The Avengers are a group of operatives whose mission is to protect Britain from extraordinary dangers.
       The series of books derive from two British television series. Few series from British television has had close to the acceptance and appreciation in the States as has the Avengers. The suave urbanity of John Steed and the incredibly sexy assurance of Emma Peel captured imagination of Americans. Thanks to syndication, it was seen over and over again, gaining new audiences along the way. Moreover, it was telecast at one time or another in over 120 different countries.
       There were really two different series involved: The Avengers and The New Avengers.
       The first, and best well known, ran in Great Britain from January 1961 to September 1969, numbering 161 episodes. During that period in which the Avengers changed makeup several times, the one constant was John Steed, played admirably by Patrick MacNee.
       When the show first came on the air, Steed was the junior partner of a police surgeon named Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry). It was originally a half-hour crime drama with the mystery-solver being the surgeon. Steed was the mysterious spy who convinces Keel to join his organization but the emphasis remained larger of Keel. This pairing lasted only one season and Hendry left for other interests.
       Taking his place was the anthropologist Dr. Catherine Gale. This highly intelligence, judo-throwing member of the group initially was just asked to help in a black magic case but was enticed to come in on a more regular basis. During this second season, however, Dr. Gale was sometimes replaced with either Dr. Martin King (Jon Rollason) or a jazz singer named Venus Smith (Julie Stevens). These last two did not make it into season three.
       It wasn't until the fourth season that the show really hit its main stride, and started to become popular in the States. Steed changed from being rather harsh and demanding and became the gentile man of confidence he would always be remembered as. He was also joined, most importantly, by the scrumptious Mrs. Emma Peel, delightfully played by Diana Rigg. Mrs. Peel would be Steed's partner-in-danger for two full seasons.
       The final season saw Mrs. Peel depart with her long-lost, suddenly refound husband (who bore an astonishing resemblance to Steed). She was replaced as Steed's teammate by the cute and perky Tara King (Linda Thorson) who had the unenviable job of following such a dynamite act as Mrs. Peel. Interestingly, of all of the four partners that Steed would have (Keel, Gale, Peel, and King), only the last one would have any professional training as a spy, being a graduate of the spy school the Avengers' organization ran.
       The second series, The New Avengers, appeared on the scene 7 years after the original left with the first of 26 episodes spanning two seasons airing in October of 1976. The New Avengers consisted of John Steed, every bit as debonair as ever, the delectable Purdey (Joanna Lumley) and Mike Gambit (Gareth Hunt).
       These adventures were lush and bright, filled with action and humor. Unfortunately, as popular as the original Avengers were and as very popular as Lumley proved to be, the show didn't last too long.

       I loved The Avengers. No real fan of spy-fi series could not love The Avengers. The inimitable Mr. Steed, the incomparable Mrs. Peel, not to mention the others like Catherine Gayle and Tara King. The strange cases they encountered while defending queen and country and, in some cases, the world itself. It may have been on a different end of the spectrum from serious and somber tomes like The Spy Who Came In From The Cold but it was fun!
       Remembering them so well, the books come across as a mixed bag, as is often the case with books from television shows, especially when written by different people at different times. The first three books are very well done. The last one, Too Many Targets, is excellent. The others are passable, at best.

       So, the low grade is for the books, not the television show! I cannot rate the books higher than a "C" because they don't deserve it but the tv show would get an "A" for being great enjoyment with terrific imagination and panache.

My Grade:   C