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The Man from U.N.C.L.E. #18
The Unfair Fare Affair
Shadow over Europe. U.N.C.L.E. would probably never have been drawn into the bizarre affair of the criminals' escape network if Alexander Waverly hadn't felt hungry in Holland.
Even afterwards, Napoleon Solo had to chase half across Europe and Illya Kuryakin was forced to pose as a murderer before they realized they were pitting their wits against the ruthless cunning and greed of a single man whose determination knew no limits.
But then a more sinister organization showed interest in a takeover bid...
Even afterwards, Napoleon Solo had to chase half across Europe and Illya Kuryakin was forced to pose as a murderer before they realized they were pitting their wits against the ruthless cunning and greed of a single man whose determination knew no limits.
But then a more sinister organization showed interest in a takeover bid...
156 pages, mass market paperback
First published January 1, 1968
68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 5, 2024
A whimsical, practically inevitable title for what turns out to be a tough and credible entry in this series. In his fourth of five contributions, Leslie does what has not been done so far...write an U.N.C.L.E. novel that does not involve Thrush in a major role. Yes, the evil organization is mentioned, and does eventually raise its ugly bird head, but only in a very subsidiary way. Rather, the story line in this outing involves a shadowy European group that arranges escapes for criminals on the lam. Mr. Waverly himself stumbles on to the group when he is taken away, in a case of mistaken identity, after a stroll in the Dutch Flevoland. Napoleon Solo is later sent in to investigate, and runs into one dead end after another while interviewing the authorities in many European cities. Even his old friend Habib Tufik, here appearing for the third time and using the alias Hendrik Van Der Lee, is unable to help him. But Illya Kuryakin is a lot more successful when he impersonates a Czech bank robber and murderer, and is contacted by the mysterious organization with an escape proposal....
Action and suspense highlights in this affair include Waverly's early abduction; the several assassination attempts made on Solo's life; Napoleon's escape from a van after having been kidnapped himself; Illya's bar fight in Prague; Illya's experience with the Corsican Emilo Bartoluzzi, who conveys him from Prague to the Swiss border; Bartoluzzi's fascinating backstory; the magneto torture that Kuryakin is forced to undergo; and the thrilling sequence in which Napoleon climbs up the side of a rickety, 150-foot-high viaduct, in a drenching downpour, to rescue Illya. Once again, Leslie's homework and/or his abundant knowledge of Europe pays off in a big way. Thus, the impressive mentions of obscure vehicles (the Minerva taxi, the Czech Tatra and Skoda Octavia, the Citroen DS21, the British Austin Gipsy, the East German Wartburg truck, the Fiat 850, the Austrian Steyr), weapons (the Belgian FN pistol), and especially small Czech, German and Dutch towns. A good atlas will surely come in handy while reading this book, let me tell you! By now, you may be well aware of how much I appreciate references to previous entries in the series, and Leslie does here refer to Tufik's appearances in Books # 7 and 9 ("The Radioactive Camel Affair" and "The Diving Dames Affair"), as well as reintroducing the Italian Commendatore from Book #16 ("The Splintered Sunglasses Affair"). And pleasingly, April Dancer, aka "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.," and her partner Mark Slate (an unfortunate typo renders his name "Slade" here) are mentioned by Solo as currently being in Manila. And for those who might be interested, we also learn what Solo's aftershave of choice is...Lanvin's (real-life) Monsieur Figaro. Leslie's book is suspenseful, well written and, with its superabundance of Ian Fleming-like detail, quite compelling. Its relegating of Thrush to a minor position makes for a refreshing change of pace, resulting in a very distinctive addition to the series. Indeed, I was about to give this one a 5-star rating until some post-read reflection made me realize how many minor problems the book contains.
For one thing, I still can't understand how the mysterious organization got wind of Solo's investigations early on, leading to those assassination attempts in Paris and The Hague. The distance from Bergeijk (see what I mean about obscure place names?) to The Hague is said to be "13 miles," whereas a cursory look at a map will show that it is more like 100. Solo is said to have seen Tufik's office setup in Rio, and met his right-hand man Raoul, in Book #9, but in fact he never did; that was Illya, while Napoleon was in another part of Brazil entirely! And in retrospect, Solo's heroic climb up that viaduct, thrilling as it is, turns out to have been useless. Napoleon ultimately plays no part in Kuryakin's rescue, and he might just as well have stayed in the valley below, for all the assistance he ultimately renders. But what is perhaps most egregious of all are the multiple coincidences that the author employs here to move his story along. Thus, Waverly absentmindedly mentions a "Section One," which is coincidentally the password that leads to the case of mistaken identity. Solo coincidentally bumps into Tufik while in The Hague. Solo coincidentally encounters Annike, Tufik's pretty blonde assistant, on the Swiss-French frontier. And Napoleon coincidentally turns on his communicator pen just at the precise moment that Illya is calling for help. Still, all these stumbling blocks aren't enough to prevent this book from being Leslie's finest contribution thus far, and a hugely entertaining addition to the U.N.C.L.E. series. And oh...bonus points for the book's turning me on to the words "revetment" and "psephology"!
