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drhilbert's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
gannent's review
4.0
Wow. This was an emotional rollercoaster ride that on first pass totally blew my mind. It was a little difficult to get started, a very technical beginning that I still don't really understand. But then the hits just kept coming. Illya and Napoleon undercover in a gay bar? Getting into a fight with a biker gang? Napoleon's dead wife revealed to be a live THRUSH operative? Giving up THRUSH for Napoleon? Waverly dying? Napoleon getting remarried? THRUSH is destroyed?
In summary, holy s***.
It's awesome in the read-through but doesn't hold up upon reflection. Napoleon's wife Joan especially. She's competent and awesome in action, which is cool. But it seems way too convenient in some respects. She knew for 18 years that Napoleon was out there and working for UNCLE, but the second she actually sees him face-to-face she defects and completely changes sides with no qualms? She was a THRUSH field agent, who knows what kind of terrible stuff she did. And while Napoleon makes a few half-hearted protests about "having changed" over 18 years, there's really no follow-up or discussion of the fact that he's been a total slut (sorry hun) and that this would be a significant change to his lifestyle, and would he even be capable of it? According to this book they were married for only months, and most of that time Napoleon was deployed! The book does touch on how little they know each other, there's a touching scene where Joan asks Illya to tell her about Napoleon, saying that he knows her husband better. But the book suffers from not resolving Joan's past. I kept expecting her to betray them because it was just too easy. It also suffers from telling, not showing, Joan and Napoleon's relationship. It's like the writer felt that Napoleon had to get married for there to be a happy ending to the series.
Speaking of which, I was kind of ticked on Illya's behalf at the ending. Napoleon is newly (re)married, Number 1 Section 1 of a triumphant, victorious UNCLE, while Illya is going back to the Soviet Union and a naval post for eventual transfer to China. That second part is ridiculous considering the relationship between China and the Soviet Union in 1970, that aside this would still be late Cultural Revolution, and being shipped off to Cultural Revolution China away from his best friend is hardly a happy ending for poor Illya.
I would still definitely recommend this book because I love the characters and there are some really great moments in this book. At first read I was disappointed this was never published, but now I'm glad it's not canon. But it's a good semi-official fanfiction :)
In summary, holy s***.
It's awesome in the read-through but doesn't hold up upon reflection. Napoleon's wife Joan especially. She's competent and awesome in action, which is cool. But it seems way too convenient in some respects. She knew for 18 years that Napoleon was out there and working for UNCLE, but the second she actually sees him face-to-face she defects and completely changes sides with no qualms? She was a THRUSH field agent, who knows what kind of terrible stuff she did. And while Napoleon makes a few half-hearted protests about "having changed" over 18 years, there's really no follow-up or discussion of the fact that he's been a total slut (sorry hun) and that this would be a significant change to his lifestyle, and would he even be capable of it? According to this book they were married for only months, and most of that time Napoleon was deployed! The book does touch on how little they know each other, there's a touching scene where Joan asks Illya to tell her about Napoleon, saying that he knows her husband better. But the book suffers from not resolving Joan's past. I kept expecting her to betray them because it was just too easy. It also suffers from telling, not showing, Joan and Napoleon's relationship. It's like the writer felt that Napoleon had to get married for there to be a happy ending to the series.
Speaking of which, I was kind of ticked on Illya's behalf at the ending. Napoleon is newly (re)married, Number 1 Section 1 of a triumphant, victorious UNCLE, while Illya is going back to the Soviet Union and a naval post for eventual transfer to China. That second part is ridiculous considering the relationship between China and the Soviet Union in 1970, that aside this would still be late Cultural Revolution, and being shipped off to Cultural Revolution China away from his best friend is hardly a happy ending for poor Illya.
I would still definitely recommend this book because I love the characters and there are some really great moments in this book. At first read I was disappointed this was never published, but now I'm glad it's not canon. But it's a good semi-official fanfiction :)
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