if you enjoy gripping adventures with a mix of crime and thriller elements, where a seasoned protagonist embarks on a quest to fulfil an age-old promise. This story offers a blend of suspenseful encounters and nostalgic charm, set against the backdrop of a remote and mysterious location.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A long-forgotten promise made by Richard Hannay finds him honour-bound to resolve a violent vendetta in which the lives of a young father and his daughter are in danger from unscrupulous and desperate men. Hannay sets out on a high-octane chase from the rural tranquillity of his English manor to the Scottish Borders and, ultimately, to Scandinavia.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Island of Sheep is the fifth, last, and most unusual of the Hannay books. Having returned once again to a quiet life at Fosse Manor, Hannay's life is shaken a final time when the son of an old acquaintance from Africa asks for his help in finishing a feud that goes back thirty years to a hilltop in Rhodesia.

Hannay sets out to protect the family, a trip that takes him from the England he knows to the Norlands, the Island of Sheep of the title (loosely based on the Faroe Islands where Buchan holidayed and wrote the book).

Series: The Richard Hannay Adventures

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  • Greenmantle
    Richard Hannay is tasked to investigate rumours of an uprising in the Muslim world. He embarks on a hair-raising journey through German-occupied Europe to meet up with his old friend Sandy Arbuthnot in Constantinople. There, they must thwart the Germans' plans to use religion to help them win the war. Set during World War I, Greenmantle is a powerful meditation...
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  • Mr. Standfast
    Mr. Standfast is the third of five Richard Hannay thrillers. Brigadier-General Richard Hannay is recalled from active service on the Western Front and tasked with a secret mission to catch a dangerous German agent who is at large in Britain. Travelling incognito, he infiltrates a community of conscientious objectors with the aim of ferreting out the spy. During this adventure,...
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  • A Very Dangerous Pursuit
    Adventure can be a deadly business. It began in the manner of all the very best adventures: in a coffee house. When one Richard Hannayβ€”intrepid, inquisitive, and on the hunt for intrigueβ€”encounters an old acquaintance in Constantinople, he has an inkling that something thrilling is afoot. Charged with an item of great mystery and importβ€”a washbag, no less!β€”he soon finds...
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  • The Island of Sheep
    The Island of Sheep is the fifth, last, and most unusual of the Hannay books. Having returned once again to a quiet life at Fosse Manor, Hannay's life is shaken a final time when the son of an old acquaintance from Africa asks for his help in finishing a feud that goes back thirty years to a hilltop in Rhodesia....
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Thirty-Nine Steps
    Recently returned from South Africa, adventurer Richard Hannay is bored with life. After a chance encounter with an American who informs him of an assassination plot and is then promptly murdered in Hannay's London flat, he becomes the obvious suspect and is forced to go on the run. He heads north to his native Scotland, fleeing the police and his...
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  • The Three Hostages
    After distinguished service in the First World War, Richard Hannay settles into peaceful domesticity with his wife Mary and their young son. However, news comes to him of three kidnappings. With no more than a few tantalisingly cryptic lines of verse as clues, he is soon on the trail of Dominick Medinaβ€”a charismatic polymath but a man 'utterly and consumedly...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Island of Sheep by John Buchan is hailed for its thrilling plot and adventure, deeply resonating with readers and influential figures like Alfred Hitchcock. The book features intriguing characters and clever storytelling, showcasing Buchan’s talent in weaving suspense and intrigue.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781846971563

Publisher: Birlinn General

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 29 June 2010

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited

Edition: Authorised Edition

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 195.0mm

Weight: 232g

Pages: 272

About the Author

John Buchan was a Scottish diplomat, barrister, journalist, historian, poet and novelist, born in Perth in 1875. He published nearly 30 novels and seven collections of short stories. After spells as a war correspondent, Lloyd George's Director of Information and Conservative MP, Buchan moved to Canada in 1935. He served as Governor General there until his death in 1940.

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    The Thirty-Nine Steps follows the thrilling story of Richard Hannay, who finds his return to England from years in South Africa to be dreadfully monotonous. This uneventful existence in London takes a dramatic turn when a murder occurs in his flat. Just days earlier, Hannay had a chance encounter with an American who revealed an assassination plot with the potential...
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    'For three minutes you will turn your eyes inward into the darkness of the mind which I have taught you to make. Then I will give the sign you will look at the paper. There you will see words written, but only for one second. Bend all your powers to remember them.' What begins as a welcome, if slightly dull,...
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  • The Thirty-Nine Steps
    The Thirty-Nine Steps features Richard Hannay, a restless hero, determined to showcase the integrity of the ordinary man who stands in defence of his country. Buchan's terrific yarn excelled as a Hitchcock movie of the same name and inspired all subsequent spy thrillers, including the much later incarnation of Fleming's suave James Bond. The book plays on fears of invasion...
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    In 1925, John Buchan published his second most famous novel, John Macnab. Three high-flying menβ€”a barrister, a cabinet minister, and a bankerβ€”are suffering from boredom. They concoct a plan to cure it. They inform three Scottish estates that they will poach from each two stags and a salmon within a given time. They sign collectively as 'John Macnab' and await...
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  • Greenmantle
    Richard Hannay is tasked to investigate rumours of an uprising in the Muslim world. He embarks on a hair-raising journey through German-occupied Europe to meet up with his old friend Sandy Arbuthnot in Constantinople. There, they must thwart the Germans' plans to use religion to help them win the war. Set during World War I, Greenmantle is a powerful meditation...
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