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Hammond Innes
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Wreckers Must Breathe (U) Hardcover – Large Print, January 1, 1968

by Hammond Innes (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 233 ratings
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In 1939 the author was in Cornwall under the slowly darkening clouds of war. He watched the BritishFleet sail down the Channel to action stations. He talked to the coastguards and fishermen about the threat of U-Boats off the Cornish coast. Out of these experiences grew an astonishing story of espionage, violence and the claustrophobic stress of life under the sea.
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  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    Ulverscroft
  3. Publication date
    January 1, 1968
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 1 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0854566449
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0854566440
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ulverscroft (January 1, 1968)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0854566449
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0854566440
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.23 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 233 ratings

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Hammond Innes

Hammond Innes

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
233 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

David C. Beam
5.0 out of 5 stars Top Notch War-Mystery-Crime Thriller
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2017
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Hammond Innes was a superb British novelist specializing in sea stories. As with most mid-to-late 19th century British writers his writing is best-quality, and the plot of this book is exciting and original. He doesn't need to rely on graphic violence or sex to make this tale compelling. The book is set in WW2-era Cornwall, and is in equal parts war, crime, and mystery-adventure novel. A very enjoyable read.
2 people found this helpful
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Adelle
5.0 out of 5 stars Another good Innes story
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2014
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I enjoyed this story, as I have enjoyed all Innes novels. This one could have been titled better, so don't let that throw you off. It was interesting and I didn't want to put it down. There just isn't anything written these days that equals these classics for pure simple reading pleasure.
4 people found this helpful
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Salty Joe
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic stories, but based in the real world
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2015
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Hammond Innes never wrote a book about a place without going there and putting his feet in the shoes of the people you meet in his stories. Fantastic stories, but based in the real world, so you learn as you are entertained.
4 people found this helpful
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Mark R.
3.0 out of 5 stars I was hoping for more.
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2017
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The novel for the most part was quite boring
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Crazy Carrie
2.0 out of 5 stars time line is really screwed up
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2019
The main character seems to know everything about WW2 from the 1st day of war with Germany (one example: concentration camps). He also has the Germany submarine navy totally losing their morale about the 3rd day of the war over their major losses. I seem to recall that the English were at "war" with the Germans for quite some time before anything really occurred. These and a lot of other time line issue failures ruined the story in my opinion.
One person found this helpful
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H. Jin
3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good start, with the Innes elements already in place
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2010
This was Hammond Innes' first book, published just after the outbreak of WW2. Like a number of his wartime books such as 'Trojan Horse' and 'Attack Alarm', this book revolves around a clever and highly original German infiltration of Britain.

What is interesting is that even at this early stage, the typical Innes elements are all in place. Walter Craig is the "everyman", a drama critic on holiday who through no fault of his own gets drawn into the story. Maureen Weston is a capable, resourceful, and very engaging heroine; the narrative actually shifts to allow her to tell her story through extended letters, which is not something I believe Innes ever did again. Logan, too, is a fascinating; Innes has already established his trademark of making the most interesting character someone other than the narrator.

The central plot is very clever, and the story progresses quite well. The only issue I have is with the ending. The idea of a handful of people overpowering hundreds of experienced German sailors is a bit far-fetched, even if the way in which Craig and Logan go about it is well thought out. Innes generally avoided such gung-ho theatrics in his books.

Since it's his first book, 'Wreckers Must Breathe' is as good a place as any to start with Hammond Innes. Just be aware that this isn't quite as solid as his late 40's and 50's work, and has nowhere near the depth of his epic 60's-90's novels.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Ruggero B.
2.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful descriptions of the country and of the history. Unfortunately unbelievable plot
Reviewed in Italy on November 8, 2023
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See above
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Noel
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic espionage story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2017
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written at outbreak of WWII this novel captures the beginning of the fear and unknown as the world descended into destruction
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Wreckers must breathe – and so must readers, occasionally
Reviewed in Germany on June 15, 2013
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Wreckers must breathe – and so must readers, occasionally.

I never read this book when I was a teenager: one of about three Innes novels that slipped past unnoticed, or I simply did not find a copy of it in my own father's collection. So what...

… So a heck of a lot. It's a great read for getting back into the Innes world. I suspect this writer will only grow in popularity anyway. His romantic penchant captures something of a world we shall never see or experience again: something raw and unspoiled. Something we are already beginning to miss.

The story itself was great; fast moving, plausible, a mixture of styles... I was a little sceptical about the epistolary technique of the mid-section, but warmed to it fast, as I warmed to the female character of the story - she gets a good part through her writing (unlike some of the later novels, where the women are more accessory.)

I did not know what to expect, and just read, and as the plot thickened, and as the walls of the prisons thickened, so I became more and more engrossed. As a sub-fan, and reader of many stories that have submarines as their focus (a great Reeman fan), this story caught my attention fast.

If it felt a little old in some respects, the style and the narrative the characterisation all exude great skill – and yet, this was one of Innes' earlier novels. He knew what he was doing, right from the start. Frankly, it was superb read, and has enabled me to ease myself back into the world of Innes. I have every intention of re-reading all his novels, with a particular predilection for all of those written before “The Black Tide”.
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B. Pullan
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Realistic & atmospheric.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2013
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I bought this book as it was one of the earliest books by Hammond Innes. I read most of his books many years ago and have now started to collect them thanks to Amazon. I loved this one as it was so descriptive of being in a submarine, I felt like I'd been there in it. There's nobody who can write about being at sea like he can, you feel like you have just gone on the voyage with him.
I particularly liked the German Sub commanders, they were just as I'd expect them to be and I actually quite liked them..
I didn't care for the main character who was captured by them.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Retro action
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2020
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Took me back
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