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All continuation novels are non-canonical.
From the original Fleming Bond continuity that is true, though they are officially sanctioned and commissioned by the literary copyright holders of James Bond, so they have a higher status than mere fan fiction that anyone can write. There is, therefore, a process of Quality Control involved in the whole writing process and novels have been rejected before now (see Geoffrey Jenkins' Per Fine Ounce in the mid-1960s) for whatever reason.
Added to this Quality Control aspect is the fact that some of the Bond continuation authors actually knew Fleming personally (namely Kingsley Amis and John Pearson) and were published scholars of his work (Amis, Pearson and Raymond Benson).
Forever and a Day
Casino Royale
Live and Let Die
Moonraker
Diamonds are Forever
From Russia with Love
Dr No
Goldfinger
Trigger Mortis
For Your Eyes Only collection
Octopussy collection
Thunderball
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
You Only Live Twice
The Man With The Golden Gun
Colonel Sun
Devil May Care
(Christopher Wood’s) The Spy Who Loved Me
Solo
The Authorised Biography
Fair enough, I like your thinking.
That works! I'd probably throw Licence To Kill in there just because I want 'Felix gets chewed by a shark...again' to be canon.
Haha! I did laugh at that bit in the novelisation.
This roll-up likely has items of interest as well, @MaxCasino.
commanderbond.net/2735/looking-back-for-special-services.html
Thank you for sharing!
Fantastic, that's how I imagine it too. But with TSWLM squeezed into the timeframe of when OHMSS takes place. If I remember correctly it takes place during the autumn when Bond is researching to become Sir Hilary.
Even though I love Solo and feel that DMC is mediocre they both have their equal parts in my canon.
Also inspired to put Woods TSWLM at the end. It feels right.
Thoughts on TM. I enjoyed it. However, it's the worst continuation novel I've read so far. This is mainly because the first hundred pages were incredibly boring to me. Racing doesn't interest me and I thought the return of Pussy Galore was pretty pointless.
Once Sin showed up, a villain I really liked, it improved dramatically. Great second half and a good, tense climax. 7.5/10.
After FAAD, I'll either read the two Wood novelizations or the first two Gardners. Which should I do first?
However, once Bond and Sixtine get together roughly halfway through, the book improves dramatically. The climax is really good and is similar to what we should have gotten during the climax of SP with Bond suffering from what the villain has done to him. The ending is a downer but very good.
I'll give it a 7. Although a decent writer, I'll be happy if Horowitz doesn't return.
I'll probably read the TSWLM and MR novelizations next after a hiatus. Lol in need of a break.
Not bad at all. A bit of Steampunk, a bit of "Stupid Jetpack Hitler" (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StupidJetpackHitler)
Still, there were coincidences there that I couldn't quite accept, such as how convenient that Bond and Perry met just the one girl with the specialized knowledge they needed at just the right time in the right place. Still, really enjoyable.
Forgot how much it differs from the film in a lot of respects.
Honey and Quarrel are two of my favourite Fleming characters. Wonderful writing.
I know it was a bestseller, but even though I'm only the first chapter in I agree with Fleming' s own critique. He could've done better.
Love it! It was Quarrel's first introduction and he's wonderfully written by Fleming.
So many great moments. Meeting Mr Big, The escape from Harlem, the train ride with Solitaire, Felix's near death, the shootout with the Robber at the Oruburous lock up, Bond's moonlight underwater journey to the island and the keel haul sequence (so brilliantly re-created in FYEO)
Love the alternative title; The Undertaker's Wind
Yep.
I love the way Fleming creates a real dangerous atmosphere in the book. Such a bloody good writer!
On holiday in Vanuatu and while it may be a little too sleepy for 007 it has the right visual ingredients to be a Bond location. This seemed like the perfect place to return to one of the marine orientated adventures of the literary Bond and I chose Thunderball. Considering some of my more isolated locales - small villages and deserted, idyllic beaches Dr No may have been an even more suitable choice, but I had just re-read that last summer so instead opted for the ninth novel in the series.
Thunderball initially finds Fleming in an uncertain mood. He has his alter-ego reflecting on his mortality, flirting with fitness and harbouring healthy eating habits before plunging his hero back into hedonistic self-destruction. Lashings of eggs and bacon are ordered from his housekeeper May, who is relieved Bond has given up his fling with moderation. This of course is due to the Shrublands portion of the book. When Bond's believably poor physical reports motivate M to send him to a health spa. Patricia Fearing is described as she appears in the film and Count Lippe's rack sabotage and Bond's sauna revenge are represented similarly faithfully. Even lines like 'see you later, irrigator' turn up here.
