Dark Frontier, The

<i>“...when you have been nourishing your soul on expectation, reality is apt to be disappointing.”</i> <br>― Eric Ambler, The Dark Frontier<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1465792562i/19400395.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="description" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> <br><br>Eric Ambler's first novel is fun, playful, energetic and absolutely revolutionary. This is the first brick in Ambler's wall of reinvention/creation for the espionage thriller. In this novel he predicted the might and seductory qualities of nuclear weapons (in the early 1930s) and parodies the entire thriller genre at the same time. 'The Dark Frontier' also plays with the dual personality/reluctant hero theme as one of the principal narrators and the protagonist of the novel is a physicist who after suffering a brain injury ends up becoming an Über-spy. Anyway, not a superb thriller, but definitely the beginning of a great thriller career. The modern, literary spy novel owes everything to Eric Ambler's early risk taking.

Ambler's first novel was a parody of sorts and featured an odd but super-competent protagonist. It wasn't until he flipped the scenario upside down and portrayed a ordinary character trapped in extraordinary circumstances that he stumbled upon a formula that changed, and arguably pioneered, espionage fiction. This is not as smooth and satisfying of a read; fortunately, virtually all over his other novels fare better.

This was a pleasant read for a number of reasons.<br /><br />First, Eric Ambler is apparently considered by many espionage writers to be the founding father of the field. <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/1411964.John_le_Carr_" title="John le Carré" rel="noopener">John le Carré</a> <i>(<a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/19494.The_Spy_Who_Came_In_from_the_Cold" title="The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré" rel="noopener">The Spy Who Came In from the Cold</a>, <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/18989.Tinker__Tailor__Soldier__Spy" title="Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré" rel="noopener">Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy</a>)</i> described him as "the source on which we all draw." <br /><br />Second, in 1935 he somehow took what little was publicly known about atomic theory and realized that <i>E=Mc^2</i> indicated that a hypothetical "atomic bomb" would be massively destructive and politically destabilizing. So he decided to take the idea and write a "political thriller" about it. In his 1989 introduction, he wrote "In 1935 I knew, theoretically, that <i>E</i> probably equaled <i>Mc^2</i>, but could not quite accept the numerically awesome consequences of the equation. I mean, <i>c^2,</i> was such a huge and weird multiplier." So the device he conceived of as "a little larger than a Mills grenade" wasn't nearly as destructive as the multi-ton bomb actually manufactured. And, of course, he had to create the science behind his invention out of whole cloth, so it is quite anachronistic.<br /><br />And third, as an anachronism, a spy thriller from before World War II is a pleasant diversion from the complexities that have emerged since then, not the least of which is the nuclear specter he somewhat predicted.<br /><br />The fourth and final reason is the book itself: Ambler uses the tired plot device of amnesia in a delightful way -- perhaps it wasn't a cliche when he wrote this, but it still serves to reinforce the relative innocence of his time.<br /><br />This is a book that can be read in a single long evening, and I heartily recommend it.<br /><br /> <br />

I love Eric Ambler and I liked this book, but not as much as his others.

There are certain names synonymous with the term Thriller. Craig Thomas the creator of the Techno-thriller. Tom Clancy perfected the Techno-thriller. Robert Ludlum, David Morrell and Eric Van Lustbader the Masters of the Spy Thriller. But if it hadn't been for Eric Ambler the bar would have been set very low.<br /><br />The Dark Frontier is Eric Ambler's debut. It was published in 1936. The novel follows Dr. Henry Barstow as he heads to the fictional Eastern European country of Ixania. He is the only man able to understand and determine whether or not an atomic physicist named Kassen has created a nuclear bomb.

Ambler's first in which he cleverly tells a gripping tale of intrigue and sends up the endlessly capable tweed-wearing pipe smoking heroes of previous British spy thrillers by having mild Professor Barstow hero think he has become one after a blow to the head. As the blurb says on Black Lizard copy I read both wry and riveting.

