A Selection Of Ten Favourite Books

Some links before I get myself started today. Yesterday was a Sunday, so we had a Snippet Sunday post at our joint blog. Krisztina had some thoughts at her blog. Parsnip had this video at her blog. Whisk asked if you were ready for zombies. Maria writes about writing right. And Lorelei had a Murphy's Law kind of day.

A few days ago on Facebook, there was a meme going around about particular favourite books. I wrote them down, and decided to expand today on what draws me to each book in turn. It occurs to me looking at this list of ten books that I haven’t included any Canadian authors- Robertson Davies, Farley Mowat, L.M. Montgomery, or Alice Munro rate among my favourites. Not Margaret Atwood though; it’s a matter of personal taste. I get why she’s so acclaimed, but reading her work just doesn’t do it for me. I remember a line from a television show: books are like old friends, and every once in awhile you have to drop in and see how they’re doing. These ten books are personal favourites, ones that I like coming back to from time to time.

The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara. My favourite novel. It won the Pulitzer for fiction in 1975. It tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War, from the point of view of commanders on both Union and Confederate sides. Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, John Buford, and others come alive in Shaara’s insightful novel that sticks to the facts of the timeline of that battle. While it’s technically a novel, with dialogue and character interpretation as part of that, it follows the events of the battle closely, and rings true to who these men were. Shaara’s style feels clipped and efficient, presenting both sides of the conflict fairly, and fleshes out the inner voices of the characters. His writing style has certainly been an influence on me, and I’ve long since lost track of how many times I’ve read the novel. Every once in awhile it demands re-reading.

The Lord Of The Rings, J.R. Tolkien. The masterful trilogy by Tolkien tells the story of Middle Earth, following in the footsteps of his earlier children’s book The Hobbit. It follows the adventures of a varied band of warriors and hobbits as they embark on a quest to destroy the source of power of a dark lord rising up once again against the world. Tolkien expands greatly on his world of Middle Earth, establishing a masterpiece of mythology and a true classic that stands the test of time. He blends in themes of the strength of friendship and the notion of fighting for the good in the world. I first read the trilogy in early teenage years, and from time to time I come back to immerse myself in the world of hobbits, dwarves, elves, and other fantastic beings of Middle Earth.

Thunder Point, Jack Higgins. This was the first book by Higgins I ever read, though I had been familiar with the name, as his book The Eagle Has Landed was particularly well known. It’s a spy thriller that brings back his signature character Sean Dillon, who he introduced in his previous book, Eye Of The Storm, as a villain. Dillon, a feared IRA gunman, was supposed to have died in that book, but Higgins’ wife told him the character was just too good to kill off, so Higgins gave him an out. Thunder Point opens at the end of the Second World War, with the Nazi Martin Bormann making his escape from the theatre of war, carrying documents with him, documents that go down in the Caribbean aboard a U-boat during a storm. Decades later, the submarine is discovered, and more than one party is interested in those documents. A British intelligence official, Charles Ferguson, finds himself having to enlist the aid of Sean Dillon to deal with the opposition, under the premise that when dealing with nasty enemies, it helps to bring in someone who fights the same way. Dillon goes from terrorist to operative in the book, turning his back on his past and starting a new career with his old adversaries. While he never apologizes for his past in the books that follow, and while killing still comes easy to him, his shift from terrorist to hero starts here, and it feels like a natural transition.

John Adams, David McCullough. Another one of my favourite authors, McCullough’s known for his historical works and time spent in television documentaries. He’s won the Pulitzer twice for biographies of two American presidents, Adams and Harry Truman. Among his many other works that I enjoy reading are 1776, The Johnstown Flood, and The Great Bridge. McCullough brings a natural storyteller’s gift to his narratives as a historian, making the words flow easily and the past come alive. This biography of the second president is my favourite of his works, examining the complex and compelling life of a man sometimes overshadowed by other presidents, but just as deserving of greatness.

