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Should James Bond Novels Go Retro?
So I just learned a while ago, despite the fact that it's already been in the news for a month or more, that William Boyd will be writing the new James Bond novel. (God, for a hardcore Bond follower that's kinda embarassing :) ) And I discovered that it will be set in the 60's, with a 45 year old Bond and a "realistic" love story. The 60's. Again.
I find this "going retro" thing a bit off for my tastes. I just thought and realized that James Bond became popular to the readers during the 50's and 60's because the novels where ahead of their time. For example, in the original novels, the Russians are exaggerated people bent on destroying the Western World by means of murder and terrorism. Of course, this is not always the case, but I also realized as I was taking a deeper view while reading the novels (and I found it funny) that Ian Fleming is like depicting the brink of an all out war between the Russians and the West. THAT is ahead of its time. Another example is the SPECTRE Trilogy. The SPECTRE Trilogy is extraordinary in my opinion because it portrays non-political and anarchistic terrorism at a time when nations are wrestling with ideologies. It is a different kind of terrorism that the real world only experienced decades later starting with the 80's.
Should the novels still insist on going back to the 60's? It's probably a good idea not to. See, aside from pure macho entertainment, the James Bond novels also depict instances and events drawn from current events. That's another aspect wherein the novels became popular. The questions yesterday are already answered, so why not concentrate on the problems of our modern times? I think i's already time for Mr. Bond to finally say goodbye to the Russians and say hello to evil businessmen, war economists, and all the other problems of our times. Sure many have tried to bring Bond back to the modern times, most recently Jeffrey Deaver with Carte Blanche. It goes wrong in more ways than one, but mainly because it doesn't interfere with political matters, unlike the original novels.
So what do you think? Should James Bond go back to the time of the Cold War, or should he dwell in the darker realms of our modern days?
I find this "going retro" thing a bit off for my tastes. I just thought and realized that James Bond became popular to the readers during the 50's and 60's because the novels where ahead of their time. For example, in the original novels, the Russians are exaggerated people bent on destroying the Western World by means of murder and terrorism. Of course, this is not always the case, but I also realized as I was taking a deeper view while reading the novels (and I found it funny) that Ian Fleming is like depicting the brink of an all out war between the Russians and the West. THAT is ahead of its time. Another example is the SPECTRE Trilogy. The SPECTRE Trilogy is extraordinary in my opinion because it portrays non-political and anarchistic terrorism at a time when nations are wrestling with ideologies. It is a different kind of terrorism that the real world only experienced decades later starting with the 80's.
Should the novels still insist on going back to the 60's? It's probably a good idea not to. See, aside from pure macho entertainment, the James Bond novels also depict instances and events drawn from current events. That's another aspect wherein the novels became popular. The questions yesterday are already answered, so why not concentrate on the problems of our modern times? I think i's already time for Mr. Bond to finally say goodbye to the Russians and say hello to evil businessmen, war economists, and all the other problems of our times. Sure many have tried to bring Bond back to the modern times, most recently Jeffrey Deaver with Carte Blanche. It goes wrong in more ways than one, but mainly because it doesn't interfere with political matters, unlike the original novels.
So what do you think? Should James Bond go back to the time of the Cold War, or should he dwell in the darker realms of our modern days?
This discussion has been closed.
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