robmyers wrote:I've decided to start reading Avengers tie-in fiction. I survived the Prisoner novels.
Is the John Steed biography any good? I'm very tempted, something about the idea just tickles me, but the prices I'm seeing are a bit off-putting.
It's very...unusual. It doesn't really feel true to Steed as we know him, to be honest. It's more an interesting diversion than anything. If you're a rabid fan or collector, go for it. But if you want a casual read, it's probably not worth the investment.
My picks? The two Macnee/Leslie books
Dead Duck and
Deadline are good fun (some of my first Avengers reads--and collector items!). Geoff Barlow's
The Saga of Happy Valley has a mood all its own and is bizarre, wonderful lunacy (if you don't mind the copyright dodging "Steade/Peale" spellings). And I really loved
Too Many Targets. It's fanservice to the nth degree, but it's entertaining romp fanservice.
The Keith Laumer/Norman Daniels stories aren't terrible, but they have their own flavours respectively, and feel to a certain extent like a separate universe. The Garforths are absolutely terrible in my opinion--too sadistic and violent for Avengerland. I tried two and gave up on both halfway through.
If you're a TNA fan, you must, must, must read
Fighting Men, one of the all-time best Avengers novels in terms of characterisation. The Purdey/Gambit dialogue is so priceless, you'll wish it was said onscreen. TNA's
The Cybernauts/Hostage/The Eagle's Nest are also pretty good.
To Catch a Rat is as bad as the Garforths, and
House of Cards has some laughably bad characterisation. Hope that helps!