The Civil War, Shelby Foote. If you’ve seen the Ken Burns documentary on the subject, you’ve seen Shelby Foote, the Southern writer who was one of the expert commentators for the series. Foote had been a writer of novels and short stories before he turned his attention to history. He wrote the mammoth three volume narrative history of the War over a period of some twenty years in the 1950s and 1960s, writing a balanced account of the conflict that didn’t cater to the Lost Cause aspect of society plaguing the South; the only argument Foote made was that the War in the western theatre mattered as much as what was happening in the east. It is a massive undertaking to read the series, but it’s a rewarding one. Foote brings the story of the War and the soldiers who fought it alive with vivid detail, using the novelist’s sense of style in energizing the story.

Patriot Games, Tom Clancy. This was my favourite novel by Clancy in the Jack Ryan series, and while it was written after The Hunt For Red October, it serves as a prequel. Ryan is a vacationing tourist in London when he steps into an attack on members of the Royal Family, saving the day and earning the wrath of the people who escape, a band of breakaway Irish terrorists with agendas all their own. Clancy had a reputation early on for being fascinated with technology, often stopping in mid narrative to lecture the reader on how something worked. Still, he had a way of telling a potboiler tale and driving up the tension. I think of all of the novels he wrote- up to the point where his quality as a writer took a steep dive off a cliff- this one still stands as my favourite of his works. Maybe because it feels the most human. Jack is fighting first and foremost to protect his family, the people he loves the most. That’s a very primal instinct, and an honourable one. It elevates the story.

The Last Full Measure, Jeff Shaara. Jeff is the son of the late Michael Shaara, and after the death of the great man, turned his attention to writing as well in the same vein, telling stories of military history through the perspective of those who fought it. He’s turned his attention to the Civil War, the Mexican War, the American Revolution, World War One, and World War Two, each time taking on the points of view of men (or women) on both sides. His first book, Gods And Generals, served as a prequel to his father’s master work The Killer Angels, telling the story of the Civil War in the first two years through the points of view of several commanders, ending at Chancellorsville. The Last Full Measure picks things up after Gettysburg, following the points of view of several key commanders, including Chamberlain, Longstreet, and Jeb Stuart. First and foremost, though, it is the story of the great duel between the armies of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, from the battles of Spotsylvania to Appomattox, bringing to life the horrors of war and the complicated personalities of that war. The two novels serve as ideal companions to The Killer Angels, creating a father and son literary trilogy.

Crusade In Europe, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Between the Second World War and the Presidency, General Eisenhower wrote his account of being supreme commander of Allied forces in the European theatre. He examines the events of the war, the personalities of his commanders, the decisions he made, and the prism of history through the eyes of the man in charge. Eisenhower’s writing style is efficient as you might expect of a career soldier, but it flows well and keeps the reader hooked. His personality also comes through, and you get to understand why this man was so good at managing the full force of the western Allies against Nazi Germany. It’s been awhile since I’ve last read it, but Eisenhower’s words draw the reader right back into the Supreme Command’s headquarters.

Little Women, Louisa May Alcott. A classic of American literature, this two volume book explores the four March sisters, living in Civil War era New England. Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy’s imaginations, their trials and triumphs, the bonds of family, the exploration of love, and the heartbreak of loss are themes that resonate throughout the novel, based on the author and her sisters. This is another of those books that I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read it. I suspect that I relate to Jo in a lot of ways; she’s a writer with a bit of a temper, outspoken when she has to be, and she’s unconventional. Other readers might relate to another character. Regardless, it’s a classic that still feels fresh and inviting any time the reader picks it up again.

The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett. I first read this one in a children’s literature course, and wished I’d read it years before. It tells the story of Mary, a troubled orphaned girl who comes to live with her reclusive uncle at a manor in the English countryside, amid the wilds of a moor. She comes to find a garden, hidden and locked away behind a wall for years, and as she starts to tend to the place and bring it back to life, she changes herself, going from the unaffectionate and spoiled child to becoming a better person in time. I could identify with Mary’s early personality- I’ve felt that sense of isolation and aloneness, so the character resonated with me.

