John MacNab

By: John Buchan

Narrated by: Steve King

John Buchan published his second most famous novel, John MacNab. Three high-flying men—a barrister, a cabinet minister, and a banker—are suffering from boredom. They concoct a plan to cure it. They inform three Scottish estates that they will poach from each two stags and a salmon in a given time. They sign collectively as "John McNab" and await the responses. This novel is a light interlude within the Leithen Stories series—an evocative look at the hunting, shooting, and fishing lifestyle in Highland Scotland.

Public Domain (P)2022 John Pridmore

Great book, expectations exceeded

Should have read it a long time ago, but wasn’t compelled by the story - my mistake

Excellent!

A very lively story, and well read. I started this after finishing the 39 Steps, and was not disappointed. This one is more of an adventure than a spy thriller, so there’s no doomsday plot, and it has more and better developed characters. Buchan’s obvious love of the Scottish countryside makes it nearly come to life.

One of Buchan’s Best!

This is a superb reading of one of my favourite novels. The stakes are lower than in many Buchan books—there’s no international espionage, no war raging, and no villain to speak of—but there are lovable characters (many of whom appear in his other novels as well), wonderful descriptive scene setting and interwar period detail, high jinks both humorous and exciting, and even a budding romance. It’s all great fun, and the reader does a marvellous job with the material. Highly recommended to all lovers of early 20th century adventure!

Couldn't finish

Loved the thirty nine steps and even greenmantle but man this story was a real snoozefest.