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Modesty Blaise (Modesty Blaise #1)
In her first adventure for British Intelligence Modesty Blaise with her loyal lieutenant, Willie Garvin, must foil a multi-million pound diamond heist. They travel from London to the South of France, across the Mediterranean to Cairo before battling, against impossible odds, a private army of professional killers.
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
October 28th 2005
by Souvenir Press
(first published 1965)
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A rare book from its era that presents the female hero as competent and professional. Modesty is a believable female character, and believable as a skilled and highly trained operative. By 'operative' I mean a professional free-lance agent, or investigator, or just think of her as a professional adventurer. Her sidekick is Willie Garvin, also skilled and competent, a fellow who would be the hero in most books.
The pair are formal criminals, of the sort of 'moral criminal' that fiction allows. Mo...more
The pair are formal criminals, of the sort of 'moral criminal' that fiction allows. Mo...more
The first Modesty Blaise story sets the scene for the series. Modesty, a recently-retired master-criminal, supported by her ultra-competent sidekick Willie Garvin, is called in by the British government to tackle a job that their own agents can't handle.
The government has agreed to pay the Sheikh Abu-Tahir ten million pounds in diamonds in return for valuable oil concessions. The jewels are scheduled to be taken from Cape Town to a bank in Beirut by The Tiboria, but British Intelligence has been...more
The government has agreed to pay the Sheikh Abu-Tahir ten million pounds in diamonds in return for valuable oil concessions. The jewels are scheduled to be taken from Cape Town to a bank in Beirut by The Tiboria, but British Intelligence has been...more
I wondered how I managed to miss these when I was a teenager and absolutely starved for active female protagonists whose entire reason for being wasn't marriage. When I hit the scene where Modesty has guilt-free sex with an artist friend, I thought, bingo, now I know why our local librarian didn't buy it.
It was published in 1965, and the inspiration was probably a female James Bond. (It shows in the details about weapons, and what she's wearing in any given scene.) There is far less wince-making...more
It was published in 1965, and the inspiration was probably a female James Bond. (It shows in the details about weapons, and what she's wearing in any given scene.) There is far less wince-making...more
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Originally published on my blog here in March 2000.
At one point, I had collected the first four or five Modesty Blaise novels, but I gradually found the increasingly unpleasant violence in the series to be not to my taste. When I packed them off to a charity shop, I retained the first one, on the grounds that it is a better novel and, though violent, less sickening.
The problem I have with Modesty Blaise on re-reading it today is not the violence, though some of its scenes are quite unpleasant. I...more
At one point, I had collected the first four or five Modesty Blaise novels, but I gradually found the increasingly unpleasant violence in the series to be not to my taste. When I packed them off to a charity shop, I retained the first one, on the grounds that it is a better novel and, though violent, less sickening.
The problem I have with Modesty Blaise on re-reading it today is not the violence, though some of its scenes are quite unpleasant. I...more
I've followed adventures of Modesty and Willie for almost 20 years now but always in the form of comics (drawn by the great Holdaway and later by Romero).
So I was surprised when I found out that there were novels about Modesty Blaise. At first I was afraid that the quality will be lower (movies were true let-downs) but boy was I wrong.
This is the first novel in the series and what a novel if I may say. I can only say I wholeheartedly recommend it.
So I was surprised when I found out that there were novels about Modesty Blaise. At first I was afraid that the quality will be lower (movies were true let-downs) but boy was I wrong.
This is the first novel in the series and what a novel if I may say. I can only say I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Oil has been recently found in a small country near Iraq which goes by the name of Malaurak. The sheik of Malaurak has granted the British govt. Concession on the oil in return for ten million pounds worth of diamonds. Sir Gerrad Tarrant of British Intelligence is concerned about the security of the diamonds because as per the rumours the diamonds are the raison d'être of a heist. Sir Tarrant knows exactly the person who can help him secure the diamonds.
Modesty Blaise a retired criminal agreed t...more
Peter O'Donnell's feminine version of James Bond. Modesty Blaise was a war orphan who never knew her parents, nationality or real name. Growing up, she acquired interesting friends - an Arab chieftain, an old professor who home-schooled her when they had a home. She built a criminal empire before she turned 30 and retired after she reached her goal of a half-million sterling. Her faithful sidekick is Willie Garvin, an expert in knife throwing and hand-to-hand combat.
This first novel details how...more
This first novel details how...more
Modesty Blaise is a "female James Bond" as written by a man. We are only offered a few glimpses into her past in this introductory novel. We know she is an orphan who had lived a rough and tumble life. By the age of nineteen, she was running a global criminal organization called The Network. By twenty-six having made her fortune, she retired with the hopes of living life of leisure. People like, Modesty, really can't ever leave behind the life of action and adventure. Circumstances bring her bac...more
... picked up for idle reading while waiting for a train in 1966 from tech school @ Sheppard AFB ... almost missed the train ! ... read through three times on the ride home ... modified my reading habits from just science fiction that point onward ... have read & collected all 11 imprints of O'Donnell's novels & 2 collections (even the disappointingly foreboding "Cobra Trap") and all of Holdaway et. al.'s strips reprinted by Titan ... still looking for a decently-maintained & -priced...more
Jul 30, 2011
Richard Donne
added it
I felt this was pretty poor: the idea of having a female superspy as the central character might have been innovative at the time of its writing, but the (male) writer continually objectifying the central character disavows any pretentence of feminism.
