Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #586840 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Customer Reviews

A Muddled mess
If the format of this book was an experiment,then I'm afraid it's a failed experiment.
I was continually looking up the abbreveated storytitle code to find which episode Mr Pixley was referring to.
I may not be able to recommend this book but I can recommend the following two.
If you want to learn more about the particular episodes in a more coherent style try Dave Rogers; "The Complete Avengers".
Which is an excellent episode guide,even if some of the episode synopses are from shooting scripts,and not the televised version.
Or if you want a more Macnee centric one try; "The Avengers and me".(By Patrick Macnee and Dave Rogers.)

The (Almost) Perfect Guide to The Avengers
Mr. Andrew Pixley has pulled together into one place what has to
be the most comprehensive coverage of that debonair Ladies' man
and spy (oops, sorry, agent), Mr. John Steed, and all of
his various partners. From Dr. David Keel, to Mrs. Cathy Gale.
From Venus Smith and Dr. Martin King, to the irresistible,
charming, cool, intelligent, independent, sophisticated and
sensuous Mrs. Emma Peel. From Miss Tara King, to Purdey and Mike
Gambit. From Charles and One-Ten, to Mother, Father, and even
Rhonda, they're all here!

In "The Avengers Files", you enter the fictional, undercover
world of Great Britain's top agent, and all his helpers and
associates. Mr. Pixley threads through all the "surveillance
tapes" (TV episodes) from all the years of The Avengers and The
New Avengers, and the "books and comics", passed off upon we,
the unsuspecting public, and extracts all the intelligence data
and missions, clearly detailed here for us to relive and enjoy,
over and over.

As a work of fiction, Mr. Pixley's book is very good background
material for fan fiction writers, and anyone who wanted to know
more about their favorite Avenger.

The fault that I find with it, is that the sections
on Emma Peel should be the largest of the book, since Emma Peel
did appear in nine more of the surveillance tapes than Cathy
Gale, and Emma Peel was certainly the subject of many novels
and comics and comic strips.

If Emma sells, then here would have been the place to do it.
I feel that Mr. Pixley favors Cathy Gale, judging by the size of
the chapters involving her, and the picture on the back of the book.

Maybe someday, somewhere, someone will finally realize who was
the apex of Steed's partners, and give Emma her just due, giving
us the "perfect" book on The Avengers.

In the meantime, "The Avengers Files" can feed some appetites.

It isn't real you know...
When I started reading this book I found it quite oddly written, and it takes quite a while to settle into. This is because the the author has written the entire book as though the stories really are true, which can be quite entertaining, but means that the book has nothing (and can have nothing) on how the series were made, about the actors, props, or anything similar.

Make no mistake, it is a well researched book, but the the style severely limits the scope of its content. If you buy it with this in mind you won't be disappointed.