[Tue Revue or me Ravoura—By Frank Austin. Bodley Head, London. 1/6
Wild west tales recall to every man the days of his youth, when hhis dream was to become a cowboy. Such an ambition dies a natural death by the age of sixteen. True to all wild west stories "The Return the Rancher" has a super-hero and a super-vill While the former seems incapable of doing anything wrong the latter is the very opposite and only evil thoughts and actions ever occur to him. There fs the usual unridable "bucking bronco" which meets its match when gets astride of it All the innumerable thrills that go with any wild west story or film are woven into the tale. Bullets shaving the hero and knocking his hat off but always doing him no harm beyond giving him small flesh wounds, miraculous escapes and wonderful shooting with revolvers are all the fortunate lot of the hero. Undoubtedly the young wild west fan will sit with bulging eyes until the book is read from cover to cover, but to those who are past the cowboy stage, the charm of the story is lost. The perfectness of the hero and the general offensiveness of the villain, who always has a sneer when addressing the hero, makes them impossible characters. Their adventures leave much {0 the imagination that they fare laughable. In fact a book recommended for boys but not for those who have reached years of jealous of our presence and anxious to fend us off. Known nests were soon located, while others could be d slimpsed wedged into crannies and fseures some four fect back from the surface of the rock: all but one. were cunningly placed so that no human arm could reach them down the, narrow, sit...and the miracle as to how these wide-winged Swifts could swoop so rapidly into their chosen cranny with suddenly folded wings, seems hardly capable of explanation. One nest alone could Just be reached with finger' tips....this was the one which had contained the addled eng, and in it was now squi ting the one remaining chick, a wich mouthed youngster fully arrayed in sombre sable plumage: one deserted nest was procured by the simple expedient of hooking it out with a nail stuck through the end of the saman's broom-handle, and this proved to be a shallow' elliptical saucer, Jeonstructed from blades of swore grass, seaweed, feathers and odd grasses, the whole lightly glued to-ether with the glutinous matter which the Swift is known to. produce. A few. immense car wi and countless giant rock-lice (acting as PWD. for the removal of all di /and garbage) completed the popul tion of the islet; and thus do the Large White-rumped Swifts bring up their young in peace and harmony. But if Captain Cochrane is the first and only one to record their breeding places in China, then the honour lof being the second falls to @ youngs-for from the Shanghai" American tue tstano Meroen—By Paul Trent, Ward, Lock, London. 9/6
Paul Trent has written some very good novels and, on the other band, Several. poor ones, but this is. his masterpiece. "The! Island Murder" {san excellent work, deserving of the highest praise. Our. only triteism is that there, is. too much affectionate kissing." Mr." Trent keeps his reader mystified and in a slate of expectancy almost from the beginning until the final chapter, Tucien. Chard, a wealthy. shipowner, gets his nephews and nieces to Join him on a mysterious erulso In his private yacht. but. he takes the greatest pleasure in tormenting them because he knows that they have no reason" to Jove him and Decause they are simply out for his money. Little does he realize, when starts out, that the trip is to be
inthe rescue of the hero, his Nan juadron plays. an Important par "lat "Avene of The China
andy the cousin "AY book' that 1s deserving of high
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.