Assault on a Queen

Jack Finney's first three novels – 5 Against the House, The Body Snatchers, House of Numbers – all appeared in glossy magazines before being compiled into full-length published novels. All three of those novels were so successful that they were adapted into films. As expected, Finney's fourth career effort, Assault on a Queen, followed that exact same trend. It was first published from August through September of 1959 in the Saturday Evening Post under the title The U-19's Last Kill. This serial was later published as Assault on a Queen by Simon & Schuster in the same year as a hardcover. In 1966 this book was adapted into a film starring Frank Sinatra.

Other than the opening segment, the narrative is presented in first-person by Hugh, a former Navy Lieutenant that served in WW2 on a submarine. After the way Hugh has floundered from job to job and can't find a steady romance. He often dreams of being an independent person who isn't reliant upon a job to rob him of his valuable time. There is a particular tirade that Hugh unleashes about jobs (corporate America) robbing everyone of their life. He explains that we sell our time for mere dollars and never gain any satisfaction. Finney nails the perspective of middle-class Americans and it speaks volumes even 65 years later. He was a smart guy.

Hugh runs into a man named Vic that also served on a submarine in the Navy. The two were never friends but knew each other during their time in the war. The two strike up a conversation and Vic takes Hugh to a house on the beach to meet some other veterans. There, Hugh meets three other men, each representing England, Germany, and Italy. There is also a woman there named Rosa. It is quite the motley crew. Vic then explains the purpose of their meeting.

The German, a guy named Lauffner, has found the submarine he commanded during the war. It is on the bottom of the Atlantic just a few miles from the coast. The group of men want to bring the submarine to the surface so it can be restored and operational again. But what's the purpose?

In a clever way, Finney doesn't reveal to the reader what the submarine will be used for. Granted, there is a discussion about the wealthy people on board a British passenger ship called the Queen Mary and the book's title to give it away, but the first 100 pages leaves out the details. These first half of the narrative is spent with the men getting to know one another and the work they put into the submarine. There is a side-story with Hugh competing with the Italian over Rosa. 

The book's second half is the heist itself which I won't spoil for you here. In many ways the book works like 5 Against the House but on a grander scale. Finney concentrates on character development and emphasizing why these men want wealth and independence. This is a theme that I've pointed out before with Finney's literary work. Even in The Body Snatchers there is a sense of alternate perceptions and the need to transform into something else. Finney has a unique way of connecting the reader with the characters and he makes that connection in Assault on a Queen.

If you love heist novels by the likes of Donald Westlake, Dan Marlowe, and Lionel White, then the formula will please you – plan, execute, getaway. The idea of making it a nautical caper is genius. Jack Finney was an amazing storyteller and this book showcases that talent. Highly recommended! Get your copy HERE.

The Body Snatchers

Author Jack Finney (1911-1995) authored a number of short stories for glossy magazines like Collier's and Cosmopolitan. His career kick-started when he won a literary award from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. His first novel was 5 Against the House, originally published as a serial in Good Housekeeping in 1953 and compiled into a novel in 1954. He followed that success a year later with what is arguably his most well-known work, The Body Snatchers. It was originally published in Collier's from November through December of 1954 and then as a Dell hardcover novel in 1955. The book was such a hit that it was adapted into a film in 1956 using the familiar title Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It would be adapted to film three more times through 2007.

The Body Snatchers takes place in the northern California county of Marin. The main character is a twenty-something divorced doctor named Miles. In the beginning of the book Miles receives an office visit from an an old high-school flame named Becky. She is also divorced and the two still have a romantic chemistry. Becky is worried and explains to Miles that her cousin believes that the man claiming to be her uncle is no longer really her uncle. He looks the same, acts the same, talks the same....but something is just different. 

Later, Miles receives more patients claiming that there friends or loved ones have been replaced by an identical person (or thing!). Miles feels this is all ridiculous and could be linked to hysteria. But, he visits a guy named Jack and the narrative then takes a spin into some really dark places. 

