Doctor Syn on the High Seas

Doctor Syn on the High Seas is the second in the series of Doctor Syn novels by Russell Thorndike. Published in 1936, it is chronologically the first novel in the series, followed by Doctor Syn Returns, though it was the fourth in terms of publication.

Plot

Set in 1754. A young clergyman, Christopher Syn, loses his wife to a seducer. He embarks on a quest of vengeance, taking on the identity of the pirate Captain Clegg to hunt them down over the course of many years.

The book ends with Syn returning to his home of Dymchurch in 1775, resuming his life as a vicar.

Critical reception

The novel was anticipated by Thorndike's fans, according to The Liverpool Echo, which praised it as a "salt breath of Channel air". "Stirring stuff," said the Evening Express critic, who described the character as overstuffed but popular. The Kentish Express found it enjoyable but improbable.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Publication

Originally published by Rich & Cowan in 1936, it has been reprinted many times in both hardcover and paperback editions, including by Cherry Tree Books (1938), Arrow Books (1959), Panther (1964), Jarrolds (1966), Ballantine Books (1973) and other more recent small presses. It is dedicate to John Buchan.

In other media

In 2006, an abridged version of the novel was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Comprising half of a ten-part series titled Doctor Syn, it was read by Rufus Sewell.^[4]

Peter Cushing, in preparation for his role in the 1962 film Captain Clegg, read several Thorndike novels, including Doctor Syn on the High Seas. The novel's description of Syn's hair turning white inspired Cushing's on-screen appearance.^[5]

References

^ "Calling All Cars...". The Liverpool Echo. 26 February 1937.
^ "Dr. Syn, smuggler, pirate, parson". The Evening Express. 3 June 1964.
^ "From the Publishers". The Kentish Express. 29 January 1937.
^ "Doctor Syn". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
^ Meikle, Denis (2009). A History of Horrors: The Rise and Fall of the House of Hammer. Scarecrow Press. p. 282.

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[1] "Calling All Cars...". The Liverpool Echo. 26 February 1937.

[2] "Dr. Syn, smuggler, pirate, parson". The Evening Express. 3 June 1964.

[3] "From the Publishers". The Kentish Express. 29 January 1937.

[4] "Doctor Syn". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 24 October 2024.

[5] Meikle, Denis (2009). A History of Horrors: The Rise and Fall of the House of Hammer. Scarecrow Press. p. 282.

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