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2, Higson (Young Bond shows that he is the clear spiritual descendant of Fleming and if
IFP had a brain between them they'd have made him the adult Bond continuation
author before the Faukes debacle).
3. Amis writing as Markham (yes, Colonel Son is the best adult continuation novel thus
fare).
4. Samantha Weinberg writing as Kate Westbrook (how could any self respecting Bond
aficionado possibly overlook the fabulous Moneypenny Diaries?)
5. John Gardner ( for his first five).
6. John Pearson (The Authorised Biography is a worthy contribution).
7. John Gardner ( for his last eleven).
8. Christopher Wood (Fleming would have cringed).
9. Raymond Benson (illiterate Americana nonsense).
10.Faulkes (literate but complete and utter balderdash - IFP MD should have been fired).
11.Deaver (from the idiots that got you Faulkes - unbelievable).
12.Boyd (from the idiots who brought you Faulkes & Deaver - hopefully this is the final
act of the "Celebrity Trilogy Disaster".
With the exception of 1-5, the others are for the read and laugh file!
Who would be your choice for continuation authors after Boyd?
I wouldn't place Christopher Wood nearly so low. His prose is the closest to Fleming's out of the lot. He's hamstrung by the plots as his books are adaptations of the film scripts (scripts he wrote - but for an entirely different medium.)
I didn't enjoy Faulks one bit (and I haven't read Deaver) but I'm afraid I'd put Benson at the very bottom of the pile - he's a big Bond fan and seems like a lovely chap but he shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a word processor. I've read more evocative prose on the back of cereal boxes.
Well yes, that's what I thought/meant.
Oh yes you must!
As for my choice for the next author, in my not so humble opinion, it should be one Charlie Higson. He has shown through his young Bond franchise that he completely understands James and has animated his youth in a way that undoubtably has Fleming smiling in his grave!
He has produced great stories that uphold the tradition whilst working with the limitations of reduced violence (albeit sometimes you wouldn't think it) and no sex. His Bond interpretation is simply fantastic and let loose on the adult franchise, I think he would do for 007 what Andrew Horowitz did for Sherlock Holmes - bring both critical and commercial success!
Failing the best solution, we could have either Daniel Silva or Charlie Cumming. Both of whom are great, but quite different, espionage writers.
Non of this will, of course, happen because IFP are completely out to lunch when it comes to this subject. Put simply, Bond deserves a better manager!
I'll be reading his one next.
My ranking so far from what I HAVE completely read is:
1. Amis (so freakin' serious!)
2. Wood (got the voice absolutely right)
In a word - no it f*****g hasn't.
That's like 9 words or something...
1. Christopher Woods
2. Kingsley Amis
3. Charlie Higson
4. Sebastian Faulks
5. John Gardner
6. William Boyd
7. Jeffrey Deaver
8. Raymond Benson (spit!)
1.Amis
2.Woods
3.Higson
4. Pearson
2. William Boyd (So Far 2/3rds in SOLO)
3. Charlie Higson
4. Jeffery Deaver
5. Raymond Benson
6. Sebastian Faulks "Writing as Ian Fleming" >:I
2. Charlie Higson
3. John Gardner
4. Christopher Wood
5. Kingsley Amis (actually it's difficult to arrive at a decision as to who's best out of Amis and Wood)
6. William Boyd (if Boyd had have served up a more solid plot then I would have ranked him higher)
7. Raymond Benson
8. Sebastian Faulks (it's also hard to define as to who's the best out of Faulks and Deaver. Deaver wrote a better story but at the same time his Bond is almost unrecognisable. With regards to Faulks, it's the other way around. Faulks is easily a far better writer than Benson but his book was just so damn lacklustre that I have to rank him below Benson)
9. Jeffrey Deaver
I haven't included Weinberg and her simply fantastic Penny Diaries as they aren't actually Bond novels. I think that she would do a wonderful job in writing an adult Bond book though.
1. Jeffery Deaver (Carte Blanche)
The writing in Carte Blanche was much better than Fleming's. The setting in the 21st century, the Afghanistan hardened Bond, the ODG (Overseas Development Group) and the recurring characters (M, Leiter, Moneypenny, Indian version of Q) as well as the locations (London, Dubai, South Africa) added to the sense that this is 21st century Bond. Get Michael Fassbender as the new Bond and bring this to the screen with Sam Mendes directing. Best Bond novel ever, and needs to spawn four or five sequels.
