“Death always runs ahead of a man in a hurry.”
ImPact—Elliot Carr "World Trouble Shooter" Book 1
Just a quick one today, a review of the Australian spy thriller, Impact, written by James Workman under the pen name James Dark.
Book Review: Impact!
Author: James Workman—under the pen-name James Dark
Publisher: Horwitz
Published: 1962
“Death always runs ahead of a man in a hurry,” is a line from the novel Impact!, published by Horwitz Publications in 1962. However, that line could be the perfect encapsulated review for the novel. There are many stories of Australian authors, writing for Horwitz, pumping out a story in a week to meet a deadline, and Impact! reeks of being rushed in every respect.
Let’s start with the packaging. The cover states the book was written by James Dark, however the title page states James Workman as the author. On the back cover it states that the acronym IMPACT stands for International & Metropolitan Police Air Control TEAM, however the story inside states it’s simply International & Metropolitan Police Air Control (the ‘T’ is missing). So, clearly the writer, the editorial team, and the art department haven’t had time to talk to each other.
Then there’s the story itself—it’s absolute piffle and doesn’t make a lick of sense. At times it comes off as a series of action sequences glued together in search of a plot.
Super-agent, Elliot Carr, is essentially an airline cop who investigates a plot by Russian military to take control of the whole of Europe. It’s only at the end of the story, when Carr stumbles on the link to terrorist action onboard several airplanes that necessitate his involvement at all. Forgive the clumsy analogy, but it’s sorta like a Bondi-beach lifesaver deciding to take down a Columbian drug cartel, on the off-chance that a shipment of cocaine might come ashore—and finding out, not only is he right, but it’s the world’s largest shipment of cocaine. But I’m getting side-tracked.
During the novel, characters come and go, and plot points come and go—or disappear completely. For example, in the opening chapter, in Djakarta, a suspected Russian agent named Garata is hurled out of his office window and impaled on the spikes of an iron fence below, by a blind killing-machine named Kneelhof. It is revealed that Kneelhof, during WW2, had been imprisoned with Garata—and Garata had ratted Kneelhof and some other POWs during an escape attempt. It’s a tense and fascinating opening to the book. Sadly, Kneelhof disappears totally from the story—and the whole POW backstory is jettisoned.
The love interest in the story is a woman name Listie Charmal, who Carr falls in love with within 5 minutes of meeting her. The story doesn’t really know what to do with her, so after she tries to kill Carr with an acid-filled cigarette lighter, she is deposited at a safe house above a carnival arcade in London. She doesn’t appear again in the story.
These days, I try not to write negative reviews for books. Writing a book is bloody hard work, and I hate to think all that work can be dismissed with a few keyboard strokes from a reader who didn’t connect with the work (you can’t please everyone). So, rather than continuing to kick this dog, I will add that it’s not all bad. There are some good passages and sequences in this book. There’s a good sequence at a factory in Berlin, where Carr and an associate are locked in a vacuum sealed room as the air is pumped out. And the climax, which takes place on a radio-telescope dish in the USA is suitably vigorous and exciting. But yeah, I wouldn’t go seeking this one out. The follow up book, Havoc! is so much better.
A special shoutout to Andrew Nette who slung a copy of Impact! my way. Cheers.
Yours in the Spirit of Adventure
That’s the end of this week’s newsletter. I hope you’ll consider subscribing, and I’ll be back in a week or so with more nonsense from inside the walls of Pentridge Prison. Until then, take care. Yours in the Spirit of Adventure, David.
Australian adventure author, David Foster, writes under the pen names James Hopwood, A.W. Hart, and Jack Tunney. He has written seven novels, and his short fiction has been published in over 50 publications around the world.
David’s artwork has appeared in group exhibitions in Echuca, Shepparton and Bendigo. His one act play, Future Shock, was performed at Echuca Arts Centre in 1984.
