The Set-Up: The framing is the same; Max in Control headquarters at the opening, with Agent 99, and gets his assignment.  But unlike some of the earlier books; the endless circular car chase for a scrambled list of menu items of Get Smart Once Again!  As an example, this one has author William J Johnston putting his creativity hat back on and maximizing the wackiness in the novel universe he created for Get Smart. The other advantage he does here is create a story that would not be doable on a pre-CGI world as a live action episode.

For that we enter into a wild adventure that is still aligned to the basic template established for these books.

The plot sets up with a not bad guy with a power being co-opted for evil.  It’s like Fred in the fist book, but in this case the dupe is Guru Optimo, an Indian Farm Boy, naive and easily influenced.  His power is hypnosis, and with a shake of the hand and flash of light he can make people think whatever they want which is demonstrated by Agent 32 being hypnotised into believing he is the New York Public Library.  Control tried to get him for good, but KAOS got him and tried to convince him to be evil, but he ended up in the clutches of Lucky Bucky Buckley.  Lucky Bucky isn’t evil either, but is a struggling talent agent who thinks Optimo is his ticket to a fortune; hypnotise the whole world into believing what you want and you control the fate of mankind!  In a change-up, Max and 99 are assigned the case to work with a KAOS agent, V.T. Brattleboro.  The Chief warns Max that he needs to double cross Brattleboro before Brattleboro double crosses him.  Armed with the intelligence that Buckley and Optimo are on a jungle island off the coast of California where there is a castle, and well, before you can say airdrop, the three are landing on the island in search  of the hypnotist and talent agent.

And sure enough Brattleboro is off and double crossing at the first moment and Max and 99 are on their own.  They run across hypnotised guards who Buckley would explain were easy because they were actors brought to the island with a promise of roles, and throughout the book works between getting through the jungle and waters back to the castle, and going through the castle.  Buckley is aware of a lot of hidden chambers and tourture rooms and secret doors throughout the castle, some he uses to hasten Max and 99’s demise and some that Max and 99 find to work their way back.  Agent 99 gets hypnotised at one point, and Brattleboro toggles between being an ally and foe.  A collapsing room that pre-dates the garbage compactor in Star Wars is foiled by a lifetime supply of instant peanut brittle that Max has in his gadgets.  

At page 145 the denouement is reached in a final battle between all parties where Optimo is stopped when he hypnotizes himself.  A music box, fyi.  So, he is of no use, Max and Brattleboro knock each other out in a final karate chop double cross as the helicopter is picking them off the island, and all three head home.  Chief ain’t happy because the operation cost a lot of money and they aren’t bringing an asset home, but Max does reason that ‘ensuring continued existence of the entire civilized world ain’t small potatoes’ so all are happy.  Max also convinces Buckley that he may only have Optimo as a music performer, but he should turn the castle into an entertainment destination.  So, all had their happy endings.

Overall: Clever, imaginative, a good use of the ‘bad guy’ ain’t that bad, and the teaming of KAO and Control made for an absurd book but very entertaining.  This is where I’d likely put the high water mark of the series, good job all around.

By the Numbers:

Pages: 7-153

Chapters: 11

Control Agents: Agent 99

Non-Control Side Kick:KAOS Agent V. T. Brattleboro, except when he’s a baddie

Non-Control Absent-minded Dupe:Guru Optimo, hypnotist

Baddies: Lucky Bucky Buckley, KAOS Agent V.T. Brattleboro, except when he’s helping

R&D Gadgets: Capsules Collapsing machine guns, peanut brittle

Operator Gag: Telling her Uncle Ned about Max’s wacky calls.

Review by Brian DiMarco

© 2020 Brian DiMarco