2. Ian Fleming (Casino Royale (1953) - 007 in New York (1963)
The man who created Bond. His writing outdoes the rest, as well as his genius sense of plot, which has been overshadowed by the successful film franchise. The original, yet not the best.
3. William Boyd (SOLO)
The latest Bond thriller released in 2013, although does not have the fast-paced, real-life sense that Carte Blanche has, is a brilliant finale to the Bond franchise created in 1953. 1969. Veteran agent. Licence to kill. Bond goes solo after a horrifying experience in Africa.
A bit too bland, but another necessary entry with Bond in a dirty mission to end a civil war in Africa. No Bentley, no glamorous locations, just James Bond, agent 007, with his licence to kill, Walther PPK, Jensen FF Interceptor and Mustang Mach 1.
I'll see if I like his work as much as you do- I just got DMC in the post.
Well Fleming was first so he isn't a continuation author. Here is my list (of the ones I have read at any rate,)
1. JOHN GARDNER
2. SEBASTIAN FAULKS
3. WILLIAM BOYD
4. CHRISTOPHER WOOD
5. JOHN PEARSON ( As I consider the AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JAMES BOND a continuation novel in its own right.)
6. Kingsley Amis (Robert Markham)
7. Jeffrey Deaver.
I have yet to read the Young Bond novels or The Moneypenny diaries.
Randy
It's refreshing to see John Gardner first where he should be!
Although Faulks 2nd so go easy with the praise there Draggers.
Good for you. Some people like murdering prostitutes or hammering nails into their helmets - it doesn't make it right now does it?
Yes, you are of course right. I have come to bury Faulks not to praise him.
1 Fleming
2 Wood (James Bond and The Spy Who Loved Me)
3 Lawrence (not books, but still)
4 Gardner (the first three, then I gave up)
I have been wanting to read CS for a long time, will buy it if I find it.
Fleming
Amis
Benson
Gardner (can't deny he wrote some great ones along with a lot of crap)
Wood
Deaver
Boyd
Faulks
2.Kingsley Amis - CS is up there with Fleming's best.
3.John Gardner - first five are good - avoid the rest.
4.Samantha Weinberg - for the brilliant MP diaries.
5.John Pearson - interesting idea from Fleming's biographer.
Avoid the rest, they are all complete balderdash and represent the labotomised decisions of Gildrose/IFP. Monies derived from these tragedies should be refunded to loyal Bond fans!
I've always been a fan. I like that he's not trying to be Fleming and really makes Bond his own, but strangely enough still familiar (unlike Deaver lower on the list). His adventures are often a strange mix of down-to-earth and over-the-top, and sometimes I don't know why, but I love it. For me he's mainly on top of this list because of Licence Renewed, Icebreaker, Scorpius, Win Lose or Die, Seafire and (my favourite!)) Death is Forever.
2. Charlie Higson
A bleak first entry and a rather dull exit, but the middle three is explosive stuff! Why this man hasn't written an "adult" 007-entry is staggering.
3. Kingsley Amis
Colonel Suns ending is a let-down, but Amis really manage to captured the essance of Flemings writing, and is still to this day the only author to have nailed it in that aspect.
4. Raymond Benson
His writing were never his strong suit; what he should have done is to write scripts for the EON films. But the plots and characters are often engaging, while the stories never really worked out satisfyingly enough. Doubleshot is a hell of a good ride; The Facts of Death pretty unbearable; and the rest good, enjoyable reads.
5. William Boyd
Here's a good author, with a nice sense of phrase and choice of words. Sadly enough, his sense of plotting is... absent. Altough the book isn't well though out (which is an understatement, it isn't thought out at all) it's still a smooth, enjoyable read with a great setting in Zanzarim.
6. Jeffrey Deaver
A nice, driven plot with engaging characters and interesting locations. Sadly enough it doesn't contain the usual characters. I don't recognize them at all. M doesn't feel like M Moneypenny doesn't act like Moneypenny, Leiter is strange and how the devil did Mathis end up in this story? And above all, who is this strange fellow calling himself James Bond?
7. Sebastian Faulks
Finally someone who can write as Fleming! Oh wait... he can't. This is truly the worst of the lot, and probably the only Bond novel to receive the rating 1/5 from me. It is unbearable in every sense of the word. If it wasn't about 2 nice chapters, this would probably end up on a 0/5. Avoid.