Bond Book of the Month

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  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Carte Blanche :
    Bond in a modern setting. Now a non smoker and like many teens these days dependent on his
    Mobile phone ( He does use it a lot ). I loved the early set up of the villain, with a taste for necrophilia!
    I quite liked CB, it's not a great book or story and like many of the continuing writers Boyd tries to be a
    bit too clever at times. It has some interesting characters, but with the last big reveal near the end. I
    felt a bit disappointed. The ending ( Trying to avoid any spoilers) is almost as if Bond was the secret Services
    answer to Harry Potter, the Boy born to be a spy. :D
    So there we have it all the Bond books read through Bond's time line, so what have I learned ?
    Best to read the Flemings as published. You can see Fleming grow in confidence as a writer, and Bond
    grow in stature as a character. From young agent, to brooding almost burnt out field officer. So many
    brilliant characters both good and evil fill those books, I'll certainly be reading them again many times.
    As for the continuing authors, Col Sun is almost as good as the Flemings and fits well with the Fleming
    novels. The first six or so Gardners are entertaining but the quality soon falls away, almost as a mirror of
    Fleming's life John Gardner's later years were filled with ill health.
    Benson's Books are basically Movie tie ins for films that were never made, Nothing to do with the Novels,
    totally inspired by the Films. and Books that I'll never revisit.
    The other Celebrity authors work, Solo. I hated so boring. Devil May Care, gets off to a good start, and I
    did quite like it, Good villain and Plan, But the last third of the book lets it down.
    It's been fun and it leaves the way open to begin the lates Continuing Book " Trigger Mortis" by Antony
    Horowitz, which I happly picked up today and will start this evening. -{
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,292MI6 Agent
    edited September 2015
    Just started Carte Blanche. Expecting to be disappointed but 9 chapters in and im quite enjoying it..... so far!!

    Unlike reading Fleming I am kind of seeing DC as Bond when reading this modern version.

    Early days
    Instagram - bondclothes007
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Yes, Me too. I could see DC when reading Carte Blanche.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,292MI6 Agent
    Well I hammered through Carte Blanche - enjoyed it since it didn't try to be like Fleming and the actual story was quite enjoyable in the modern setting. It was a bit too long in my opinion and prob a few too many twists (felt like nearly every character ended up as a villain). He appeared to use his mobile for everything which also got a little too tedious but overall I was not bored like Solo.



    Well since I finishing Fleming I have read the following continuation novels and prob rank them in the following order:

    Trigger Mortis - Highly enjoyable, not all but a huge chunk felt very Fleming. A good villain (though simple plot)

    Col Sun - Nice adventure and got off with a bang!! The middle section had a bit of a lull for me but the end picked up well!

    Carte Blanche - Not very Fleming at all but I enjoyed the modern take and the twists and turns (though a tad too long)

    Devil May Care - Enjoyable but dare I say the writing felt a bit "school-like" and tried far too hard with the Fleming references

    Solo - started off quite Bondish but took a dive into a war zone and didn't seem like Bond at all to me - difficult to get through, hated it.
    Instagram - bondclothes007
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I pretty much agree with your list, maybe change Col Sun and
    Trigger Mortis. ( I'll have to read TM, a couple of more times).
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,292MI6 Agent
    Did toy with starting the Gardners (think it is 30 quid for all 16 digital) but think ive read too many books lately (I normally only read a couple of novels a year)
    Instagram - bondclothes007
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I'd say only the first six Gardner's are worth reading, the rest
    Get a bit repetitive, I really like them. As at the time ( early 80s)
    He renewed Bond for the times. Although it's funny reading them
    now, as they are set as far back in the past as the Fleming books
    when I first started reading them.
    No mobile phones, Bond is always looking for a phone box, or
    Attaching something to a hotel phone to scramble the call. Which
    Was so big he'd have to hide it in the car. :D How times have changed.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Trigger Mortis :
    In short, I loved it -{ , I think the time period really suits Bond, Horowitz did
    a great job at capturing some of Fleming's writing style, and gives us a good
    solid story. With an interesting villian's plot.
    He also gives us a sexy leading lady with a cute name, a good villain and
    an exciting third act. Although the last fight ? Seems to be a hangover from
    the movies.
    Still to round off my travels through the Bond books, it was very enjoyable.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • 002002 New ZealandPosts: 558MI6 Agent
    Trigger Mortis :
    In short, I loved it -{ , I think the time period really suits Bond, Horowitz did
    a great job at capturing some of Fleming's writing style, and gives us a good
    solid story. With an interesting villian's plot.
    He also gives us a sexy leading lady with a cute name, a good villain and
    an exciting third act. Although the last fight ? Seems to be a hangover from
    the movies.
    Still to round off my travels through the Bond books, it was very enjoyable.

