What the heck does "THRUSH" stand for?

 

It's my understanding that The Dagger Affair, by David McDaniel (1965) is the first of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. novels written after the series began to air--the first three (all very good) had only the series bible to work off of.

So this is the first one that has a chance to catch the full flavor of the TV series. I think it largely succeeds. 

The agents of U.N.C.L.E. normally battle the evil organization THRUSH. But now a mad scientist has created a competing evil organization called DAGGER. He's invented an energy dampener--a devise that does exactly what it says. It cancels out all energy--electrical, chemical, nuclear, etc--in its range. It can also be set to cancel biological energy--killing any living thing within its range. The scientist really is mad and plans to build a device big enough to wipe out life on Earth.

The first part of the book has Napoloen and Illya investigating; getting captured by THRUSH; getting captured by DAGGER; capturing a small version of the energy dampener; having this stolen by THRUSH; then getting it back.

Eventually, U.N.C.L.E. and THRUSH realize they have to team-up to stop DAGGER. THRUSH, after all, can't rule the world if the world is dead.

It's a fun premise and its very well-executed. The THRUSH agents with whom our heroes must work are great characters. There are several truly exciting action scenes. The plot unfolds in a logical manner. And the climatic battle against DAGGER (in which Napoleon's boss Mr. Waverly joins in) is excellent.

We also learn about the history of THRUSH--information that was never used in the series, but that I think is so cool that it should be considered canon (an opinion which I understand many fans of the show agree with). THRUSH stands for  "The Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity".  And the organization was formed in the late 19th Century from the remnants of Professor Moriarty's criminal organization after the Professor's death.

That's just cool.

You can read the Man from U.N.C.L.E. novels as ebooks HERE. McDaniel, by the way, wrote six of the 23 published U.N.C.L.E. novels and another unpublished one that is also available through this link. I am informed by fans of the novels that his novels are among the best of the series. Author John Peel wrote that McDaniel "was a fan of the show, and he knew exactly what made it work. Plus, he had a shameless sense of humor."