MYSTICISM AND ADVENTURE.

Auckland Star, 2 September 1933, Page 2 (Supplement)

MYSTICISM AND ADVENTURE.

JOHN BUCHAN'S LATEST. In his novels Mr. John Buch.in never leaves mysticism for long. The practical mystic is a favourite of his. In Adam Melfort, the hero of his new romance, "A Prince of the Captivity" (nodder and Stoughton), he has pushed this combination so far that possibilities are strained. Adam ie of the real breed of romantic heroes. Before the war ho is a brilliant young soldier with rare knowledge of Continental armies and languages, and is clearly marked for distinction. Then he wrecks his career by taking the blame for a forgery committed by his empty-headed wife. Incidentally we ore told on the first page that he has "pled" guilty, yet tho judge sums up and the jury retires. Is this legal procedure correct? In prison Adam has a vision of a celestial island in Scotland with his dead son for companion, and this helps to change his philosophy of life. Hβ comes out of prison shortly before the war, and whon j tho war begins he is seized upon for the; most dangerous form of espionage. As a half-witted peasant he renders valuable service behind the German lines in Flanders, and, escaping by the skin of his teeth, enters Germany as a neutral, and finishes as a staff officer with the Turkish army during Allenby's break through. All this is ground familiar to readers of other stories by Mr. Buchan, but tho rest of tho book is not so satisfactory. Adam, restored to rank and honour, enjoying ample means and keeping his body in athletic training, and directed by a mystical sense of destiny, constitutes him.-elf a sort of unofficial secret service agent in the confusion of English nffairs. after the war. We are introduced to idealists and careerists in various strata of society, from a young ambitious trade union eorrotftrv to ;i j landed nobleman who frightens his j party by his radicalism. Much of all j this is very interesting, for Mr. Buchan ! writes with insight and sympathy, but! the long discussions pall at times. Then Adam goes back to his Continental espionage, and we are given terrifying glimpses of the ferocity and ruthlessness of the opposing camps of Fascist and Communist in the struggle for political power. Finally Adam takes it on himself to convert aprominent English politician who has more cleverness than vision, and in doing eo is involved in a tragic coil. The effort and the final | sacrifice arc not worth while. Mr. I Buchati's idealism is always heartening, but the edge of it can be blunted by j exaggeration. Artistically the book I fails because there is too much political!' and economic discussion sandwiched in ! between the adventure, and because j ' Adam, like some other characters of Mr. ' Buchan's creation, is rather too good to I ' be true.