THE LABOURS OF HERCULES. – Buch gebraucht kaufen

000614196X

(ISBN-13: 9780006141969)

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9th edition

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Englisch

THE LABOURS OF HERCULES.

Step into the captivating world of ''The Labours of Hercules'' by Agatha Christie, where you''ll join the renowned detective Hercule Poirot on an emotionally charged adventure. As you accompany Poirot on a mission mirroring the legendary tasks of Hercules, you''ll experience the range of emotions driving his pursuit of justice. The book takes you through the thrill of pursuit, frustration of dead ends, and satisfaction of solving intricate mysteries. The diverse emotions of exotic settings and enigmatic characters mirror the complexity of the cases Poirot undertakes. Beyond solving puzzles, the book immerses you in Poirot''s world, sharing his thoughts, uncertainties, and victories. Each twist, revelation, and surprise presents the emotional weight of Poirot''s challenges, offering an emotional journey that lets you step into Poirot''s shoes and feel the excitement of each investigation. Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster as you journey alongside one of literature''s most iconic detectives.

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Reviews by the press:

"Twelve little mast eces of detection. Poirot and Agatha Christie at their inimitable best." Sunday Express

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About the author:

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (1890-1976) was a British novelist. The world edition of her books is said to be over two billion, making her one of the most successful authors in literary history.

She became known above all for a large number of detective novels and short stories, which were also filmed several times with great success for cinema and television and adapted for the stage. Her most famous creations are the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot with his friend Arthur Hastings and the spinster Miss Marple. There are also other recurring characters such as the couple Tommy and Tuppence Beresford or Inspector Battle, Sir Henry Clithering or the crime writer Mrs. Ariadne Oliver.

Agatha Christie has received numerous awards, including the Best Crime Writer of the Century award presented at the Anthony Boucher Memorial World Mystery Convention.

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Quotes from Agatha Christie:

"Marry an archaeologist! The older you get, the more interesting he finds you!" - Agatha Christie

"Evil never goes unpunished, but sometimes the punishment is a mystery." - Agatha Christie

"The most sensible thing that has been said about marriage and celibacy is this: Whatever you do, you will regret it." - Agatha Christie

"Conversations are always dangerous when you want to hide something." - Agatha Christie

"I have learned that you cannot turn back, that the essence of life is to move forward. Life is really a one-way street." - Agatha Christie

"...if there is no humility, people humble themselves." - Agatha Christie

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Reviews by readers:

"A fun read. As a novice to the mystery genre, I very much liked this book. Although there is an attempt to form a continuing thread throughout the chapters of this book, it is really just 12 little mysteries with their own characters (with Poirot being the only real common character), plots, and suspense.

As a result, avid mystery readers might be put off by the lack of detail and story in each storylet. However, each one is rather compelling in its own right (although some are certainly better than others). Thus, the reader doesn''t have to put much of an investment in any of them; soon after the situation is presented, the resolution appears.

I''d recommend this book to those who haven''t read many mysteries and are curious to see what they''re about." - Dean Chung



"Poirot in his pompous pomp.

I was sceptical before reading this. Poirot has famously avoided doing anything strenuous all his working life. He certainly has nothing obvious in common with the all-action hero who completed these tasks as penance for killing his own wife and two children.

It didn’t make sense. Pretentious even. A step too far - even for an inveterate snob like Poirot. I wondered whether Agatha had finally snapped and set her little Belgian detective up for 379 pages of ridicule?

The self-imposed challenge is simple enough. Poirot is considering retirement (again!) when he’s introduced to the labours of Hercules by a friend. He decides his final twelve cases will mimic these classics of Greek mythology. Each one is presented as a short story. None will set your pulse racing but the more you read, the more you realise Agatha has trodden a thin line with great care and precision. She’s indulged her incredible imagination and played fast and loose with Poirot’s reputation. But, despite it all, his outrageous sense of superiority is still lovable and only outshone by the magnificence of his moustache. I, for one, am immensely relieved he made it to the end with his credibility intact. Thank you Agatha.

The Nemean Lion
Poirot’s first labour is easy enough, if a little prosaic given the source material. The man-eating lion with impenetrable fur and claws that could cut through armour becomes a pampered Pekingese. The harmless pet is used in a highly organised dog kidnapping scam that he’s asked to investigate with unexpected results. Luckily, Agatha has applied the metaphore loosely and Poirot doesn’t strangle then skin little Augustus after finding him. Something his alter ego, Hercules, would have done for its pelt back in the day.

The Lernaean Hydra
Jealosy and anger drive the rumours that Dr Oldfield killed his poorly wife. Gossip spreads like the monstrous nine-headed serpent that terrorised the Lernaean countryside in Greek mythology. It threatens to overwhelm and destroy him. But how does Poirot stop gossip that grows and multiplies every time he tries to end it?

The Arcadian Deer
Poirot agrees to search for the love of his car mechanic’s life. He pursues her across Europe but unlike the fleet-footed hind that evades Hercules for a year, Poirot finds Nita quite quickly. Only she no longer snorts fire and doesn’t have golden antlers or bronze hooves. In fact, she might not be the one he’s looking for after all.

