9 h 40 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
How far can you run when your enemy has followers in many lands and never loses his calm?
Richard Hatteras is brave, fond of the open sea, and no trained detective or soldier. In Guy Boothby's A Bid for Fortune; Or, Dr. Nikola's Vendetta, this young Englishman finds himself drawn into a dangerous contest with Dr Nikola. Phyllis Wetherell's fate is tied to Nikola's scheme, and Hatteras is determined to protect her.
Nikola has learning, money, quiet manners, and followers far beyond one city. Hatteras must discover how far his enemy's reach extends as the pursuit crosses land and sea. Steamships and telegraphs connect this world, but distance remains part of the danger. Money, power, and safety are prizes worth gambling for—and the people pursuing them are ready to take great risks.
What you’ll discover
- A villain with style Meet Dr Nikola, whose polite confidence makes his criminal aims all the more chilling.
- Courage without special training Follow Hatteras as fair play and determination meet an enemy with money and followers.
- Pursuit across the oceans Travel through a chase where steamer routes and long voyages give distance a dangerous weight.
- A fate worth fighting for Share Hatteras's resolve to protect Phyllis Wetherell from the scheme that entangles her.
- The nerve to gamble Explore how the hunger for money, power, or safety drives people toward great risks.
Who will love it
For readers who love adventure, sea voyages and a villain with style, and anyone curious about the roots of the master criminal in fiction.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Dr Nikola is a villain unlike others
- Richard Hatteras meets his match
- A chase across land and sea
- Boldness, greed and the nerve to gamble
Who’s who
- Dr NikolaA learned, calm and well-funded man with followers in many lands, who pursues his own aims with polite and chilling confidence.
- Richard HatterasA brave young Englishman who tells the story and is pulled into a dangerous contest with Nikola, which he refuses to abandon.
- Phyllis WetherellA young woman whose fate is tied to Nikola's scheme, and whom Hatteras is determined to protect.
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A Bid for Fortune; Or, Dr. Nikola's Vendetta
by Guy Boothby · 1895
Richard Hatteras faces Dr Nikola in a chase across oceans, with Phyllis Wetherell caught in the danger.
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In short
A Bid for Fortune is an adventure novel by Guy Boothby, published in 1895. Boothby was born in Australia and wrote fast, colourful fiction for readers who wanted danger, travel and a villain to remember.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Dr Nikola is a villain unlike others
Nikola is the heart of the book. He is shown as a man of great learning, quiet manners and unshakable calm. He does not shout or threaten. He speaks politely, and that politeness is what makes him frightening.
Boothby gives him small habits that stay in the mind. He keeps a cat close by, and he seems to treat people as pieces in a game he has already planned. He has money, knowledge and followers in many parts of the world. Those who meet him sense that he is always several moves ahead.
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What is A Bid for Fortune about?
It is a Victorian adventure about Richard Hatteras, a young Englishman who is drawn into a dangerous contest with the cool and mysterious Dr Nikola. The chase carries the story across long sea routes and distant places.
Who is Dr Nikola?
Dr Nikola is the master criminal at the centre of the book. He is learned, polite and calm, has followers worldwide, and appears again in several later novels by Guy Boothby.
When was A Bid for Fortune written?
It was published in 1895, in the late Victorian period. It is a work of fiction, not a true story, though it uses real features of its age such as steamships and telegrams.
The author
Guy Boothby
1867–1905 · Australian novelist
Guy Boothby (1867–1905) was an Australian novelist born in Adelaide. He lived in Australia and later in England. He wrote novels and short stories, including stories featuring Dr Nikola. His books include A Bid for Fortune, published in 1895, and A Prince of Swindlers, published in 1897.
More by Guy Boothby
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