Ernest K. Gann (1910–1991)

Ernest K. Gann was such a great writer that during his heyday the only peer with whom critics could compare him was Hemingway. After reading Soldier of Fortune, you might conclude that it should have been the other way around.

Gann’s robust and vibrant tale of adventure in post-war Hong Kong is painted on a massive canvas, yet because of its rich detail it becomes an intimate look at a place and time. Rarely does a reader get an energetic adventure tale laced with such colorful and memorable characters, and rarely does an adventure of this type take the time to make it more than simple entertainment. Gann paints Honk Kong and Kowloon as a bustle of exotic activity, with the Brits trying to hang on while just across the way millions of Chinese are struggling mightily against the brutal rise of Communism. And yet, this is a tale of people, characters rich and complex.

In essence, Gann paints Hong Kong and Kowloon — and later, Macao — as I believe another reviewer mentioned, the Asian Casablanca. But even likening it to Casablanca is doing Soldier of Fortune a great injustice, because there is so much more going on here than there was in that stellar film. Gann takes his time to fully paint even the most minor character in his colorful picture. There are no throwaway people or locations in this fabulous novel, each playing a part in some small way to what is certainly one of the most entertaining stories of great adventure and danger ever written.

American Jane Hoyt has arrived in Hong Kong in search of her husband, who may have been taken prisoner by the Chinese, or he may be dead. Though Susan Hayward portrayed Jane Hoyt in the film, the manner in which Gann describes her and brings her to life in the novel had me quickly picturing her as Greer Garson, and that image stuck for the entire read. Out of her element, Jane braves on, from Tweedie’s, the local hangout for every scoundrel around, to the lovely and charming Maxine Chan, a woman who may have seen her husband alive long after he was reported dead. The one constant Jane discovers are warnings regarding American, Hank Lee, who is known to smuggle goods in and out of Communist China on a Junk he has named Chicago. It is, however, to the surprisingly complicated Hank Lee that Jane turns in her effort to discover what happened to her husband, and rescue him, if she can.

But this is where emotions get complicated, as Hank Lee has an effect on Jane that she at first tries to deny, and finally realizes she can’t. Hank Lee is in essence hiding in Hong Kong, his unsavory reputation hardly in line with the children he has adopted. Eventually, however, a time will come when Jane will need Hank Lee to be the man everyone claims he is, including Merryweather and Rodman, members of a Hong Kong Police Force only seven years old. Both of these men will play important parts in this grand adventure.

Before a dangerous journey is made into Communist China to rescue Jane’s husband from a Canton Jesuit Mission, a great deal happens. There is a typhoon, the poignant death of an old Chinese man, and not one, but two emotionally complex love triangles develop. Much will have to be resolved after a thrilling escape from China, one which has both American and Union Jack flags hoisted up the mast of Chicago, as Hank Lee tries to outrun the Commies, and return a husband to the woman he himself loves.

Despite the colorful and exotic settings, and the rich and detailed evocation of a time and place so masterfully described by Gann, this is really a book about people, and Gann brings them to life. There are a lot of characters to like in this one, and even the most unsavory ones are of great interest. Funny, exciting, charming and thrilling, Soldier of Fortune seems to have a life all its own, one we are only aware of once we open the covers and begin to read.

Clark Gable’s persona makes it easy to understand why he was chosen to portray Hank Lee in the film scripted by Gann himself, who adapted his own novel. One of the few films from the era I haven’t seen, I think I will hold off a while; because the book was so enthralling, and because I will find it difficult to accept Susan Hayward in the role of Jane, no matter how splendid she might have been. For me, Jane will always be Greer Garson.

One of the most memorable reads I’ve encountered over the last few years, and easily in my top 5 reads of 2017, I give this my highest recommendation. Classic film fans especially might enjoy it. Like a lot of great authors, this one by Gann is out of print, but if you can track down a used copy, you’ll not be disappointed. Marvelous!… (mais)