The health farm is given its dues by the author, while its restrictions are initially seen as suffocating, later Bond is shown to have benefited enormously from the retreat. He attacks his job with more energy and clearer focus. And it always feels a bit more comfortable when Fleming is poking fun at his contemporary class of people as they undo all their diligent dieting work by stuffing scones and cakes into their mouths as soon as they exit the spa.
The introduction of Spectre is exciting. Blofeld makes his iconic appearance in the meeting of the shadowy organisation and electrocutes a disappointing minion. There is an unnecessary confusion as Blofeld is called No.2 while Largo is No.1, even though the former goes to pains to make it clear he is supreme leader. This section reveals enjoyable details such as the highest form of praise from Blofeld is to call a positive result 'satisfactory'.
Once the reader reaches Nassau the story really starts to swing. Domino is introduced as a tempestuous, yet inviting character. From the outset she appears fairly virtuous and on the side of good so it really is just about Bond's seduction of her played out across the next hundred pages. She has a laboured story about falling in love with the image of the man on the Player Cigarette packet which I had forgotten about since I first read the novel (thirty years ago!) The story isn't interesting, goes on forever and fairly pointless, other than the obvious parallel of a naval hero with 007.
Largo on the other hand leaps off the page. His good natured banter at the casino table turns deadly and this survives its translation to screen almost word-for-word. In general so does Largo, with the exception of the white hair and black eye patch. He has a great scene where he quashes dissent with three bullets to the face at point blank range that really does a great job of showing how calmly ruthless Largo can be.
Seeing behind the scenes of the Disco Volante is interesting and the hijacking of the plane and murder of Petachi are thrilling highlights of the novel. The underwater sequences are Fleming at his finest. I don't think anything else in the book comes close to Bond's underwater search of the Disco Volante or the similarly tense final battle between Spectre and the US Navy Frogmen.
Felix Leiter makes a welcome return to provide the exposition sound boarding for Bond. Although there is some seriously clairvoyant work from Leiter to breakdown the action that we the reader know and that he and Bond seem to intuit perfectly from fragments of information. They have a scenario theory for the series of events from the hijacking to the cover up and it is supernaturally accurate.
Leiter also gets to fill in for Fleming occasionally, such as complaining to a waiter about being scammed on gin levels in drinks by the presence of giant olives. As is unfortunately necessary to reflect on there are fewer offensive stereotypes in this novel than there are in some of Fleming's other novels. Stating that a moving car occupied by four women is the most dangerous vehicle imaginable because they are incapable of talking without looking at each other. There's also a mention of the waiter walking away with 'coloured dignity' after being told off but the most jarring is the constant reference to 'n--heads' while Bond is swimming underwater. As many will contend these attempts at humour and observation were par-for-the-course at the time - especially for upper class Englishmen in their fifties who were grappling with their empire disappearing. Which also blends in with Bond's feelings. The emergence and dominance of the U.S. is seen here in full swing. The U.S. Manta Submarine is described with envy and admiration and Bond's reliance on his American cousins to gain victory is telling.
Overall Thunderball is a fun, swift read. Like the Disco Volante itself, after a slow but steady start the novel picks up impressive speed and rips along, carrying the reader with it. With the exception of the casino sequence the glamour is a little more muted here. However, with super boats, modern submarines, nuclear warheads and hijacked bombers - the technology is more overwhelming than in previous Bond adventures. The book has a strong structure and clear focus, it introduces one of the most iconic villains in the series and one can sense an interested author on the cusp of reinvigoration with OHMSS around the corner and a film debut on the horizon.
Given that I'm writing this on the last day of my holidays, staring at the quiet harbour filled with anchored yachts as the sun is setting, Thunderball was a great choice to read in the perfectly appropriate setting.
Excellent review. You can't beat a bit of Fleming when on holiday somewhere exotic.
I must admit TB isn't one of my favourite Bond novels. I think i've only read it twice. And i agree, that 'Players Cigarette picture' story is just odd and seems to go on forever.
As usual Fleming's writing in the underwater sequences is wonderful.
'N....rhead' is just an old fasioned name for a Coral reef just below the surface of the sea. Obviously it's not used anymore.