Ultimately the book reads like a playboy fantasy rather than empowering genre piece, and the constant descriptions of what Modesty is wearing become tiring.
The plot itself is pretty predictable, with little in the way of innovation or originality...more
Ultimately the book reads like a playboy fantasy rather than empowering genre piece, and the constant descriptions of what Modesty is wearing become tiring.
The plot itself is pretty predictable, with little in the way of innovation or originality...more
Modesty Blaise started out as a cartoon character and this genesis explains a bit. This series is pure entertainment; Modesty and Willie are both superheros -- larger than life, and meant to be taken as such. (This is not a criticism.)
I love this series. First published in 1965, O'Donnell doesn't get the credit he should for pioneering the (now stereotypical) female action hero: hard-as-nails, sexy, dangerous, competent, smart, and deadly. Equally handy with a yawara-stick and an emery board.
Thi...more
I love this series. First published in 1965, O'Donnell doesn't get the credit he should for pioneering the (now stereotypical) female action hero: hard-as-nails, sexy, dangerous, competent, smart, and deadly. Equally handy with a yawara-stick and an emery board.
Thi...more
Having read the other Modesty Blaise as well and considering most of them having been written in the sixties. I still enjoy the plots, from all sides. The way the head of the secret service Tarrant approaches Modesty to win her for his cause. The baddies planning their heist and Modesty and her Willie Garvin getting into the deep of the plot and doing the dangerous work.
Peter O'Donnell died in the eighties after a life of many books. Some under an other name. Madeline Brent was one of them. Enjo...more
Peter O'Donnell died in the eighties after a life of many books. Some under an other name. Madeline Brent was one of them. Enjo...more
Modesty Blaise started life as a cartoon strip, but O'Donnell then put his creation into novel form, and did a superb job in both formats. This is the first novel in the series, and introduces the setting and most of the main characters.[return][return]Modesty Blaise is a former refugee and survivor of the terrible disruptions caused by the war, and as a child drifted across Eastern Europe and the Middle East in the company of an old professor. She had to be tough to survive; but her companion i...more
Modesty Blaise is often compared to James Bond, but while I definitely see some similarities, there are some major differences. Modesty works with a partner, Willie Garvin, and she develops more close relationships throughout the series. Unlike other books with action heroines (particularly in its time), Modesty is intelligent, not afraid to get her hands dirty or of initiating violence when there's a reason. She knows herself well, is a keen observer, and is equally at home with almost any kind...more
Following the disbanding of the Network, the international crime cartel headed by Modesty Blaise, her former right hand man Willie Garvin is at a loss as to how to channel the myriad skills he used in his six years in service of the Princess (as Willie affectionately refers to Modesty), and after getting involved in a South American revolution and consequently ending up in some pesthole prison he's pretty much shit outta luck. Fortunately for Willie, his plight is known to Sir Gerald Tarrant, he...more
I was writing some fiction and a phrase popped into my head--the title of this book. I didn't know where I picked it up from, so I read the book. I expected some chauvinistic sixties cheesecake treatment of a female protagonist, and instead I found a nuanced, empowering narrative of a strong, capable woman whose strongest emotional ties are founded in a completely platonic relationship with a randy killer named Willie Garvin. Only four stars because the language is dated and tres British.
I read most of the Modesty Blaise series in the late 1970's and early 1980's, though these books were first released in Great Britain and the Caribbean in the mid-1960's. They were the first kick-butt heroine novels I'd ever read, and I loved them all. I still have the books on my keeper shelves, though the pages are brown.
The points-of-view shifts among characters mid-paragraph drive me nuts today, but Modesty Blaise is still the coolest, most memorable action heroine of all time.
This series i...more
The points-of-view shifts among characters mid-paragraph drive me nuts today, but Modesty Blaise is still the coolest, most memorable action heroine of all time.
This series i...more
Modesty Blaise is a quick, enjoyable thriller that is basically pure escapist hokum. Full of impossible escapes and 60's chic, this is the female equivalent of James Bond, only much better written and with a criminal past. Modesty and her trusty sidekick, Willie Garvin, must track down the mysterious master criminal Gabriel, who plans to steal a huge shipment of diamonds. The action moves along quite nicely and the relationship between Modesty and Garvin is nicely done. An easy, fun read.
This is the first adventure for Modesty Blaise and her loyal lieutenant Willie Garvin. The original Modesty Blaise was a strip cartoon in the 1960's and ran for 38 years.
