The Gun Seller

The British-born actor Hugh Laurie wrote the novel, The Gun Seller, a spoof of spy novels. The book was published in 1996, which is important to keep in mind. Laurie’s book was written before the Good Friday Agreement about North Ireland, September 11, 2001, the Afghanistan War, the Iraq War, and other major geopolitical events (Laurie 240-241, Tomasky 106, 108). Sadly, large parts of the plot of Laurie’s book are still relevant. The book is an entertaining and humorous read. The main character, Thomas Lang, of the novel is a retired member of the Scots Guards, a unit in the British army. Lang stumbles on a massive conspiracy. Lang has an apathy towards the Moroccan city of Casablanca, but I feel like Laurie is more making fun of the mystique of the film, Casablanca (1942) than making fun of the actual city. I felt that the locations that the novel is spoofing are the cities where the James Bond franchise takes place. Even though the locations of the novel are similar to the locations of modern movies of James Bond Laurie’s book, The Gun Seller is not a James Bond story, but more a spoof of James Bond, including Bond's women. I think the reader can tell that Laurie has a background in comedy. Laurie also knows how to keep the plot of the book moving. The Good reviewer Nelson Warren is right that the opening paragraphs of the novel are pretty memorable. I enjoy the novel, The Gun Seller. Works Cited: Mason, Anthony. 2017, February 25. “Celebrating the 75th anniversary of "Casablanca.” Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) Sunday Morning. YouTube. 7:13 minutes. Celebrating the 75th anniversary of "Casablanca" - YouTube Tomasky, Michael. 2017. Bill Clinton. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Kindle.