THE PRISONER BY THOMAS M. DISCH

As a fan of the 1967 television series, The Prisoner, I was pleased to have discovered there were a number of books written and published with additional stories that provided continuation after the events that took place in the final episode. For anyone not familiar with The Prisoner, this was a British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptly resigned from his job. The viewers never find out who operates The Village, which country or nationality, but it was quickly evident that the permanent residents of the village were also spies who are now forced to live a life of peace and contentment. 

The plots are intricate and clever, making the television series one of my five favorites of all time. Naturally, novels that incorporate the same premise but with additional adventures intrigued me. In 1969, the first of three officially licensed novels were published. Thomas M. Disch wrote the novel and a number of people recommended the book with rave reviews. Sadly, after reading it, I found myself on the fence. The 1969 novel seems to combine elements from several Prisoner television episodes (like the dream visualization technique and the female doctor from the episode “A, B & C”) to no great advantage. Apart from those elements, the story has no great premise or narrative drive, and even the conclusion was confusing. 

 

Thankfully, the second book in this series was written by a different writer (David McDaniel) and plays more like an additional episode of the TV series versus a re-invention of the wheel. The first book was republished multiple times so it is easy to find a copy but if you are a fan of the television series and want to enjoy additional adventures, I recommend the second in the series. And if you never saw the television program, do yourself a favor and seek it out. They are the most intriguing 17 hours you will enjoy.