Which Bond novel are you currently reading?

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  • Posts: 116
    Col. Sun :)
  • saunderssaunders Living in a world of avarice and deceit
    Posts: 987
    Welcome to the site MrSpy, as it happens I'm also reading Colonel Sun myself at the moment, whats your view of it?
  • Posts: 116
    I like CS a lot. It's a good pastiche & it fits with the IF novels nicely.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,108
    Thunderball. Quite enjoyable.
  • saunderssaunders Living in a world of avarice and deceit
    Posts: 987
    Just finished Colonel Sun and while it's a good attempt at a continuation novel I think it may still be slightly overrated by the majority of Bond fans. Amis doesn't try to mimic Fleming's style and as a result the book doesn't have the 'Fleming sweep' page turning quality.
    The Greek locations are wonderful and highly suitable for 007 and while Amis certainly has the knack of writing with a sense of place he lacks the necessary skills to excite the senses that Fleming used to such skill when writing about food, smoking, drinking, gambling etc.
    The supporting characters are fairly well drawn but tend to get bogged down by their overt ideology and this in turn slows the pace of the story.
    Despite a good premise the plot just doesn't seem epic enough (though the same criticism could be held over many of Fleming's own novels) and the ending seems both rushed and overly contrived.
    I do agree that Kingsley Amis knows his subject and his novel is possibly stylistically the closest continuation novel to Fleming's own work and yet it just doesn't grab me in the way that the earlier Gardner books and even Faulks effort have managed to.
  • Posts: 140
    GoldenGun -- yes Thunderball is a lovely read, especially the first three quarters (in my view).

    I revisited Dr No, again, last week and I find it the weakest book by far. I confess to actually skipping the part from when Bond and Quarrel get in the boat for Crab Quay to the actual dinner scene. Didn't bother with the end either!

    Have to give Moonraker a read again. It is in my top three.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,158
    Quoting Grant: I confess to actually skipping the part from when Bond and Quarrel get in the boat for Crab Quay to the actual dinner scene. Didn't bother with the end either!
    That's blasphemy, friend. ;;)

    Just joking, I love that book. As for MR, it is indeed a top 3 quality book!
  • After dragging my poor, tired, old Pan paperback of MR to Florida and back, home for a day and then to Preston for 4 days: He finally got finshed on the commute to work today.

    As always, a truly qualty book.

    Tonight he can return to his spot on the bookshelf, and collect his much deserved rest...

    Until next year, old friend......
  • saunderssaunders Living in a world of avarice and deceit
    edited May 2011 Posts: 987
    I love MR, and with it's very English locations it must of made a great comforter to those pangs of homesickness while on far foreign shores!

    Just read High Time To Kill for the first time in 12 years and was surprised to find I actually enjoyed it! Now I've never hidden the fact on these discussions that I'm not Raymond Benson's (spit!) biggest fan and the book does suffer from the lack of that journalistic flair of Fleming's to excite the senses, but this is still a entertaining read. The author tries for a very different style of Bond novel with the second two thirds being taken up with a mountaineering expedition over the Himalayas with multiple traitors. It's more reminiscent of a Alastair Maclean or a Desmond Bagley storyline than a traditional Bond adventure, but this in itself is no bad thing, Fleming himself often radically experimented with his own formula, often with less success.
    I do find the Bond quips annoying and clearly Benson is trying to create a James Bond that is both from the novels and the films, many of the action sequences read as if they would be more suitable for a film. The story is almost too fast paced and because of this you never feel that sense of place that made the original novels so good and believable even when the plot was incredulous.
    The villains are generally interesting and multi faceted, but the setting up of the UNION organisation in this first part of a trilogy fails because he's simply creating a almost exact duplicate of SPECTRE even down to it's conference rooms and death punishments.
    The dramatic end twist can be seen coming from the first few pages but it's still a interesting downbeat ending that is reminiscent of Fleming's Casino Royale and sets you up for the next instalment.
    So now I'm beginning to wonder if I need to reassess Benson's Bond novels, from this book it's clear that he has does have some merit as an author and I'm going to give Zero Minus Ten next.
    So seeing as he's turned out at least one Bond novel that's readable I will from now on stop being uncomplimentary about Raymond Benson (spit!).
  • Saunders:

    I'd be interested to hear how you're 're-evaluation' of Benson goes, since I share the same opinion of his novels as you do.