Blaise and Garvin are "asked" by British Intelligence to help in a matter of foreign policy and leads to them both battling against impossible odds, a private army of professional killers.
This book and, the ones following, are pure escapism with Modesty being the femail James Bond type.
Blaise and Garvin are "asked" by British Intelligence to help in a matter of foreign policy and leads to them both battling against impossible odds, a private army of professional killers.
This book and, the ones following, are pure escapism with Modesty being the femail James Bond type.
The best analogy is a female James Bond, but that does not do the books justice (I have all 13 books). Modesty Blaise is far more interesting and fun. Although the novels are not exactly enlightened, Modesty is a strong and independent female character. One of the most remarkable aspects of the novels is her friendship with Willie Garvin. They are not lovers who will not admit their love. They are truly friends. Its rare to see that in any fiction.
Modesty is one of the great action characters, far more interesting and deep than her nearest fictional cognate James Bond. O'Donnell's background in comic strip scripting means that the pacing and action in all his books is superb. And when it comes to villains and situations he has a thrillingly twisted imagination.
A little dated as I write this, but still a classic. Read this with a vodka martini in hand.
A little dated as I write this, but still a classic. Read this with a vodka martini in hand.
She's smart, she's sexy, she's British, she's the woman all men want and all women want to be. She's Modesty Blaise - a retired kick ass international crime boss turned super agent for Her Majesty along with her weapon/gadget inventing side kick, Willie Garvin. It's campy, its silly (she can pass out on command??), it's very 1960's but its also total fun and full of action. Looking forward to picking up #2.
I believe the Times of London calls the Modesty Blaise books "the finest escapist thrillers ever written" and they are absolutely right. I cannot emphasize just how deeply I love Modesty and how stupid/baffling/fundamentally unfair I find it that I'm the only person I know who reads these. I just love everything about them. SOMEONE FIND ME WILLIE GARVIN'S PHONE NUMBER, PLEASE!!!
I was looking for something a bit pulpy and boy did I ever find it.. This novel, the first in a series (and preceded by a popular British comic strip) reads like Ian Fleming crossed with the kind of defunct "men's" magazines that flourished in the 50s and 60s. It was entertaining at first, but after the first hundred pages I started to find the ever so perfect Modesty and her sidekick Willie Garvin - they're gourmet cooks, expert locksmiths, martial artists, mechanics, inventors and spend their...more
Aug 14, 2010
I.D. Martin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
readers of adventure thrillers
Recommended to I.D. by:
random buy
This was the first Modesty Blaise novel POD wrote and was a novelisation of a movie script so it suffered somewhat from that transition. Fortunately, it was not the first MB I had read so the experience wasn't spoiled and I went on to collect and read all of the novels and short stories.
Having said the above I still enjoyed this book immensely especially the combative finale. POD has the knack of keeping your attention throughout and this first of the series laid the ground rules for all that fo...more
Having said the above I still enjoyed this book immensely especially the combative finale. POD has the knack of keeping your attention throughout and this first of the series laid the ground rules for all that fo...more
I love these books, not necessarily for the writing but for the characters. Modesty Blaise, Willie Garvin and all the supporting characters are great and keep me coming back to this series over and over again. Oh and James Bond, eat your heart out, Modesty would hand you your butt on a plate, one hand behind her back!
So I randomly picked up one of these novels off the shelf and was SUCKED in. Now both my husband and I are obsessed with the whole ass-kicking series. So of course it's out of print and tricky to come by. But so worth it. We'll read them over and over. WWMBD?
Apparantly a female version of Bond. While the premise is OK and the establishment of the character of Modesty works, the writing just doesn't live up to the premise. Pacing is too slow and ultimately the story not engaging enough to sustain me to the end.
I can't finish this sexist tripe.
I remember lots of discussion of "the male gaze" in college. I probably had not thought of that phrase in the last eleven years, until I read this book, and it was all I could think of.
I remember lots of discussion of "the male gaze" in college. I probably had not thought of that phrase in the last eleven years, until I read this book, and it was all I could think of.
ok...I'm a sucker for this female James Bond character. I've read them all. Dated and a bit cheesy at times but a fun, mindless, summer read if you like butt-kicking, strong, female protagonists.
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Peter O'Donnell also wrote as Madeleine Brent.
http://www.cs.umu.se/~kenth/modesty.html
is an excellent resource on this author.
To help keep the novels and the adventure strip collections separate, here's some info about the Modesty Blaise works.
In 1963, O'Donnell began his 38...more
More about Peter O'Donnell...
Peter O'Donnell also wrote as Madeleine Brent.
http://www.cs.umu.se/~kenth/modesty.html
is an excellent resource on this author.
To help keep the novels and the adventure strip collections separate, here's some info about the Modesty Blaise works.
In 1963, O'Donnell began his 38...more
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