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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 12, Issue 6 (September 1, 1937.)

John Lee's Outstanding War Novel

John Lee's Outstanding War Novel.

“Civilian Into Soldier,” by John Lee, is the most arresting and most individual novel yet written by a New Zealander. It is also one of the greatest in the world's field of war novels. After reading it one can never forget it. It is so different, but not different in style from the two earlier novels by the same author, for John Lee has created a style of his own, and it is a fine rhythmic style, full of rich red corpuscles circulating round the strong literary heart-beat of his novels. The story is of a young idealist from New Zealand, John Guy, who carries under his tunic through the hell of battle a copy of old Omar and the lock of a girl's hair. John Guy loathes this terrible military machine, but often is inebriated as it were by the blood around him, and lusts only for carnage and plunder and for the wine and women of the aftermath. His initiation at Sling Camp is a powerful indictment against militarism, but surely such a loathsome figure as R.S.M. Angley could never have existed? Then comes the gradual transition to the front line leading up to the terrible tragedy of Messines. Here the author rises to literary heights. The massing of the terrific word pictures is a triumph. In parts it is unforgettably horrible. In fact, it must be stated plainly that great and all as the book is, it is not one for everybody. In parts it is raw meat—dripping red. But to give a faithful picture, and John Lee's innate sincerity could not permit otherwise, one must call a spade a spade, or, should I say, an R.S.M. a blank, blank. John Lee lifts the lid off hell and throws the lid away. And let all who look into the ghastly cauldron pray that another war may never come to the Empire.

The book is published by T. Werner Laurie, Whitcombe and Tombs, Ltd., being the New Zealand agents.

“How to Win Friends and Interest People,” by Dale Carnegie (Angus and Robertson, Sydney) is described as “the world's No. 1 best seller of 1937.” The book is succinctly described on its jacket as being “the direct result of a lifetime's research and experience, and is the only genuinely practical manual of its kind ever written to help people to solve their daily problems in human relationships.” Certainly this should be a most helpful book for thousands of people. It tells in a simple practical fashion how to “get on with people,” and how to make them like you. Because the author shows you how to win people over to your ideas the motive behind the idea is not one of selfishness, rather one of diplomatic or tactful selflessness. And for husbands and wives there is a section of such rock bottom commonsense advice that if it were acted on, half of the world's divorce court judges would be out of their jobs to-morrow. The business man is especially catered for. The chapter “Letters that Produced Miraculous Results,” should be a small gold mine for many businesses. The book should have a big sale in these parts.

* * *

“Shanghai,” by Edmund Barclay (Angus and Robertson, Sydney) had me expectant as soon as I saw the author's name, for I remembered the thrill I was given by his earlier book, “Khyber.” Barclay takes us to China in his latest book and shows a knowledge of the wonderful East equal to the knowledge of India that he displayed to us in his “Khyber.” Leaving aside the fictional aspect of the book, the author's pictures of Shanghai and other parts of China should capture everybody. Wrapped up in a truly thrilling story the book has a twofold appeal. Love, adventure and intrigue revolve with almost bewildering rapidity round the central characters, “Jerry,” his sweetheart, Shaio Pao, the beautiful and mysterious Chinese princess, and Dr. Sheng, who loves beauty more than the multitude of evil schemes he is engaged in.