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billd's review
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Raffles is the first book in a collection of four books featuring AJ Raffles, by English author E.W. Hornung. Raffles, along with companion Harry 'Bunny' Masters, is a gentleman thief. This first book is a collection of 8 short stories featuring their crime adventures. The narrator of the stories is companion Bunny Masters, who becomes involved with Raffles when he approaches him, requesting assistance from his financial difficulties. Raffles invites Bunny to assist him with a caper and it all begins there.
The books were suggested by Hornung's brother-in-law, Arthur Conan Doyle (Hornung was married to Doyle's sister) and Raffles came into being, almost an anti-Sherlock Holmes. As Raffles tells Bunny, even though Raffles appears to be a well-off gentleman, appearances can be deceiving and his abilities as an amateur cracksman are necessary to finance Raffles living style. Definition of 'cracksman' - a burglar or safe cracker. During the day, Raffles is an excellent cricketeer and at night he and Bunny commit robberies.
Each burglary is different and interesting. There is steady friction between Bunny and Raffles as Raffles likes to go off by himself to plan his robberies and Bunny feels untrusted and frustrated. It's generally diamonds that piques Raffles' interest and he uses his ability at disguise when fencing the gems. The duo face threats from other burglars and also in a few of the cases from Scotland Yard inpsector MacKenzie. The book starts off with Bunny's first involvement, desparate for financial assistance.
We also find out about Raffles' first robbery attempt. It's set in Australia where Raffles is visiting to participate in cricket matches. Needing money, he discovers a cousin who works in banking and decides to visit him to get some help. Neat twists and turns with this one as he is mistaken for his cousin and decides to rob the bank at which his cousin is employed.
There are other neat stories; Raffles trying to beat another cracksman to diamonds while visiting an estate to participate in a cricket tournament (the first time we also meet Inspector Mackenzie.) This other cracksman, Crawshay, makes an additional appearance. Having escaped from Dartmoor prison, he shows up at Raffles' digs demanding help from Raffles to escape from England.
In another caper, Raffles and Bunny are hired to steal back a Velazquez painting, with a neat twist. The final caper involves a cruise to the Mediterranean, to steal a pearl, given as a gift by the Queen to a foreign king. Will this caper be the end of the partnership? Of course there are a couple of other capers as well. All interesting and different. Raffles is an interesting character, maybe not quite in the league of Sherlock Holmes but still entertaining.
The stories were turned into plays, movies (David Niven portrayed Raffles), radio shows and were very successful during their time. Well worth trying. (3 stars)
The books were suggested by Hornung's brother-in-law, Arthur Conan Doyle (Hornung was married to Doyle's sister) and Raffles came into being, almost an anti-Sherlock Holmes. As Raffles tells Bunny, even though Raffles appears to be a well-off gentleman, appearances can be deceiving and his abilities as an amateur cracksman are necessary to finance Raffles living style. Definition of 'cracksman' - a burglar or safe cracker. During the day, Raffles is an excellent cricketeer and at night he and Bunny commit robberies.
Each burglary is different and interesting. There is steady friction between Bunny and Raffles as Raffles likes to go off by himself to plan his robberies and Bunny feels untrusted and frustrated. It's generally diamonds that piques Raffles' interest and he uses his ability at disguise when fencing the gems. The duo face threats from other burglars and also in a few of the cases from Scotland Yard inpsector MacKenzie. The book starts off with Bunny's first involvement, desparate for financial assistance.
We also find out about Raffles' first robbery attempt. It's set in Australia where Raffles is visiting to participate in cricket matches. Needing money, he discovers a cousin who works in banking and decides to visit him to get some help. Neat twists and turns with this one as he is mistaken for his cousin and decides to rob the bank at which his cousin is employed.
There are other neat stories; Raffles trying to beat another cracksman to diamonds while visiting an estate to participate in a cricket tournament (the first time we also meet Inspector Mackenzie.) This other cracksman, Crawshay, makes an additional appearance. Having escaped from Dartmoor prison, he shows up at Raffles' digs demanding help from Raffles to escape from England.
