Summary- This novel introduces The Union as the major villain for the next few Benson novels. They are a group of terrorists for hire. They have no political ideals, but will perform almost any terrorist job for cash. Their latest project is to steal Skin 17, a new type of protective covering for jets that can withstand the immense heat and pressure of Mach 7 speed. A RAF Captain named Roland Marquis, who is one of Bond's rivals from Eton, works with the assistant to the creator of Skin 17, Dr. Harding, to steal it. They seal the microdot of the formula in a Chinese man's pacemaker. They then plan to sell the plans to the Chinese. Roland, however, plans on double-crossing The Union by faking a hijack of the plane the Chinese man is on. He would then retrieve the plans and sell them for a much higher price to the Russian Mafia. The only problem is that the plane ends up crashing in the Andes, near the top of Kangchenjunga, the third tallest mountain in the world. Bond becomes part of a supposedly British expedition to retrieve the microdot plans. Roland, however, becomes the group's leader. Bond has to face the danger of the elements, as well as having three members of the group as traitors. Roland is working for the Russian Mafia, and two others who are working for The Union. Roland ends up killing the members of The Union, and meets up with the Russian Mafia after stealing the pacemaker. He kills the Russians, and takes about a billion dollars worth of uncut diamonds, and still has the Skin 17 plans to sell. He goes back to find Bond and the groups doctor, who were the only two people to survive all the killings. Roland then nearly convinces Bond that he isn't one of the traitors. He slips up, however, and stabs Bond with an ice ax. He then flees toward the summit. Bond follows, and meets Roland at the summit. Roland has succumb to altitude sickness. The vessels behind his eyes have popped, blinding him. He also is on the verge of a stroke. Bond leaves Roland on the summit to die at Roland's request. With help from the doctor, Bond climbs back down, successful in his mission. My Grade- A+ This novel is great. There are several characters in this novel that are just great. First, Benson uses the character of Helena Marksbury, Bond's secretary, very well. They have a rocky affair, and Bond thinks that her bad attitude at the end is because their relationship soured. In reality, she is being blackmailed by The Union to provide information on Bond's movements. Roland Marquis character is great. It is interesting to see a villain toward which Bond has so much personal hatred, and this is even before Bond knows Roland is a traitor! Roland is such a smug, arrogant S.O.B. that I actually liked hating him! Finally, the character of Chandra, Bond's Gurka helper on the mountain is great. Chandra has guts and determination that rival even Bond's. Also, the story is fantastic. Setting the story on a mountain where Bond is in danger of death from his surroundings was a good move on Benson's part. Best Moment- The best moment is taken by Chandra. After Bond is knocked out, only Chandra can hunt down Roland. Unfortunately, Chandra doesn't have supplies, but he keeps going. He loses a hand to frostbite but stays on Roland's trail. Roland climbs to safety, but Chandra climbs up after him despite having almost no climbing equipment and only one hand! Roland throws things down at Chandra and ultimately knocks the brave man off. Chandra dies, but without him Roland could have escaped easily. Due to Chandra, Roland was forced to return to Camp 5, giving Bond the opportunity to beat him.
