Customer Reviews

The Phantom Freighter (The Hardy Boys, No. 26)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

It is my opinion that in 1945 after the Syndicate told Leslie McFarlane to make the Hardy's more scientific, he lost interest in writing the series. He declined writing The Secret Panel, but accepted the job writing this volume in 1947. The book however is lame. In plain English, it sucks. There is virtually no plot and little interation between the criminals and the Phantom Freighter, which does not really appear until the final chapters. The ending is horrible and according to legend McFarlane quit writing the book at Chapter 22 and let his wife finish the rest. It would be his last Hardy Boys book, replaced by George Wilson in 1948. The revision mirrors the original and was simply cut down in size. The book lacks suspense, thrills, excitement, humour and adventure. It simply contains the eccentrics of Mr. McClintock a man who is not happy at all with anything. McFarlane at this stage may have been writing about himself. A pitty that the best author the set ever had should make this his Swan song. Original: Rated F Revision: Rated F

This is a Heart-Warming Novel of Freind-Ship, Courage, and Adventure for the Hardy Boys. I laughed, cried, and cheered right along with Frank and Joe Hardy! Bravo! A completely touching family-freindly mystery. The best book I have ever read! Why can't we read more books like THIS in school? The Phantom Freighter ALL the WAY!

Overall, this book was alright, but Dixon could have done a lot better. There was not as much excitement in this one as there is in the other ones. The book starts out with a man who hires the Hardy's to plan a trip that they can go on. The man doesn't want to go on an airplane, a cruiseline, or a train, so eventually they think of a freighter and find themselves in the middle of a smuggling ring. The smugglers will do anything to get rid of them.

As most people know this volume was the last Hardy Boys book written by the original F.W. Dixon - Leslie McFarlane. And it is apparent that he was now bored with the series and ready to move on. I'm not sure whether to blame him or the one who drafted the outline for this book. In any event, the main plot dealt with the brothers trying to find a hobby to satisy a cranky old man. Since he had no idea what pleased him, he hired the brothers to come up with an idea. Is it just me or is this a "yawner" of a plot. Oh yes - and somewhere in there, is a ship that disappears from sight. But despite the title - this Phantom Freighter plays a small role in the whole affair. First published in 1947 Russell Tandy draws a beautiful cover art for this book, but nothing else can be said of the volume that is positive. Phantom Freighter is boring, dull, lacks any real mystery and contains little suspense of action. As of 1947 it was the worst Hardy Boys book to date - Later to be outdone by another volume published 17 years later. RATED F

I'm sorry I ordered this Book 26, the Phantom Freighter. The Sign of the Crooked Arrow is way better. I should have paid attention to the previous reviews but it wasn't a huge expenditure and a lesson in doing some research before ordering. No plot. Hilariously bad writing. Heck with nostalgic purchases, kids rated a thumbs down.

I love all Hardy Boy Books, they are filled with great adventure and are all very fun to read.

I seem to be in the minority for this book, given that the majority of the reviews did not care for it. However, I was less than impressed with the previous book, "The Secret Panel." I thought this book was an improvement. I will say that the mansion with no locks in the previous book was excellent, but the minimal action in the previous book made it a snoozer. This book, on the other hand, has more action, but it has the most obnoxious central character of any Hardy Boys book yet, Thaddeus McClintock.

Thaddeus McClintock is eccentric. He has tantrums and is fussy. He wants to take a long trip, but does not want to go by plane, train, or cruise ship. The boys quickly hit on the idea of taking a trip by freighter. However, Mr. Klack of Klack's Agency seems to be able to find passage for everyone except McClintock and the Hardys.

Frank and Joe Hardy also become involved in a mystery involving their Aunt Gertrude. She was expecting an important package, which the delivery company mixed up with someone else's package. The mystery deepens when the boys try to retrieve the package. The people at the house where the delivery company left the package had been gone for several days, and there is no clue as to what might have happened to the package except that the barn near the home is on fire when the Hardys arrive.

The mystery deepens as the boys encounter a ship that seems to disappear. I liked the plot device of a phantom ship. However, the supposed disappearing act of the ship is glossed over in the explanation, and every time this series attempts any sort of scientific explanation the explanations are nearly always weak. The explanation this time for how the phantom ship seems to disappear is even weaker than usual and I found the explanation a little insulting, which reduced my rating for this book.

As Frank and Joe Hardy continue their investigation they learn that packages were delivered to houses where the occupants have been away. What do the phantom freighter, the delivery of the packages, and Mr. Klack have in common? These are the mysteries the Hardy boys need to solve.

This mystery is more convoluted than some Hardy Boys mysteries, but it is also more interesting than some. As the number of weak mysteries in the series increased, I worried that the series was going to deteriorate. In some ways this book is weak, particularly with the character of McClintock and the explanations surrounding the ship. However, I also found the mystery itself to be more challenging than others in the books just previous. While the interesting mystery did not completely overcome the problems with the story, it did make the story more interesting to read. However, as with the previous story, this book may be passed over unless you want to read the entire series.

The Hardy Boys series is recommended for ages 8 to 12 because the series is relatively tame for the previous target audience of ages 10 to 14. However, the series still contains some interesting moments and will keep most readers guessing the answers to the mysteries until the final solution is revealed.

The Phantom Freighter is one of the lamer Hardy Boys entries. Athreadbare plot, no mystery whatsovever, and weak writing. The storyis about a group of smugglers who do their dirty work by freighter. I could have put this one together. The version I read was the revised text, and from what I understand the original isn't a whole lot better.

A misleading book.Very DUM!Can't understand the word DUM.DON'T EVEN READ OR LOOK AT THIS BOOK. It's just wast wasting your time.

This review concerns the god-awful original 1947 and revised 1970 editions. The revised edition has the same plot as the original and is only shorter. An old grouch needs to take a vacation, but since he isn't pleased with anything, he hires Frank and Joe to plan the trip. Also, a smuggling ring operates using a freighter. For those of you that did not fall asleep after reading that summary, that truely is what the book is about. This is absolutely the worst book in the series (at least from 82 down), the only book that even comes close to being this bad is #76 Game Plan For Disaster. This book has a weak plot, no action, no mystery, no suspense. The phantom freighter plays only a small part in the story. It's unfortunate that Amazon.com doesn't allow us to give a zero star rating because that is what this book deserves. This was the last Hardy Boys book that Leslie MacFarlane wrote and it is obvious that he just didn't care anymore. The only Hardy Boys fans I'd recommend this book to are those suffering from insomnia.