From Russia With Psychotic Financiers

Before we get things started, some links to look at. Over at our joint blog, we've got another Snippet Sunday post set up. And since this is winter, and for some inexplicable reason some people dislike winter, I have two winter blogs for your consideration at Cindy's page, where winter has taken quite a turn, and at The Maple Syrup Mob, where winter drags on. And over at Norma's page, she's taking part in a giveaway featuring multiple books and authors. Now then, as for today, we've got ourselves a movie review to look after...

"You Americans like to think of yourselves as direct. Perhaps you are just rude." ~Viktor Cherevin

"You Russians like to think you're poets, but perhaps you're just touchy." ~ Jack Ryan

The new film Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit takes on the signature character- a response to the James Bond character, only American and monogamous- from the late writer Tom Clancy and puts him into a new era in an original story. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, this reboot of sorts refashions Ryan while also fitting back into the sensibilities of the Cold War, what with featuring Russians as villains.

The film resets Ryan (Chris Pine, Star Trek) as a grad student in London who watches the events of 9/11 from afar, ends up joining the Marines, is wounded in action, and meets his future wife Cathy (Keira Knightley), a doctor. He also comes to the attention of William Harper, a CIA officer, who recruits him into the Agency.

In the present day, Ryan maintains a cover on Wall Street as an executive, using his position in the financial world to monitor financial transactions that might suggest terrorist activities. He uncovers irregularities pointing to an embittered Russian oligarch, Viktor Cheverin (Branagh) that could wreck havoc with the American economy, and the path takes him down roads that lead to the full understanding of just what Cheverin has in store for the world.

Branagh does double duty here as director, helming the film. He's got a good record in that respect, with films as varied as Henry V, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Peter's Friends, Dead Again, and Thor to his credit. He knows how to crank up suspense as a storyteller, and the technical details of filmmaking. He can craft a fight scene or an action sequence very well- the climactic sequence here, for instance. Branagh infuses tension into the film as he goes along. And as an actor with a Shakespearean background, he has an innate understanding of character personalities and the eccentricities of actors, both of which are good things for a director to know. He assembles a crew that for the most part does their job well- one exception being the flaw of the film- and makes good use of locations for filming. His frequent musical collaborator Patrick Doyle returns to compose the score, and does a fine job with it.

The flaw, however, is in the story itself. Screenwriters Adam Kozad and David Koepp went with an original story as opposed to adapting one of the novels. This has something of a double edged sword kind of quality to it. The Clancy novels tend to be huge, expansive works, and don't lend themselves well to adaptations into film. The financial attack side of things in the plot hints at a similar plotline in the novel Debt of Honor, but that's the only other link, aside from Jack and Cathy, to the novels. Writing this as an original story tends to have its drawbacks, and that shows itself. Recrafting Ryan's origins isn't as successful as the writers might have wished, and there are slow spots in the script that the cast and director have to overcome. Generally once things move to Russia, the film picks up and finds its pace, but the inconsistencies and derivativeness of the script can be a hindrance. 

Branagh chooses his cast reasonably well for this, and they help him elevate the film above the story. The smaller supporting roles have interesting casting. Former ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov turns up in an uncredited role as a Russian official, which was a surprise, and he seems to be enjoying the role. Colm Feore, the exceptional character actor you've seen many times over (and who in fact appeared in the last Ryan film, The Sum Of All Fears as a villain) turns up here as well. 

Branagh himself nearly steals the entire film as the villain, having a ball and chewing the scenery. His Cherevin is a nasty, coldblooded piece of work... but he's also a whole lot of fun. Costner is also well cast here as the career Agency field man, accustomed to being at headquarters or out in some rough spot doing what needs to be done. There's a cynical gruffness in his performance that suits the character, and Costner makes him feel genuine. 

This brings us to the two leads. Keira Knightley has a varied resume of roles as an actress; perhaps as a result of the weaknesses of the script, she doesn't really come into her own as a character until she turns up in Russia and gets involved in Jack's work. She's oddly enough at her most compelling and strongest while sparring with Viktor. Pine is now the fourth actor to take on Jack Ryan, after Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck. He gives the character a different take, more of an action emphasis than previous performances. Like Knightley, he's trapped somewhat by the hindrances of the script, but that's no fault of his own. What he does convey quite well is the man who can think quickly on his feet, an essential element of the Ryan character.

