Mark Steyn's Tales for Our Time is a unique feature of The Mark Steyn Club - and, we're pleased to say, one of our most popular: Mark's audio serialisations of classic literature from Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, via some neglected but highly pertinent gems such as Conan Doyle's tale of proto-jihadists preying on foolish westerners, The Tragedy of the Korosko.
Our current caper introduces a character who would be a boffo bestseller for the next four decades - Sapper's Bulldog Drummond. After last night's episode, John Wilson, a First Week Founding Member of The Mark Steyn Club, writes from Colorado:
Hmmm... the return of the tantalus. 'Return of the Tantalus' sounds like a episode of what: Sherlock Holmes or maybe Inspector Clouseau
Anyway, I'm thoroughly enjoying the exploits of Captain Drummond. Thank you, Mark!
Don't knock the tantalus, John. It'll get you through the darker days - and, indeed, some of the grimmer moments in Part Twenty-One of our tale. In tonight's episode Drummond and his friends entrusted to the care of the Boche:
"Food for you, you English swine," he remarked, looking gloatingly at each in turn. "Herr Lakington the order gave, so that you will fit be to-morrow morning. Fit for the torture." He thrust his flushed face close to Drummond's, and then deliberately spat at him.
Algy Longworth gave a strangled grunt, but Drummond took no notice. For the past half-hour he had been sunk in thought, so much so that the others had believed him asleep. Now, with a quiet smile, he looked up at the German.
"How much, my friend," he remarked, "are you getting for this?"
Members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear Mark read Part Twenty-One of our tale simply by clicking here and logging-in. Earlier episodes can be found here.
Steyn will be right back here tomorrow with Part Twenty-Two of Bulldog Drummond. If you're minded to join us in The Mark Steyn Club in this our eighth season, you're more than welcome. You can find more information here. And, if you have a chum you think might enjoy Tales for Our Time (so far, we've covered H G Wells, P G Wodehouse, Dickens, Conrad, Kipling, Kafka, Gogol, Baroness Orczy, Victor Hugo, Louisa May Alcott, O Henry, John Buchan, Scott Fitzgerald and more), we have a special Gift Membership.