In another caper, Raffles and Bunny are hired to steal back a Velazquez painting, with a neat twist. The final caper involves a cruise to the Mediterranean, to steal a pearl, given as a gift by the Queen to a foreign king. Will this caper be the end of the partnership? Of course there are a couple of other capers as well. All interesting and different. Raffles is an interesting character, maybe not quite in the league of Sherlock Holmes but still entertaining.
The stories were turned into plays, movies (David Niven portrayed Raffles), radio shows and were very successful during their time. Well worth trying. (3 stars)
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
2.0
Who was it who said that in order to be noteworthy you have to be either the best or the first? E.W. Hornung's spin on the detective-and-sidekick genre is neither.
Of course ACD's Holmes and Watson are now considered the progenitors, and naturally the prototype for all further stories of the genre (everything from P.G. Wodehouse's charmingly satirical nonsense to the much-removed Batman and Robin), but that doesn't mean no one else can write good detective stories—Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot is one of my favourites, for example, and Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin even takes on a villainous rival known as "Herlock Sholmes" (no, I'm not making this up). Hornung, however, eschews detective stories in favour of writing more about an upper-class criminal ("gentleman burglar") and his loyal sidekick. An admirable attempt, certainly, but it falls rather short. Perhaps this is unfair, given the competition (ACD was his brother-in-law, after all), but really, it's not like the man himself is around to hear it.
Of course ACD's Holmes and Watson are now considered the progenitors, and naturally the prototype for all further stories of the genre (everything from P.G. Wodehouse's charmingly satirical nonsense to the much-removed Batman and Robin), but that doesn't mean no one else can write good detective stories—Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot is one of my favourites, for example, and Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin even takes on a villainous rival known as "Herlock Sholmes" (no, I'm not making this up). Hornung, however, eschews detective stories in favour of writing more about an upper-class criminal ("gentleman burglar") and his loyal sidekick. An admirable attempt, certainly, but it falls rather short. Perhaps this is unfair, given the competition (ACD was his brother-in-law, after all), but really, it's not like the man himself is around to hear it.
jstew89's review against another edition
5.0
As a fan of Sherlock Holmes, this was right up my alley--but in a refreshing change of pace. Bunny, in my opinion, is a very relatable narrator, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying his narration of Raffles's adventures. Raffles and Bunny remind me of Holmes and Watson if they were a bit more bumbling (or at least, if Watson was.) I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys the writing style of the Sherlock Holmes stories :)
barryhaworth's review against another edition
3.0
I'd come across the Raffles character a long time ago - there used be a TV series that I vaguely remember watching bits of - but never really understood who he was, so I decided to check it out.
As it turns out, Raffles has been around long enough that the first book at least is on Project Gutenberg. Check out:
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=706
So. Raffles is a man about town who supplements his inadequate income with the occasional burglary. The stories are told from the point of view of his friend (who goes by his schoolboy nickname of "Bunny") who is in a similar situation, and helps Raffles out in his endeavors. The book is a collection of short stories, the first of several, and an obvious starting point to the character. The stories are entertaining, and the characters of Raffles and Bunny worth getting to know better.
A good, light hearted read.
As it turns out, Raffles has been around long enough that the first book at least is on Project Gutenberg. Check out:
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=706
So. Raffles is a man about town who supplements his inadequate income with the occasional burglary. The stories are told from the point of view of his friend (who goes by his schoolboy nickname of "Bunny") who is in a similar situation, and helps Raffles out in his endeavors. The book is a collection of short stories, the first of several, and an obvious starting point to the character. The stories are entertaining, and the characters of Raffles and Bunny worth getting to know better.
