The Last Secrets by John Buchan
The story revolves around a young man who becomes embroiled in a mystery involving a cryptic message and a hidden treasure. He teams up with an older woman to decipher the clues and uncover the truth behind the message, which leads them on a perilous journey across Europe. Along the way, they encounter various obstacles and adversaries, including rival treasure hunters and sinister figures who will stop at nothing to claim the treasure for themselves.
By John Buchan · First published 1909 · Genre: Thriller, Adventure, Mystery · 9 chapters · 64,857 words
First lines
Till the summer of 1904 if one had been asked what was the most mysterious spot on the earth's surface the reply would have been Lhasa. It was a place on which no Englishman had cast an eye for a hundred years and no white man for more than half a century. In our prosaic modern world there remained one city among the clouds about which no tale was too strange for belief. The greatest of mountain barriers shut it off from the south, and on the north it was guarded by leagues of waterless desert. Explorer after explorer had set out on the quest, but all had stopped short before the golden roofs of the sacred city could be seen from any hill-top. Even in early days the place had never been explored, for the visitors had been jealously watched and hurried quickly away. In the Potala might be treasures of a culture long hidden to the world, lost treatises of Aristotle, unknown Greek poems, relics, perhaps, of the mystic kingdom of Kubla Khan, riches of gold and jewels drawn from the four corners of Asia.
What this Textopian page supports
The Last Secrets is listed on Textopian as a novel by John Buchan, dated 1909 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: John Buchan
- Date: 1909 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Thriller, Adventure, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
- Length: 64,857 words
- Structure: 9 chapters, 482 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Last Secrets by John Buchan
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Last Secrets?
- How does this novel by John Buchan fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Thriller first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Thriller — The plot involves suspenseful and high-stakes situations that keep readers on edge.
- Adventure — The narrative includes elements of exploration and perilous journeys.
- Mystery — The story features secrets and puzzles that need to be unraveled.
- Historical Fiction — The setting and context are rooted in historical events, providing depth to the narrative.
Tags
Adventure · Mystery · Thriller · Espionage · Spy Fiction · Historical Fiction · War Story · Action · Suspense · Plot Twist · Clandestine Operations · Secret Service
Contents
- Lhasa
- The Gorges of the Brahmaputra
- The North Pole
- The Mountains of the Moon
- The South Pole
- Mount Mckinley
- The Holy Cities of Islam
- The Exploration of New Guinea
- Mount Everest