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Review
by Julian Lewis
Doctor
Syn was written by Arthur Russell Thorndike in 1915.
This was by far the sagas darkest chapter.
This story would ultimately become the climax to his saga.
It outlined the exploits, set sometime between 1795–1805, of
the parish vicar of Dymchurch whose dark past was uncoveredwhen excise
men investigated the local smuggling in Kent.
Although Syn had previously outwitted the excise men, as would
be chronicled in later books, he finally meets his match as his pirating
past finally caught up with him in the sagas conclusion.
This is my favourite of the series, and since this book was written
as a stand alone novel requires no previous knowledge of the other stories,
so can be read as the first or last in the saga.
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Syn Saga Reviewed By Clive
Griffiths
In 1915 an author by the name of Russell Thorndike
perhaps unwittingly created what was to become a legend in it's own
right. The legend was a series of books that, though based on fact the
characters, exploits, and adventures were fictitious, although if you
are lucky enough to be able to read them it is sometimes difficult to
believe that they are not all fact. The story set in the mid seventeen
hundreds was about a man called Christopher Syn an Oxford College Graduate,
Doctor of Divinity, man of many talents. The books depict one mans lifelong
struggle in the search of happiness, from the moment his new bride was
kidnapped by a former suitor the die was cast. The chain of events which
tore him from a comfortable position as vicar of Dymchurch-under-the-wall
in the county of Kent, England, drove him into the depths of despair
and then on a quest of vengeance. For years he chased them, from port
to port, country to country, sometimes getting close, but never close
enough, and if any got in his way there was only one outcome, "Death".
He became known as an infamous pirate "Captain Clegg " who rained terror
on the high seas.
After many years he decided to give up the adventurous life and return
to his original calling, even in this fate played a hand when he was
shipwrecked onto the very beach at Dymchurch where it all began. Once
again welcomed into the village by his old friend Sir Anthony Cobtree,
the local squire, he settled down into his rightful role as vicar but
inevitably this wasn't to last. One day his close friend Mipps who had
been with him through all his piratical years and had settled in the
same village came to him for help. Mipps had got himself involved in
local smuggling activities and the Customs and Excise were hot on his
heels. Syn adopts the disguise of a scarecrow and saves the necks of
all those involved and then finds himself elected as their leader. From
then on he became a kind of latter-day Robin Hood, not only looking
after the spiritual needs of his parishioners but also lining their
pockets with gold. For years he led the smuggling ring on Romney Marsh
to the benefit of all except the authorities to which he was a great
embarrassment. Eventually they catch up with him along with a ghost
from his days as "Clegg" the pirate with the resulting untimely and
somewhat sad death of Syn. Overall I have always enjoyed reading these
well-written historical mystery books.
The only criticism I have is that the author seems to have abandoned
Syn in his hour of need, help was nearby in the form of Mipps yet he
did nothing why? Did Syn really die?
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