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