Passage of Arms
Encyclopedia
Passage of Arms is a novel by Eric Ambler
, written in 1959. It is a fast paced thriller about the discovery of a cache of arms abandoned by communist insurgents in the jungle of Malaya
, and the transfer of the arms via Singapore
to Indonesia
. The book is structured as a story within a story within a story. The outer story is that of Girija Krishnan, the Tamil plantation clerk who finds the cache and sells it. Within this is the story of an entrepreneurial Chinese trading family who arranges the transfer. At the center is the story of an American couple, Greg and Dorothy Nilsen, who are used to legitimize the transaction and find themselves drawn into a situation of great danger - a theme of "innocents abroad" that recurs through Ambler's writings.
The book combines humor, suspense and action into a gripping narrative with vivid characterization and exotic locales. It is one of Ambler's most successful novels.
Eric Ambler
Eric Clifford Ambler OBE was an influential British author of spy novels who introduced a new realism to the genre. Ambler also used the pseudonym Eliot Reed for books co-written with Charles Rodda.-Life:...
, written in 1959. It is a fast paced thriller about the discovery of a cache of arms abandoned by communist insurgents in the jungle of Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
, and the transfer of the arms via Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The book is structured as a story within a story within a story. The outer story is that of Girija Krishnan, the Tamil plantation clerk who finds the cache and sells it. Within this is the story of an entrepreneurial Chinese trading family who arranges the transfer. At the center is the story of an American couple, Greg and Dorothy Nilsen, who are used to legitimize the transaction and find themselves drawn into a situation of great danger - a theme of "innocents abroad" that recurs through Ambler's writings.
The book combines humor, suspense and action into a gripping narrative with vivid characterization and exotic locales. It is one of Ambler's most successful novels.
External sources
- "Passage of Arms" Review in Things Asian. Retrieved 25 Jan 2009.
- "Eric Ambler" Bastulli Mystery Library. Retrieved 25 Jan 2009.