The Adventures of Michael MacInnes (review)

It's 1924, and Roger is traveling by train to his third boarding school (he's been dismissed from the previous two) when he meets the outrageous orphan and scholarship boy, Michael MacInnes. As entering juniors, they have a lot to prove, and Michael soon makes sure they are in the center of scandal. They enter school grounds with panache in a stolen car, and set up as chums with a taste for breaking the rules. They immediately run afoul of the overweight, morphine-addicted, corrupt proctor of their house, but it is Roger's fondness for boys (one boy in particular) and Michael's fondness for girls (one girl in particular) that spark their most dramatic adventures. As they crusade for the freedom to do as they please, they end up flying Roger's homemade zeppelin out of a tight spot, destroying a stash of potentially lethal home-brew that the proctor is selling the boys, narrowly escaping a showdown on the roof that leaves the proctor paralyzed and disempowered, and getting their romantic lives sorted in ways that make them both happy. Carney maintains a stylized 1920s sensibility in this densely plotted and well-paced school story; while its nostalgic flavor won't be to everyone's taste, there are enough twists, turns, and fistfights to satisfy old-school Hardy Boys fans, and the writing, plotting, and characterizations are solid and satisfying throughout. Occasional visitations and revelations to Michael by mystical characters add atmospheric drama without overwhelming the plot and they introduce an Indiana Jones/Allan Quatermain feel that heightens the sense of the time period; fans of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen may therefore also appreciate this offering.