A Hard Frost by st_crispins (G)

[georgiesmith.livejournal.com]

Howdy! My name is georgiesmith and I'll be driving the powder blue Dodge van this month for The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. This is my first time behind the wheel and I've got a wide variety of stories that I plan on sharing with you all.

I know most of us don't take the time to drop our favorite writers a note of appreciation for their work, so this is my way of saying thank you to all of the storytellers who have kept me up long past my bedtime with terrific tales of derring-do and sometimes, um, hot sex.

THE MAN FROM UNCLE:
Pairing: GEN but it's mostly Illya's story (with a dash of Napoleon)
Length: 3789 words
Author on LJ: st_crispins
Author Website: St. Crispin's Day Society
Why this must be read: In this story written for the muncle  Down the Chimney exchange, st_crispins deftly weaves historical events into an intense fictional Cold War tale. Her prose evokes the feeling of Cambridge in the cold winter of 1962 and I have little doubt that you'll find yourself reaching for a hot cup of tea to warm your hands whilst you read it. When I read this story, which would have fit perfectly in the first season of the show, I can hear David McCallum narrating it; st_crispins interpretation of Illya Kuryakin is that spot on. Having an partiality for our boys as Cold Warriors, this story hits all the right notes for me.


That day, I was on a mission of sorts, one of those discreet, off-the-books assignments that came along, not often, but now and again. There would be several during the decade of the 1960s; this was my first. My instructions, delivered by Waverly himself in a one-on-one briefing, was to track down Dr. Miles Pembroke, a senior lecturer at King’s, and to convince him, by any peaceful means necessary, to take back his latest novel, a spy thriller, scheduled for release the following spring. The publisher was a small press in Boston and the senior editor, apparently a boyhood chum of my superior, had caught the manuscript before it went to galleys.

Delicate negotiation is usually Napoleon’s department, but in this case, for reasons that will become clear, I was not only the preferred, but necessary, choice. Indeed, Waverly warned me that not only should Napoleon not be present at my meeting with Pembroke, but he must never know the specific details. Again, when you hear what transpired, you will understand. And so, I left Napoleon awake but groggy in our room at the inn, with plans to meet at a nearby pub for lunch.

A Hard Frost

Comments

[franciskerst.livejournal.com]

It was written for me and I couldn't have dreamed a better use of my prompts. I was delighted.

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the rec!

And yes, Francis shares some of the credit for her prompts.

[georgiesmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you and Francis for the story!

Honestly, if we were ever able to get DMc or RV to record a couple of stories for charity - this would be the one I would hope DMc would do. I love it to bits.

Is the behind-the-scenes post you wrote on the research went into this story friend-locked? I found it to be fascinating and after reading the "making of", so to speak, I went back and read the story with a new appreciation and POV.

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

My entries are set to friends lock automatically, but I went back and made that entry public. So, it's available now.

Thanks again for the thumbs up.

A Hard Frost

[(Anonymous)]

Don't know whether anyone else has commented on the mention of an "Uncle Lester" in this story, but at the time this affair takes place (1967), the Prime Minister of Canada (the setting of the story) was Lester B. Pearson. Before entering politics, Mr. Pearson had a distinguished career as an international diplomat who later won the Nobel Peace Prize for working out the implementation of the UN Peacekeeping Forces. Considering how often diplomats seem to have had other, more secretive, assignments, it's interesting to speculate whether someone like Lester Pearson would have been involved with U.N.C.L.E.

Re: A Hard Frost

[georgiesmith.livejournal.com]

Wow! That is interesting. I don't know if st_crispins was thinking that though. I hadn't put the link up yet, but she also wrote a great "behind-the-scenes" on how the story came together and the historical research that went into the writing of the story. I highly recommend it. You can find it here. (http://st-crispins.livejournal.com/436323.html)

Oh, I did a double-check and the story is actually set December 1962 at the height of the Cold War. That doesn't mean that she wasn't thinking of Lester Pearson though.

Re: A Hard Frost

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

Uncle Lester? There's an Uncle Lester in the story?

And the story takes place in the UK not Canada.And it's set in 1962 not 1967.

And I know next to nothing about Canadian politics.

Re: A Hard Frost

[(Anonymous)]

My sincere apologies! I'd been reading several "Down the Chimney" stories (they're all so good - including, most definitely "A Hard Frost") and somehow I confused this story with another DTC entry: "The World's Fair Affair", which does take place at the 1967 World's Fair in Montreal, Canada. Can I plead absent-mindedness based on advancing years? (I'm old enough to have seen - and loved - the series when it was first broadcast.)

Sorry again, and I really did enjoy "A Hard Frost"!