Help finding a Famous Five book ... but one not by Blyton

[TheAngryPixie]

As a kid, I distinctly remember reading a Famous Five mystery that was set on a cruise ship. It centered around a thief on board stealing necklaces.

It wasn't by Blyton, but by someone giving it the Famous Five name. But I can't find any mention of it online. Anyone know what I am talking about -- or did I imagine the whole thing.

It wasn't a fan fiction--I had it as a physical copy.

[Barnard]

It wasn’t the Five and the Black Mask was it?

[Anita Bensoussane]

I was thinking the same, Barnard - The Famous Five Versus the Black Mask by Claude Voilier:

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/boo ... Black+Mask

I read the first eight Claude Voilier Famous Five books when I was aged 11-13, but I don't remember much about them now. They felt quite different from Enid Blyton's originals. As an adult I've collected all the Claude Voilier titles that were translated from French into English (by Anthea Bell) but I haven't yet read them (or even re-read the ones I had as a child).

[db105]

I read the first eight Claude Voilier Famous Five books when I was aged 11-13, but I don't remember much about them now. They felt quite different from Enid Blyton's originals.

Yes, agreed. A completely different feel and much inferior to the originals, in my opinion. One thing I found curious about them is that they present George as the unquestioned leader of the Famous Five, unlike the originals, where Julian is the leader. I suppose Claude Voilier made that choice because George was the most popular character among the readers.

[TheAngryPixie]

That's the one!

Thanks. It's the onyl one of the sequels not by Blyton that I read, and I have been wanting to check them out. I don't remember much of Black Mask, but I must have enjyoed it as a kid because I remember bits of it.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I remember enjoying some of the Claude Voilier stories in their own right, despite feeling that these characters weren't the same Famous Five I knew from Enid Blyton's series (I'd read all 21 Enid Blyton Famous Five books, most of them several times over, before the additional titles by Claude Voilier were published in English). The style and tone of the new books was very different and I couldn't get my head round the idea of the characters becoming younger again, or drinking Coke!

[Bertie]

I don't remember anything about the Voilier books that I tried, but I remember my mum and older brothers had tried one or two and hated them and I gave them a go and hated them as well. We never went back to them and must have given them years ago and I can't even remember owning any of them.

I don't particularly bother with any continuation books really. Part of that is the nostalgia and memories aspect, so I love reading the same books and authors that remind me of my childhood rather than newer (and poorer!) imitations by other writers. And a main part of the reason I love the series is Enid, and her style of writing and the 'feel' of them (that's why I don't even enjoy some of the later EB books in the series that lack that 'feel'). I imagine those continuation books lack that. I certainly remember hating the Voilier books, and it didn't 'feel' the same whenever I tried newer PG Wodehouse continuation books, by the likes of Sebastian Failks. I'd much rather stick to the originals that I love so much!

[db105]

I'd much rather stick to the originals that I love so much!

Nothing wrong with that, and Blyton was so prolific that there's a lot of material written by her.

However, I have to say that not all continuation books are the same. I have a low opinion of Claude Voilier's Famous Five continuation books, which do not even make the slightest attempt to follow the style of the originals.

However, I have a good opinion of Pamela Cox's Malory Towers continuation novels. So much so that in my head canon they are part of the series on equal terms with the originals. They do a creditable work of following the same style, and the fact that they follow a different character in a different year (Darrell's little sister, Felicity) helps smooth over the small differences in style. I think those are worthy of being put side by side with the ones written by Enid.

I'm reading St. Clare's series right now, which also has Pamela Cox continuation novels, so I'll give them a try and see whether I also like them.

I have also liked the handful of Famous Five continuation novels that Oscar Parra de Carrizosa wrote. Those are only in Spanish, though.

[Bertie]

Yeah, totally get how others might enjoy continuation novels. But to me, they're just not Famous Five, Find-Outers, Jeeves & Wooster, etc, if they're written by another author. They're Enid's (and PG's) creations, and live in their world.

There's plenty of other good authors out there, so some might well do decent jobs of the continuations, but I'd much rather read other authors doing their thing, and only read the original Enid and PG Wodehouse books. It just doesn't have the right 'feel' to me reading about those characters by someone else. But if you can get past that, then I'm sure you can enjoy some of them.

[Boatbuilder]

Bertie, I don't know if you are a Society member receiving the Journal. There are quite a few Famous Five, Secret Seven, Findouters and Adventure book follow-ons (plus others) written by members of the Society (Isla Cheeseman [aka Daisy] and Rob Houghton to name a couple) available through the main website in the members' section. They are very good and are worth reading.

[Bertie]

Thanks for that info, Boatbuilder.
I do pay for the journal, so whether that makes me a society member or not I don't know. But I wasn't aware people on here wrote continuation stories. That's interesting to hear.

[Boatbuilder]

Yes, if you subscribe to the Journal you are classed as a 'Society Member', Bertie.

You have to log in to the Secret Passage (where these books are) - it tells you where to find the password by the log-in box.

[Anita Bensoussane]

You've probably noticed that some forumites have "Society Member" written in blue as a signature beneath their posts, Bertie - a Society badge of sorts! If you'd like to have that signature on your posts, just let me know and I'll add it for you.

[Daisy]

Bertie, I don't know if you are a Society member receiving the Journal. There are quite a few Famous Five, Secret Seven, Findouters and Adventure book follow-ons (plus others) written by members of the Society (Isla Cheeseman [aka Daisy] and Rob Houghton to name a couple) available through the main website in the members' section. They are very good and are worth reading.

Thanks for the commendation John. (My name is Ilsa, not Isla, but these days that is often used in error! I have enjoyed writing the stories which I keep as like Enid's in language of her time as possible. That isn't too difficult as I was reading her books as they were produced in the late 40s and early 50s, so I guess I absorbed her way of writing quite unconsciously.
i agree with db105 that Pamela Cox's continuation school stories are very good and i have them all.

[Boatbuilder]

Apologies for the name slip-up, Daisy.