The story in one page
After the Albatros air-liner is plucked from the sky, the public demands heads. Sir John Custance, the Commissioner of Air Police, faces a personal crisis when his fiancée, Constance, is among the missing. Suspecting that the authorities are looking in the wrong direction, Sir John disappears from his post to conduct a private investigation. He travels to the rugged Cornish coast accompanied by Mr. Danjuro, a Japanese 'thinking machine' with his own agenda. They discover that the mysterious Helzephron family is using a hidden tin mine and advanced aeronautics to terrorize the Atlantic air routes, leading to a final showdown in the clouds.
Who's who
- Sir John Custance
The Commissioner of Air Police seeking his kidnapped fiancée.
- Mr. Danjuro
A Japanese intellectual who executes a final act of justice.
- Helzephron
An obsessed pirate leader who believes his love is all-consuming.
- Constance Shepherd
Sir John's fiancée, held captive on the pirate airship.
- Mr. Vargus
A high-ranking pirate who meets a violent end in purple velvet.
What it's really about
- Vigilante Justice
- Sir John abandons his official post to solve the case personally.
- Technological Terror
- Advanced airships disrupt global commerce and safety.
Why it's memorable
- The dizzying sight of street rails falling at a sharp angle toward a corrugated iron hut.
- The pirate leader playing fantastic music on a piano while a Japanese executioner enters behind him.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
As the pirate ship faces defeat, Danjuro enters the cabin in ceremonial robes and decapitates the pirate Vargus before performing ritual suicide with his own sword.
For your book club
- The ethics of a police commissioner disappearing for a month during a national security crisis.
- The contrast between the pirate's 'Golden Dream' of conquest and his violent, ritualized end.