Wed 8 Feb 2012
Reviewed by William F. Deeck: RUSSELL THORNDIKE – The Slype.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[10] Comments
William F. Deeck
RUSSELL THORNDIKE – The Slype. Dial Press, hardcover, 1928. First published in the UK: Holden, hardcover, 1927. Also: Jonathan Cape, UK, 1933.
Forget about the plot in this thriller, which must have creaked even in the ’20s and which Thorndike does not energize or even, I must confide, make much sense of at the end.
It has to do with a treasure hunt by a flagitious doctor of medicine who is featureless and a Chinese villain who in his brief appearance manifests great charm despite his lust for the heroine and despite his vile antecedents and even viler predilections.
Most of the events take place in the fascinating Dullchester Cathedral. In the Precincts strange disappearances are occurring. A Minor Canon vanishes, followed shortly by a second Minor Canon. Then the spinster bee lady, complete with veil, is found missing, if that makes any sense. Soon the Dean, a speckled pig — the rest of the sty goes later — and a wind-up toy cannot be located.
As I said, the plot is not the reason to read this novel; it should be read for Thorndike’s descriptive ability and his characters. Foremost among them are Sergeant Wurren of the Dullchester Constabulary as he goes about his bumbling investigations and ludicrous questioning, and Wurren’s nemesis, Boyce’s Boy — you know, the lad who delivers for the greengrocer — a most extraordinarily intelligent and amusing imp. These two, and some minor characters, are worthy of being compared to Dickens’s creations.
First-class entertainment if you aren’t a plot person.
By the way, a slype is a covered passage, especially one from the transept of a cathedral to the chapter house.
Editorial Comments: Thank goodness, I thought when I read it, Bill added that last parenthetical paragraph. I had no idea what a “slype” was, and I still wonder what it has to do with the story. I will have to read the book. It sounds terrific.
Bill also used the word “flagitious” in his review. Neither my spellchecker nor I remembered ever having seen the word before, so I had to look it up. It means “criminal” or “villainous.” I love learning new words, especially those I can now use in my own reviews.
Of the author of this book, Russell Thorndike, I know nothing, except that he also wrote seven books of the adventures of smuggler-hero Dr. Syn, none of which I’ve read, nor I have I seen the Disney TV miniseries The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, based on the first of them.
February 8th, 2012 at 2:04 pm
I’ve gone searching for a copy of this book, and unfortunately it turns out to be rare. Not hard to find, but the price tag on the least expensive one offered for sale is in the $50 range, including postage.
I will have to keep looking.
I did find an eBay listing for this book, long ago sold, that says the following, which I found of interest, and you may also:
“Dr Syn fans take note! Up for grabs this time is a little-known item that no Syn collection is complete without – a lovely hardback of Russell Thorndike’s THE SLYPE.
“Never heard of it? Most people haven’t, but it is actually the last book in the Syn saga, containing a chapter detailing events after the end of DOCTOR SYN (the novel which is generally believed to be the end of the series).
“This lovely volume is an apocryphal piece in relation to the rest of the Syn tales, as it is a contemporary mystery that has a tie in with Thorndike’s most popular series.
“In particular, read the chapter entitled ‘Mipps, His Booke’ to find out what happened to Syn’s trusted assistant.”
February 10th, 2012 at 2:49 pm
The DOCTOR SYN series of books is great fun. It took me quite a few years to get the full set, as Thorndyke is seriously out of print. The very last one chronologically (DOCTOR SYN: 1915)was the first one to be written. The last one published was written nearly 30 years later, meaning that somewhere between the penultimate and final book several important characters disappear without explanation, and Syn’s character changes radically.
All three of the film versions are good, although the Disney version predictably whitewashes the Doctor’s criminal exploits, turning him into a Robin Hood. The pre-war version benefits from the direction of Roy William Neill, but the best is probably the Hammer version with Peter Cushing as the cleric/smuggler.
February 10th, 2012 at 4:13 pm
Bradstreet
I was hoping that someone who’s actually a collector of the Dr. Syn books would stop in and tell me more about them. Thanks! Does having a full set mean that you have THE SLYPE also, with its bit of connection I discovered and pointed out in Comment 1?
