The Anti-Death League

Kinglsey Amis at very near the top of his game, which means several laugh-out-loud moments, numerous nimble linguistic constructions, twists and turns of all sorts, and shameless manipulation of character and reader. I hope it won't be considered spoiling for me to mention the author's characteristic and thoroughgoing nastiness tinging toward sadism. Nearly all of Amis' characters, even the army chaplain, have lost their faith, and one has taken his spiritual crisis so far as to write poems titled "To A Baby Born Without Limbs," and to concoct an association dedicated to eradicating death. And it is true, of course, that we live in a world full of the most appalling situations. But a character in a Kingsley Amis novel lives in one that show more is just that little bit worse, since he or she has to contend with a creator who makes it his business to thwart any and everyone in his little world and to offer moments of pleasure or good cheer only in order to administer a particularly nasty fly swat. show less

Brian Leonard, a Monty Python of secret agents, meets James Churchill, a young officer and parolee from the mental ward. Thrown amongst these loose cannons is a widowed beauty who practices "conspicuous polyandry," an unfocused psychiatrist, an unbelieving chaplain, and a charming alcoholic. Amis delights in combining espionage, violence, love and religious skepticism.

An enjoyable enough novel, though not Kingsley Amis at his most entertaining.

Part of the problem seems to stem from the military base setting: Amis appears to be quite out of his depth here, with all the details (except the drinking) coming across as a layman's idea of how military intelligence would operate. He just doesn't pull it off, yet for some reason does not choose to make an absolute farce of the whole thing, as the fourth season of Black Adder does.

One of the aspects of a Kingsley Amis novel that I most enjoy is when the blinkered worldview of the what assumes to be the author is revealed, through interaction between characters, to be that of the main character. A good example of this is the portrayal of a gay couple in show more Difficulties With Girls, which begins as an embarrassing caricature, but gradually reveals two human beings struggling in a difficult relationship who occasionally ham it up a bit to shock the straights. Unfortunately, there is no such sophistication on display here, even though there is plenty of opportunity for it with so many characters moaning about how unfair death is. show less

I'm not sure if there's a greater point here that I missed, or if this is really just an anti-war kind of book. Well written, certainly, but I've already forgotten most of what happens in it.

A send-up of military memoirs, and the spy novel, and with fairly good dirty bits, as I recall now.

Great writing, great characterization, plot good.

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