The Crimson Flash

Snell, Roy J. (Roy Judson), 1878-1959Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 205K words
Chapters: 21

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. The Crimson Flash by Roy J. Snell. Author: Snell, Roy J. (Roy Judson), 1878-1959. Language: English. Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres. Release Date: Dec 28, 2012

Editor's review

The Crimson Flash is a juvenile work by Roy J. Snell, classified under juvenile belles lettres. Snell was known for adventure and suspense stories for young readers, and this book follows that vein: brisk pacing, tight plotting, and a narrative built around mystery and pursuit. It is well suited to building young readers' stamina and their interest in following a plot. As a public-domain ebook, it preserves the language and storytelling conventions of early twentieth-century juvenile fiction, letting readers observe the themes and values of that era. Readers might pay attention to how the protagonist faces difficulties, cooperates with companions, and how suspense is set up and resolved. Note that some attitudes and expressions reflect the limitations of their time and are best read historically rather than applied directly to the present. Overall it works as light English reading and as reference for those studying juvenile literature and popular narrative.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Young English-language readers who enjoy adventure and suspense
Learners who want to build English reading volume through light reading
Readers studying early twentieth-century juvenile popular literature
Parents and teachers looking for public-domain English books for children

Not a good fit for

Adult readers who prefer serious literature and deep character study
English beginners who need annotated or graded versions
Readers sensitive to outdated attitudes in early juvenile fiction

Reading tips

Read the first two chapters to gauge language difficulty and pacing before committing to the whole book.
Jot down character relationships and clues as you read to keep up with the suspense.
Use it as a fixed daily portion of light English reading, with a dictionary for new words.
After finishing, review how the suspense was set up and resolved, and consider the author's narrative technique.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What age group is this book suitable for?

It is a juvenile adventure-suspense story in the juvenile belles lettres category, with language and plot suited to young readers who already have some English reading ability. Younger readers or those with weak English fundamentals may benefit from reading with an adult or starting with a retold version before moving to the original.

Is the story standalone or part of a series?

The available information presents it as a standalone juvenile adventure story built around a particular mystery. Readers who like the style can look for other public-domain works by the author, but the books need not be read in order.

Are there formatting problems in the public-domain ebook?

The book comes from Project Gutenberg and has been proofread, but early texts may show minor differences in layout or punctuation conventions. If you encounter odd line breaks or old-style spellings, context will usually make the meaning clear, and the plot is generally unaffected.

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About the author

Snell, Roy J. (Roy Judson), 1878-1959 Author

Roy Judson Snell (1878–1959) was an American writer of adventure fiction for children and young adults, though public information about his life is limited, and his exact birth and death dates and nationality are not fully confirmed in our records. The library holds forty of his works, spanning aviation adventure, mystery and detection, and adventure stories for girls. Representative titles include The Crimson Flash, White Fire, Riddle of the Storm, The Crimson Thread: An Adventure Story for Girls, Red Dynamite, The Galloping Ghost, Curlie Carson Listens In, and Lost in the Air. His writing is known for its brisk pacing and tightly woven plots, often placing young readers in tense settings such as flight, storms, and mysterious events, using suspense to drive the story while emphasizing courage, quick thinking, and teamwork. Some works were explicitly aimed at girl readers, giving him a modest place in early juvenile genre fiction.