Sunday
This is a must-visit for fans of 007 and his literary creator. There are a few events this year to mark what would be Ian Fleming's 100th birthday, 28 May, which also happens to be my own birthday, by weird coincidence. Sebastian Faulks is bringing out a new Bond novel on that day. Most of the attempts to carry on the character by other writers have not really worked, although Kingsley Amis had a good shot at it. I quite enjoy Faulks' writings, so this might be good. Let's face it, the movie-makers have already used up all the original Fleming story lines so they could use some decent new ones without too many corny one-liners or implausible villains.
I do hope there's at least ONE implausible villain in every story! All those villains with those weird names, like Doctor No, Pussy Galore, Goldfinger, etc. Where would Bond be without them?
Of course, real libertarians would disapprove of any real government assassins they met, since we want to limit government powers, and free-range executioners are frowned upon, but the stories are fun nontheless!
Posted by nick g. at April 7, 2008 04:11 AM
I've been reading the "junior James Bond" books to my children in the evenings. Written by Charlie Higson, of Fast Show fame. They love them.
Good stuff; he imitates Fleming's style quite well, including some delightful meanderings into details of entirely irrelevant but interesting topics - the first one had a lot about how an internal combustion engine works.
1930s Eton is covered in what sounds like convincing detail (although how would I know?), and some of Bond's relatives are very compelling - his ex-Special Ops uncle Max, his foxy Aunt Charmian and his, ahem, "colourful bachelor" uncle Victor. In the first one ("Silverfin"), the Scottish Highlands are very well portrayed; the second "Blood Fever", has a rather less convincing portrayal of Sardinia and a plot which fizzles out a little before any grand evil masterplans really emerge. Still, a wonderful Hungarian pirate (sic) called Zoltan more than compensates.
Recommended.
Posted by manuel II paleologos at April 7, 2008 09:05 AM
And does Bond Junior ever get caught behind the bike sheds, having a swift Sobrani while perusing a copy of Health & Efficiency by any chance, in these books?
Posted by RAB at April 7, 2008 01:39 PM
No, he's very well behaved indeed. Although he did go skinny-dipping with a young lady at the end of Blood Fever and kissed a wild Sardinian girl before that, albeit in a cynical effort to shut her up.
No Sobranis though, and what's more Uncle Max pops his clogs from lung cancer, with some rather gruesome descriptions of his struggles in his last days, while still lighting up. I found that quite heroic myself but not sure that was the intent.
No dubious shenanigans of the Health & Efficiency variety either, which seems unlikely. I suspect the author is going to have to confront this sooner or later.
Posted by manuel II paleologos at April 7, 2008 06:38 PM
