Review: "That Sweet Little Old Lady" [Malone 1] by Garrett & Janifer (1959)
Posted on February 9th, 2008
The Series
This is the first novella in what I’m calling the “Malone” series. Others refer to it as the “Psi-Power” series, and Project Gutenberg even calls it “The Queen’s Own FBI” series but this is my review and that’s what I’m calling it. There were three novellas in the series: (1) “That Sweet Little Old Lady,” (2) “Out Like a Light,” and (3) “Occasion for Disaster,” which were all later expanded and published as novels under the titles (1) Brain Twister, (2) The Impossibles, and (3) Supermind.
Just to add to the confusion, the novels and novellas were all published under the “Mark Philips” pseudonym, which is the name Randall Garrett and Laurence Janifer used when they collaborated (with each other, that is, not in the war criminal sense).
The illustrations that accompany the novellas are bizarrely wonderful. The text makes clear that the main character, Kenneth J. Malone, is a suit-and-tie FBI Agent, and the most daring personal flair displayed by an agent is when one dares to sport a beard.
However, the illustrations inextricably but consistently show Malone rocking a fabulous Mohawk while dressed in an outfit that can only be described as pool hall chic. The Mohawk is carried through the illustrations in all three stories in a gloriously obstinate ignorance of the text of the stories.
The plots and the differences between the novellas and the novels are just as strange, with the second novella ending with a manifestation of psionic power that resolves the plot. The novel version of the same tale ends with a mundane explanation instead, and yet the third novel picks up where the second novella ended, assuming, contrary to the second novel, that the psionic power had manifested.
I would suggest a reading order of (1) “That Sweet Little Old Lady” novella, (2) “Out Like a Light” novella, and (3) the Supermind novel.
The Plot
The series itself begins at strange and goes to wacky. In this first story the main character, FBI Agent Kenneth Malone, comes across as a bit of a schlub, not only dimwitted, but possessed of a literalism that approaches retardation. The reader suspects it is an attempt at humor, because Garrett’s atrocious punning is present, although not as prevalent as in the third story.
Apparently the FBI was smaller in this future 1970s, because Malone is always given his assignments by FBI Director Burris. Malone has a reputation for solving difficult cases, but he personally considers it nothing more than luck. Here he is assigned the task of stopping a telepathic spy from reading the minds of the scientists on a super secret research installation in Yucca Flats.
Using the philosophy of setting a thief to catch a thief, Malone begins by rounding up all the telepaths the FBI can find. Unfortunately, they are all insane due to the early childhood stresses involved in reading the thoughts of others.
The least-insane is delusional Rose Thompson, who believes herself to be the immortal Queen Elizabeth I. With the dubious help of the Queen, Malone and fellow agent Thomas Boyd work on solving the case while dressed in courtly garb. When the resolution comes, it is through an out-of-character flash of insight from Malone.
The third story in the series is the best, but this one is solid enough to stand on its own, and you should read them in order, because many loose strands come together in the final novel. The illustrations here are done very well, so well I almost wish I could also read the story they illustrate. But regardless, this one is
Recommended. You can read it online here or find it an Project Gutenberg in a couple formats or at Manybooks.net in more.
Tags: free science fiction, free speculative fiction, public domain fiction, public domain science fiction, randall garrett, Review
Filed under Authors, Free Stuff, Garrett, Randall, Janifer, Laurence M., Psionics, Review, Science Fiction & Fantasy (SFF) |
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