Customer Reviews

The Loo Sanction: A Novel

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In the mid 1970s three back-to-back best sellers were provided by the reclusive and somewhat mysterious author who wrote under the pen name of Trevanian. The three novels were first, "The Eiger Sanction", followed quickly by a sequel, "The Loo Sanction", and finally, by a complete change of pace with "Shibumi". Of the three, While The Eiger Sanction was easily the most commercially successful, the Loo Sanction provided more of a showcase for Trevanian's considerable intellect, panache for taking pot-shots at the British culture, and sheer gift for words. Like its predecessor, this is a taut and thrilling tale of a once famous mountaineer and retired government assassin turned college art history professor named Jonathan Hemlock, who is forced back into the "sanction" business both by personal greed and crude manipulation, this time around by the British through blackmail, setting in motion another terrific spy thriller.

The book opens with a graphic description of a pederast being slowly impaled on a stake through the inexorable force of gravity by way of his bodyweight. An aggravating and dangerous entrepreneur named Maximillian Strange is using his own filmed trysts catching British government officials to blackmail them, and the British Intelligence was an outsider like Hemlock who cannot be traced to sanction (assassinate) him. To do so, Hemlock must infiltrate Strange's private estate/bordello called The Cloisters, and it is considered an almost impregnable fortress/resort. Of course, Professor Hemlock gets diverted along the way by the well-turned limbs of a lovely lady, and gets consequently involved in the trendy world of the London art world, where his expertise as an appraiser of original art is both highly regarded and which also allows him some humorous diversions along the way.

Once we finally make it to the Cloisters, the action is literally non-stop, quite accurate technically, and absolutely riveting to read about. While this is both amusing and fanciful stuff, owing more to Bond-like super-hero stuff than real life, it is escapist work of the first magnitude. The author holds our rapt attention with a plot that unfolds in a quite plausible and inevitably tragic fashion with no one necessarily spared as the frenzy reaches its natural conclusion. This is a terrific spy thriller, on e written by someone who has a wonderful command of prose and entertainment, and who employs them both to great advantage here. This is great entertainment, and something I can heartily recommend as a great summer read. Enjoy!

I noticed that one reviewer called this book a light read. I suppose this is true, in the sense that the book, when taken in its entirety, makes no sweeping statement about society; will not revolutionize the world of literature; and simply is not to be taken too seriously.

It is upon closer inspection that the connoisseur of literature notices the brilliance of Trevanian's writing; evinced by the surprising number of sentences the reader wants to reread to simply admire the gift of the author: the choice of words; the economy of words; the evocative descriptions; and the ability to phrase, with exquisite precision, thoughts that are both abstract and sometimes profound.

Neverthelss, the Loo Sanction, as a whole, is largely a farce, lampooning with special force and flair, the status of the modern art world. In the midst of the potpouri of untalented, self-described art experts, Jonathan Hemlock is one of the few truly knowledgable art scholars, occasionally sharing his expertise with reluctant disdain; while the others in the field acknowledge his preeminence with reluctant, and jealous admiration. One character attempts to hire Hemlock to appraise a half million dollar sculpture at a value of [$$$] million, knowing that Hemlock's expressed opinion will instantly increase the market value of the sculpture.

The rest of the plot consists of avid British-bashing, and an absurd, yet intricate attempt by an arch criminal to blackmail high-ranking members of the British establishment. Despite the largely farcical nature of the story, the author was able to make this reader, at least, acutely sad about the ultimate demise of Hemlock's female companion. THough this book may be hard to find, it is highly recommended to anyone who has found themselves among the true appreciators of Trevanian's craft.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The previous book "The Eiger sanction" was also really good. Good suspense, well written, and amazing charachters. The dialogue and tactics each of the charachters use in these books are what sold me on them. You will definately enjoy reading these books.

Jonathan Hemlock is back! This time he's in England. This time he is forced out of retirement by a secret British Agency, code named "The Loo", that is a mirror image to the USA's "CII". Hemlock is given an assignment and his chances for success are minimal at best, but don't bet on it! Remember this is the mountain climbing professor of art who has survived the North Face of Eiger Peak -- TWICE.

The Loo Sanction is a worthy sequel full of whacky characters, evil villians, thugs, traitors, and non-stop suspense. How I wish that Trevanian had written more books featuring the resourceful Dr. Hemlock!

I know that the die-hard Trevanian fans will disagree, but I think The Eiger Sanction and The Loo Sanction are much better than SHIBUMI!