    Maybe I'll follow your shining example and do the same (since I'm now book-less).
    Quoting saunders: Benson is trying to create a James Bond that is both from the novels and the
    films
    That sums up in a nutshell Benson's Bond perfectly.


    Quoting saunders: the UNION organisation in this first part of a trilogy fails because he's simply
    creating a almost exact duplicate of SPECTRE even down to it's conference rooms
    and death punishments.
    I sooo wanted to like the UNION element, but it was such a carbon copy that I found myself simply wanting SPECTRE back. And could an organisation with that many tenticles really be brought down so easily?
  • Posts: 117
    Quoting saunders: While definatley the weaker of Woods two adaptions this is still worth a look and certinally begs the question why Gildrose didn't opt for him to write the Bond continuation novels rather than opting for the less competent Gardner, Benson (spit!) and Faulks.
    Absolutely right, I totally agree
  • Posts: 116
    I picked up 3 hardcovers at the used book shop today:

    The Man From Barbarossa - John Gardner
    Silverfin - Charlie Higson
    The Facts of Death - Raymond Benson

    I've started TMFB & three chapters in I'm really loving it. Old-school espionage, nice Bond & M stuff early on, good storyline. Shouldn't take long to finish.

  • saunderssaunders Living in a world of avarice and deceit
    edited May 2011 Posts: 987
    I've just read 'Zero Minus Ten' the first novel length effort by Raymond Benson (spit!), to begin with I don't like the title and would of preferred the authors original working title 'No Tears For Hong Kong'. The first chapter neatly sums up all that is wrong about Benson's approach to the character of James Bond, the story begins with a ludicrous training sequence that feels like a film PTS yet is set at the barely disguised Jamaican home of Ian Fleming (the name has been subtly changed from 'Goldeneye' to 'Shamelady' the name of both Fleming's boat and a weed that littered his estate), now to me if your going to do a Bond novel you have to either write about the literary character or the film character, but to try and blend the two as Benson has you are going to create a unhappy medium. On top of this bizarrely, Benson has also diluted the character further using references to Gardner's Bond as well, with mentions of the ASP and various female characters.
    The book improves as the story unfolds and does include many themes familiar to Fleming readers such as torture, criminal allies and gambling. But while Benson works hard to show the considerable research he has put in, he lacks not only the prose but also the passion of 007's creator. Take the gambling scene for instance, I know very little about card games but Fleming managed to draw you into that world creating the fast moving, exciting scenes with sharp, crisp, evocative writing, while I was just confused and slightly bored by Benson's gambling scenes (despite the helpful diagrams!). Though I do concede his efforts did result in him managing to come up with the most unintentionally funny line in all of the continuation novels with this gem from the first page of chapter seven 'He had two pongs and the possibility of one more'!!!
    Apart from the character of James Bond (who Benson clearly understands very well) the rest of the characterization is fairly weak with a whole cast that you feel little empathy for. The Bond girl, a prostitute named Sunni Pei (don't laugh) is largely unnecessary to the plot and the chief villain must rank as the dullest Bond villain ever.
    But this book is certinally not all bad , the scenes in China are good and the aforementioned torture scene involving a naked Bond getting whipped is something that the S&M indulging Ian Fleming would of wholeheartedly approved of. The walkabout journey in Australia is also very well handled.
    The action scenes are often and a little over the top, Bond kills many with little thought and this is also at odds with Fleming's Bond who's body counts were fairly small and clearly something that ate at 007's soul. There are just too many over the top action scenes that belong in the films rather than the books, though to be fair at least they make a break from the relentless tedium of the overlong descriptions on the history and handover off Hong Kong, old family wills and the origins of the Triad.
    I've never been Raymond Benson's biggest fan and I don't believe this is his strongest effort but it's still worth a read and for all it's faults it's still better than the last few Gardner books.

    Need a break from Raymond now so I'm going onto John Gardner's 'Licence Renewed' next!
  • That's it Mr Saunders- Pack your ASP, hop in the old Silver Ghost and come bask in the warmth of Gardner..... it's nicer here than in Benson-land... and we have cookies....