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at https://fantasyliterature.com/ ....)
Action and suspense highlights in this affair include Waverly's early abduction; the several assassination attempts made on Solo's life; Napoleon's escape from a van after having been kidnapped himself; Illya's bar fight in Prague; Illya's experience with the Corsican Emilo Bartoluzzi, who conveys him from Prague to the Swiss border; Bartoluzzi's fascinating backstory; the magneto torture that Kuryakin is forced to undergo; and the thrilling sequence in which Napoleon climbs up the side of a rickety, 150-foot-high viaduct, in a drenching downpour, to rescue Illya. Once again, Leslie's homework and/or his abundant knowledge of Europe pays off in a big way. Thus, the impressive mentions of obscure vehicles (the Minerva taxi, the Czech Tatra and Skoda Octavia, the Citroen DS21, the British Austin Gipsy, the East German Wartburg truck, the Fiat 850, the Austrian Steyr), weapons (the Belgian FN pistol), and especially small Czech, German and Dutch towns. A good atlas will surely come in handy while reading this book, let me tell you! By now, you may be well aware of how much I appreciate references to previous entries in the series, and Leslie does here refer to Tufik's appearances in Books # 7 and 9 ("The Radioactive Camel Affair" and "The Diving Dames Affair"), as well as reintroducing the Italian Commendatore from Book #16 ("The Splintered Sunglasses Affair"). And pleasingly, April Dancer, aka "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.," and her partner Mark Slate (an unfortunate typo renders his name "Slade" here) are mentioned by Solo as currently being in Manila. And for those who might be interested, we also learn what Solo's aftershave of choice is...Lanvin's (real-life) Monsieur Figaro. Leslie's book is suspenseful, well written and, with its superabundance of Ian Fleming-like detail, quite compelling. Its relegating of Thrush to a minor position makes for a refreshing change of pace, resulting in a very distinctive addition to the series. Indeed, I was about to give this one a 5-star rating until some post-read reflection made me realize how many minor problems the book contains.
For one thing, I still can't understand how the mysterious organization got wind of Solo's investigations early on, leading to those assassination attempts in Paris and The Hague. The distance from Bergeijk (see what I mean about obscure place names?) to The Hague is said to be "13 miles," whereas a cursory look at a map will show that it is more like 100. Solo is said to have seen Tufik's office setup in Rio, and met his right-hand man Raoul, in Book #9, but in fact he never did; that was Illya, while Napoleon was in another part of Brazil entirely! And in retrospect, Solo's heroic climb up that viaduct, thrilling as it is, turns out to have been useless. Napoleon ultimately plays no part in Kuryakin's rescue, and he might just as well have stayed in the valley below, for all the assistance he ultimately renders. But what is perhaps most egregious of all are the multiple coincidences that the author employs here to move his story along. Thus, Waverly absentmindedly mentions a "Section One," which is coincidentally the password that leads to the case of mistaken identity. Solo coincidentally bumps into Tufik while in The Hague. Solo coincidentally encounters Annike, Tufik's pretty blonde assistant, on the Swiss-French frontier. And Napoleon coincidentally turns on his communicator pen just at the precise moment that Illya is calling for help. Still, all these stumbling blocks aren't enough to prevent this book from being Leslie's finest contribution thus far, and a hugely entertaining addition to the U.N.C.L.E. series. And oh...bonus points for the book's turning me on to the words "revetment" and "psephology"!
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at https://fantasyliterature.com/ ....)
February 13, 2019
This is not the best of this series or even the best of Peter Leslie's efforts. It is, however, a passable episode. It feels like the novel was written in great haste and not proofed well. I enjoyed reading it and liked the use of a plot with little THRUSH involvement. It is just the execution fell short
February 7, 2021
A fun read - very much like watching an episode. Ingenious fast moving plot with good twists throughout, fun to 'watch' the guys in action.
January 1, 2024
Pretty good UNCLE story. I had a little trouble keeping track of the characters and plots but thats' mostly because I was reading several books at thte same time.