The only sequel (to The Eiger Sanction) so far produced by Trevanian (pen name of Rod Whitaker), The Loo Sanction takes his mountain-climbing/ art-history professor/occasional CIA assassin protagonist Jonathan Hemlock to swinging London, circa 1972. Still in emotional shock over the demise of his one true love affair, Hemlock is drawn into a fairly simple espionage plot to sell blackmail photographs of British politicians via a bronze horse. As an art appraiser and (secretly of course) occasional contract killer, Hemlock is entrapped by the British government into attempting a retrieval of the compromising material and destruction of the blackmailer's organization. The usual snide Trevanian humour is much in evidence, along with some fairly gripping action; but the real attraction of The Loo Sanction is in the female protagonist, Maggie, an Irish girl of many charms and secrets. Their relationship is unconventional in most respects (they exchange names just before going to bed) but their friendship and dialogue is memorable and touching. You will leave this novel exhilarated and angered and saddened and wrung-out.

If you want four hours of absolute escapism this is for you. Dr. Jonathan Hemlock, art historian, mountaineer and assassin returns. This time he is in London and is coerced into locating films of establishment figures taken in compromising positions with professional women. This will involve lots of killing and other fictional assassin type stuff.

It total fantasy and not a cultural experience ,its a very violent James Bondish read but the writing is of a higher calibre.

It does slip into total parody in parts and the language dates it but its the perfect airport book.

I really enjoyed The Eiger Sanction for what it was, a partly camp yet well-written and absorbing American spy venture. What I liked best were the outsized, comical characters, the witty dialogue, and the deeply researched set piece on the great face of the Eiger.

The Loo Sanction is a worthy followup, with similarly outsized, comical characters, witty dialogue, and deeply researched set piece -- this time involving art and depraved British politicians.

To me it worked, it was fun, enjoyable, and made me wish Trevanian kept going with the series.

What more do you want from a book like this?

This 1973 sequel to "The Eiger Sanction"(1972) with Jonathan Hemlock again as the hero, starts out with perhaps the best first chapter in the history of crime writing. Back then the author was surprised that his debut had been reviewed seriously by professional critics, instead of being thrashed as a spoof on/of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond. Trevanian went into overdrive and produced this even unlikelier book. And again, the critics swallowed it line, hook and sinker. [Trevanian's first five books each sold more than a million copies; he agreed to being interviewed only in 1979 on the occasion of the publication of "Shibumi", his fourth world-wide bestseller.]
Trevanian is or was Rodney Whitaker (1931-2005), a US professor of communication sciences, with a sharp instinct for structure and style of successful novel writing. Under at least five pseudonyms he published around two dozen books, ranging from Chaucer-like tales and Westerns to more modern genres. This reader's favorite book, "The Main" describes in the present tense, like Emile Zola, the sorry life of an aging police inspector in Montreal, whose wife died young and who {re-)reads the long row of Zola's "Complete Works" from start to finish, again and again. His fifth bestseller, "The Summer of Katya", published in 1983 was written as if it was a posthumous work of Marcel Proust about the happy summer months of 1914 preceding WW I in rural France. And "Shibumi" was a spoof on/of the bestselling Ninja-novels so popular at the time.
Thanks to the success of his early bestsellers, Trevanian gave up teaching and took his family to the French part of the Basque country which forms the backdrop for "Shibumi".
But what about "The Loo Sanction"? Trevanian's brilliant prose and plotting powers highlight Jonathan Hemlock's highly paid and sure-footed campaign to confront and win a threat to compromise key members of the British establishment. Superior mental and fighting capacities! Endless staying power in the love department! A great art collection beneath the church he has made his home. If JH is not irresistible, who is?

ANYONE WHO ENJOYS A SPY NOVEL WILL LIKE THIS. ANYONE WHO LIKES CHARACTER STUDY AND FINE STORYLINES WITH GOOD PACING, WILL LIKE THIS. IT SEEMS THAT MR. TREVANIAN MAY HAVE KNOWN A SPY OR TWO IN HIS (OR FOR THAT MATTER, HER) LIFE. THE CHARACTER OF HEMLOCK IS INDEED INTERESTING. MR. TREVANIAN TOUCHES A PART OF YOU THAT INVOLVES AN INWARD EYE OF SORTS. THIS EYE TAKES YOU INSIDE OF THE PERSON INVOLVED IN THE STORY IN A STRANGE WAY, HE SEEMS TO PUT YOU RIGHT THERE AS IF HE HIMSELF WERE THERE BEFORE. THE VISION THAT TREVANIAN HAS IS ALMOST LIKE A MEMORY OF SOMETHING THAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IN REAL LIFE. I CAN'T REALLY PUT MY FINGER ON IT, BUT THIS CHARACTER COULD CERTAINLY BE IN TODAYS HEADLINES ALONG WITH ANYTHING ROBERT LUDNUM OR LEN DEIGHTON MAY HAVE CREATED. SPY FANS, PLEASE READ "THE EIGER SANCTION" FIRST AND THEN READ THIS FOLLOW UP. I ASSURE YOU, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPOINTED. TREVANIAN IS TRULY GREAT!

After reading Eiger, I figured I would pick up the sequel. I guess I was hoping that it would be decent. It bored me to tears, and the characters were horrible.

Shibumi was a great book, and The Eiger Sanction is worth reading, but I would advise you not to waste your time with this one.