SOME REVIEWS IN BRIEF

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23761, 14 September 1940, Page 4 (Supplement)

SOME REVIEWS IN BRIEF

By COLOPHON

MRS. VIOLET CRESSY-MARCKS' "Journey Into China" describes'a journey to China by the Burma Road, a visit to the Eighth Route Army, and finally a trip to Lake Koko Nor in Tibet. Sir Percy Sykes in his introduction says that the author "ranks high among English explorers." A bright, gossipy style of writing will attract many readers, while the book has topical interest now thai- the question of the Burma Road has been raised so sharply by the Japanese. The eightyodd illustrations are excellent. "Journey Into China," by Violet CressrMarcks. (Hodder and Stoughton.) Tributes to Yeats "l shall never know an Irishman greater than W. B. Yeats," is but one of the tributes paid to the memory of the writer who did so much for Irish literature. In "Scattering Branches" Stephen Gwynn has collected contributions from nine fellow poets, play-wrights and others who knew Yeats as man, poet, critic, dramatist and actor. Admirers of his work will value these varied and intimate glimpses of Yeats' rich character and crowded life. "Scattering Branches." Tributes to W. B. Yeats. Edited by Stephen Gwynn. (Macmillan.) Mr. Alfred Noyes Deeply submerged in submarine and in diving-bell, a new Adam and Eve survived when gas in a world war "stopped the beating of the human heart " They met in Italy, and as a thriller, "The Last Man," by Mr. Alfred Noyes, is at its best when Eve finds that her Adam is not, in fact, the last man. The sinister scientist Mardok is alive, happily for but a short time. Further —miracle at Assisi—a Franciscan congregation has escaped destruction, and Christianity is saved to save. This novel., with its touches of satire, polemics, poetry, melodrama, and allusiveness,. is a splendid sermon in fantastic form. "The Last Man," by Alfred Noyes. (Murray.) U-Boat Mystery When Walter Craig went fishing off the Cornish coast he took the first step in a series of events as thrilling as they are fantastic. His disappearance and the search for him by a woman colleague from his newspaper carry the reader through a maze of happenings in hidden caves, U-boats and the galleries of a disused mine, and lead to the foiling of an audacious German plot aimed at British sea power. With so many dramatic settings plausibly handled and presented, the action cotild scarcely fail to be arresting, and the reader will find it gripping as well as topical. "Wreckers Must Breathe," by Hammond Inncs. (Collins.) "Fame Is the Spur" IV'[~R. HOWARD SPRING'S "Fame Is the Spur" is in the nature of a chronicle of social and political history in Britain, covering the efa from Peterloo to the present moment. It mainly records the rise of the Labour Party, and the chief scenes are laid in Ancoats, Bradford and the Rhondda Valley. The hero, Hamer Shawcross, though perhaps hardly a charlatan, is a careerist rather than a serious social reformer, and Mr. Spring has drawn his complex character with subtlety and understanding. But the book is thronged with interesting people and crammed with exciting incidents; it contains, indeed, material enough for several novels. "Fame Is tho Spur," by Howard Spring. (Collins.) Patricia Wentworth The wicked millionaire in "Who Pays the Piper" tries to force Susan into marrying him by pretending Susan's delicate cousin stole his pearls. He is then murdered. The plot creaks, but melodramatic devices contrasted with ladylike tea-table narration make fascinating reading. "Who Pays the Piper," by Patricia Wentworth. (Hodder and Stoughton.) Spy Story Omnibus "My Best Secret Service Story" is very fair omnibus value. There are twenty-three authors, including Eric Ambler, Graham Greene, and a selection from Maugham's "Ashendeu." Really good spy short stories are exceedingly rare, but seventy per cent of this collection make excellent light reading. "My Best Secret Serrioe Story," (Faber and Faber.) Mr. Peter Cheyney In "Another Little Drink," Mr. Peter Cheyney's chief character, at the outset, seems to spend most of his time drinking—but all in the good cause of spotting the leakage from the propaganda department. A murder and several excellent surprise twists are introduced. Cheyney enthusiasts will be well satisfied. , "Another Little Drink." by Peter Cheyney. (Collins.)