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The Man from C.A.M.P.
The Man from C.A.M.P.
Resourceful as James Bond, flamboyant as Austin Powers, and gay as a Christmas goose, there's never been a secret agent quite like Jackie Holmes, the Man from C.A.M.P.
These fast-paced stories, written and set in the swinging sixties introduce a new generation of readers to the fabulous adventures of gay superspy Jackie Holmes, the Man from C.A.M.P. Armed with a cache of secret weapons, a body that just won't quit, and a white poodle called Sophie who's trained to kill with her razor-sharp teeth, the blonde bombshell with a license to thrill known as Jackie Holmes will blow you away!
These fast-paced stories, written and set in the swinging sixties introduce a new generation of readers to the fabulous adventures of gay superspy Jackie Holmes, the Man from C.A.M.P. Armed with a cache of secret weapons, a body that just won't quit, and a white poodle called Sophie who's trained to kill with her razor-sharp teeth, the blonde bombshell with a license to thrill known as Jackie Holmes will blow you away!
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First published January 1, 1966
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About the author
Victor J. Banis
138 books215 followersVictor J. Banis is a writer. http://www.vjbanisauthor.com/
Victor Jerome Banis (May 25, 1937 – February 22, 2019) was an American author, often associated with the first wave of west coast gay writing. For his contributions he has been called "the godfather of modern popular gay fiction
Victor Jerome Banis (May 25, 1937 – February 22, 2019) was an American author, often associated with the first wave of west coast gay writing. For his contributions he has been called "the godfather of modern popular gay fiction
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 30, 2013
this is silly retrospective fun. sure it's full of stereotypes, riffs on Bond, and is POORLY edited (if at all), but it's a cheeky poolside or beachfront diversion and a historical glimpse at the times. read the foreward!
July 5, 2019
The Man From C.A.M.P.
By Victor J. Banis
MLR Press reissue, 2008
Five stars
I am not giving this bundle of three novellas re-published in 2008 as “The Man From C.A.M.P.” five stars because it is great writing or good literature. I’m doing it because these are important, and highly amusing, documents of one of the earliest subversive gay writers in America.
When I grew up in the 1960s, James Bond was a big thing. His serious imitators on television were “The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, and The Avengers. His spoofing imitators on television were Get Smart and Batman. I watched all of them. Victor Banis invented the Man From C.A.M.P. at the same time, and published them as a wily subversion of the nasty anti-gay atmosphere in the years before Stonewall.
In these three hastily-written novellas, we have Jackie Holmes as the man from C.A.M.P., a top-secret global agency dedicated to helping the cause of what we now call GLBT folks everywhere. Jackie himself is vastly rich, an expert in gemstones, and a connoisseur of rare high-performance vintage automobiles. Jackie is slender, short, blond, pretty and extremely nelly. But underneath that calculated self-presentation, he is smart, tough, and resourceful; and can take down a thug with a gun in the blink of an eye.
Another thing Jackie does is to seduce the reluctant, and often homophobic straight operatives from other agencies who are assigned to work with him by Lou Upton, the middle-aged Interpol officer who knows just how good Jackie is. In spite of the pining of Jackie’s associate, Rich, a huge bruiser with a tender heart and a massive thing, Jackie is steadfast in his promiscuity and insatiability.
In all honesty, I would have no patience with these if written today by a young gay writer. They are creations of their time and place, and their subversive, revolutionary quality is owed entirely to the daring of the author who brought them to life over half a century ago.
By Victor J. Banis
MLR Press reissue, 2008
Five stars
I am not giving this bundle of three novellas re-published in 2008 as “The Man From C.A.M.P.” five stars because it is great writing or good literature. I’m doing it because these are important, and highly amusing, documents of one of the earliest subversive gay writers in America.
When I grew up in the 1960s, James Bond was a big thing. His serious imitators on television were “The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, and The Avengers. His spoofing imitators on television were Get Smart and Batman. I watched all of them. Victor Banis invented the Man From C.A.M.P. at the same time, and published them as a wily subversion of the nasty anti-gay atmosphere in the years before Stonewall.