    As ever, I enjoyed your latest review- keep em coming!
  • Jazz007Jazz007 Minnesota
    Posts: 257
    I am reading MR at the moment - always felt that the first half of 'Part Two' dragged a little bit but overall MR is always a terrific read.
  • saunderssaunders Living in a world of avarice and deceit
    edited May 2011 Posts: 987
    I love MR as well Jazz007, though personally I've never felt it dragged, even a little bit! I'd be interested to know how you rate it amongst the other Fleming novels.
  • Jazz007Jazz007 Minnesota
    Posts: 257
    I'd be interested to know how you rate it amongst the other Fleming novels.
    I think that the MI6 rating of 4 stars is not quite accurate - I would give it 4.5 stars easily and I suppose that I would put MR in the 2nd Tier of Ian Fleming's novels. It is definitely great reading (I especially enjoy the first third of the novel; and I can't believe that it took until Bond #13 to use the line "spend the money quickly, Mr. Bond") but it comes in short behind my ultimate favorites - CR, OHMSS, TB, and FRWL - but on par with the likes of LALD, DN, and GF I think, maybe better than most of those. Anyway, MR is certainly in the bottom half of the top 10 Fleming novels for me.
  • Posts: 117
    The Spy Who Loved Me. I'm not a very fast reader and I'm hoping to finish it before Carte Blanche comes out. Ideally, the night before.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,158
    The Spy Who Loved Me. I'm not a very fast reader and I'm hoping to finish it before Carte Blanche comes out. Ideally, the night before.
    I find it such a page turner, I usually finish it in a single stroke. Unlike many, I'm really fond of this novel. Bond accidentally getting involved in something like this truly intrigues me.
  • saunderssaunders Living in a world of avarice and deceit
    Posts: 987
    The first part of TSWLM charting Vivienne Michel's life dosen't really work for me, it was a brave experiment for Fleming to write in the first-person perspective of the heroine but clearly he has little understanding of the feminine mind.
    While this technique hinders the first part of this story it really excels when the drama at the Twin Pines motel kicks off with the arrival of James Bond. For despite the unusual style the author has chosen his is still classic James Bond, you have the hero rescuing the fair maiden from the evil monsters before dispatching them. Thanks to the first-person viewpoint this book gives us one of the most interesting insights into James Bond's character and makes for fascinating reading. Yes for Bond the story could be considered a little bit small scale but it's still a thrilling read and makes for a nice change of pace between those two Bond epics TB and OHMSS.
    I'm sure with your good taste in Bond literature you'll enjoy it Gaz1961.
  • Posts: 117
    Yeah Saunders I quite agree about the first third (or two thirds) of TSWLM, it doesn't really get going till our hero arrives on the scene, but when he does you feel like there should be a fanfare. He's worth waiting for. Full marks to Mr Fleming for trying something a little different, I know he wasn't keen on this book but I think overall it's great. Not as brilliant as LALD or YOLT (my two favourites) mind, but still a damn jolly good read.
  • Posts: 10
    Just finished Scorpius, and looking at Win, Lose or Die.

    Been trying to read the Bond series (if you can call it that) in publication order. Did read Devil May Care, guess that falls in at the end of the Fleming era, even though it's a recent print.
  • saunderssaunders Living in a world of avarice and deceit
    Posts: 987
    Interesting thought GoalieJim31, what order should you read the books in? A friend of mine always starts his Bond literary marathons with John Pearson's 'James Bond the authorized autobiography' followed by Fleming, then Amis, Faulks, Gardner and Benson. Personally though I feel if you are going down that route you should start with Higson first, though my own preferred method is to start with the originals and read them in order of their publication as it gives the bigger picture on how the legend has evolved rather than just the mans life story, having said that I'm just reading them at random at the moment and hence:

