I didn't really like it. Apart from the very first revelation, I guessed every single one of them from the very first clue, which did not make me feel like Hercule Poirot but instead made me feel cheated. Basically I thought this was going to be a real thriller, perhaps even a nightmare, but instead it was a a clunky dud. ( )

This book (100 years old) has been called a metaphysical thriller, and now I see why. It's got a sort of whimsical grace, goofy bomb-throwing anarchists, fearful hallucinogenic writing, and lots of laugh-out-loud moments. I see the Prisoner in it, maybe some C.S. Lewis. It's told with a straight face, but sneaking occasional winks, and giving you farce while keeping a quiet honesty and reality. Totally worth reading. ( )

Good adventure / spy novel until the end where it gets all metaphorical or something. ( )

Amazing. ( )

This is my second attempt at G.K. Chesterton and he is not for me. It was something close to torture for me to read this, but it was short enough that I hung in to the finish. This is an allegory based around a mysterious anarchical committee, the governing body of a group of anarchists. Syme is sent by Scotland Yard to infiltrate the group and he does so by meeting an anarchist at a party, the poet Gregory, who takes him to a meeting.

It is impossible to explore the plot any further without giving away the entire premise of the book, and it is even more difficult to discuss the allegorical meanings without doing so. Beyond that, I really did not find this enlightening or interesting enough to want to.

It is my understanding that this is considered a classic psychological mystery by many important scholars. They apparently find something in it that awes them, but it did not affect me in that way. I could see much of what Chesterton was attempting, but I felt I was required to suffer to get to it and sadly found it not worth the effort.

2-stars and no more Chesterton for me.
( )