I’d already decided to start hunting the books down, but your comments about the film versions has made me want to get those, too, maybe even first. (I never did see the Disney version. At the time, I thought he was a Halloween character, as I recall.)
From Wikipedia:
(1) The first, Doctor Syn (1937), featured noted actor George Arliss in the title role and was its star’s last film.
(2) In 1962, Captain Clegg (known as Night Creatures in the U. S. but also released as Dr. Syn) was produced by Hammer Film Productions with horror movie actor Peter Cushing in the lead role, directed by Peter Graham Scott. In the screenplay by Anthony Hinds, the main character’s name was changed from Doctor Syn to Parson Blyss to avoid rights problems with Disney’s upcoming film version, and Captain Clegg’s screenplay follows the novel Doctor Syn and the screenplay of the 1937 film closely with the exception of a tightening of the plot. In the Arliss movie Doctor Syn, Syn escapes to sea with Mipps and the rest of the Dymchurch smugglers, whereas Captain Clegg ends more faithfully to the novel, with Parson Blyss being killed by the mulatto (who is then killed by Mipps) and then being carried to and buried in Captain Clegg’s empty grave by Mipps. Night Creatures was never released on videotape in the United States, but is included in the two-disc DVD collection The Hammer Horror Series.
(3) The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1963), with a long detailed history that I won’t repeat here.
February 10th, 2012 at 4:16 pm
Hmmm. Amazon has very kindly reminded me that I purchased the HAMMER HORROR SERIES set way back in November 2008. That should be easy to find.
February 10th, 2012 at 4:44 pm
Steve, you must’e found some Jonathan Cape reprints in the $50 range. The true first edition published by Robert Holden is a very, VERY scarce book! I would definitely classify it a genuinely rare book. Amazingly, I found a beat up copy a few years ago in a Wisconsin used bookshop for a giveaway price. I started to read it but I just couldn’t get into it. So I sold the book having read only one quarter of it. Another bit of trivia: It’s listed in Adey’s LOCKED ROOM MURDERS as an impossible crime novel since characters seem to disappear while travelling through the slype.
I remember seeing SCARECROW OF ROMNEY MARSH on “The Wonderful World of Disney” when I was a kid and being very impressed by the Patrick McGoohan’s spooky portrayal. I’d love to watch it again but the Disney movie has never been released on DVD that Iknow of and the VHS version (for those still willing to watch old movies that way) is as scarce as the book reviewed here.
February 10th, 2012 at 5:36 pm
SCARECROW was released on DVD, but in such limited supply as it might as well not have been. Says Wikipedia:
“On November 11, 2008 The Walt Disney Company released a limited pressing of 39,500 issues of The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh in DVD format for the first time as a part of the Disney Treasures collection, and was now called Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. The issue sold out in three weeks, but as of February 17, 2009 the DVD was made available for members of the Disney movie club for $29.95. The two-disc set includes the American television version and the theatrical version Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow in widescreen format.”
February 10th, 2012 at 5:40 pm
John, I’m sure you’re right. Without going back to look, I’m sure the copies of the book I found online were Cape reprints. No matter. I’ll try some of Thorndike’s other books first, before spending $50 on a copy of THE SLYPE, sight unread.
February 11th, 2012 at 3:50 am
Steve: Very wise! The DOCTOR SYN series isn’t exactly easy to find, although there are copies knocking about on the internet for reasonable prices, but finding his other novels is a real challenge for the prospective modern reader. I’d heard about THE SLYPE, but that’s about it. You never know, one day it might turn up somewhere when I’m browsing some second hand bookshop…
August 11th, 2014 at 4:39 pm
No need to hunt high and low for a copy of THE SLYPE. It’s been reprinted by the admirable independent press Valancourt Books. You can now get a brand new paperback copy for only $17. Also, Thorndike’s THE MASTER OF THE MACABRE, a formerly scarce collection of supernatural shorts some of which have crime elements, has been reprinted by Valancourt.
August 11th, 2014 at 8:00 pm
I thought my Amazon basket was crammed full, but I managed to find room for this one. Thanks, John.