October 4, 2016
Both my sister and I remembered this story vividly from our childhood--in my sister's case, so vividly she thought it was an actual episode. It's been panned by some U.N.C.L.E. fans, but, on rereading, I could well understand why it impressed us so much as small girls. It's a very strong story. True, Leslie has some stylistic oddities; there's a bit too much passive voice and he seems to sprinkle exclamation points around almost at random. These quirks may be a result of writing in haste. But-
I remember participating in an online discussion about whether or not the villain is the story. In general, I'd say not, but there are certain genres where the villain arguably creates the plot. The mystery is one such genere, and "The Unfair Fare Affair" is essentially a mystery, complete with a red herring or two. And what a villain!
The Gruesome George (as the late Tony Hillerman called the villain) in this piece really is the story, and he is a terrific, believable villain. At a certain point you almost feel sorry for him--which, at that juncture, is exactly what he wants. Like the villains of Josephine Tey, this particular Gruesome George is a Narcissistic sociopath. Readers come to understand both his methods and his motives as our brave heroes, particularly Illya, are caught in his wiles.
Then, too, Leslie has a gift for description, and some of his set pieces were memorable. Waverly's walk over the polders of the Netherlands; Illya's sojourn in Prague; that scene we both remembered when he is caught with dye running down his face; the climactic battle on a crumbling railroad bridge--these scenes stayed with us for years.
So - a series book, sometimes clumsily written, but at other times vivid and clear. If you enjoy the show, I'd recommend the book. You may enjoy it, too, if you like older, slower-paced British mysteries with a spy element. A solid book of its kind; I'd rate it three and a half stars, if I could, with the half star off because of the stylistic oddities. I'm rounding up because the fond memories I had of it were actually deserved. Obviously, it doesn't compare to original fiction such as Michaelis's or Paver's. And I do agree with the readers who claim Leslie doesn't really "get" the characters' voices.
I remember participating in an online discussion about whether or not the villain is the story. In general, I'd say not, but there are certain genres where the villain arguably creates the plot. The mystery is one such genere, and "The Unfair Fare Affair" is essentially a mystery, complete with a red herring or two. And what a villain!
The Gruesome George (as the late Tony Hillerman called the villain) in this piece really is the story, and he is a terrific, believable villain. At a certain point you almost feel sorry for him--which, at that juncture, is exactly what he wants. Like the villains of Josephine Tey, this particular Gruesome George is a Narcissistic sociopath. Readers come to understand both his methods and his motives as our brave heroes, particularly Illya, are caught in his wiles.
Then, too, Leslie has a gift for description, and some of his set pieces were memorable. Waverly's walk over the polders of the Netherlands; Illya's sojourn in Prague; that scene we both remembered when he is caught with dye running down his face; the climactic battle on a crumbling railroad bridge--these scenes stayed with us for years.
So - a series book, sometimes clumsily written, but at other times vivid and clear. If you enjoy the show, I'd recommend the book. You may enjoy it, too, if you like older, slower-paced British mysteries with a spy element. A solid book of its kind; I'd rate it three and a half stars, if I could, with the half star off because of the stylistic oddities. I'm rounding up because the fond memories I had of it were actually deserved. Obviously, it doesn't compare to original fiction such as Michaelis's or Paver's. And I do agree with the readers who claim Leslie doesn't really "get" the characters' voices.
January 17, 2015
This is one of five "Man From U.N.C.L.E." books written by Peter Leslie and certainly not his best, especially when compared to the heart-stopping page-turner "The Radioactive Camel Affair" :). In "Unfair..." well over half the book is taken up with our heroes Napoleon and Illya running all over Europe just trying to find the bad guy(s) and when they do, all the action is in the next to last chapter! This and several real stretches of credibility (such as the head of U.N.C.L.E. [Mr. Waverly] wandering around on vacation in the Netherlands without a bodyguard or transmitter) surely make this one of the poorest of the series. Bottom line: If you're planning on reading all 23 "U.N.C.L.E." books, save this one for last.
April 28, 2015
Somehow Leslie, several outings in, manages to completely miss the character voices, while the limp plot is thickly padded with description and aimless movement -- we get a *lot* of description of what the lads are eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (Napoleon Solo apparently has never met a seven course meal that he could refuse.) In the end the bad guy accidentally falls from a crumbling viaduct and the THRUSH liaison runs away. Wow. On the bright side, it's not a long book.
July 11, 2016
Meh. A readable attempt but with none of the spark of some of these books, and plagued with the idea again that Illya is useless at American/English idioms. The third appearance of Tufik, under yet another alias, just felt rather tired.
March 14, 2016
Excellent book adaptation of the TV series. Great spy adventure book. This is how the CIA and FBI should operate. Recommended
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews