• The Thirty-Nine Steps

  • By: John Buchan
  • Narrated by: Robert Powell
  • Length: 3 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (646 ratings)
The Thirty-Nine Steps  By  cover art

The Thirty-Nine Steps

By: John Buchan
Narrated by: Robert Powell

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

An espionage thriller that has been called the first great spy novel, it has sustained its popularity, being embraced by each new generation.

The first in a series of five audiobooks it features the spy Richard Hannay, an action hero with a stiff upper lip who gets caught up in a dangerous race against a plot by German spies to destroy the British war effort.

When Richard Hannay offers sanctuary to an American agent seeking his help in stopping a political assassination, he takes the first step on a trail of peril, murder, and espionage. Days later the agent's murdered body turns up in Hannay's flat, making him the prime suspect.

Knowing he's next he goes into hiding in Scotland, but in his possession is the American agent's little black book that holds the key to the conspiracy. On the run from both the police and members of a mysterious organisation that will stop at nothing to keep their secrets hidden, the book has become one of the most influential chase books, adopted by many, including Hollywood, but with an unrivalled tension.

The novel has been the basis for many adaptations although most have departed from the text. Most famous is Alfred Hitchcock's classic film The 39 Steps released in 1935.

Narrator Biography

Robert Powell received his first starring role in The Italian Job (1969) and is best known for the title role in the television series Jesus of Nazareth (1977). He received Best Actor awards for his performances in Imperativ (1982) and Harlequin (1980). His television career has included appearing in BBC One's Holby City (2005-2011) and the "science-fact" drama Doomwatch (1970) as well as starring alongside Jasper Carrott in the sitcom The Detectives (1993-1997). He has a distinctive voice that has narrated documentaries including World War II in HD Colour, Hitler's Bodyguard, The Story of the Third Reich and Secrets of World War II. In 2013 he narrated the dramatic television series The Bible. He has narrated many fictional and historical audiobooks including Rebecca's Tale, The Well-Beloved and The Thirty-Nine Steps.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Thirty-Nine Steps

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Performance
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Story
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Way different to the movies

This is a classic adventure story of its day, very well read by Robert Powell. It is dated, but quite enjoyable still if you regard it as a period piece. I was expecting it to be very similar to the original Alfred Hitchcock movie made in England in 1935, but the movie only bears a superficial resemblance to the book. Even the significance of the '39 Steps' title is completely different between the book and movie. A good 'read' nevertheless.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant Narration of a Classic!

Exceptional story telling of a well scripted novel. Evil is so poignantly described in that it is scarcely noticeable to the eye of the average onlooker. The protagonist doesn't miss a detail!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Quite good story, but moves fast, but written 1915

5 stars and written in 1915. Is a bit rushed and not much to characters other than our protagonist, but enough details you can picture them, the scenery, and follow along.
Considered the first real spy novel.
I actually quite enjoyed that there was a lot of action too.

Netflix's Operation Mincemeat which is totally worth watching too, had one of the main characters reading this as a bedtime story to his son. So I looked it up and also about original author. That his daughter counted 78 steps while he was recuperating and halved it to get the 39 in our title and the story.

Worth your time!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome!!

This narration was so perfect! I couldn’t stop listening. I’ve never actually read this genre before. But this narration and the story drew me in.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

International Intrigue

This narrative moves quickly, but it never seems that the events of the narrative are being pushed to further the action. Though the actions of three weeks are compressed into just four hours of story-telling, the story never feels rushed. While Richard Hannay is thrust into political intrigue, his history as a military officer and mining engineer allows him to engage with German operatives without being out of his element. Though perhaps the narrative allows him to escape too easily from capture or figure out connections a little too readily, this story is quite enjoyable and worth the time.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Referred by a movie "Operation Mincemeat"

So, Colin Firth was reading this aloud to his son in the movie and it piqued my interest. Was delighted to see it here and enjoyed the heck out of it.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great lead, cracking yarn - excellently narrated

Robert Donat was wonderful in Hitchcock's 1935 adaptation of the novel - but the novel IS quite a bit different. In the novel, there's nothing charming, there's no romance, women are, in fact, barely present. The lead character is a man of action, he's in London, and he's plain bored. He almost jumps at the idea of a wild spy tale he's told - finally, there's action! While some of the plot comes together a bit too conveniently, this is a classic. Absolutely - and another the reason a listener will definitely not be disappointed is Robert Powell - this really is marvelously narrated.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • No
  • 07-15-14

Buchan - maybe the father of this genre.

Would you listen to The Thirty-Nine Steps again? Why?

Yes. I like the story. I like the movie adaptations. It is a war story with enemy agents daring do and a good plot.

What other book might you compare The Thirty-Nine Steps to and why?

All of his books. I particularly liked this because there are no damsels in distress.

What aspect of Robert Powell’s performance would you have changed?

His voice is a little grating, flat, and slow at the same time. His reading didn't convey the excitement of the most, well, exciting parts.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"The Thirty Nine Steps not an adaptation"

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Rj
  • 09-09-22

Unique thriller!

The narrator made this exciting. A wonderfully intriguing plot of a man on the run.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

A horribly dated classic

This is one of the milestones in suspense, and, in particular, espionage fiction. But listen to it only if, like me, you're a student of this genre. The plot line is laughable -- one ludicrous coincidence after another. The rendition by William Powell is excellent.

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1 person found this helpful