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My first impression of "James Bond and Moonraker" by Christopher Wood

PerdoggPerdogg
edited June 2013 in Literary 007 Posts: 686
When I was at Hooters last night I decided to go ahead and buy the ebook from Amazon by Wood. I have the paperback in my collection somewhere (I wish I had a first Edition Jonathan Cape HC with dust wrapper), but I collect the ebooks as well. IFP is getting rich off me.

I read the first chapter and the first page of the second chapter. Maybe it changes throughout the novel, but my first impression is that the novel doesn't go that deep. I felt like he took the outline of the movie and just added fluff and verbiage. Fleming made the "fluff and verbiage" interesting and relevant. Again, maybe this changes. I am wondering how far he goes in defining the new Hugo Drax and perhaps Dr Goodhead. Without giving away spoilers, I would like to hear people's opinion on the book.

Another things he does early and often is pilfer from the Fleming novel. Not concepts, but almost sentences per verbatim from Casino Royale and Thunderball. When I read some of this I was astounded IFP would allow this.

Comments

  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    edited June 2013 Posts: 893
    Funny place to be buying and reading Bond. Maybe he would have approved in fact ;)
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,804
    007InVT wrote:
    Funny place to be buying and reading Bond. Maybe he would have approved in fact ;)
    MY very first thought.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited June 2013 Posts: 18,281
    Yes, Perdogg. I too noticed he lifted the medical report from Thunderball. I was going to write something on this at some stage. Some of his chapter titles are from the original MR 1955 novel, too. I plan to write on all forms of MR soon on TBB, though.
  • PerdoggPerdogg
    Posts: 686
    He lifted the opening sentence to the second chapter of Casino Royal - "adjuct to the Ministry of Defence".

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited June 2013 Posts: 18,281
    Perdogg wrote:
    He lifted the opening sentence to the second chapter of Casino Royal - "adjuct to the Ministry of Defence".

    Can't remember that obe but I did notice the TB reference - most strange as it's almost verbatim.

  • BounineBounine
    edited June 2013 Posts: 2,599
    Yeah, I thought it was strange the way he lifted the TB medical report. I didn't really mind but you'd think he would have come up with his own version of it.

    I can't remember everything about the book but I'm pretty sure he went into some detail about Drax. As for Goodhead, I don't remember.

    I enjoyed the book and I think I actually preferred it to Wood's TSWLM. I think many think the opposite. I loved the whole scene in the Amazon when Bond finds Drax's lair. It's very Flemingsque and based on what he describes the film doesn't do it justice. Bond takes longer to find it in the book too which I like. It's more of a challenge for him which is more reminiscent of the literature of course.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Bounine wrote:
    Yeah, I thought it was strange the way he lifted the TB medical report. I didn't really mind but you'd think he would have come up with his own version of it.

    I can't remember everything about the book but I'm pretty sure he went into some detail about Drax. As for Goodhead, I don't remember.

    I enjoyed the book and I think I actually preferred it to Wood's TSWLM. I think many think the opposite. I loved the whole scene in the Amazon when Bond finds Drax's lair. It's very Flemingsque and based on what he describes the film doesn't do it justice. Bond takes longer to find it in the book too which I like. It's more of a challenge for him which is more reminiscent of the literature of course.

    Yes, he does go into much more detail in the book on Drax. He's more akin to the original literary character from Fleming's 1955 novel. I'm writing something on the long road to the filming of Moonraker from source to screen for my blog at the moment. It covers Wood's novelisation, too.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited June 2013 Posts: 9,117
    Perdogg wrote:

    I read the first chapter and the first page of the second chapter. Maybe it changes throughout the novel, but my first impression is that the novel doesn't go that deep. I felt like he took the outline of the movie and just added fluff and verbiage.

    This is a fairly accurate surmise.

    Theres a nice biog on Jaws a la Grant in from FRWL and theres an interesting thing about Atlantis being located in a caldera as I recall.

    Overall though there are worse Bond novels than Wood's efforts.
    chrisisall wrote:
    007InVT wrote:
    Funny place to be buying and reading Bond. Maybe he would have approved in fact ;)
    MY very first thought.

    Anyone who thinks Bond would be seen dead in Hooters clearly has absolutely no understanding of the character at all. Not even Rog or Brozza would go near such a low rent establishment.
  • SirHenryLeeChaChingSirHenryLeeChaChing
    Posts: 3,494
    But I'd bet George would :))
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    SirHenryLeeChaChing wrote:
    But I'd bet George would :))

    Very true!

    I meant say Rog or Brozza's Bond.
  • BounineBounine
    Posts: 2,599
    Hey! I went to Hooters in Seoul about a year and a half ago! :) Well, I just went for the novelty of it to see what it's like. I 'd never go back. :)
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited June 2013 Posts: 18,281
    Well, I must say it's the first I've ever heard of this Hooters place, but then I'm from the UK. It doesn't sound like a place Bond would visit, though. Quite the opposite in fact! Just look at his views on the bar in the LTK novelisation if any proof were needed!

    Though, having said that he might approve of this:

    Hooters_Calendar_Girl_Melissa_Poe.jpg
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Perdogg wrote:
    When I was at Hooters last night I decided to go ahead and buy the ebook from Amazon by Wood. I have the paperback in my collection somewhere (I wish I had a first Edition Jonathan Cape HC with dust wrapper), but I collect the ebooks as well. IFP is getting rich off me.

    I read the first chapter and the first page of the second chapter. Maybe it changes throughout the novel, but my first impression is that the novel doesn't go that deep. I felt like he took the outline of the movie and just added fluff and verbiage. Fleming made the "fluff and verbiage" interesting and relevant. Again, maybe this changes. I am wondering how far he goes in defining the new Hugo Drax and perhaps Dr Goodhead. Without giving away spoilers, I would like to hear people's opinion on the book.

    Another things he does early and often is pilfer from the Fleming novel. Not concepts, but almost sentences per verbatim from Casino Royale and Thunderball. When I read some of this I was astounded IFP would allow this.

    Hi @Perdogg, can you search the e-Book edition for MoD references at all? If so, what have you found there. Knowing you as I do, I bet you've already had a look!
  • PerdoggPerdogg
    Posts: 686
    Yes there are 4 of them in the first and second chapter.
  • PerdoggPerdogg
    Posts: 686
    Dragonpol wrote:

    Bond would go to Hooters; he can get a steak and a double-bourbon although he would have to go outside to lite up.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Perdogg wrote:
    Yes there are 4 of them in the first and second chapter.

    Wow! That many! That just adds fuel to your fire then, @Perdogg.
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