Inside Jack's home, Miles discovers a nude body draped upon a pool table. Oddly, the body doesn't have any identifying features, as if it is still in the process of being formed or made. Jack shockingly claims that the body was infant-sized a few hours before Miles arrival. The idea is that this body is growing to eventually become a duplicate of Jack or his wife. 

Eventually Jack, Jack's wife, Miles, and Becky find seed pods around town that suggest aliens are being created to look like humans in an attempt to integrate themselves secretly into human society. The narrative's first half is built on shock, awe, and suspenseful discovery. The concept is mysterious and spirals into a paranoid sense that the town is consumed by alien beings. 

The second half of the book is a frenzied plot-development as the characters find themselves in a fight or flight situation as they prepare to leave town. Miles, again as a doctor, feels that it is his obligation and oath to protect the town. Together with Becky, he eventually talks with the alien impostors to discover their overall plan. 

As much as I loved this book and the characters, the ending was extremely disappointing. This is a common complaint with anyone who has read this book. Finney just doesn't stick the landing and it doesn't have a suitable ending. His scientific explanation for the aliens arrival doesn't make any sense when you compare it to the book's ending. But, nonetheless it doesn't ruin the entertainment factor.

There are essays and detailed reviews of this book everywhere and one can journey down any rabbit hole to find influences and critical praise of the book's underlying message. As a fan of Finney's heist novels, I've noticed that the author often creates characters that wish to be something they are not. Often young characters will dream of being wealthy and independent which spurs them into committing crimes before facing defeat, rejection, and guilt. In many ways this book has that same central theme as the alien impostors explain how things are different (better?) when the humans give into the transfer of losing themselves to become this alien form. There is also quick references about the town planning on revitalization with a proposed interstate that will bring with it more traffic and commerce. Also, Miles complains that the replacement of the town's telephone operator for an automated system seems to be a sign that humanity is replacing itself. I loved the subtext that Finney injects into his narrative. 

You owe it to yourself to read The Body Snatchers. Despite the ending, the book is frightening, thrilling, and influential to many of the “invasion” angles you see with science-fiction and horror genres to this day. Highest possible recommendation. 

Paperback Warrior Podcast - Episode 106

In this episode, Eric delves into the career of author Jack Finney. He wrote science-fiction and crime-fiction novels that included time-travel, heists, and prison breaks. Eric reviews Finney's most famous novel, The Body Snatchers, which was the basis for the Invasion of the Body Snatchers film franchise. In addition, Eric discusses his antique mall paperback shopping and reviews a horror story titled Nightmare on Ice from the newest issue of Bold Venture Press's Pulp Adventures. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and follow us on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Check the Paperback Warrior blog daily for new reviews and articles. A companion video is available HERE that ties into this episode.

Listen to "Episode 106: Jack Finney" on Spreaker.

5 Against the House

Jack Finney's (1911-1995) best known novels are The Body Snatchers (1955), which was adapted into the 1956 popular science-fiction film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Time and Again (1970), and Assault on a Queen (1959), which was adapted into a film of the same name in 1966. My only experience with the author was his prison-break novel House of Numbers, which I really enjoyed. In the mood for heist-fiction, I chose to read his first published novel, 5 Against the House. It was published in 1954 as a hardcover by Doubleday & Company and made into a 1955 film of the same name by Columbia Pictures. It was also a serialized story featured in Good Housekeeping.

Al is a bright young kid attending college and planning for his future. His pack of friends includes fellow students Guy, Jerry, Brick, and Tina. After seeing a Brink's Security truck roll by, the guys fantasize about robbing the truck and making off with a fortune in stolen money. Unfortunately, they put the plan into a loose sketch and decide to follow the truck as it makes various stops. Needless to say, the police watch for that sort of thing and immediately pull the kids over with a warning to stop the nonsense. Which was really all it was.

