[.ca] 20th Century Assassination Bureau (ISBN 0140186778)

Outstanding!!:
This book is one of the most interesting and mind grabbing that I have ever read! It brought me back from a reading hitus that I had suffered for over a year; it reminded me of how much I love books! The story is about Dragomiloff creating his bureau and justifying the assasinations they carry out. One man challenges him and proves Dragomiloff that his bureau's work is wrong. This causes Dragomiloff to send his bureau after himself, for his assassination. This book is truly one of his best ever and should be read by everyone, espically the people who think that London writes only about the artic. This is an intreaguing read full of twists and turns. I would reccomend it to anyone.

A very good read:
I read this book after seeing the movie because I'm an Oliver Reed fan, like so many books, the movie version is so different. But I still enjoyed reading this book, written a long time ago (for me) some parts were quite difficult to read in this drama about a group of assassins who are payed to kill their leader, the film continues in a chase to find the member of the bureau who would kill Dragomiloff the leader, or to see if he successfully managed to eliminate all of them. Seeing the film first, I do prefer the film but still find this a very enjoyable read.

great concept, but:
the plot in this book is very interesting. the bureau in question is adminitrated towards killing people who "deserves" it. their clients have to convince the leader that the person deserves to be killed. a man shows up and convinces the leader that it is HIM (the leader) that deserves to be killed, and this person agrees at last. interesting concept. but after a while the plot gets less interesting. L doesn't seem to manage his own idea, and things end up just sort of happening. not his best.

TERRIBLE:
Apparently, this unfinished novel was found in the deceased Jack London's trunk. Trying to cash in on JL's name, Robert L. Fish, "finishes" the book. Well, there's a reason London gave up on it and threw it in the trunk in the first place... It's terrible. Billed as an assassination bureau with a conscience, its chief, Ivan Dragomiloff decides whether the assassinations are "justified." Eventually, someone submits an anonymous name for termination, which Dragomiloff dutifully accepts. Well, he's the target. London quickly paints himself into a corner and the novel deteriorates into idiocy. At a mere 178 pages it was hard to NOT finish even if you realize about half way through you're wasting your time. Some novels are better left unread. This is one of them.

Assassination Bureau:
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.