March 2011 Book Club Discussion--Casefiles #9... The Genius Thieves

MacGyver · March 20, 2011, 12:34:31 AM

QuoteThanks for the references and such, Mac.

As ALF would say, No problem! Ha!

QuoteCasefiles would be at least middle school aged appropriate, don't you think? Some of them for sure...maybe not all of them.

While the original Hardy Boys books and subsequent Digests series (and I would think Undercover Brothers series as well) are on a 5th. grade reading level and are aimed primarily at children- the Hardy Boys Casefiles are definitely aimed at teenagers. So yeah- middle school on up.

hardygirl847 · March 20, 2011, 12:52:52 AM

Agreed Mac.

I just noticed no one really commented on my observation that Frank had to actually earn his way into Chartwell vs given identities...etc. in the Ubs.

Read the other post for the rest.

I'm just wondering if I'm totally crazy or not...lol

MacGyver · March 20, 2011, 01:04:59 AM

No- that definitely is a good thing. I like that Frank and Joe have to work for things more in these books. That's the difference with The Network and ATAC- ATAC recruited Frank and Joe (well, they kinda had to since their dad founded the thing), but The Network just sort of grudgingly tolerates them since they pretty much know too much at this point and though it takes a lot for The Gray Man to admit it, they actually have been pretty useful and do good work. But with The Network, they use them when they want to and provide them with very little for the most part. Too Many Traitors is a great example of the stark difference in the two book series and agencies' operations.

MacGyver · March 20, 2011, 01:08:33 AM

For another comparison, much as I love James Bond (and I do really- great character and great books and great movies)- I love MacGyver even more because he isn't given all this stuff. "He doesn't even have any gear."- Dude at power plant - "That's what makes him so special"- Andy Colson in "Pilot" episode of MacGyver.

MacGyver is forced to make the best out of his situation and his surroundings and improvise with whatever is available- it's a lot harder for him in that regard and of course, he is highly resourceful- and I like that aspect more out of heroes- it's pretty much the same with MacGyver, Indiana Jones and The Hardy Boys. All three have some moral standards that I definitely applaud as a Christian (though I can't say that all the time for Indy- but I love him anyway

) - and MacGyver and Frank and Joe are definitely most always on par with that - though they have their failings too.

hardygirl847 · March 20, 2011, 01:18:32 AM

Well we all certainly have our failings but I liked your comparisons. Even without the Network, Frank and Joe are very resourceful and can fend for themselves.

ATAC has some cool gadgets. I love when Alex Rider gets new gadgets too, but he has always had them and he is still resourceful. I feel like the ATAC version of the Hardys makes them less of the instinctual detectives they are in the bluespines, Casefiles, and Digests.

But I guess it's trying to appeal to a different audience-a new audience-that needs more. I'm not saying if you are an UB fan that you immediately fall into that or wrong by any means.

I'm just simply stating that I prefer the fly by the seat of their pants HBs than the ATAC gave us these cool gadgets HBs.

Now I'm tired....so I hope that made sense.
lol

AlwaysAJoefan · March 20, 2011, 04:37:12 PM

Quote from: hardygirl847 on March 20, 2011, 01:18:32 AM
Well we all certainly have our failings but I liked your comparisons. Even without the Network, Frank and Joe are very resourceful and can fend for themselves.

Very MacGyver.

[quote
ATAC has some cool gadgets. I love when Alex Rider gets new gadgets too, but he has always had them and he is still resourceful. I feel like the ATAC version of the Hardys makes them less of the instinctual detectives they are in the bluespines, Casefiles, and Digests.
[/quote]

Quote
I'm just simply stating that I prefer the fly by the seat of their pants HBs than the ATAC gave us these cool gadgets HBs.

That's my thinking, too.

hardygirl847 · March 21, 2011, 02:48:47 PM

Cool!

Olivia · April 05, 2011, 08:50:32 AM

That is an interesting thing that always comes out -- gadgets vs. using your head. I know it was definitely brought up in the previous forum wars too.

At first I thought people such as James Bond and Alex Rider needs these gadgets because they're up against crime on an international level, but then Frank and Joe also fight at that level so there goes that argument. lol.

Side note: I'm not 100% sure on this, but ever since actor Daniel Craig took over James Bond (the new franchise), I think it might be less gadget-heavy and gadget-dependent. But obviously the big number of films before then (and in the books, I'm assuming?) are different.

MacGyver · April 05, 2011, 05:26:30 PM

Even so, (and I'm definitely a James Bond fan as much as I'm a fan of MacGyver and The Hardy Boys and Indiana Jones)- there are times when Bond's gadgets fail and there are times when he improvises on his own. I would say the Daniel Craig movies definitely seemed to emphasize that more, but I think some of Pierce Brosnan's films had a few such moments too.