Anthony Horowitz's Trigger Mortis (2015) Discussion Thread

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  • am747am747 Posts: 720MI6 Agent
    stag wrote:
    Great review am747!

    Thanks!
  • bluemanblueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent
    Enjoyed it! As good as Wood's TSWLM, if not quite on a par with Amis.

    Very much enjoyed Bond's musings on his relationships with women, the three he interacted with may not have been individually memorable but their value was in providing Horowitz's Bond a soundboard IMO, and in that they were successful. Liked the villain although it took till the big back story for him to really click with me - but what a back story! Also loved having Bond in an actual car race and using those skills the way he did. If there was one area I thought Horowitz didn't quite hit as strongly was the action, he tried but Fleming had such a touch, just not in the same league. Oh well.

    Nobody is as good as Fleming. But TM felt fine within the context of the early Bond novels, some of the material worked better and some not quite (true of those early Fleming novels too).
  • Gala BrandGala Brand Posts: 1,172MI6 Agent
    I finally got around to reading Trigger Mortis and in best AJB syle these are my thoughts:

    Pros:

    Does a good job with the Fleming style, which is hard to imitate. The best indication is that you can't really tell that part of the book was written by Fleming and the rest by Horowitz. Jeffrey Deaver's Bond book, for example, was a Jeffrey Deaver book with a guy named James Bond.

    Captures the Fleming sweep. You really do want to know what happens next and it keeps the pages turning.

    Bond being rejected by Pussy Galore is in keeping with the 50s novels where he is rejected by Tiffany case and Gala Brand. The feeling is that women regard Bonds as fun but not somebody you'd want to live with. So, this part of the novel is consistent with Fleming's notion of Bond.

    Bond really suffers physically, which is important because it makes him a more sympathetic character.

    Horowitz did a great job researching the time period, which is important because the Bond novels are all about the details.

    Cons

    "Mister Sin" would've been a better title. Just saying.

    Horowitz smooths off some of Bond's rough edges (Bond's comfortable with a gay guy whom he regards as his friend, Bond is more introspective regarding women and killing) when the rough edges are the most interesting part of Bond.

    There's a sort of vague anti-Americanism in the book (No Gun Ri, the American military officer, the American space program, which seems inept) which appears in Horowitz's Foyle series as well. There's nothing wrong with vague anti-Americanism per se, but it's not consistent with Fleming's view of Americans, whom he seemed to almost idolize.

    The book really comes alive in the race scenes, which I believe were written by Fleming. In the end, Fleming is a better Bond writer than Horowitz.

    In conclusion, Horowitz gets most of the big things right and the book is better than Deaver's and Faulks's efforts (didn't read Solo because Bond in Africa seemed wrong from the get-go).
  • Golrush007Golrush007 South AfricaPosts: 3,418Quartermasters
    At last I've got round to reading Trigger Mortis, and I really enjoyed it.

    Trigger Mortis is a highly entertaining read, returning us to the middle of the Fleming Bond's timeline, being a sort of sequel to Goldfinger. Horowitz was greatly helped by access to some unreleased Fleming material which was written for an unproduced TV series - this is the motor racing section of the novel, and the part that I found by far the most exciting. The presence of Fleming in that section was palpable. The rest of the novel is strong too, and although doesn't quite reach the level of Fleming's originals, Trigger Mortis sits comfortably amongst the top novels in the continuation series. It sticks quite close to the formula, and I think it works well. I found it far more satisfying that Sebastian Faulks' formulaic Devil May Care. Somehow it reminded me a little of John Gardner's first Bond adventure, Licence Renewed.

    One thing I didn't enjoy so much was the number of little references to the Fleming stories, such as mentioning Bond's previous experience of a rocket launch in Moonraker. I always find these a bit unnecessary and distracting but overall they don't dampen my enthusiasm for the novel. Trigger Mortis is, in my opinion, the best new Bond novel to emerge since mid-1980s. I hope that Horowitz is given the opportunity to write his own series of Bond books. I think he is the ideal man for the job of official Bond scribe, and he deserves the opportunity to develop his own Bond adventures over the course of several novels.
  • Agent KinoAgent Kino New YorkPosts: 202MI6 Agent
    Trigger Mortis Review

    I was very impressed with this book. I have read the whole Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz when I was younger so I am very used to his style of writing. Also, his style of writing, I find, is very easy to comprehend and keep up with. It's not overly complicated and he really appeals to regular readers like myself.

