2014 Book 37: The Rainbow Affair
Book 37: The Rainbow Affair (The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Book 13) by David McDaniel, isbn: 9780200767005, Ace, 157 pages, .50 cents cover price (I found a copy for $3.00 at a used bookstore)
The Premise: (from the front cover): THRUSH's alliance with an international criminal mastermind must be prevented -- but can Illya and Napoleon find Johnnie Rainbow in time?
My Rating: Four stars out of five
My Thoughts: This is the first Man From UNCLE novel I've read, so I can't weigh it against the others in the series. However, it is the entry in the series that comes the most highly recommended by my friends who love, as I do, the concept of fictional characters from different franchises co-existing in the same world. Fans of Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton Family concept or Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic books will equally enjoy this UNCLE adventure in which Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin meet a plethora of British spy and detective types, including (but not always identified by name) Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Father Brown, John Steed & Emma Peel, and Simon Templar. There are even a few scenes with the notorious Doctor Fu Manchu. Readers who love picking out veiled (and not-so-veiled) references such as these will get extra enjoyment out of the book.
It's been a long time since I've seen any episodes of the television series (although this book prompted me to buy the Complete Series on dvd recently), but both Solo and Kuryakin and their boss Mister Waverly seem entirely in character throughout the book.
It's a breezy read, fun and fast-moving. The Affair is not an especially complicated one: locate the man responsible for planning The Great Train Robbery among other crimes, a man who does not want to be found and who does not want his autonomy compromised by organizations like UNCLE and THRUSH, and bring him to justice or at least convince him not to partner with THRUSH. There are a few cute turns of events but nothing especially surprising.
The Premise: (from the front cover): THRUSH's alliance with an international criminal mastermind must be prevented -- but can Illya and Napoleon find Johnnie Rainbow in time?
My Rating: Four stars out of five
My Thoughts: This is the first Man From UNCLE novel I've read, so I can't weigh it against the others in the series. However, it is the entry in the series that comes the most highly recommended by my friends who love, as I do, the concept of fictional characters from different franchises co-existing in the same world. Fans of Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton Family concept or Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic books will equally enjoy this UNCLE adventure in which Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin meet a plethora of British spy and detective types, including (but not always identified by name) Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Father Brown, John Steed & Emma Peel, and Simon Templar. There are even a few scenes with the notorious Doctor Fu Manchu. Readers who love picking out veiled (and not-so-veiled) references such as these will get extra enjoyment out of the book.
It's been a long time since I've seen any episodes of the television series (although this book prompted me to buy the Complete Series on dvd recently), but both Solo and Kuryakin and their boss Mister Waverly seem entirely in character throughout the book.
It's a breezy read, fun and fast-moving. The Affair is not an especially complicated one: locate the man responsible for planning The Great Train Robbery among other crimes, a man who does not want to be found and who does not want his autonomy compromised by organizations like UNCLE and THRUSH, and bring him to justice or at least convince him not to partner with THRUSH. There are a few cute turns of events but nothing especially surprising.