A good, light hearted read.
invisibleninjacat's review against another edition
4.0
This one was interesting. Raffles struck me as a weird love child of Moriarty and Robin Hood, and his friend Bunny, who narrates, is wildly head over heels for him. Wildly. Passionately. His description of Raffles barely a few pages in is practically swooning over him, and he gets hilariously jealous when Raffles spends more time with a girl than he does with Bunny. I'm still not really on board with the thievery (honestly, their spending and/or gambling habits must be completely absurd to get through the amount of money they get from their very first heist together so quickly), but I am completely there for Bunny being ludicrously in love with Raffles.
bev_reads_mysteries's review
3.0
My particular edition includes the original eight stories first published in The Amateur Cracksman with an additional six stories published under the title The Black Mask (UK)/Raffles: The Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman (USA). The connections to Sherlock Holmes and Watson are obvious. Bunny is the faithful chronicler and admirer. Raffles keeps his cards close to his chest--sometimes to the detriment of his plans. He praises Bunny for his loyalty and willingness to do anything necessary in their exploits, but then doesn't share his plans and gets upset when Bunny blunders in where he's not wanted (at least not wanted right at that particular moment). A little bit of communication would have helped the task at hand go a bit smoother...
I expected to like these a great deal more than what I did. I think perhaps the turn the stories took when Raffles starts contemplating (and later committing) murders is what did it. I went in expecting a gentleman thief and tales of outrageously clever heists and it devolved into a romantic thriller and revenge story (with the Italian bits) and a clingy ex-love at the very end. ★★★ for the straight robbery stories--I found those to be clever and fun.
Full review on my blog My Reader's Block.
I expected to like these a great deal more than what I did. I think perhaps the turn the stories took when Raffles starts contemplating (and later committing) murders is what did it. I went in expecting a gentleman thief and tales of outrageously clever heists and it devolved into a romantic thriller and revenge story (with the Italian bits) and a clingy ex-love at the very end. ★★★ for the straight robbery stories--I found those to be clever and fun.
Full review on my blog My Reader's Block.
robin_go's review against another edition
4.0
The Penguin Classics edition with the notes by Richard Lancelyn Green is invaluably interesting. However I would recommend reading the book and then going back to Green's biography afterwards as there are some mini-spoilers. The footnotes, however, can be consulted when going along.
martamarne_'s review against another edition
2.0
Independientemente de que el personaje de Raffles te caiga mejor o peor, a este libro le hace falta una buena introducción por parte de los editores. Poner al lector en situación, ambientar el libro, hablar de lo que supuso el personaje en su momento. Y corrección y pulido. El libro no solo tiene errores ortográficos sino también fallos de traducción y frases que carecen de sentido. Recuperar un clásico para esto es como no haber hecho nada. Peor: desperdiciar la oportunidad de poner en su sitio a este personaje en la historia del género. Lástima de edición.
edgeworth's review against another edition
3.0
The concept behind the Raffles stories is basically if Sherlock Holmes was a criminal rather than a detective. Hornung was Arthur Conan Doyle’s friend and brother-in-law and the book is even dedicated to him as “a form of flattery.” The format mimics the famous stories of Holmes and Watson quite closely, being narrated by the hero’s sidekick, who is constantly in awe of his friend’s amazing abilities – although the Raffles stories tend to link together more closely than I recall the Sherlock stories doing.
Raffles is a fairly likeable roguish character, and Hornung has an ahead-of-his-time take on why it’s not immoral to be a thief in the corrupt and exploitative system of the British Empire. There’s also a decent story set in Australia, a location often ignored or forgotten by Victorian novelists, since Hornung spent some time there in his youth. But it wasn’t, overall, a hugely engaging book. It’s readable enough, and worth checking out as the genesis of the “gentleman thief” archetype which has influenced hundreds of other works, but I couldn’t say it was as compelling or well-written as any of Doyle’s works – and I’m not exactly a Sherlock Holmes fan either.
Raffles is a fairly likeable roguish character, and Hornung has an ahead-of-his-time take on why it’s not immoral to be a thief in the corrupt and exploitative system of the British Empire. There’s also a decent story set in Australia, a location often ignored or forgotten by Victorian novelists, since Hornung spent some time there in his youth. But it wasn’t, overall, a hugely engaging book. It’s readable enough, and worth checking out as the genesis of the “gentleman thief” archetype which has influenced hundreds of other works, but I couldn’t say it was as compelling or well-written as any of Doyle’s works – and I’m not exactly a Sherlock Holmes fan either.