    I thought the story line was fantastic to be honest. I feel like he brought back the old Bond that Solo didn't quite have. I can't remember the whole story line chapter by chapter, but I was overly impressed. I loved the whole racing aspect of the book. I think that the racing chapter could have gone a little longer and more detailed could have been poured into the race itself. However, maybe Horowitz wanted us to feel like the race went by quick because in reality it does go by quick in real life. Dunno. I loved the mansion section where he meets Jeopardy Lane. The whole thing felt very original Bond. It reminded my of the one mission from the video game Everything or Nothing where you sneaked through the mansion.

    I think the ending was very good. There was a little hype at the end and I think he ended the book very well.

    Overall, it was a much more enjoyable read than Solo. I think Horowitz knocked it out of the park.

    PS Pussy Galore :x
    1. Goldfinger 2. Skyfall 3. Goldeneye 4. The Spy Who Loved Me 5. OHMSS
    Check out my Instagram: @livingthebondlife
    "I never joke about my work, 007."
  • Charmed & DangerousCharmed & Dangerous Posts: 7,358MI6 Agent
    Feeling a bit late to the party, but I've just finished TM.
    SPOILER ALERT - please don't read in unless you've read it.

    It's the first Bond I've really enjoyed since the early John Gardners and probably my favourite since Colonel Sun. Horowitz captures the 'high old tone' of Fleming's prose very well, and I didn't mind the references to previous novels. I enjoyed the description of Jeopardy Lane as Jolie-Laine ('ugly-pretty' as the French call it) I can see Fleming using that. The descriptions of Bond pursuing discussions with the the U.S space administrators at Wallop's Island really nailed Bond's character, and I enjoyed the scenes in the mansion and the ending.

    For me, the best thing is that Horowitz didn't in any way veer towards film-Bond, which must take some discipline. For instance, this piece (which occurs in Pussy Galore's final scene) in TM for me captured perfectly how Fleming-Bond differs from film-Bond:

    She got up and held out her hand. 'No regrets?' She asked.
    Bond took it. 'No regrets,' he said.
    She walked over to Logan and Bond watched as the two women disappeared together.
    After they had gone, he went and paid his bill. A few minutes later, he drive away.

    -{
    "How was your lamb?" "Skewered. One sympathises."
  • ChriscoopChriscoop Belize Posts: 10,449MI6 Agent
    I'm just on with this at the moment, and have to say I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
    It was either that.....or the priesthood
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,061MI6 Agent
    I kept trying to pick my copy up to read it, but it just wasn't happening... then I realized it was because it's so big & floppy, with huge print... I just can't read a James Bond novel that feels & looks like a kid's book!
    I just ordered the small paperback from the UK. That will solve my problem. -{
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    "The scent of juice and diapers of a nursery are nauseating at three in the afternoon "
    from The Baby Bond Book Kindergarten Royale. :)
    "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
    "The scent of juice and diapers of a nursery are nauseating at three in the afternoon "
    from The Baby Bond Book Kindergarten Royale. :)

    Now that is Young Bond! :)) -{
    "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
    Perhaps an idea for another game...? Baby Bond Quotes!


    I'll have a Cow & Gate... shaken, not stirred.

    Miss Anders! I didn't recognise you with your nappy on.

    Now pay attention, 00.7 months, here is your new pram.

    You put your clothes on and I'll buy you an ice cream. (Oh, wait, that didn't need changed)

    Do you expect me to talk? (Think about it...)
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    :))
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,238MI6 Agent
    I am going off tangent here, but I have been dipping into Alan Clarke's Diaries.

    Alan Clarke was a Minister in Thatcher's Govt, under Tom King, Defence Minister. Clarke was an unPC Old Etonian with a maverick streak (aka a narcissist) who had an eye for the ladies, despite being married, and for outdoor sports and racing cars. A drinker, not a smoker, he found the bureaucracy of office life stultifying and much of the book is suffused with melancholy about his own life and the passing of the years. I mention all this because in his interesting philospophical observations of life, I found his Diaries very much like reading a Fleming Bond book, it is not so much the storyline but the way he alternates between excitement and sheer boredom, as well as railing against the jobsworths and pen pushers. But they don't seem to make them like that anymore.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,061MI6 Agent
    Barbel wrote:
    Do you expect me to talk? (Think about it...)
    :))