    Well... I'm pleased to hear this: I've been a bit apprehensive about reading this, wondering how much I would like it. Is this the 1950s-set one? If so, I'd also say that I think that this era (and also the 1960s) suits Bond very well...
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I don't think I've read a really bad review of it. Most seem to
    Like it. :)
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    I think Horowitz has done his homework very well, and certainly better than Deaver etc. TM was very impressive, though a little formula-bound in places (the dinner scene with 007, Sin and Jeopardy was VERY reminiscent of DN's scene with Bond, No and Honey for example) and I'd gladly read more of his work. For what it's worth, I enjoyed "The House Of Silk" as well.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I've just started reading it again. -{
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    I'm stuck in a Dennis Wheatley right now ("Black August", the first of the Gregory Sallust stories which may or may not have inspired Fleming) and then I'm going to read "Shoot To Kill", the latest Young Bond book).
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Have the Dennis Wheatley novels dated much, for a contemporary reader ?
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    Oh, definitely! Very much a product of their times. Totally racist, completely class-oriented, and politically embarrassing. He's a good story-teller, though- and yes, the roots of Fleming's Bond stories can be seen.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I tried Dracula, but it was so slow and old fashioned to read, that I gave up.
    I could joke that it sucked ........ But I won't.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    Could be worse- you might have tried Frankenstein!
  • 002002 New ZealandPosts: 558MI6 Agent
    I've read them both. Admittedly that was over half my lifetime ago...
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    When I was younger and well into my 20s, I read nothing but Horror books.
    From the greats like S King and Dean Koontz, Clive Barker and James Herbert.
    To the pulp stuff from Guy N Smith about big crabs taking over Britain etc.
    Now though I don't read much at all, as I have too much to do, so it's easier
    To play a DVD when I'm working . Although I have read a few James Herbert
    Books " The rats trilogy " as they were only 99p each on kindle. :D
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,644MI6 Agent
    Barbel wrote:
    Oh, definitely! Very much a product of their times. Totally racist, completely class-oriented, and politically embarrassing. He's a good story-teller, though- and yes, the roots of Fleming's Bond stories can be seen.

    This is a great read by Jeremy Duns on just that subject matter, Barbel:

    http://www.spywise.net/pdf/March_10/wheatley_declassified.pdf
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Funnily enough my Mum was a big fan of Dennis Wheatley. I remember as a kid
    Being amazed but scared at some of the paperback covers. Although for years I
    thought it was my Dad who was the fan, only found out years later that it was she
    who loved a bit of the old Satan stories. :))
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,644MI6 Agent
    Funnily enough my Mum was a big fan of Dennis Wheatley. I remember as a kid
    Being amazed but scared at some of the paperback covers. Although for years I
    thought it was my Dad who was the fan, only found out years later that it was she
    who loved a bit of the old Satan stories. :))

    I collect them myself when I see them! Love the old Wheatley paperbacks. My Dad had one in his bookcase too. :) -{
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    Barbel wrote:
    Oh, definitely! Very much a product of their times. Totally racist, completely class-oriented, and politically embarrassing. He's a good story-teller, though- and yes, the roots of Fleming's Bond stories can be seen.

    This is a great read by Jeremy Duns on just that subject matter, Barbel:

    http://www.spywise.net/pdf/March_10/wheatley_declassified.pdf

    Very interesting article. Yes, Come Into My Parlour has many similarities to FRWL and Gregory Sallust is a proto-Bond.
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,644MI6 Agent
    Barbel wrote:
    Barbel wrote:
    Oh, definitely! Very much a product of their times. Totally racist, completely class-oriented, and politically embarrassing. He's a good story-teller, though- and yes, the roots of Fleming's Bond stories can be seen.

    This is a great read by Jeremy Duns on just that subject matter, Barbel:

    http://www.spywise.net/pdf/March_10/wheatley_declassified.pdf

    Very interesting article. Yes, Come Into My Parlour has many similarities to FRWL and Gregory Sallust is a proto-Bond.

    Glad you enjoyed it. It's an excellent piece! :) -{
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • 002002 New ZealandPosts: 558MI6 Agent
    I used to really like Dennis
    Funnily enough my Mum was a big fan of Dennis Wheatley. I remember as a kid
    Being amazed but scared at some of the paperback covers. Although for years I
    thought it was my Dad who was the fan, only found out years later that it was she
    who loved a bit of the old Satan stories. :))

    I used to enjoy the Dennis Wheatley books. However, they can be a bit of a mixed bag. I found it tough going through To the Devil a Daughter and couldn't even get past the first couple of chapters of The Ka of Gifford Hillary. However, I really enjoyed The Satanist, in fact it was the Wheatley that had me looking over my shoulder the most.

    Actually, I have a whole box full of Wheatleys - perhaps I'll re-read them again...?
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    The only one of his black magic books I read was The Devil Rides Out, and that was pretty good but didn't make me want to read the others. The Sallust stories are the ones I like from his work.
  • Sir MilesSir Miles The Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 26,414Chief of Staff
    Barbel wrote:
    The only one of his black magic books I read was The Devil Rides Out, and that was pretty good but didn't make me want to read the others. The Sallust stories are the ones I like from his work.

    I loved that book when I read it...then I saw the film :#
    YNWA 97
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,644MI6 Agent
    Sir Miles wrote:
    Barbel wrote:
    The only one of his black magic books I read was The Devil Rides Out, and that was pretty good but didn't make me want to read the others. The Sallust stories are the ones I like from his work.

    I loved that book when I read it...then I saw the film :#

    You didn't like it? I thought it was good. :)
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • Sir MilesSir Miles The Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 26,414Chief of Staff
    Sir Miles wrote:
    Barbel wrote:
    The only one of his black magic books I read was The Devil Rides Out, and that was pretty good but didn't make me want to read the others. The Sallust stories are the ones I like from his work.

    I loved that book when I read it...then I saw the film :#

    You didn't like it? I thought it was good. :)

    It's not that I didn't like it...it was just a total let down after the book...
    YNWA 97
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,644MI6 Agent
    Sir Miles wrote:
    Sir Miles wrote:

    I loved that book when I read it...then I saw the film :#

    You didn't like it? I thought it was good. :)

    It's not that I didn't like it...it was just a total let down after the book...

    I see. Sadly I've not read the book although I have a copy. I really need to, though.
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
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