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Post by Calenture on Nov 28, 2007 21:18:02 GMT
The Avengers by Douglas EneferConsul, 1963. Before Diana Rigg, Linda Thorson and Joanna Lumley was Honor Blackman - and as the back cover shot shows, it wasn't Diana who introduced a bondage theme to this stirling show. And before Peter Cave and John Garforth was Douglas Enefer. One of the most successful and original of all television series is THE AVENGERS - a unique adventure series with a vast viewing audience.
Now for the first time, the redoubtable John Steed and the beautiful Cathy Gale appear in book form... in a characteristic and vivid exploit created by Douglas Enefer, author of the best-selling Dale Shand thrillers.
It's a story which the countless fans of THE AVENGERS will want to read. Straight through at one sitting...You'd only find it at Vault of Evil... ;D pulphack wrote: That's not a bad book - better than the Garforth's, or those terrible Laumer and Daniels books that read like they'd never seen the show. The best Avengers books are those written by MacNee with Peter Leslie, which were published by Hodder and Stoughton. They're Emma Peel era, I've got Deadline (the other is Dead Duck), which is pacy, funny and the closest in spirit to the series.
Enefer was a hack for World Distributors, wrote several thrillers for them, and stuff like the Bilko annual and any other TV tie-ins. A Hard-working hack and a decent one.I was hoping you'd know something about Douglas Enefer, Andy. I had a feeling you might when I posted this. I don't think I've ever seen the stories written by MacNee and Peter Leslie - which is a pity. I think I know Leslie's name from an Invaders paperback I have here; if I remember right, there are three here, under different names. Or possibly I saw them (the MacNee/Leslie Avengers) when there was a Woolworths in this town, way back. I certainly don't remember the Laumer and Daniels ones. I've only found a few by Garforth and Cave, apart from this one. I remember enjoying a Keith Laumer private eye story written in Chandler's style, and I like his SF adventures; but I think he'd be an odd choice for The Avengers. pulphack wrote: I had one of Enefer's thrillers a few years back - picked it up the same time as a Basil Copper PI book. Was looking for them earlier today but can't find 'em. I think I remember reading somewhere (maybe something by Steve Holland) that Enefer was a journo in Manchester who used to moonlight for World Distributors.
Peter Leslie is a venerable old Brit hack, author of many NEL thriller pb's in the late sixties, early seventies. Also did some Man From Uncles and a lot of franchise stuff. Ended up writing for Gold Eagle but blew it when he wrote an Executioner that lifted huge chunks of a Man From Uncle book he'd penned. Bizarrely, someone at MGM noticed and went ballistic, threatening to sue. Cue Leslie moving to France and retirement. LJ knew him, and collected his PLR money for him at one point (apprently living in France he couldn't claim, so they made up an excuse that LJ had won his rights off him in a poker game!).
The Laumer and Daniels Avengers books only came out in the USA, and they read like they were readied for the market before the Tara King seasons were filmed. They're originals, and she's a bit 'gor-blimey' and always refers to Steed as Major (presumably his rank). They're ok as pieces of pulp but jar as Avengers books as the writers were obviously given crap guidelines. (see I can be magnanimous!)Franklin Marsh wrote: The first book (the only one featuring Cathy Gale?) is great. I'm warming to John Garforth. Read one of the Tara King books - about a faked moon landing?
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Post by redbrain on Nov 29, 2007 12:27:39 GMT
Before Diana Rigg, Linda Thorson and Joanna Lumley was Honor Blackman - and as the back cover shot shows, it wasn't Diana who introduced a bondage theme to this stirling show. It was Honor Blackman who had the leather fighting gear. She used genuine ju-jitsu and once knocked an actor out with it. Her Avengers series (series 2 and 3) have been rather over-shadowed by Diana Rigg's (series 4 and 5). That may be at least partly due to the much higher production values from series 4 onwards. (The Avengers transferred from video tape to film between series 3 and series 4 - something that had a major impact, as early video tape was difficult to edit.) It's a pity because the television female action hero really started with Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale. Her two series of the Avengers deserve more attention than they have received in recent years. Honor Blackman came from Plaistow originally, but she scrubbed up nice. Her episode of Dr Terrible's House of Horrible (Lesbian Vampire Lovers of Lust) is a favourite of mine. |
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Post by pulphack on Nov 30, 2007 18:29:58 GMT
it's true that the Blackman seasons suffer from being shot that way. much more studio bound, and slower because of the necessity to have longer scenes and less cutting. she's still magnetic, though, and the best foil for steed of the three women. rigg is too arch for me, and i much prefer tara king in those later, more wacko episodes. although there is some oddity to the Blackman season storylines, they're grittier, and hark back to the first series, where steed was a foil for ian hendry (the nearly man - tthe avengers was actually created for him to spin off the success he had in a series about a police doctor. and then her gets dropped for season two, and the rest is history...).