    "Poo here; pee here."
    "So that's what I've been doing wrong all these months..."
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    Diapers Are Forever
    A View To A Cot
    From Rusk With Love
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Scaramanga will be popular at feeding time, ;)

    There once was a girl who begat
    Three brats, named Pat, Nat & Tat
    it was fun at the breeding, but hell at the feeding
    when she found she had no T*T for Tat.

    schoolboy limerick.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,061MI6 Agent
    Ahem, yes, well... back on topic I shall be commencing my foray into Trigger Mortis in 6 days time or so, depending on the post. -{
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • ChriscoopChriscoop Belize Posts: 10,449MI6 Agent
    Enjoy Chris, I'm struggling to finish it, not due to any problem with the book, I have it on an e-reader and enjoying the read, but just don't seem to get chance much at the moment!
    It was either that.....or the priesthood
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I think it's one of the best continuing novels. -{
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,651MI6 Agent
    Just recently downloaded the unabridged audio book of TM courtesy of my public library...now, when to actually have a good listen?!
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,061MI6 Agent
    Got my Orion UK edition! Nice cover, no child-like font. -{
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,644MI6 Agent
    chrisisall wrote:
    Got my Orion UK edition! Nice cover, no child-like font. -{

    Yes, I too find that to be a real problem with new books of all sorts these days! Just another annoying example of general dumbing down?! X-(
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • DanBond11DanBond11 Posts: 64MI6 Agent
    Was it any good? Never got around to reading it but heard good things.
  • ChriscoopChriscoop Belize Posts: 10,449MI6 Agent
    Yes it's well worth reading. I enjoyed it a lot.
    It was either that.....or the priesthood
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Agreed, a good read. Looking forward to his second book. -{
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • chrisno1chrisno1 LondonPosts: 3,172MI6 Agent
  • Golrush007Golrush007 South AfricaPosts: 3,418Quartermasters
    Thanks chrisno1, your reviews are always very well considered and illuminating. I think your experience with Trigger Mortis was similar to my own. Flawed, but as entertaining as any of the continuation novels with some sequences that were very enjoyable. Trigger Mortis is certainly my favourite continuation novel of any published after John Gardner's tenure.
  • HardyboyHardyboy Posts: 5,882Chief of Staff
    I finally got around to reading it. I consider this to be The Force Awakens of the Bond novels: it's highly derivative of earlier Fleming works--primarily Moonraker, Goldfinger (which it references a lot, and not just because it takes place right after that adventure), and Dr. No--and has a climax that borrows both from the Octopussy film and Batman Begins; but it's very well done and entertaining. I especially like that the author tries to remain true to the 1950s, even including patronizing attitudes toward women and those who are ethnically other than whites. . .although it seems that having Pussy Galore go back to her lesbian roots and leave Bond for another woman is an attempt to apologize for Fleming's fantasy of having Bond "convert" Pussy in the first place. Still and all, like I said, it's all well done and worth a read!
    Vox clamantis in deserto
  • alantongalantong Posts: 41MI6 Agent
    The next Horowitz bond novel now has a release date of Oct 2018
    http://jamesbondthesecretagent.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/uk-newspaper-daily-express-prints-my.html
  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,651MI6 Agent
    alantong wrote:
    The next Horowitz bond novel now has a release date of Oct 2018
    http://jamesbondthesecretagent.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/uk-newspaper-daily-express-prints-my.html

    This, and the rapid succession of the new Young Bond installments, I won't be able to keep up!
    Hardyboy wrote:
    I finally got around to reading it. I consider this to be The Force Awakens of the Bond novels: it's highly derivative of earlier Fleming works--primarily Moonraker, Goldfinger (which it references a lot, and not just because it takes place right after that adventure), and Dr. No--and has a climax that borrows both from the Octopussy film and Batman Begins; but it's very well done and entertaining. I especially like that the author tries to remain true to the 1950s, even including patronizing attitudes toward women and those who are ethnically other than whites. . .although it seems that having Pussy Galore go back to her lesbian roots and leave Bond for another woman is an attempt to apologize for Fleming's fantasy of having Bond "convert" Pussy in the first place. Still and all, like I said, it's all well done and worth a read!

    Yes! Regarding the 1950s attitudes, I thought it was a bit too much with how Horowitz tried to explain for the PC elements to exonerate (and correct literary) Bond's perspective and make him noble, a giveaway to the novel being written with a 21st century sensibility.
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
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