The Coin of El Diablo Affair

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Juvenile Novels

by Walter B. Gibson

A Man From U.N.C.L.E. short by Walter Gibson, famed author of The Shadow

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Walter Brown Gibson (September 12, 1897-December 6, 1985) was an American author and professional magician best known for his work on the pulp fiction character The Shadow. Gibson, under the pen-name Maxwell Grant, wrote "more than 300 novel-length" Shadow stories, writing up to "10,000 words a day" to satisfy public demand during the character's golden age in the 1930s and 1940s.

Reviews

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of both The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Walter B. Gibson (creator and author of most of the pulp adventures of The Shadow) I was intrigued when I saw this 1965 book listed for sale at thriftbooks.com. I had no idea that Gibson had written an U.N.C.L.E. novelization, but it seemed like the perfect fit for him. What I received for my seven dollars was not at all what I expected. This is a thin, magazine-sized book, clearly intended for kids. At only 48 pages, the word count is probably equivalent to a long novelette. The story itself is fairly simple: Illya Kuryakin is sent to New Orleans to meet up with Napoleon Solo and stop what turns out to be a wannabe South American dictator who has ties to THRUSH. There are some Gibson touches, such as a double code to lead Illya's pursuers astray and later a twin switcheroo, but by and large it's a straightforward and simple story. The book is competently illustrated with two-color sketches by I. H. Guyer that fill out the page count considerably.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short book written for young fans of the Man From UNCLE. Was a faily typical UNCLE story for the time. One for a collector of UNCLE items or any young fans still around.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short and geared towards younger readers, it still has a decently written story although the ending felt a bit rushed. The illustrations are well done too.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little story by the author of so many Shadow novels. The style is clearly there. My only problem was, since it was relatively short, everything seemed rushed. Other than that...