Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watmath.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!jagardner From: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (jagardner) Newsgroups: net.books Subject: Re: MODESTY BLAISE Message-ID: <10438@watmath.UUCP> Date: Tue, 18-Dec-84 12:23:53 EST Article-I.D.: watmath.10438 Posted: Tue Dec 18 12:23:53 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 19-Dec-84 00:18:17 EST References: <205@ahuta.UUCP> Reply-To: jagardner@watmath.UUCP () Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 31 Summary: If people have never read Modesty Blaise books before, they're missing some good James Bond-ish stuff. I find that the Blaise books are somewhat more "realistic" than the Bond books (and certainly more than the Bond movies). In particular, the Blaise books pay a good deal more attention to the realities of combat -- Willie and Modesty generally do a good deal more fighting than Bond. The climax of a Bond book is usually Bond escaping some diabolical trap and blowing up the enemy somehow; the climax of a Blaise book is a good knock 'em down fight. The other interesting point about the Blaise books is how they keep coming back to the conflict between specialists and generalists. Willie and Modesty are confirmed generalists, dabbling in everything (and always conveniently dabbling at the beginning of the book in precisely the skills that will save them at the end of the book). Their opponents are always specialists: the best fencer, the fastest draw, the greatest martial artist, etc. It's interesting to see the difference between the two approaches, e.g. Modesty who has dabbled in fencing vs. one of the world's greatest swordsmen. The author of the books (Peter O'Donnell) manages time and again to let Willie and Modesty win such fights in believable ways. (In the fencing fight, Modesty doesn't even try to outfence the villain...and to avoid spoiling the story, I won't tell you what she does. This particular fight takes place in "A Taste for Death", if memory serves correctly.) I would recommend any of the Blaise books, although my favourites are "I, Lucifer" (a trifle more fantasy than most) and "A Taste for Death". Jim Gardner