No Man's Land by H.C. McNeile (1919)

The novel is a World War I story about a British officer who deserts his post and joins the French Foreign Legion to escape the horrors of war. He becomes embroiled in a conflict between the Legion and a group of Arab rebels, and must navigate the complexities of loyalty, duty, and identity.

By H.C. McNeile · First published 1919 · Genre: War, Adventure, Historical Fiction · 19 chapters · 106,905 words

First lines

I

It came suddenly when it did come, it may be remembered. Every one knew it was coming, and yet -- it was all so impossible, so incredible. I remember Clive Draycott looking foolishly at his recall telegram in the club -- he had just come home on leave from Egypt -- and then brandishing it in front of my nose.

What this Textopian page supports

No Man's Land is listed on Textopian as a novel by H.C. McNeile, dated 1919 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Novel
• Author: H.C. McNeile
• Date: 1919 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: War, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Drama
• Length: 106,905 words
• Structure: 19 chapters, 1,394 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for No Man's Land by H.C. McNeile
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Discussion starters

• What should a reader notice first when entering No Man's Land?
• How does this novel by H.C. McNeile fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
• Where does War first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

• Echoes Of The War by J. M. Barrie
• The Soldiers Story Being A Bit Of Orange Peel by H. C. Mcneile
• Somewhere In France by Richard Harding Davis
• The Valley Of The Shadow by H. C. Mcneile
• The Waterloo Veteran by Edward William Thomson
• With The Allies by Richard Harding Davis

Genres

• War — The book is set during World War I and focuses on the experiences of soldiers in the trenches.
• Adventure — The narrative includes elements of danger and exploration typical of adventure stories.
• Historical Fiction — The story is based on historical events and settings from World War I.
• Thriller — The plot contains suspenseful and tense situations that are characteristic of thrillers.

Tags

War Fiction · Adventure Novel · British Literature · World War I · Action Thriller · Male Protagonist · Soldier's Life · Trench Warfare · Shell Shock · Psychological Trauma · Survival Story · Escape Plot

Contents

• The Way to the Land
• A Day of Peace
• The Seed
• Harvest
• Over the Top
• The First Lesson
• The Man-Trap
• An Impersonal Demonstration
• A Point of Detail
• Somewhat more Personal
• My Lady of the Jasmine
• A Project and some Side-Issues
• Morphia
• The Second Lesson, and some further Side-Issues
• Bendigo Jones -- his Tree
• The Third Lesson, and a Digression
• The Song of the Bayonet
• The Third Lesson is Learned
• "and other Fell on Good Ground"

More by H.C. McNeile

• The Saving Clause (1927)
• Jim Maitland (1923)
• Mufti (1915)
• Men, Women and Guns (1916)
• The Man in Ratcatcher (1922)
• An Arrow at a Venture (1922)
• The House by the Headland (1919)
• The Man who Would not Play Cards (1925)
• All works by H.C. McNeile