Travis McGee, hero of 21 disposable paperback
adventures, still has a huge and devoted following 12 years after the last
of these tales was written. Why the enduring appeal of this fictional Florida-based
knight-for-hire? Combine the best qualities of Magnum, Rockford, Bond, and
Robin Hood, and then add some samurai-style philosophizing and rueful self-awareness
and you will get some idea.
"A parade is a group, and I'm not a group animal. I think
a mob, no matter what it happens to be doing, is the lowest form of living
thing, always steaming with potential murder. Several things I could write
on My Placard and then carry it all by myself down empty streets.
"'UP WITH LIFE. STAMP OUT ALL SMALL AND LARGE INDIGNITIES. LEAVE EVERYONE ALONE TO MAKE IT WITHOUT PRESSURE. DOWN WITH HURTING. LOWER THE STANDARD OF LIVING. DO WITHOUT PLASTICS. SMASH THE SERVO-MECHANISMS. STOP GRABBING. SNUFF THE BREEZE AND HUG THE KIDS. LOVE ALL LOVE. HATE ALL HATE.'" Travis's credo from A TAN AND SANDY SILENCE, p.83.