Colonel Sun (Page 1 of 3)

I agree with that.Amis was a superb writer and he replicates the unique Ian Fleming voice so well it's difficult at times to realize that Fleming didn't write Colonel Sun.

And the beginning and closing chapters are indeed the best parts of the novel.Amis--craftsman though he was--needed a good editor.The midsection of CS seems to go on forever.It could be trimmed and immediately improved.Also,Colonel Sun--as a title--obviously calls Dr.No to mind immediately.Perhaps Doctor No was one of Amis' favorite Bond novels?

As for the action sequences -the murder of the Hammonds and the kidnapping of M--Fleming wouldn't have done it.However,these are powerful and unexpected moments in the novel and are handled quite skillfully.As a result we readers really want to see 007 turn into an avenging angel.And those torture sequences are very creepy indeed--but then Colonel Sun's that kind of guy:_very_ creepy.

On the whole,Colonel Sun is an excellent Fleming pastiche,it's only weakness being that it doesn't maintain it's brilliant opening momentum,it drags toward the middle of the story,and most unfortunately,after a superb beginning,has a rather anticlimactic climax.On the whole,however,this book is filled with wonderful moments.Too bad Amis didn't try his hand at another Bond or two...

Last edited by Willie Garvin (19th Jun 2002 03:56)

Yes--I've read that too.Several authors in rotation all writing as Robert Markham.A bad idea then,and a bad idea now.Maybe Colonel Sun--just as a title--sounds too close to Dr.No.In fact,these titles sound interchangable and probably were to the average reader.Perhaps in the end the general public simply wasn't aware that Colonel Sun was a new novel by a different author.Additionally,the Glidrose pen name never worked anyway,since all the original hardcovers' dustjackets and interior flyleafs,along with the title page--clearly display Amis' name beneath Robert Markham like so:

                     COLONEL SUN
                          by
                     Robert Markham
                     (Kingsley Amis)

So there's no mystery surrounding 007's newest scribe.

Furthermore,it may also be that by the late 1960s the huge interest in all things Bond had begun to peak.We should remember that Bondmania only lasted from 1964(with the great success of Goldfinger--and the rerelease later that year of From Russia With Love and Dr.No on the famous double bill),through 1965 and the incredible international success of Thunderball.The You Only Live Twice film in 1967 rode the last crest of that wave...casual Bond fans may not have been as interested in the novels as the devotees of Bond were...

Interestingly,the year Colonel Sun was published in the USA,TRUE magazine optioned the rights to carry the story in an edited,serialized format in 2 parts.I have this serial version and it's much better than the actual novel.Amis apparently did the editing and all the midsection "fat" is gone.Additionally,it's beautifully illustrated with a series of oil paintings by artist Bob Abbett.

Last edited by Willie Garvin (19th Dec 2002 05:57)

OH MY - - -  LOL!!!  What were they thinking?  It's sooo Salvador Dali that I was looking for the melting clock in the background.

MBE

An Interesting analysis of the cover art and it's symbolism.I vote for the ganja...Covers should intrigue their readers-not confuse them or drive them away.Personally,I like Dali but he's not an artist one associates with James Bond.Sometimes less is more-perhaps a representational illustration by Richard Chopping.Something  saying that this book too,--though not by Ian Fleming-- is a Bond adventure and part of the grand saga.

At any rate,in life timing is everything and Colonel Sun probably arrived at the wrong moment.As Hardyboy observes,in 1967 Casino Royale and You Only Live Twice were on the screens and neither one--especially CR--resembled Fleming's writing(barring character names,titles and locales).And frankly,even with JFK's endorsement,Ian Fleming was always a cult author--the general public knew 007 from the movies and his larger than life escapades.Colonel Sun isn't the literary equivalent of an EON production.

Then again,for all of Kingsley Amis' writing talent,Colonel Sun isn't an especially gripping novel.It certainly has it's moments,but on the whole,it's not as compelling as it ought to have been.It'll never be confused with From Russia With Love,Moonraker or OHMSS,for example.And just as a title,"Colonel Sun" is too close to "Dr.No",while the story itself---which should move rapidly while still establishing mood and uniquely interesting characters---as per Fleming's best work, often drags.

Moreover,the colonel's grand scheme is disappointingly mundane and the climax is surprising anticlimactic.Too bad because the colonel is a promising villain.And except for the superb opening chapters with the violent assault on Quarterdeck and the kidnapping of M, we've seen most of this stuff before:in better and lesser Fleming stories.There's a sense of deja vu that permeates this book.

I like Colonel Sun despite it's many shortcomings--at a purely technical level it's a fine Ian Fleming pastiche--but it isn't the kind of novel to relaunch an ongoing series of new James Bond adventures.

Last edited by Willie Garvin (21st Jun 2002 04:03)

Colonel Sun was one terrific novel... it was very Fleming-esque. It was such a good read that I grew angry at myself for not having picked it up before. M's kidnapping and Bond's torture...this book exceeded my wildest expectations. It was as gripping as any Fleming novel. Five stars...I'm impressed. This definitely belongs right there with the originals.

I guess it's all downhill now, I haven't tried any Benson or Garner as of yet...this book was a little difficult to find...Amis never wrote any more? that's really a shame.

It's been a while since I've read Colonel Sun but I think that parts of the plot and the overall theme of the novel were the basisis of DAD. Please correct me if I'm wrong,  I read so much I may be thinking of a different book.

While I'm not quite through with Col. Sun I'll have to agree with the other posters.  Excellent at the begining.  I was highly entertained, but about 3/4 of the way through I got caught in the quagmire and had to put it down for a few days.
As for the cover, speaking as an artist, I must disagree with all of you (sorry Hardyboy), he was on some serious CRACK!  I can see the symbolism but that doesn't make it right.  Maybe I'm just old fashioned but a 007 book should have at least a gun on it or something (with the exception of John Gardner's Never Send Flowers wich looks like a Danielle steel cover, but I like it anyway).

Why don't they make new editions of CS?

If you're referring to the Bantam edition, kmart, (and what else would a vet like you be talking about) then heck yes! I love that cover. Reminiscent of the sixties action novels that have accumulated my collections.

Here's a link showcasing the various covers.

http://www.bondian.com/books/13205876i.html

Last edited by Alex (28th Jun 2004 19:03)

Those illustrations by Bob Abbett were painted exclusively for the two-part serialization of Colonel Sun that appeared in True magazine.I don't recall the girl looking like that in the novel itself--but I could be wrong.I'll reread it and let you know...

The half topless girl is actually the last part of the torture. She is supposed to strip for Bond and make him want her, but she has a better plan. She suggests that she should kiss Bond first, THAN strip... I don't want to spoil it, but this kiss is a crucial moment. I think the artist imagined a bit too much, because the last time Bond notices her, she is still wearing turquise jacket and green slacks and she doesn't strip down from that as far as I can tell...