)Thread title now shortened.
I've just re-read this book for the first time in several years: I'd forgotten some of the scenes and others I could only remember hazily.
I often decry this book at one of the worst in the series and, while I am not fundamentally changing my opinion, I was pleasantly surprised that it was much more enjoyable than I was expecting.
Probably the first thing to say is that there is quite a lot that is novel about this book, and given that book 14 is criticised for being a rehash of Book 9 (with a bit of Book 8 thrown in) this has to be a good thing. So, we have George and Anne setting off by themselves, and we don't even see the boys again until about page 60 of my edition. So that's something different for a start.
The weird happenings on the moor at night outside the spooky cottage are interesting and well-described, and I found the scene where the villainess turns up in disguise to be a bit disquieting: maybe because the illustration makes the female character look a bit like the Woman in Black (original TV version, not the recent movie)...
Finally the boys turn up, and the adventure really gets going. However, where I think the author gets it wrong is when it turns into yet another stolen scientific secrets caper. There's a lot that is unsatisfactory about this: how on earth does the main villain (Paul) even know about these tunnels and underground hiding places, when even the archaeologists digging the site didn't find them ? And how come Quentin doesn't even know the blueprints are missing if he has the only other copy in existence ?
How much better it would have been, though, if the author had have developed the story around theme of lost Roman antiquities.
For example: Professor Lawdler is on the track of valuable artefacts, following some obscure clues found in ancient manuscripts. But he takes ill, and while he's away his sons carry on with the hunt, but then they have a fall out etc as per the actual EB story.
Meanwhile, some greedy Treasure Hunters turn up to follow the clues, eager to cash in while Professor L is on his sick bed. Instead of the treasures ending up in the British Museum and saved for the nation, these guys just want to sell them to some private collector in a far off country....
So, the Five join in with the twins and try and solve the clues that lead to the identification of the hiding place (no tunnels please, just an interesting hidey place). What we would have then is something akin to the 2nd story, where they are trying to make head and tail of obscure clues, but this time no Mr Roland to do the translation.
OK, all of this is still borrowing some elements from other plots, but at least the Five would have to use their brains, and it would get us away from another stolen secrets rehash....
