The Eiger Sanction: A Novel

They have a concept in literary theory of "the implied author" or something like that. So the real person behind the name Trevenian may have loved cats and spy novels, but the implied author really, really despises spy novels and the people who read them. It's just amazing that the sneering tone is missed by most of the reviewers. He thought we the readers were morons, folks. John Gardner did the sixties spoof spy story with greater skill and respect for the reader, so much so that he later got to write follow-up straight 007 Novels. Check him out instead, or as well. Having said that, there is satisfaction in mentally taking Trevenian down when he stumbles. It was his first book after all and it shows. Repetition of words like "tonic" for tone, not drink, a certain lack of knowledge about guns, and where exactly a body thrown across the inside of a car by a shotgun blast actually ends up (back on the original side of the car by my reckoning). All this warms the heart of the nit-picker when facing down this sneering prig of an author. Not such a smart aleck after all, Tervenian, if that is how you spell your name. Also, I must have read the book many years ago but it left zero impression on me, except I remembered the end as I was reading it, and it is quite an amusing conclusion, so I give him three stars for effort. Really he could have written a nasty pastiche 5000 word story and left it at that.

A 1972 spy novel classic that uses the Swiss Alps as its main setting, "The Eiger Sanction" introduces us to one of the toughest tough-love cases you'll ever meet in spy fiction: Jonathan Hemlock.Hemlock is not only an esteemed art professor but a ladykiller-at-a-glance. He used to be one of the world's greatest mountain-climbers and now dabbles in assassination to amass a collection of art masterpieces he keeps locked in the basement of his converted-church manor on Long Island.When we meet him, Hemlock has tired of killing people for money, not liking the company it brings. Still, when pressed, he goes along with his mysterious boss for the second of two final "sanctions," which requires his return to the title mountain peak that nearly killed him. His $100,000 will prove to be the toughest fee he'll earn - if he survives.Trevanian was the pen name for Rodney Whitaker, an American who exiled himself to the French Basque country. Perhaps "Trevanian" is Basque for "sneeringly brilliant" as this book gives evidence of a cagey man and gifted author with a deep contempt for his audience. While providing more than the usual share of thrills and adventure, he also presents us here with one of spy fiction's most dislikeable protagonists in Hemlock.How dislikeable? Well, beyond that killing-for-hire sideline, he's emotionally distant and probably sociopathic, though Trevanian doesn't tip his hand if he disapproves of his creation."Niceness is an overrated quality," Hemlock tells someone early on. "Being nice is how a man pays his way into the party if he hasn't the guts to be tough or the class to be brilliant."Later on, when confronted with a jealous husband, we learn that "Jonathan experienced that uncomfortable combination of pity and disgust he always felt for the emotionally soft, particularly those who lacked control over their romantic lives."Trevanian gives Hemlock an adventure well-suited to his hard character, a twisting tale of betrayal and casual cruelty culminating in a deadly climb up the Eiger's friable, frosty face that showcases the author's ability to suck you into a world utterly alien from your own - that is, unless you climb dangerous mountains. As a voice of narrative authority, Trevanian is as unimpeachable as he is riveting.There's something else apparently at work here. Trevanian later claimed it a satire of Ian Fleming and those other authors of spy-yarn escapism. Hemlock is built up rather improbably as a master of many things, and there are also an assortment of funny names from the Pussy Galore school, like Randie Nickers and Cherry Pitt. His assassinations boss is named Yurasis Dragon and Dragon's secretary is Miss Cerberus. Generally, though, Trevanian keeps humor or engagement of any kind to a minimum. If there is a satire going on here, it seems directed at the reader rather than for the reader.That tetchy quality gives "The Eiger Sanction" both a uniqueness as well as a chip-on-the-shoulder hauteur that's hard to warm up to. Will spy fiction fans like it? I don't think it can disappoint on a truly plot-focused basis; the story has some very effective turns that can cross you up even when you expect them, and Hemlock's cold manner is bracingly effective. Watching him rough up a would-be adversary and even a messenger from Dragon proves startlingly rousing entertainment given how Hemlock is presented as being no better than anyone else. Maybe that's the satire Trevanian spoke of.Tongue in cheek or not, Trevanian delivers a very effective adventure story with hints of wider ambition. Realized or not, you will be engaged.

I watched Clint Eastwood's film adaptation of The Eiger Sanction and enjoyed it so much that I decided to read the two novels written by Trevanian about assassin Johnathan Hemlock. After reading The Eiger Sanction, I was glad to make that decision. The film followed the book pretty closely, but the book has much more to offer.The novel is full of great suspense and it has a terrific sense of humor! Many of the character's names are also inside jokes. The main character, Johnathan Hemlock, is named after some poisonous plant called the Hemlock. I'll let you figure out the joke behind the name of Johnathan's boss, Yurrassis Dragon.This goes as a warning and a point of praise for me: The novel came from a time before overly-sensitive people. Much of the novel's humor is extremely offensive. I enjoy that fact, however, since we now live in a Politically Correct world where writing material such as this would be considered too offensive to let go. There is a difference between making one-time jokes and bullying.The story is also intriguing and the character motivations are believable. The reason I enjoy the character of Hemlock so much is because he's different from the usual pack of international-assassins or spies. He acts more like a normal person who has to deal with the little annoyances of life but happens to work for a counter-assassination group. Aside from assassinations(or Sanctions as they're called in the novel), Hemlock is an art expert and college art professor. He's used his money to purchase a Gothic cathedral on Long Island to live in as well as to purchase priceless paintings off the black market. The supporting characters, Jemima Brown, Ben Bowman, and Miles Mellow, are also varied and interesting(Mellow being probably the single most offensive stereotype in the world of literature).Overall, The Eiger Sanction is intriguing, suspenseful, and hilarious. Unique characters, an entertaining story, and a great sense of humor make The Eiger Sanction a must-read for fans of spy or assassin thrillers.

This half homage, half pastiche of Bond-style thrillers makes for an engaging day's read. Trevanian writes with a sharp wit and at breakneck speed, though the denouement feels slightly rushed and falls just short of total satisfaction. The character of Hemlock is engaging despite his aloofness and anti-social demeanour, relying on dry, razor wit and deprecation of his foes to provide much of the novel's entertainment value. Fans of Clint Eastwood's movie adaptation will find much to enjoy in the expanded characterisation of the source text, and the portrayal of women, while still much on genre par for the period, is certainly far less misogynistic than the hurriedly distilled sex dolls seen on screen. Likewise the treatment of homosexual characters suffers less from the outright phobia that plagues Eastwood's adaptation, though be warned that they are still present mainly as points for ridicule.

Timeless story. Not dated though so much has changed in the world of secret government agencies. Splendid escapism.

Master of the written word. The world is a bit sadder without his books to look forward to tucking up in bed with.

I found it overall, hard to read...

Did not enjoy as much as Shibumi, it was one of a kind I suppose. Interesting characters but a little outdated.