Assignment Tokyo

Sam Durell #31

by Edward S. Aarons

Someone's canister washed up on the shore of a northern Japanese. Whose canister it was remained a mystery even but not the deadliness of its contents. When the fisherman who found it opened it, he and his entire village died. The Soviets send their best agent, Comrade Skoll, a former nemesis of Durell.

Genres: Espionage

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

AKA Paul Ayres, Edward Ronns.

Edward Sidney Aarons (September 11, 1916 - June 16, 1975) was an American writer, author of more than 80 novels from 1936 until 1962. One of these was under the pseudonym "Paul Ayres" (Dead Heat), and 30 were written using the name "Edward Ronns". He also wrote numerous articles for detective magazines such as Detective Story Magazine and Scarab.

Aarons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in Literature and History from Columbia University. He worked at various jobs to put himself through college, including jobs as a newspaper reporter and fisherman. In 1933, he won a short story contest as a student. In World War II he was in the United States Coast Guard, joining after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He finished his duty in 1945, having obtained the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

Reviews

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Chinese manufactured virus infects a Japanese resort. Or is it Chinese? Might it be American or even Russian made? No matter. The quarantine fails and the entire world may succumb to this deadly plague. Even with this beginning, the novel seems no better than an average Sam Durell spy thriller. But then Durell, a CIA agent, is assigned to track down the one person who might provide a vaccine that will save everyone. At that point, with the search going all across Japan, the average story becomes quite good. Behind the scenes, a Russian agent and several Chinese agents are after the same person, a young Japanese woman who is in love with one of Durell's colleagues in the spy agency.

Of course, Durell saves the girl and the world. But some other interesting things occur, too. As has been the case for several books in the series before this one, Aarons emphasizes the growing need for the US and Russia to ally themselves against the growing radicalization and power of a resurgent China. He makes his strongest case for it, yet, in Assignment Tokyo. Russian enemies are suddenly honorable and trustworthy, even sympathetic. The Chinese, meanwhile, are dedicated to reviving Chinese power, discarding the recent "Two China Policy" pursued by the Americans, and they want to invade Taiwan as well, uniting it with the motherland. A virus. A worldwide plague. Resurgent China. A plot to take Taiwan and establish Chinese hegemony. Remember, Aarons published this more than fifty years ago, in 1971. A good eye for the future, yes? The only thing he got wrong was the US blundering so badly as to create an alliance between Russia and China, instead of Russia and the US.

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam's deep in trouble, as usual. There's an artificial plague on the loose in Japan, with no known cure. Except - one young woman has somehow survived. Perhaps the answer to the plague is in the antibodies in her blood. But she's still delirious, and thinks she is being hunted, so she's hard to find. And, as it turns out, she is indeed being hunted, so Sam not only has to find her, he has to protect her, so she can save everyone. Great fun in a fine series.

[Made DNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Durell works under the radar for the U.S. government. When a mysterious virus washes up on a Japanese beach it begins to kill within hours. Sam must fight off Chinese and Russian agents to not only seek the truth behind the origin of the virus, but also find a woman who miraculously is the only survivor so far.

An awesome pulp novel from 1971, Assignment Tokyo will thrill readers who enjoy action and intrigue. Sam Durell is not an unbeatable spy with gadgets and high-tech weapons, he's just a man who survives using his wits and strengths.