Long before le Carre's George Smiley and Deighton's Harry Palmer there were Eric Ambler's accidental spies. In the 1930's the loosely defined adventure/spy genre was not much advanced from the earlier works of Erskine Childers and John Buchan Typically, Ambler would take an unassuming, unsuspecting spectator and immerse him in a world of mystery and intrigue in pre-World War II Europe. The result was a series of highly entertaining and satisfying books that many believe set the stage for the likes of le Carre, Deighton, and, most recently, Alan Furst.<br /><br />Ironically perhaps, Dark Frontier (Ambler's first book) was not as much a departure from earlier works in the genre as much as it was a parody of those works. While reading Dark Frontier after having read Ambler's later stories it struck me that by this parody perhaps he sought out to destroy the genre before recreating it. A brief look at the outlines of the story lends some small weight for this assertion.<br /><br />It is 1935 and Henry Barstow is an unassuming, unsuspecting English physicist on vacation in the English countryside. It is during this holiday that he happens to meet a gentleman calling himself Simon Groom who claims to be involved in the munitions industry. And does he have a tale to tell Henry. A small country in eastern or central Europe has successfully unleashed the power of the atom and is on the way toward creating an atomic bomb. (This in and of itself is an interesting plot twist as the idea of an atomic bomb seems quite prescient for an author writing in 1936). Groom tries to enlist Barstow's help in sabotaging the plans before the balance of power in the world is changed, and not likely for the better. Barstow laughs off the invitation and goes on his merry way. But soon enough he manages to bump himself on the head and after waking up in a concussed state believes that he is one Conway Carruthers, man about town and master spy. The rest of the book follows Barstow/Carruthers in a role best described as two-parts Walter Mitty and one-part Austin Powers. The result is a book that is two-parts entertaining and two-parts wholly unbelievable.<br /><br />Dark Frontier is far from Ambler's best work. For him the best was yet to come. Yet at the same time it was enjoyable to read. The plotting was good (once you got over the bump-on-the head premise) and the story had enough twists and turns to keep me engaged in it. Ambler's prose can be very funny and the observations made by Carruthers as he careens from pillar to post in this eastern European quasi-police state were both funny and sometimes acerbic.<br /><br />I heartily recommend this book to any fan of Ambler. Anyone who has read and enjoyed his later works will certainly derive some benefit to seeing where his writing life started in earnest. For someone new to Ambler I would not suggest you start here. I think if you start here you may not feel compelled to explore his other stories and that would be a great loss. Anyone who likes Alan Furst (amongst others should like Ambler) and I would suggest starting with any of the following, in no particular order: A Coffin for Dimitrios; Epitaph for a Spy; or Cause for Alarm

For fans of espionage in general, or Eric Ambler in particular, this may be of interest. The earliest of his novels, it shows the skills he would finely hone in later works (e.g., The Mask of Dimitrios, Epitaph for a Spy, State of Siege) as well as some youthful exuberance he would prune from later writing (a bit too much "in the nick of time" heroism). Aside from the plot, which can readily be found online, the noteworthy aspect of this novel is a dramatic shift in point of view halfway through, something I cannot remember encountering in other novels, certainly none of Ambler's. It is forecast by an equally surprising change in the protagonist's name (from Barstow, a British professor of physics, to Conway Carruthers, Our Intrepid Hero), which seems triggered by a car crash. This alter ego, whom Barstow seems to willingly choose (though why isn't clear at the time), creates a bit of confusion. Is this real? Is Barstow dreaming everything that happens after the crash? (The explanation isn't resolved until the epilogue). The POV change happens midway and is marked as such, which makes the reader see Barstow/Carruthers from inside and outside, thus questioning whether the protagonist's derring-do and Bond-like equanimity is as much hero-worship by the second major character (Casey, the American journalist) as it is self-delusion or genuine self-discovery of hitherto unknown depths of courage and resourcefulness. In fact, one wonders if Ambler wasn't consciously spoofing the Bulldog Drummond-like fictional heroes of the time. As a lifelong fan of Ambler, who enjoyed this as an example of the artist as a young man (he he was 27 at the time), I would advise that if you have heard of him and want to know what he was about ("Did John le Carré really say Ambler was 'the source on which we all draw'?"), start with Mask of Dimitrios or Epitaph for a Spy, not here.

I read this because it appears that Ambler's Epitaph for a Spy may be an upcoming BYT group read. My library branch had this one and I thought I'd see how I like Eric Ambler's writing. I remember--very vaguely--reading A Coffin for Dimitrios back in high school, during a summer spent with Helen MacInnes, Dorothy L Sayers, and others.<br /><br />Dark Frontier was an enjoyable read that I raced through in an afternoon. I feel a little guilty giving it 3 stars, the same rating I just gave Lady Chatterley's Lover. Dark Frontier was not great literature and must be considered what Graham Greene would have called an "entertainment." As such, it was quite good. Indeed, in many ways it reminded me of Greene's The Ministry of Fear. (not nearly as good, though)<br /><br />One of my favorite quotes from the book was: "Ideals are the principal produce of America. That's why we had to invent salesmanship and publicity. Without them we should never have been able to make the ideals racket pay." I also liked "Patriotism in high places is another name for personal ambition, intellectual dishonesty, and avarice."

Classic Ambler who personally I find far more enjoyable and durable than Greene. Wit and pathos aplenty in this tale set in the mythical state of Ixania -- which sounds like somewhere Tintin or Rupert of Hentzau might abide -- and Professor Barstow/Carruthers adventures with a swathe of intriguing characters some more appealing than others from dastardly army officers to naive revolutionaries to a puppeteer Princess. Won't give the plot away, only to say that even nine years away from the atom bomb being unleashed on the world Ambler's central topic revolves round just that...beautifully written... 'Ifs are as enthralling as they are unprofitable...'....'The surf hissed lazily through the pebbles. A breeze had begun to blow off the sea and I turned up the collar on my overcoat as I walked on. It was cold for the time of year.' Masterful.