Despite the flaws of the script, director, cast, and crew rise above it and give us an entertaining spy thriller. It  is enthusiastic about that. Will there be more of Jack Ryan to come? Is it possible to adapt one of the novels? Or with the passing of the author, is this the end of the line for Jack Ryan as well?

Morituri Non Cognant (Those Who Are About To Die, Just Don't Know)

"Beware the fury of a patient man."

"If the world made sense, we'd all have to find honest work."

"What had she seen in the face of this man? It took her a moment to answer the question. Death was what she'd seen. Controlled. Planned. Disciplined. But it was still Death, living in the mind of a man."

Last week saw the passing of spy novelist Tom Clancy, who burst onto the scene with the nuclear sub thriller The Hunt For Red October and went on to write a series of thrillers about CIA analyst Jack Ryan and field man John Clark. Clancy was a giant in the industry, writing epic, sprawling storylines that resulted in big books (the longer it seemed as he went along; you could use these as a blunt object to kill someone). Clancy would weave in current events into his novels, tackling Irish terrorism, space based warfare, drug empires, nuclear terrorism, and the tensions of the Middle East through his writing.

He had a knack for seeing the future- one of his books ended in the crash of a passenger jet into the Capitol Building, years before 9/11. He walked with political leaders and military officers, forming friendships along the way, and writing compelling non-fiction with some of the latter. His eyesight prevented him from military service, but in the end he found himself well connected in that world, as he weaved stories that cast military officers in (mostly) a positive light, setting a clear line between good and evil. His Jack Ryan, his keystone character, was brilliant and principled, a flawed man at times, but always bound to his moral code and his loyalties. And Ryan was a true independent, not beholden to political parties, but to his own integrity. Several of Clancy's novels were adapted into movies, some of his offshoot work went into videogames, and he left his mark on the publishing world in different ways.

He was certainly an influence to me. I love the genre, so I was reading Clancy's novels early on- even before I understood the military terminology. And oh, was there terminology. Clancy was a technofreak who loved explaining how things worked. He'd stop in mid narrative and tell you how a plane flew, or the inner workings of a car, or the performance of a tank or frigate. This could be frustrating, mind you, for the reader, perhaps most glaringly in The Sum Of All Fears, when he spent an entire chapter describing the inner workings of a nuclear bomb at the very instant of detonation.

I liked those grand sprawling stories, that way of getting inside the heads of soldiers, spies, and the world of those who live in the rough side of things. Even when a book felt off- such as in Debt of Honor, which involved a war between America and Japan that started out with financial tactics- Clancy could still be compelling. His last three novels that left me fully satisfied followed that one. Executive Orders followed Ryan into a world he was unprepared for as the new President of the United States, and against an enemy willing to use biological warfare against America. Rainbow Six placed Clark at the head of a multinational counterterrorism team confronting perhaps the most chilling plot Clancy ever devised- a group of extremists seeking to wipe out almost all human life on the planet. And The Bear And The Dragon set Ryan and his allies into a land war in Asia, with China seeking to steal the mineral wealth of Siberia from Russia. In these books especially, Clancy had a gift for writing a story with the worst case scenario and running with it.

If only he had ended his writing days with The Bear And The Dragon.

His next work was a novel called Red Rabbit. Having written Jack Ryan into a corner as President, he went back in time, back to Jack's earliest days as an agent, tying it into the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. There were troubling signs of what was to come: he was retconning his own work, ignoring continuity, putting more of a partisan political stance on things than he had in earlier work. The problem continued in his next novel, The Teeth Of The Tiger, in which he turned to Ryan's son Jack, becoming a member of an off the books black op organization with no formal ties to the government. This was the proverbial plummet off the cliff in terms of the books.  Jack Jr. just wasn't that interesting compared to earlier characters, and neither were the new characters Clancy was introducing.

After a gap of several years with no novels, Clancy came back, co-writing more stories of Jack Jr., with other authors, but the quality was gone. Even the older characters seemed a shadow of themselves. Cathy Ryan, Jack's wife and well rendered in the early books, seemed to be little more than a ghost of the person she had been. The political partisanship seemed more obvious in the narrative, and the tendency to ignore continuity showed itself in the new novels. It was discouraging, to say the least, to be disappointed time and again, and to come to the point where I expected to be disappointed. The spark was gone. It had become fiction by factory assembly.