it's a very good little thriller, though. and i still recommend the Leslie and MacNee - though i'm still looking for Dead Duck...
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Post by killercrab on Jun 23, 2008 10:37:37 GMT
Chasing up threads I missed here. If I had to chose a favourite bunch of seasons I'd go for Tara King myself - for one thing she's the prettiest of the bunch ( shallow I know) and secondly the stories are the best written . The Avengers -zany comes to fruition and that's really why I love the show so much. This said - I love the Gale version of Steed - much the hardest vision of the man - though don't laugh - he returns in sort in The New Avengers too. The battle of sexes in Gale's shows are great which fits the sometimes awkward filming - gaffs and all - which you quickly begin to expect ... and adore. Well I do. The most streamline seasons are Peel's - it's like Clemens and Co. , realised the formula and patented it immediately. In Tara's reign they kind of go off on one and really push the ideas - thankfully the scripting is rock steady. Only read DEADLINE and DEAD DUCK - the former being the best - but both are worthwhile purchases. Never even seen any of the other books mentioned - let alone read 'em - but I would in a heartbeat. Thanks for some great posts guys. mother  |
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Post by franklinmarsh on Jun 23, 2008 10:42:51 GMT
From you-know-where....
The Avengers - The Passing Of Gloria Munday - John Garforth - Panther 1967.
The Avengers novels are a bit of a mystery. There's a darn good one dating back to Cathy Gale's time, Patrick MacNee had a hand in at least one himself (Dead Duck?) and then there's these John Garforth ones. Like The Man From UNCLE novels I think they just took the TV characters and projected them into 'original' stories. And this so should have been a contender! But ultimately it's just too weird for it's own good. (Never thought I'd say that about a book!)
Steed is charging along in his Bentley, trying to win the London to Blackpool rally when Kiss Me Deadly! a young lady jumps out in front of his motor 'They're trying to kill me!' Everyone in Britain except Steed would recognise pop superstar Gloria Munday. We're then thrown into a story of pop intrigue - Nick Dickinson - manager - who discovered Gloria at The Beat Cellar in Tottenham. Ellis Dee - Aussie DJ who's pleas to The Kids to keep out of trouble lead to riots. And Horace Horton, managing director of Radufact Electronic Engineering Ltd (REEL) - makers of radar equipment,radios, records - who's a sadistic rubber fetishist. The bonkers plot has the Commotions (pre Lloyd Cole apparently) churning out Walking The Dog and Great Balls of Fire, before Gloria gets up to belt out her latest smash hit 'I Hate Men' before being stabbed to death in a teenage melee. Mrs Peel steps in as the new (slightly more mature) pop sensation (she once auditioned for Andrew Oldham you know) while poor old Steed ends up in the slammer. It's all something to do with subliminal messages in pop records stirring up unrest - especially when radical right-wing reverend Herbert W Sinclair holds a rally in Harringay (sic) Stadium. Completely off the wall but somehow Mr Garforth's writing just can't give it the zest and lunacy it cries out for
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Post by killercrab on Jun 23, 2008 11:38:11 GMT
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Post by redbrain on Jun 23, 2008 19:06:56 GMT
If I had to chose a favourite bunch of seasons I'd go for Tara King myself - for one thing she's the prettiest of the bunch ( shallow I know) and secondly the stories are the best written . I wouldn't go for the Tara King series as my favourite, but I do think that it's under-rated. I particularly like the Invasion of the Earthmen episode, which is often rated amongst the worst. Some of my reasons for liking that episode are shallow. I especially like the girls' uniforms -- including the yellow hair ribbons. |
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