To be brutally honest, I just wanted to read some series books for this column, two of which have been covered before. I really blame my lack of cable TV for the reason why our first one was chosen. But I have nothing to blame for selling out to set up a MySpace page for this column.
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E #3: THE COPENHAGEN AFFAIR by John Oram – There is a fantastic site for all you spy fans out there. I can’t believe I’m promoting anything to deal with AOL, but head on over to AOL Video, because they have a huge number of episodes from this great TV show. I highly recommend the one with a young Rip Torn playing the second coming of Alexander the Great.
But onto this little 1965 caper. It starts out all espionage-like, with a businessman meeting a pretty young girl on a flight, all the while trying to make time with her. She passes along a package to him and tells him to hide it for her. Here it comes: She winds up dead.
With that all in place, our businessman is called upon by an evil colonel who wants that package. He somehow escapes, only to end up in the New York offices of U.N.C.L.E. From here on out, it’s a fun, little, by-the-numbers romp with Napoleon Solo being Napoleon Solo.
Actually, the plot seems like a vague rip-off of THE GUNS OF NAVARONE, with Solo meeting up with old resistance fighters from World War II, since THRUSH has been busy devising some sort of flying saucer which can drop a hydrogen bomb. Not a lot of thought went into this adventure, with some dangling plot holes never tied up, but who cares? It reads so quickly, you’ll forget it about by dinner time, anyway.
TRAVELER #2: KINGDOM COME by D.B. Drumm – Without a shadow of a doubt, John Shirley is the man behind this 1984 tale. First of all, the first book never gave a specific date of when this story takes place, so the real first laugh-out-loud moment is when it’s revealed that this post-apocalyptic mess is all going down in 2004. Alright, it’s 2007 now, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not traveling the earth dodging road rats and killer biker gangs.
If the first book’s plot was just a rip-off of a Kurosawa film, guess what? Book two pretty much takes whole ideas from another set of books – you might have heard of them; they were called THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Some plot points are total lifts from THE TWO TOWERS portion, with a kingdom under great attack led by a mysterious black rider. But I’m getting way ahead of myself.
The whole plot is that the Traveler comes across a party headed to the kingdom of Kansas City, so that the princess of Wichita can get married. I’m not making this up. Interspersed throughout, they fight cannibals and gangs and some other crap. But Shirley also lays down some groundwork for upcoming novels, with the introduction of the Black Rider, a mutant with powers, and a priest who rides a giant mutated Siamese cat. Yeah, let that one sink in, folks.
There are some very typical Shirley moments in the novel, mainly a sex scene that makes hardcore porn look subtle. But the thing about it is that it’s as stupid as it reads. But you are just drawn into it, like a moron staring at a Ferris wheel.
THE ICEMAN #1: BILLION DOLLAR DEATH by Joseph Nazel – Sometimes books I own fall by the wayside. This 1974 novel is a perfect example. Long before I was writing this column, this has been sitting in my “to read” pile.
Basically, what if someone at the height of the ’70s blaxploitation-cinema era figured, “Hell, let’s make a book series out of one of these films!” Well, that’s the Iceman, aka Henry Highland West: one part DOLEMITE, a dash of SHAFT, a heap of aggression and – to take it with – a big grain of salt.
Our hero is not only a pimp, but a world-famous one who has a place called the Oasis out in the Vegas desert, where he mingles with the world’s elite. One night at the Oasis, a mob boss is blown to bits and it’s made to look like Iceman is behind it all. Throw in a gun-running senator and an African tribal leader, and you’ll see this book is all about giving the people what they want: plenty of action.
I think this book has more helicopter chases than all other books combined. Plus, all his ladies know kung fu. This paperback is just big, dumb fun and that’s the best kind I like. We’re not talking GREAT EXPECTATIONS here.
Next time: 66 2/3: the number of the beast! –Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS AND SERIES:
• IN DARKNESS WAITING by John Shirley
• THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. #2: THE DOOMSDAY AFFAIR by Harry Whittington
• THE OTHER END by John Shirley
• THE SPECIALIST #1: A TALENT FOR REVENGE by John Shirley
• TRAVELER #1: FIRST, YOU FIGHT by John Shirley
Related posts:
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Beyond Thunderdome
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> One-Name Wonders
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Still No Martini Drinkers Here
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Let’s Put the X in Sex
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover
