Gay-Safe by Sam DodsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This final volume of the CAMP series ends up being a fun, worthy addition.
Dodson is not as skilled at some aspects as Banis and there are a couple flaws. For one, Dodson, in an effort to hold close to the original series, lifts several passages directly from previous books, especially at the start. Details of Jackie's HQ and the Round Up I'm sure were lifted. This gets less as the book goes on.
Also while Dodson is a whiz at campy dialogue, he can sometimes struggle with the serious moments. For example, there's one scene where Jackie makes a retort, something like "You're not very smart!", which doesn't carry much panache.
This being said there is an interesting plot. The villain from the first book is back, Tiger Bey, along with several previous characters, along with Lady Agatha, who shines in this book. Dodson is well up on the Queen's Vernacular, and Agatha and her cohort Hedda keep the quips flying, adding humour to the book. Jackie himself gets in to a few of the quips and seems to let his hair down more than ever before.
The book ends with a great one-liner and is overall a fun seventies time. It's a shame this book hasn't been reprinted with the others in the series.
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3 comments:
Hi, Adam, I'm organising a spin-off charity ebook series based on
The Man From C.A.M.P. series, but I want to be consistent with the original series, including Dobson's book. But I can't find Dobson's book anywhere, and you seem to be the only person online who has reviewed it. Could you please provide me with any details on Jackie, C.A.M.P., gadgets, and villains from this book, or maybe even excerpts if possible?
Unfortunately I read this 10 years ago and remember nothing. I did have a digital copy but my computer crashed and I lost it. I found my copy at a local gay archives. Maybe you have one near you? Best of luck.
'Fraid there isn't one where I live, in South Australia, thanks anyway.
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