I still love reading those earlier novels. Even the weaker ones drive the story along. It's a genre that I love to read, and he was a master at it when he was at the top of his game. And the idea of taking the worst case scenario and running wild with it, that's certainly something I've learned from him. Now that he's gone, I'll go back and re-read some of those early novels, ignore the later ones altogether.

Did you read any of his works?

Pet Peeves And Random Thoughts

Every once in awhile, a thought or a complaint runs through your head that you might like to blog about, but it really doesn't seem to be enough for a blog in and of itself. Hence it does seem to be a good idea to gather these ideas all together into... well, a pet peeves and random thoughts blog. And so without further ado, let us begin...

There's a certain shop in a certain downtown mall (oh, why bother being evasive? It's the BOSE electronics shop in the Rideau Centre) that I've passed many times. It sells electronics, home entertainment systems, you know the type. The largest screen in there is a big one, and every single time I pass that store, the Adele concert film is on. I've heard some of her music, and it's okay... but playing it over and over again must drive the store employees bonkers. And I feel like I've seen the whole concert already.

Erotica is an eyebrow raising genre, but what do you suppose would happen if a big name author who wasn't known for writing it gave it a go? Dan Brown, the fellow behind The Da Vinci Code, has written sex into his previous books, but would it end up having his main character describing the inner secrets of the Kama Sutra while in the middle of reaching their... happy place?

By the same token, military-techno nut Tom Clancy (back before the quality of his writing took a fast plunge off a cliff) is best known for his spy thrillers, not to mention stopping the narrative so that he can explain precisely where a piece of military hardware is built, how it's made, and so on and so on, frustrating the reader to no end. He's written sex into his books from time to time (and comes off as something of an adolescent when doing so).  Would he end up writing a solo erotica scene where the heroine decides to pleasure herself with a vibrator, and would he feel compelled to describe exactly where it's made, the amount of time it takes for one vibrator to be made, the shift worker putting it together, and what said shift worker thinks about their job and the moral implications of putting such devices together? By this point, of course, the readers would have tossed the book away out of frustration and disgust at how the author isn't getting anywhere...

And while we're at it... would Stephen King, writing erotica, be unable to get away from his horror influences? Would such a passage come across in this way?  She groaned as he plunged into her, thrusting deep. Clarisa dug her fingernails deep into his back, arching her own back in pleasure, driving her body against him. He cried out, but not in the way she expected. The scratches she cast on his back had drawn blood... and fire erupted out of the scratches. He screamed and howled as his body set ablaze...

See what I mean?

We need to round up all of the Elvis impersonators in the world and have them dropped onto a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific so that we won't have to come across a guy with bad sideburns singing Love Me Tender in a really cheesy jumpsuit on the street. Who's with me?

I want to go back in time, find the person who coined the phrase baby bump, and smack them. Then go further back in time and prevent them from being conceived, thus preventing that idiotic term from ever being coined.

Is the sole purpose of a high ranking officer in a Dirty Harry film merely to look like he's about to blow a gasket every time Harry gets to sending a crook on the fast track to hell?

Just what does Ryan Seacrest actually do? And how much blood did he have to shed to become famous? And to whom did he sacrifice said blood to?

The emotional depth of the Kardashian family reaches an astonishing one eighth of a millimetre total.

Is Kathie Lee Gifford secretly a Looney Tunes character (Lady Drinksalot)? Would calling her that be an insult to Bugs, Daffy, and the rest? Would they drop an anvil on me? Hit me with an Acme sledgehammer? Launch me out of an Acme cannon?

What is it about public libraries that draw in morons who like having conversations that others can hear over the music they're listening to on their headphones? Were these morons raised by Neanderthals? No... Neanderthals had better manners.

Memo to Hollywood: please stop adapting Nicholas Sparks novels. And just for good measure, don't let Michael Bay direct another movie ever again.

