The Island of Adventure (The Adventure Series)

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Until they begin to realize that something very sinister is taking place on the mysterious Isle of Gloom – where a dangerous adventure awaits them in the abandoned copper mines and secret tunnels beneath the sea. Philip and Dinah's father is dead too, but while their mother is alive and well, she's away pretty much all the time, working to earn a living and send money back to Craggy-Tops.

A lovely, unadulterated copy (no text changes unlike later editions to make the story more "PC" Beige boards, illustrated front board, spine and throughout. But I think it's very nicely written, full of colorful detail and interesting characters, and the setting of Craggy-Tops, where Philip and Dinah live, is excellent. Recovering from a very bad flu, the four children and their family make a river trip in the Middle East.

Probably the most notable henchman was Ray Uma's henchman, Taj, in "The River of Adventure", who appeared to be more intelligent than his master, and had a major role in the episode's plot. Rhys-Davies continues to play the Bond villain, explaining his entire operation and plans to Bill because it won’t matter, he’s going to die. Mostly the children get tangled up in adventures which are connected with Bill's work at the time and end up solving them for him. Dinah first meets the Trents on the station platform, and is very surprised to see them (as is Jo-Jo) as Philip had kept their arrival a secret. A little like the start of the Famous Five – the main characters meet for the first time in the first few chapters.

In my c50s reprint, the servant is a sullen, slightly mad black man with rolling eyes, and his name is Jo-Jo. Joe (formerly Jo-Jo) picks them up at the station, and as with the 90s adaptation he is now a white man, however he is still foreign. Joe, unfortunately, refuses to take the children out in his boat at all, let alone to the island, so Bill Smugs – a friendly man living in a rundown shack a mile and a half along the beach – offers to take them out in his. And despite her temper, she's a little afraid of Aunt Polly so ends up doing more chores than Philip.When they discover their guardian is sick, Jack and Lucy-Ann accept Philip's offer to spend the rest of the holiday at his new cliff top home in Cornwall. He'd developed scarlet fever during the school term and had missed a lot of school work, so he and a few others are staying at Mr Roy's (one of the teachers) to be crammed. Somehow they end up believing that Uncle Jocelyn is part of the mining operation and Bill is from a rival company. Dispatched in cardboard mailers within 24/48 Hours Mon - Friday 2pm, except bank holidays, otherwise next business day - excellent service guaranteed.