What: Did you know that British actor Hugh Laurie, generally beloved for Blackadder and Jeeves & Wooster and House, wrote a spy spoof? He did! In The Gun Seller, ex-soldier Thomas Lang refuses an assassination job offer and quickly becomes embroiled in an elaborate plot with terrorists, arms dealers, diplomats, and CIA agents. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect of a spy spoof written by Hugh Laurie, in the best way possible.
Comparable to: In the interview-with-the-author section that's available in some editions, Laurie cites P.G. Wodehouse and Kyril Bonfiglioli as major influences. You can tell.
Representative quote: "Rayner, I estimated, was ten years older than me. Which is fine. Nothing wrong with that. I have good, warm, non-arm-breaking relationships with plenty of people who are ten years older than me. People who are ten years older than me are, by and large, admirable. But Rayner was also three inches taller than me, four stones heavier, and at least eight however-you-measure-violence units more violent."
You might not like it if: Everyone is fond of Hugh Laurie, right? Except my mom, I guess. She doesn't care for his version of an American accent.
How to get it: Try your library, or look online for the paperback or Kindle edition.
Connections to previous Wreckage: You might recognize the name Kyril Bonfiglioli from Rec. #31: Don't Point That Thing at Me. Also, let's not forget that The Gun Seller was written by the guy on the right:
(I love this picture and previously used it for Rec. #24: Cocktail Time.)
No comments:
Post a Comment