Since Stephanie Meyer has decided against continuing the infernal Twilight franchise, will she start up another series called The Noon Saga, about immortal succubi? And then would that be followed by  The Afternoon Tea Saga, which would, of course, be about immortal teenaged afficionados of Earl Grey tea?

Often we see videos for sale in a convenience store that we've never heard of, featuring actors who are long past their prime. One of these days I'm expecting to see a film starring Steven Seagal, Vanilla Ice, Pia Zadora, and Carrot Top called Dear God, Buy This Movie, The Loan Sharks Are Coming To Break Our Legs.

Someone needs to muzzle David Foster. Celine Dion wasn't nearly so obnoxious in her early years, then she met Foster, and all of a sudden, every song had to be over the top, over done, and breaking wine glasses. I swear, the man has never heard of being subtle and understated. In his world, a song must have a thousand voice choir and a thousand-violin orchestra accompanying the lead singer, and must outdo every song before it...

Speaking of Celine, I'd like to thank the city of Las Vegas for taking her off our hands. I'd also like to apologize on behalf of all Canadians for unleashing her on the world. Same goes for Justin Bieber. And Nickleback. And Drake. For the record, we do have good musicians.

 If Wizard of Oz were remade with members of the Bush administration, would it work out to the following casting? Dubya as the Scarecrow (no brain), Laura Bush as Dorothy, Dick Cheney as the Tin Man (no heart), Michael "Brownie" Brown as the Cowardly Lion (no spine), Karl Rove as the Wizard, and Hillary Clinton as the Wicked Witch of the West?

Why does Jason Statham insist on playing pretty much the same character over and over and over again?

Finally.... why is a raven like a writing desk?

The Cat Is Going To Swat Oliver. I Repeat, The Cat Is Going To Swat Oliver

I was born into a long and distinguished line of feline overlords five years ago. Our kind had always ruled over the lowly humans with an iron claw. They catered to our every whim, feeding our delicate appetites with only the best, because that's all we would stand for. They gave us all the attention we sought, treated us as gods, because we deserve no less. In return, we treated them with disdain and sullen attitude. It's an expected thing to do when dealing with lower life forms.

And then there came the day when I, Sovereign Majestrix Felicity the Mousekiller, encountered my arch foe. For that was the day when my human servant Alice met the fop who calls himself Oliver. I mean, honestly, what self respecting human uses that name?

Ahem. Couldn't resist. Sorry about that....

Before I get started today, I'm also guest blogging over at Beths' blog, where I'm blogging about telegraphs and telegrams.  Be sure to check it out. And now, on with todays' foolishness...

Backstory. It's a narrative in a novel that refers to an earlier time then the main part of the book. It can be revealed through exposition, flashback, summary, or other means, weaved into the narrative, or it can be its own narrative, serving perhaps as an opening chapter in the book.

In the espionage genre, a backstory will often be the history of the villain, or a crucial supporting character being introduced for the first time. A protagonist will usually have their backstory introduced in bits and pieces through the narrative of several books, if it's a series, but if the author's telling the story of a character who's only turning up one time, using the back story is a handy way of getting the reader acquainted with the character.

Last time out, I talked about the genre and three of the big names in the traditional side of things. I thought I'd return to them today with a look at their techniques for employing backstory in their books.

Tom Clancy has given the world his main character, Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst who rises through the ranks of the Agency to ultimately become the President of the United States. That is, of course, when Jack wasn't dealing with his author frequently stopping to explain a techno-fact along the way. Jacks' backstory gets weaved into the narrative in bits and pieces, particularly in the early books, like The Hunt For Red October and Patriot Games, as we were just getting to know him. He's a former Marine, his parents died in a plane crash, and he doesn't like to fly. He has a deeply estranged relationship with his father-in-law. The bits and pieces technique actually works well when you're starting out with your protagonist in a series: don't give the readers too much at a time. Just as long as you don't retcon things in future books that you write as prequels. Mr. Clancy, Red Rabbit is Peoples' Exhibit #1 in this matter.