The Erymanthian Boar
This beast lived on a mountain and came down to menace people, livestock, and crops. Searching for his own murderous boar, Poirot takes a funicular railway to an almost deserted hotel high in the Alps. Cut off from the outside world by an act of sabotage, he’s in mortal danger from an unseen enemy and needs all his cunning to outwit his predator and hand them over to the police.

The Augean Stables
News of corruption at the very highest level of politics is about to break. The government is in a mess on a scale they compare to the Augean stables. A place that contained thousands of cattle and hadn’t been cleaned for 30 years. In ancient times, Hercules diverted two rivers in order to clear it out in a day. Now, Poirot needs to perform a modern miracle of similar proportions to avoid a political scandal. His solution doesn’t involve redirecting the river Thames but does almost result in him being physically assaulted by the PM!

The Stymphalean Birds
This is an incredibly clever plot that plays on the gullibility of the innocent. The symbolism is directed at two old harpies who prey on the vulnerable. An accidental killing under compromising circumstances means Harold Waring’s political career hangs by a thread - until Poirot plays his bronze castanets. For me this is Agatha’s greatest short story. Genius.

The Cretan Bul
This is a story about a family broken by its past and the symbolism is quite subtle. Hugh Chandler is a strong and healthy naval man convinced he’s going mad. The evidence is strong but his fiancé thinks of him as a gift from the sea. She won’t accept his father’s wish to hide his bull-like son from society and asks Poirot to seek out the truth. Which he does with deadly consequences.

The Horses of Diomedes
For me, this is the weakest of the labours. It’s written like an early draft that was never edited. Maybe Agatha grew frustrated with the project at this point and lost her way in a labyrinth of her own making? These things happen in Greek mythology.

The plot is thin - even for a short story. Poirot is tasked with taming the wild, man-eating daughters of a General. At least one is involved with drugs and a local doctor is concerned for her welfare. The only jeopardy here is whether Poirot can bring them under control before succumbing to the ramblings of those he seeks information from. Yes there’s a twist but by the end I was past caring. Think “Postern of Fate” and you’ll get the idea.

The Girdle of Hippolyta
This highly contrived but enjoyable story is the shortest of Poirot’s labours. It’s also the first of three to include Chief Inspector Japp, last seen in One, Two, Buckle My Shoe. Poirot reluctantly travels to France to trace a Rubén’s masterpiece stolen from a friend’s London art gallery. With little enthusiasm for the missing painting, he jumps at the chance to also help Japp investigate the case of a girl who mysteriously disappears from a moving train while on a school trip to Paris. Inevitably, the two incidents are linked and Poirot is eventually attacked by a tribe of Amazons wanting his autograph!

The Flock of Geryon
Last seen as the criminal mastermind in The Nemean Lion, Mrs Carnaby becomes the hero as she infiltrates a religious sect to help Poirot uncover a murderous scheme. But why’s it so important she tells The Great Shepherd she’s recovering from tuberculosis and is the strange Mr Cole really as mad as his lurid visions suggest? This is a fast moving and cleverly imagined plot with Chief Inspector Japp once more involved. The description of the retreat by the sea, with it’s religious services and rituals, is so rich and detailed it’s hard not to believe Green Hills Sanctuary exists and that Agatha was one of its flock.

The Apples of Hesperides
Wealthy art collector, Emery Power, buys a golden goblet depicting a jewelled serpent wound around an apple tree. But it’s stolen before he receives it and Power commissions Poirot to recover the valuable historical artefact. Frustratingly for an action-averse Poirot, suspects linked to the theft live all around the world. He therefore asks his modern day Prometheus to “put a girdle round the Earth” by enlisting detective agencies to investigate them. The symbolism continues when Poirot eventually arrives on the west coast of Ireland and Atlas helps him gain access to the Secret Garden where Poirot believes the goblet is being kept. But what would you do with a religious relic once used by an evil Pope to bring death on others that’s now innocently employed as a chalice during Holy Communion?

The Capture of Cerberus
For me, Poirot’s twelfth and final labour is the most powerful and evocative. Rising from the depths of Hades on a crowded London Underground escalator, our slightly crumpled hero sees his femme fatale, Countess Vera Rossakoff, heading in the opposite direction. With typical flamboyance, she announces she’s going to Hell - and Poirot’s highly efficient Secretary, Miss Lemon, very soon books Poirot a table there! But what does the former police dog, Cerberus, guard at the gates of this particular Hell? Chief Inspector Japp has his suspicions but it’s Poirot who has all the answers - and the dog!

Agatha’s original unpublished version of The Capture of Cerberus is also included. It’s set just before the outbreak of World War II, heavily political, and depicts a thinly disguised Adolf Hitler. It’s an acquired taste. Not something I enjoyed reading and I’m not really surprised Strand magazine rejected it since they wanted something for publication in 1940." - J. G. Osborn

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Condition: Used. Pages darkened due to age.

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