In these three hastily-written novellas, we have Jackie Holmes as the man from C.A.M.P., a top-secret global agency dedicated to helping the cause of what we now call GLBT folks everywhere. Jackie himself is vastly rich, an expert in gemstones, and a connoisseur of rare high-performance vintage automobiles. Jackie is slender, short, blond, pretty and extremely nelly. But underneath that calculated self-presentation, he is smart, tough, and resourceful; and can take down a thug with a gun in the blink of an eye.
Another thing Jackie does is to seduce the reluctant, and often homophobic straight operatives from other agencies who are assigned to work with him by Lou Upton, the middle-aged Interpol officer who knows just how good Jackie is. In spite of the pining of Jackie’s associate, Rich, a huge bruiser with a tender heart and a massive thing, Jackie is steadfast in his promiscuity and insatiability.
In all honesty, I would have no patience with these if written today by a young gay writer. They are creations of their time and place, and their subversive, revolutionary quality is owed entirely to the daring of the author who brought them to life over half a century ago.
September 24, 2012
Has any company in the history of eBook publishing ever proof-read their book before putting it on sale? I'm beginning to think not.
I found about 100 mistakes in this book, from simple things like periods instead of commas, or missing punctuation, to big obvious things like the eight times the word "but" got changed to "hut", or the strange sound at the end of the hail instead of the end of the hall, or music to my cars instead of music to my ears. Music to my cars??? Really no one picked that up?
The book itself was fun, a quick, light read. I enjoyed it well enough. While I was reading it, I pictured it as a sixties TV show playing in my mind. The story was cute, I would have liked more camp from C.A.M.P., but I enjoyed it.
I found about 100 mistakes in this book, from simple things like periods instead of commas, or missing punctuation, to big obvious things like the eight times the word "but" got changed to "hut", or the strange sound at the end of the hail instead of the end of the hall, or music to my cars instead of music to my ears. Music to my cars??? Really no one picked that up?
The book itself was fun, a quick, light read. I enjoyed it well enough. While I was reading it, I pictured it as a sixties TV show playing in my mind. The story was cute, I would have liked more camp from C.A.M.P., but I enjoyed it.
Want to read
July 26, 2012also read the forward and the intro which never count in the page count. background history really put things in perspective.
February 2, 2013
A quick and (mostly)entertaining read. Jackie the character jumps out moreso than the story, which is a bit muddled.
It ends as expected.
It ends as expected.
August 9, 2020
A top contender for the silliest book I've ever read. Absolutely fabulous. I love these old gay pulps. There's nothing like them in the world. Victor J. Banis gets it.
November 17, 2024
Fun!
More concerned with actual plot than sex which is rare for fodder like this but appreciated all the same
More concerned with actual plot than sex which is rare for fodder like this but appreciated all the same
September 8, 2017
3 for the book itself, 5 for the historical importance so...
I read and enjoy quite a lot of gay and M/M stuff and had seen a lot of references to The Man from C.A.M.P as a seminal (boom tish) work so I thought I should give it a go. It's not great literature, nor does it pretend to be. It's gleefully, unashamedly pulpy as Jackie Holmes, twink superagent (self-described as "gay as a Christmas goose", rights wrongs done to homosexuals and changes the minds of hunky homophobes one seduction at a time.
The formatting and typos in the kindle edition are infuriating, but the introduction, by Fabio Cleto, and the interview with Banis at the end, provide such an interesting background and context for the books that it's worthwhile. It's hard to believe it was such recent history when we have come so far.
I read and enjoy quite a lot of gay and M/M stuff and had seen a lot of references to The Man from C.A.M.P as a seminal (boom tish) work so I thought I should give it a go. It's not great literature, nor does it pretend to be. It's gleefully, unashamedly pulpy as Jackie Holmes, twink superagent (self-described as "gay as a Christmas goose", rights wrongs done to homosexuals and changes the minds of hunky homophobes one seduction at a time.
The formatting and typos in the kindle edition are infuriating, but the introduction, by Fabio Cleto, and the interview with Banis at the end, provide such an interesting background and context for the books that it's worthwhile. It's hard to believe it was such recent history when we have come so far.
April 26, 2015
Loved it! Great quick read. This was the first gay pulp I wanted to read after all the literary histories I've read about the genre. This is one of three re-published with a foreword by the author who said each one was written in about five DAYS, with no revisions or editing whatsoever. I'm really impressed.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews