The Man with the Golden Torc
Author: Simon R. Green
Publisher: RoC
ISBN: 99780451462145
Rating: 7/10
Science Fiction has always had a playful or humorous bent, 
going back to the pulp dramas of the 1930s and beyond. Even dark, dystopian epics have been known to have some gallows humor here and there. Parody, on the other hand, is a different story. Enter Simon R. Green. Fresh off the success of “Daemons are Forever”, the author of the “Deathstalker” series has redefined the art with his series of novels based on the popular James Bond novels, but with a twist that Ian Fleming would appreciate. The result is a work that is familiar yet different, homey yet foreign-all the right ingredients to a successful novel, and he mixes the cocktail with a bartender’s ease.
Meet Bond. Shaman Bond. That’s his cover name of course-but Eddie Drood has been used to keeping secrets. As a field agent for a family agency that protects humanity from things that go bump in the night, a job that Drood takes pleasure in, perks included. But when Drood’s cover is blown, he’s declared rogue and forced to go on the run and ally himself with some unsavory characters as he searches for answers as to why his own grandmother-the Matriarch- signed his death warrant. What he uncovers is a family conspiracy so unsettling that it has driven people insane. Determined to clear his name and make things right, he battles fascist militias and Danish family members, all in a bid to put the Drood family back in order, even if he has to die in the process.
Intricately written with a flair for color and authenticity (Green’s portraits of London’s Tube and Paddington Station will make the reader think twice about the touristy vista), along with a series of twist and turns that keep people guessing, the novel is anything but dull. The characters are believable, right down to the bit players. The only thing bothersome is the length-at 398 pages, it is one of the larger Science Fiction novels on the market (but not that large!).
“The Man with the Golden Torc” is cheaper than a martini-shaken, not stirred.
John Winn - Staff Writer
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