This book definitely falls into the 'with one bound he was free' category of ripping yarns and, much though I enjoyed it and The Thirty Nine Steps, I must admit that I found this particular Buchan rather difficult to take. As I said in my previous post on Buchan earlier in the week, it is essential that the reader remembers the period in which these books were written and not judge them by modern thoughts and criteria.
However, having said that, I did find some of the phraseology of Greenmantle rather hard to accept. The expressions 'white man' and 'pukka sahib' are ones I am used to as you come across them in Christie, Wimsey and other writers of that period, but the constant references to the 'beastly Boche' and 'yellow faced Jews' were rather tricky. I made a huge effort to just accept that this was the attitude of the time and managed to put these feelilngs to one side and to settle down and enjoy another totally over the top Boy's Own adventure.
Hannay has been seconded away from the front, where he was injured at the battle of Loos, and sent on a secret mission. There is a fiendish plot in the East, in Constantinople where the Germans are in 
occupation, a plot involving a prophet whose coming has been bruited abroad, a prophet who will work with the Germans against the Russians and defeat them. This prophet will sweep the Turkish people, who are fragmented and not all enamoured of the German cause, up in his wake. It is this prophet that Hannay and his friends must track down and the dastardly scheme foiled.
No need for me to go into the plot in detail as this is Richard Hanney here and we know he is going to succeed, but the details of all his plucky adventures, his by the skin of his teeth escapes, the different roles he undertakes are all huge fun and the narrative positively rattles along. Has all the right ingredients, including a beautiful, but evil woman. Fairly clear that Hannay knows nothing about women, he admits it, too stiff upper lipped to fall for the weaker sex, but he is fascinated by Hilda von Einem the evil amanuensis of Greenmantle.
"I had never before thought of her as beautiful. Strange, uncanny, wonderful if you like, but the word beauty had too kindly and human a sound for such a face. But as she stood there with heightened colour, her eyes like stars, her poise like a wild bird's. I had to confess that she had her own loveliness. She might be a devil, but she was also a queen".
Sounds like something Michael Arlen could have written.
John Buchan was a soldier but continued ill health forced him to a less exciting life, though playing a prominent part in public life as a Barrister and Member of Parliament and eventually Governor-General of Canada, would probably strike most of us as being pretty full and satisfying. I cannot help but feel, however, that Richard Hannay is Buchan's alter ego, and in these books he pours all his frustration at his illness and inability to be such a man. He certainly pulls you in. It is impossible to read these stories and not become involved. The last couple of chapters of Greenmantle build up to the most terrific climax with a fierce battle against the Russians, the descriptive writing here is breathless and takes the reader along on a dazzling ride and I felt Hannay's exhileration and excitement at foiling the plot, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and, yes, Greenmantle is there sweeping all before him, but who is he and why is he now on the side of right? Here is the closing paragraph of the book:
"In the front now nearing the city ramparts was one man. He was like the point of the steel spear soon to be driven home. In the clear morning air I could see that he did not wear the uniform of the invaders, He was turbaned and rode like one possessed, and against the snow I caught the dark sheen of emerald. As he rode it seemed that the fleeing Turks were stricken still and sank by the roadside with eyes strained after his unheeding figure…..Then I knew that the prophecy had been true, and that their prophet had not failed them. The long looked for revelation had come. Greenmantle had appeared at last to an awaiting people"
Now how can you resist that? I can't.
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