Clancy brought another primary character into the game in Cardinal of the Kremlin, a field operative named John Clark. His backstory remained essentially a blank for three books, barely hinted at, until Without Remorse. The book is essentially all backstory, set well before the present day books, during the last stages of the Vietnam War. It follows the character from his days as a Navy SEAL to becoming a CIA agent, while the man himself wages his own secret war against a drug gang to avenge a tragedy in his personal life.

Backstory has played its role for other characters in Clancy novels. In Cardinal, a spy deep in the Soviet government often finds himself flashing back to his experiences in the Second World War, sequences that are crucial to explain why he becomes a spy against his own country. In the novel Debt of Honor, a villain has a deeply personal connection to the WWII story of Saipan, and his reflections on it form a critical part of his motivation. And in Rainbow Six, the people pulling the strings behind a diabolical scheme to wipe out much of humanity have their own backstories, carefully placed in such a way not to expose their agenda to the reader until Clancy is ready to reveal it.

Jack Higgins has, for the last twenty years, concentrated most of his effort on the Irish gunman turned British agent, Sean Dillon. He's introduced first in Eye of the Storm, where he's the villain, a one time student of the theatre who turned to the IRA after his father was killed. The book concerns itself with placing Dillon as the man who's hired to attack Ten Downing Street with a mortar during Desert Storm (an attack that really did happen). Dillon becomes the protagonist in the following books when the British make him a deal he can't refuse, primarily because Higgins' wife told him Dillon was too good a character to kill off. In the books that follow, Dillons' backstory makes the occasional appearance here and there, from connections to multiple terrorists on both sides of the Irish issue to operations he's taken part in back in the old days.

Higgins' technique is to often start off in the past with a novel, so a chapter or more might serve on its own as the backstory, seperate from the main narrative. In Thunder Point, the escape of the Nazi Martin Bormann by submarine sets off a chain of events that lead to the present day action and links to the antagonists Dillon has to deal with. Angel of Death uses opening chapters to unveil how a terrorist group comes together over a handful of years. Drink With the Devil uses the first third of the book as pure backstory, since that portion is set several years before the main narrative, following a Protestant Irish terrorist who pulls off a gold heist in the English countryside. The ramifications spill over into the modern day.

Most notably in The President's Daughter, Higgins uses backstory to open the book. He follows the life and career of a young man from the Vietnam War days to the White House, which includes an ill fated romance and finding out long after the fact that he has a daughter. It links into the current day action when that daughter is kidnapped and used as a bargaining chip for a terrorist group who wants the American President to do the unthinkable.

Daniel Silva has made use of backstory in creative ways as a novelist too. Most of his novels have centered on the operative Gabriel Allon and his colleagues. From the earliest books, like The Kill Artist, we learn that Gabriel has been killing people for the state of Israel since the aftermath of the Munich incident. We discover that he's suffered the death of a son and the physical and psychological maiming of his first wife, an act of revenge by an old enemy. Silva weaves details here and there about Gabriel in the books that follow, showing us how he came to be an art restorer (a very handy cover for a man in his profession), and his ties to some of the people in his life, the people who in the more recent books become his team of operatives.

In some of the more recent books, the backstory of a villain comes in the form of a briefing. In the recent Portrait of a Spy, the backstory of two terrorists is laid out midway through the book, the members of the team going through what they know of both men as if the entire chapter is an intelligence briefing. It's a different way of giving the reader a taste of a character, somewhat detached from that characters' point of view, but it works beautifully.

With Heaven & Hell, I've been making use of backstory in various ways. With my protagonists, it's tended to lean towards the "bits and pieces" at a time mentality. There's no need to give away too much at once, since they'll be back again in future books. Where my antagonists are concerned, they get much more of a fully revealed backstory. The first three chapters of the book, in fact, are their story. Over a period of several years, starting fifteen years in the past, the events that bring together the Covenant are laid out, coming to a conclusion with their first official operation as a terrorist group.

A certain dead Muppet's backstory....

Backstory plays a considerable part in fiction writing, but in the espionage genre it's particularly useful. I've certainly made use of it, and in works to come, I'll be revisiting this narrative device.

Post script: Yes, the title's yet another play on espionage codephrases... but let's face it. Someone named Oliver deserves to get swatted.