Rogue Male

The ultimate 'chase' novel. Gripping, absorbing and incredibly realistic. If you ever wanted to know what it would be like to be chased and hunted down like a wounded animal then this is the book you should read. In my opinion it is considerably better than John Buchan's thriller The 39 Steps.The nameless hero 'Rogue Male' is stripped of all identity and forced to flee from the clutches of Hitler's henchmen.He must leave the civilised world behind if he is to survive. His only ally being his finely-tuned subconscious,primitive instincts. This book is definitely one of the classics - one which I have re-read at least 6 times and one which I look forward to reading again in the future.Geoffrey Household's story is so believable that often you are left wondering - did this really happen?The story is extremely well plotted and, if you are reading this book for the first time,you just can't tell what is going to happen next or how the hero will escape from countless near death experiences... Some people may find the story a little slow by modern high-octane hollywood standards. For example, the hero is a reserved 'English Gentlemen' and the death count is minimal (but hence much more realistic). Others on the other hand think the 'old fashioned' style is one of the book's strengths. Basically, if you want something faster paced then try John Buchan or the modern SAS hero Andy McNab. But if you want the daddy of thrillers and one of the most absorbing and intensely rewarding reading experiences of your life then read this near-perfect thriller!Now!

The book set in the early part of this century tells the story of a seasoned famous hunter. The culmination of his hunting passion has a unique nature, the only befitting king of animals - man. But it is not any ordinary man either, it is the most well-protected dictator in the world. But, since Providence has a special hand on the Rogue Male, the hunt is fouled and the hunter becomes the hunted. Now he must think ahead of his enemies to save himself. Through the conflicts of morality and the acts that he is forced to do, emerges a new man. I would heartily recommend this beautifully narrated book to everyone.

G Household's appreciation of the furtive nature of a quarry being hunted on his own ground is worthy of a naturalist. His zen like descriptions of creeping black shadows on a moonless night, the whisping pant of a disturbed badger and the near silent flight of an owl - all the while as deadly man hunted hidden man in a landscape long since built over. An utterly English work and a book to be read many times.

This is Household's best book. But to truly understand it you have to rewind the decades back to a pre-War England when loyalty, honor, ones word as ones bond, all counted supreme. The protagonist is a Rogue Male, the self-sufficient loner who takes on the world and in this case Hitler and his secret service. It's the 39 Steps, it's Scouting for Boys, and you have to meet it on that level. While Dornford Yates is prissy, Household is visceral. Read the book and then see the Peter O'Toole made for TV movie. The escape from Germany, the tube murder, the flight to Dorset, the eventual showdown between the hero and smooth, smart, accomplished villain, will take your breath away. Read and re-read. Then read the follow-up he wrote 30 years later, Rogue Justice, which is truly a worthy sequel.