    Just finished John Gardner's first book 'Licence Renewed', I think it's a great shame that Gardner is judged on his total output rather than his individual books, for I'm sure if he had just written this one book he would be considered one of the best continuation authors. This book feels much closer to Fleming's character than later efforts and great care is given to the characters of both Bond and M with references to previous books.
    Though keen to make changes Gardner quickly establishes that this is a older more mature Bond who is far more politically correct, he dosen't smoke or drink so much in light of the times, but to me this rings false, the whole of the 'Shrublands' scenes in Thunderball were to reinforce Bond's (and Fleming's ) views that he dosen't get swayed by current trends and opinion and will enjoy his pleasures regardless of peer or social pressures. This is probably the greatest single fault with Gardner's style, he dosen't have the same zest for the more sordid and unhealthy interests that Fleming instilled into his creation, Gardner's Bond shows more interest and knowledge in works of art, classical music and religion than the seedy strip shows, crime underworld and hard liquor of his predecessor. While Fleming wrote about Bond taking women to bed, Gardner's Bond it would seem is more interested in the bed itself as while staying at the villains Scottish castle he takes great detail in describing the comfort features of a slumberland 2000 bed!
    The plot structure itself is very much Fleming, leaning heavily on ideas and situations from Moonraker, Goldfinger, Thunderball and On Her Majesty's Secret Service', the villain Anton Murik is interesting and his castle full of antique weapons and torture devices is inspired, his henchman Caber is also a good 'heavy' and Lavender Peacock is a classic Fleming 'bird with a wing down' heroine.
    Most of the action takes place in Scotland, and although this is solely a personal view I didn't find it an interesting enough location to spend so much of the story and preferred it when the action moved to the South of France (I had exactly the same issue with Higsons first Young Bond book Silverfin ).
    The story is fairly exciting and it's interesting to note all the ideas that EON have 'borrowed' from Gardner's earlier books over the years.
    Maybe this isn't Gardner's very best story, but it's unique attempt to capture the spirit of the originals means this will always be one of my favourite Gardner novels.

    Right I'm onto (gulp) Facts Of Death by Raymond Benson (spit!) next!

  • Posts: 406
    Finished Colonel Sun which I enjoyed and onto Licence Renewed which will be finished once I'm finished uni exams next weekend then It'll be onto carte blanche
  • No deals, Mr Bond. I have read, elsewhere, some recent criticism of Gardner. I have to comment, that out of the continuation authors I have read, Gardner is closest to the genius of Fleming in both language and plot building. I only have three Gardner novels, so I hope that there's a boxset going to be relaunched along with the Hardcovers.
  • Posts: 2,598
    Christopher Wood's James Bond and Moonraker.

    Yes, I too think NSF is a disappointment.
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    Posts: 1,699
    The Spy Who Loved Me. I'm not a very fast reader and I'm hoping to finish it before Carte Blanche comes out. Ideally, the night before.
    I find it such a page turner, I usually finish it in a single stroke. Unlike many, I'm really fond of this novel. Bond accidentally getting involved in something like this truly intrigues me.
    Yup, I'm a bit of a fan of it too. May've been my first proper Bond novel, actually (think I may have read TMWTGG first technically; but it took me two years when I was a child and I didn't take much of it in). Whereas with TSWLM, I simply couldn't put it down as a 13 year-old - I blame a boring rainy holiday, puberty and the attractions of the lovely Vivienne Michelle... ;)
  • Funnily enough, I just found my copy of For Your Eyes only and started reading it for the first time in years. I'm enjoying it tremendously, and wish that there were more short stories that featured Bond than the small amount that Fleming gave us.

    I enjoyed the first three Gardner books when I was 14 or so but only remember reading one other one - the plot basically had Bond on the run the whole length of the book. I can't remember details but thought it good.

    A friend of mine lent me a Raymond Benson book and I thought it was terrible. Like, embarrassingly bad. Yet at one point I was in an airport and realized I hadn't brought anything to read so I picked up a paperback copy of High Time to Kill and thought it fairly okay. Although was that the book that had a car chase (can you ever have an exciting car chase in a book?) where Bond was driving his Jag whilst being chased and also piloting a remote drone AT THE SAME TIME? Screamed "movie Bond" to me and by movie Bond I mean something that would have happened if Brosnan got a fifth film and people thought "How can we top the invisible car?"
  • Posts: 1,856
    By Royal Command
  • The Man With The Golden Gun. While it's not the best of the Fleming bunch I find it immensely entertaining. Certainly a satisfying read.
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