The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) [Paperback]

Jack London (Author), Robert L. Fish (Author), Donald E. Pease (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0140186778 | ISBN-13: 978-0140186772

The Assassination Bureau kills people for money. It also has a social conscience. Determined to eliminate only society's enemies, its chief, Ivan Dragomiloff, decides whether or not each murder is "justified." Unfinished when Jack London died, this novel has been completed by Robert L. Fish.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Left unfinished at the time of London's 1916 death at age 40, this thriller was completed by Robert L. Fish and published in 1963. The plot follows Ivan Dragomiloff, who, in a twist of fate, finds himself pitted against the secret assassination agency he founded.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Jack London (1876–1916) published an enormous number of stories and novels, including The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Martin Eden.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (October 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140186778
• ISBN-13: 978-0140186772
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,447,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Assassination Bureau, March 22, 2000

By 

Nick Baugh (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) (Paperback)

London supposedly "wrote himself into a corner" in the plot of this story, or else he hadn't the time to finish it, but the resolution by Fish is not only an entertaining conclusion (despite a certain abrupt removal of a key character), but is so similar to London's writing style and his familiarities so that the author transfer is indeterminable. The best part of the book as a whole, as all Londonites will agree, is the simple philisophical dialogue exchanged between characters. For those who are seeking a die-hard, man vs. nature conflict, you still won't be disappointed with the primitiveness of the characters (philisophical, mad, and fanatic) and their interaction with a civilized world that doesn't quite match the truths that they hold to be dear. An excellent read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About life,death,honor, right, wrong, justice, prinicples, September 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) (Paperback)

I would compare it to Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday. Sometimes it seems like a silly game, at other times it's the answer to deep philosophical questions. You must suspend your belief a little and accept the premises. The Assination Bureau is based on certain rules. It tries to perform social rights by doing what could well be considered wrongs: executions of anti-social baddies. But there's a big difference between murder-for-hire (no matter how "justified") and capital punishment by a real government. Playing by the rules of the game, London sets up a clever situation where the organization must destroy itself to be true to its own principles. But as men of principle and reason they whole heartedly embrace their own destruction. Should rationality be held to be of a higher importance than life? Is playing by the rules more important than survival? When does rationality become irrational or irrationality look rational? Though not always convincing, this book asks and answers many interesting questions.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Men of principle--even if it kills them, April 20, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Memphis, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) (Paperback)

This book reads a little bit like a precursor to the novels of Ayn Rand. A group of men espouse almost impossible ideals, and then try to live up to them at any cost--or in this case, kill or die for them. The title refers to a group of well educated idealists at the turn of the century who are contract murderers, but only if they agree that the murder is morally justified. A potential client visits them and offers a contract--to kill the head of their agency. Strangely, the executive, Ivan Dragomiloff, finds this to be justified, sends out the order for his own death, and then spends the rest of the book in a deadly cat-and-mouse game with the men he has trained so well. This book was made into an entertaining, but not very deep, movie, around 1970, starring Oliver Reed, Telly Savalas, and Diana Rigg.