DOMINIC FLANDRY

       Dominic Flandry is an agent with the Intelligence Corps.
       This organization is part of the Navy and is responsible for gathering data that is vital for the successful completion of its mission and the mission is the protection of the vast Terran Empire.
       The adventures that make up the history of this highly decorated and resourceful operative take place in the 31st century. Hundreds of years before, the people of Earth, now calling themselves by the Latin name of Terra, had acquired the ability of space travel and millions had left to find and colonize planets all over its galactic neck of the woods. Eventually they would encounter other intelligent life, many humanoid and some not so much. And eventually these would join in the confederation, many willingly and again some not so much.
       In the time of Flandry's service, the Terran Empire had unfortunately seen far better days and its rule was waning. Entropy, that inevitabilty that comes to all people and all organizations, was rife. Flandry, for all his devotion and dedication to maintaining security for his government, knows the end is coming. What he refers to as the "Long Night" which is sure to follow will see the myriad worlds experience the same Dark Ages that the world saw with the fall of the Roman Empire. He just hopes that with his help it might not come during his lifetime.
       In the many reports we have of Flandry's adventures, we follow him from a very eager but "wet behind the ears" Ensign graduating from the Academy and being assigned to the Intelligence Corps. Earnest and eager and quite smart and capable, he is still young and prone to rash decisions. Luckily he survives and learns and grows and gets far better. He will advance in rank and prestige and privilege as he successfully completes one mission after another until he achieves the position of Admiral and holds the title of Knight, friend to Emperor and other powerful leaders.
       Along the way he will use brinkmanship and bravado and cunning and deviousness to meet the challenges of his tasks. He can be, as the situation demands, forceful and commanding or obsequious and fawning; his keen intellect and ability to read people of all races and species letting him know whether it is time to bow low or punch hard.
       And also along the way, like any good agent, he will learn how to enjoy the many different pleasures that the thousands worlds in the Empire have to offer. He becomes a connoisseur of good drink, great food, beautiful women, and so on.
       All the while fighting the good fight to stave off just a bit longer the "Long Night" that is coming.

       Imagine a spy who has exquisite taste in food and drink, loves the ladies and they definitely adore him, can fight with the best of them, and knows a thing or two about games of chance. Yes, we are all thinking of J.B. and we might not be far off.
       Except ... let's move this intrepid operative over a thousand years into the future for his adventures.
       And ... let's have his first exciting mission be written two years before Fleming released his agent onto the publishing world.

       I was introduced to Poul Anderson in the earl 70s through a couple of books in his Polesotechnic League series, most of which dealt with an enterprising merchant and soon-to-be magnate. Then, thinking I was still in the same time period, I grabbed the collection of stories, Agents of the Terran Empire, and went 'huh?' and then 'wow!' I loved it. I then grabbed the second collection and enjoyed the daylights out of it as well. When I got the first real novel in the series, Ensign Flandry, I was less than thrilled because I hate going back in time (even when dealing with the future). I was young then and didn't know a good thing when I read it.
       As the years passed, my interests moved to the spy-fi realm and I did not read any more of the Flandry novels. I should have but "so many books, so little time!"

       When I started this compendium, I limited my sphere to books WWII-to-present. I was asked a couple years ago if I would consider Dominic Flandry and I demurred. Outside my scope, I said.
       Then a while back I decided to extend my focus to, well, everywhere. The same person who once asked about Flandry and was told now was kind enough to send another email and ask, "hey, remember when I ..." It took me about 5 seconds to reconsider and respond, "oh, heck ya!"

       That wonderfully required that I pull my very dusty copies of the Flandry books from the shelves and go back to the 70's by leaping forward to the 31st Century and some incredibly awesome spy adventures told by a true master of this craft. And his craft was not just science-fiction. It was literature.

My Grade: A

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