Book review – “Courts of the Morning” (1929) by John Buchan

Richard Hannay introduces the book but this isn’t really a Hannay adventure, it focuses more on other characters: Archie Roylance (now an MP, Lord help us), the American Blenkinron, Sandy Clanroyden, Janet Roylance. There are reports that Blenkinron is dead and Sandy has a mid-life crisis; in actual fact they’re both undercover in a fictional South American country fighting a new master criminal, Castor, who is passionately anti-American.

They get involved in destabilising the whole regime, which is a like CIA for my tastes, and you never really take Buchan’s word for it that the baddies are actually bad – we are told how peaceful and prosperous the country is before the “goodies” get started trying to bring the government down. There is some talk of defending exploited Indians but Buchan never really makes a convincing case for causing war and his heroes come across at times like a bunch of public school adventurers whipping up trouble in the third world for the sheer sport of it (Archie and Janet Roylance get involved while on a delayed honeymoon); none of them really have a personal stake in the country, they are having fun, except for a vague desire to fight forces of anti-Americanism (what this anti-Americanism actually consists of is never really spelt out.)

Having said that this is an exciting novel. You enjoy the absence of Hannay, and it has real scope and sweep, since it involves the fate of the entire country, and pitched battles and armies (it’s like the end of Mr Standfast, without history to hold it back). There’s a lot more violence and even sex – lots of people being stabbed, Janet is almost raped – and it seems more emotional, with Castor falling for Janet (who to be honest seems too good for Archie).

The book has a lot more energy than the later Hannay’s. Sure there’s still pontificating and what not, but it’s a minimum. There’s also not one but two spirited female characters – one who even seems to convert Sandy to heterosexuality (although we never see a romantic scene between them – like Dick Hannay and Mary there’s a large age difference). Finally there is a central conceit which I can’t remember being in any other book – Sandy kidnaps Castor and whips up the revolt – which he has in Castor’s name; he then sets about trying to convert Castor to his cause… and succeeds. It’s something I haven't read in another adventure book.