But, the kids aren't smart enough to leave well enough alone. Instead, they piece together a plan to rob a Reno casino called Harold's Club. The kids have worked in and around the place holding summer jobs serving the tourists. The first half of the book's narrative consists of the plan, holdup, escape route, and so forth. The second half is the heist itself and the aftermath.

Heist-fiction is a lot of fun and Jack Finney certainly understood the ins and outs of working within this sub-genre of crime-fiction. While not as violent as a Parker or Earl Drake novel, Finney makes up for it with an intense human study of emotion – guilt, integrity, responsibility, loyalty – while defining the characters of Al, Tina, and Brick. There is a deep ravine carved in the friendship between Al and Brick, and Finney does an excellent job excavating that for the reader. Additionally, Tina's fascination with money and swanky lifestyle propels Al's participation in the narrative. It's the decisions and the aftermath that made House of Numbers so good, and I was happy to learn Finney used (learned?) those elements here.  

5 Against the House is just a great heist novel featuring likable characters and a fresh take on “take the money and run”. If you haven't tried Jack Finney yet, either this novel or House of Numbers is a great place to start.

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The House of Numbers

Walter Braden, Jack Finney (born John Finney, 1911-1995) was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and attended Knox College in Illinois. Aside from being an advertising writer in New York, Finney wrote a number of novels using the name Jack Finney. Many of his literary works have been adapted for film and television, including The Body Snatchers, Good Neighbor Sam, Assault on a Queen and the subject at hand, The House of Numbers. This was the author's third career novel and was initially published in 1956.

Arnie and his girlfriend Ruth become engaged and Arnie is looking for the perfect ring. Despite having very little money, Arnie buys an expensive ring with a check that won't clear the bank. After making rounds, Arnie cashes a bunch of checks at various retailers for cash and deposits the money. Needles to say, Arnie ends up in California's San Quentin prison for check fraud. According to this novel, most prisoners had sentences that were listed as the number of years to life. In Arnie's case, he's serving five years and his criminal record is five years to life. That's important to know.

In the first chapters, the prison warden summons Arnie to his office and explains that another prisoner saw him assault a guard. Arnie did it, but thought no one was around to witness the assault. The warden threatens Arnie to explain his actions, otherwise he will accept the other prisoner's testimony as fact. Arnie refuses and he's sent back to his cell to await whatever fate he's destined for. Now, referring to this Californian law, Arnie knows that anyone with a "life sentence" that attacks a prison guard is guaranteed a death by lethal injection. Either Arnie leaves the prison as a corpse or an escaped convict. That's when his brother Ben becomes involved.

Arnie reaches out to Ben and begs that he break him out of San Quentin, one of the most fortified prisons in the country. Along with Arnie's fiance Ruth, Ben begins scouting the prison and designing a plan to liberate his brother. Ben and Ruth move into a neighborhood near the prison and learn that their neighbor is actually one of the prison guards. This becomes a real problem when the guard casually mentions to Ben that he's seen him at the prison visiting an inmate. Arnie's escape would surely be linked to Ben. 

Finney's narrative unfolds as a unique first-person presentation from both Ben and Arnie. Although the author does not necessarily specify who is speaking, the reader can instantly decipher it depending on where and with whom the character speaks. Another unique aspect of this prison break story is the means by which the escape occurs. Ben formulates a plan to break into the prison and assume the role of Arnie. This frees up Arnie's time to work on the getaway through an elaborate combination of underground excavation and warehouse work. While Ben becomes the prisoner, Arnie is essentially a free man. This adds an alluring enhancement to the narrative; will one brother betrays another? The plot thickens when Ben and Ruth develop a romantic chemistry.

The House of Numbers was a good crime novel that used some new tricks to spice up the average prison break formula. I liked the concept and the various questions it presented - will the guard rat out Ben, can the warden be trusted, is Ruth serious about her passion for Ben, will Arnie become greedy? These questions are all asked and answered over the course of the book. Getting there was really fun. If you enjoy prison break novels, The House of Numbers is a dependable selection.

Buy a copy of this book HERE