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ROBINSON CRUSOE

crusoe_ya_dos crusoe_ya_not crusoe_ya_doi
 
Full Name: Robinson Crusoe & Friday
Series Name: A Crusoe Adventure
Nationality: British
Organization: Segment W
Occupation Agent

Creator: Andrew Lane
Time Span: 2016 - 2018

ABOUT THE SERIES

Robinson Crusoe is an agent with Segment W.

So is Suriya Dinajara, aka Friday, but just as in the more famous adventure of the two related to us by Daniel Defoe, it is Crusoe that gets the attention though in the adventures described here, it is she who really deserves them (IMHO, of course).

In a blurb about the first recorded adventure, we are told: "Rescued from a deserted Caribbean island, 17-year-old Robinson Crusoe and his female friend, Friday, find themselves in late 1600s London, a bustling city that proves as treacherous for them to navigate as the remote island they just left behind. Thanks to their honed survival skills, Crusoe and Friday are recruited by a young writer named Daniel Defoe to work as agents for Segment W, a covert spy group that reports directly to the Crown."

In another advertising segment, we learn that the directive to recruit the pair explains that "they have learned to be resourceful and can hide in the shadows. They have no allegiances, no ties. And our enemies are closing in. We need Crusoe and Friday for our secret service. England's fate depends on it".

Obviously for those who would read Defoe's 'version' of Robinson Crusoe's life - and that of Friday - things have been altered quite a bit, apparently to protect the two secret agents. First is the age of both main characters being quite a bit younger than the classical interpretation. Second there is the amount of time that both were marooned on that tropical island - just three years in this version compared to more than twenty in the other. Third is the fact that our Friday is a young woman, Suriya, and not a man and she was running from her evil, murderous father, a pirate king, and not cannibals - though since both sought the death of Friday, it might not have been a factor if it were not for the fact that later Crusoe and Friday would come upon the despicable parent and that will lead to more troubles.

We learn that when Defoe first approached them about 'buying' the rights to their story, they were very reluctant to open themselves up to any attention but, unfortunately for them and good for Defoe, they are quite broke and in need of funds to just survive - life in London is not a bit like on the island. The relationship they will then establish with Defoe will open the way for his proposing they work in a clandestine manner for the government of King Charles II.

Plaguing the British monarchy and thus consuming much of the efforts of Crusoe and Friday is a nefarious covert organization known as the Circle of Thirteen, a group determined to bring down the government and put themselves in charge. The people in this group will prove quite resilient as they find ways to survive; when the operative pair think they have destroyed the cabal, part always remains to rebuild.

One wonderfully clever twist to the tales is the presence of a young genius who is asked over and again to come up with terrific gadgets and doodads which make the life of these two agents a bit easier - said gifted tinkerer being Sir Isaac Newton.

YOUNG ADULT BOOKS

Number of Books:3
First Appearance:2016
Last Appearance:2018

1 Dawn Of Spies Dawn Of Spies
Written by Andrew Lane
Copyright: 2016

"Crusoe, Friday, and Defoe must rescue the Countess of Lichfield from a kidnapping plot. They discover that a mystical and mysterious organization known as the Circle of Thirteen is plotting to destroy Segment W and change the course of history through a royal kidnapping."

2 Day Of Ice Day Of Ice
Written by Andrew Lane
Copyright: 2017

"In the dead of winter, Friday is shocked to see her father, who once tried to kill her, walking the streets of London. She tries to elicit the help of Segment W, but they are preoccupied with the continued investigation into an organization that staged a kidnapping of the king's daughter. What will she do? As Friday's past comes back to haunt her, she, Crusoe, and Daniel Defoe must uncover the mystical Circle of XIII's sinister plans to recruit new members into the society using dangerous and magical means."

3 Night Of Terror Night Of Terror
Written by Andrew Lane
Copyright: 2018

"The nefarious work of the Circle of XIII has led to the infection of their friend Daniel Defoe, who is gradually joining the ranks of the Circle. The nations of Europe are on the brink of war. Crusoe and Friday must go to a place they never thought they would visit again?the island where they had first met and were stranded together for years. It turns out that the island may hold the key to saving Defoe, stopping the Circle, and heading off a world war that would topple the king of England. Crusoe and Friday’s mission puts them back on the high seas and takes them across the ocean."

MY COMMENTS

Other than the crazy discrepancies between the original awesome adventure from centuries ago which I have read more than a couple of times, I got a major kick out of this series. They seem to be rather difficult to get hold of now which is a shame because I would recommend them, especially to young readers who could use an amusing introduction to spy fiction.

The author, Andrew Lane, is one incredibly gifted writer who has penned a couple of other series worth reading, most notably one about Young Sherlock Holmes.

GRADE

My Grade: B+

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