superadoRegent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,651MI6 Agent
edited October 2015
EDIT: Originally, I asked where the unused Fleming material was and since then I found out it was the TV treatment that was the basis for the chapter, "Murder on Wheels." Seeing that this 18 (?) page Fleming material is supposed to be included in some of versions of Trigger Mortis, can anyone confirm actually seeing this material and which edition(s) has it? Hopefully, that will be available in US retailers.
BTW, has anyone noticed the discrepancy between the two mentions of Bond's personal Bentley? The Mk VI first rreferenced in ch 3, "Back to School" was accurate, right down to the blue upolstery mentioned later on, but in ch. 1, "Back to Work," when Bond leaves his flat, it was the 4 1/2 Litre!; I didn't catch that at first shame on me, lol, and only later when the Mk VI was mentioned I realized the error, because Horowitz himself details how the 4 1/2 Litre was destroyed by Drax!
"...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.....
superadoRegent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,651MI6 Agent
Horrowitz relies a little too much on 'reminding' the reader of previous bond books. Thats ok in moderation but hes been doing it a little too much.
I picked up on this too, and to someone who has read all the books, it came across as a little bit patronising, extreme as that may seem. I do realise though that Horowitz has to consider people who may be reading it who are not familiar with the Bond universe. For me, the parts in the books when Bond is at home are especially interesting, as we get a glimpse of such an unconventional character's home life, but Horowitz's references to all the exact same stuff as before (Chemex etc) do grate a little, and it would have been refreshing if some new things/brands were introduced.
The use of parenthetical clauses (for giving foundational information like this) was overdone, IMO. I think it was lazy for Horowitz to do that, considering that he is a writer who is evidently skilled enough to work those predicate details into the narrative. The parenthetical clauses look more like afterthoughts noted in an earlier draft that should have been later incorporated in the editing process.
"...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.....
After waiting well over a month, my copy of Trigger Mortis is finally in my hands. I ordered it from the UK, as the new Bond novels never seen to come out in hardback in South Africa. Unfortunately it took nearly three weeks for the postal service to notify me that the book was ready for collection at my local post office. X-( I shall be starting it today and will share my thoughts.
Initially good, quite Fleming like but Horowitz can't seem to go full Fleming and retains a touch of the 21st Century political correctness. Lose that and you're almost there.
Some of the action scenes were a little bit like reading a novelisation from a film. I'm sure H was picturing the action in his head but it didn't seem to be as dynamic as Fleming's action scenes. Re-read OHMSS and the skiing sections and you'll see what I mean.
In spite of this, give H a chance to do a few more and I'm sure we'll have a good continuation author back. I liked Gardner's first books but he turned Bond into a toff. Benson started well but wrote too much like a film tie in.
As for the other Bond novels that came between Benson and Horowitz - thanks but no thanks.
A few chapters in I'm really enjoying. I'm feeling like I'm safely in the hands of an author capable of delivering a first-rate Bond adventure. I hope he keeps it up!
Have read a few chapters, don't like it. Reviewers have said it's just like Fleming, with the word 'sh*t' being one anomoly, the other thing being it's 'too good' to be Fleming. Really?
The font is larger than the old Fleming books, so who cares? Well, you get the feeling it's to pad it out a bit to 300 pages. The writing is diluted, it's lighter, much like the other continuation authors you get the sense that it's purpose is to get from one plot point to another. That's all very well, but it was Fleming's attention to detail, his journalistic and sometimes introspective approach that added weight to the yarn, it made it more credible. Okay, it's a bit of a con: like how historian Hugh Trevor-Roper fell for the Hitler diaries scam (there were just so many of them, the story goes: 30 bound volumes, it just had to be for real, it lent credence to the hoax), with all that detail you became immersed in Bond's world. But it was necessary, and what's more, when Horovitz throws in the detail of Bond's shaving brush or something, this time it just seems unnecessary and irrelevant, rather than a tasty consumer detail.
The whole Pussy Galore hangover from the last book also creates tension, in that it makes it all less plausible, in some ways the novels represent their own separate worlds, each starts off grounded and then goes into the stratosphere. You can't bring in the final reel into the first, it would be like starting off a Bond movie with it being set in a villain's magnificent hideaway lair.
Okay, I finished it within the week, and it's a quick, fun read. Things improve after Bond makes it out of the country; the 'Fleming Sweep' as Raymond Benson put it is very much in evidence (despite the title, that is not to be confused with 'Trigger's Broom' fromOnly Fools and Horses...
In part, I feel that Horowitz is more comfortable writing about Europe than London; in fact if as the saying goes, the past is a foreign country they do things differently there, then his descriptions of MI6 don't ring any truer than those of American Jeffery Deaver writing about the present day in Carte Blanche, in particular the way the staff are depicted. In fact, they seem to be very similar.
Pussy Galore is a fish out of water, and while the author does point this out, it still jars, not least because many of us think of Honor Blackman rather than the smart, sassy Texan of Fleming's novel. In fact, Blackman's Galore might have fitted in alright in 1950s London. Of course, had the Texan Galore run into The Avenger's Cathy Gale of the black leathers then she might have been fine... In TM Galore gets a politically correct payoff, and this is all very well, but again this is a bit of a theme with the recent continuation novelists, who seem keen to put Fleming straight.
So MI6 has a duty officer who is wheelchair bound, a former 00. Now, leaving aside that this does rather tactlessly bring home the unliklihood of Bond having survived so many assignments without much in the way of lasting impairment, it does seem that this character has just a walk-on part, or wheel-on part, just to make a point. If Fleming had introduced such a character, his impediment would be mentioned by the way, but in this book the character has no great interaction with Bond or anyone, not much in the way of dialogue, so what other point is there? Then again, as M doesn't make much of an impression in this either, and Moneypenny is out to sadistically drown her pot plant, none of them make any great impression.
As for the PC stuff, well, in his own way Fleming was PC too, it just wasn't so obvious. So many foreigners in the books are salt of the earth eg Kerim Bay, Mathis, Tiger, Tracey's Dad and so on. It wasn't done to make a point. Unfortunately, Horowitz is keen to adopt Fleming's xenophobic traits in the writing, and it is rather hamfisted because while Fleming was of his time, here it leaves a bad taste, in the same way that a right-wing politician's schtick seems worse when you sense he or she doesn't really believe it, but done cynically.
Anyway, who is to say Fleming was so very wrong in his attitudes? Now we talk of the global village, but back then each nation was like a medieval village, with its backwardness, prejudices, superstitions and hostility to outsiders. Who's to say his take on the Germans was so wrong - twice in a half century they'd brought Europe to ruins, though you could argue that was mainly the Prussian influence. Fleming's loathing of the Russians, well, they wanted to enslave Europe under the Communist yoke. But there is no animosity from Horowitz towards either here, though in Corbyn style you sense he is happy to take potshots at Fleming the old imperialist, and the Americans. In fact, the one character who gets under the reader's skin is a belligerant Yank, Captain Lawrence, who ignores Bond's warnings and sends him away with a flea in his ear. While of course, the novel's main villain, a North Korean named Sin, turns out to be warped following an particularly nasty offensive by the Americans during the Korean War. Fair enough, but we hear nothing of anything bad by the Russians, whose role in sabotaging a race is treated with less scorn than that directed against FIFA over its bribery allegations. This is a problem I understand with the new Spielberg film Bridge of Spies, this sense that there is a moral equivalence in the Cold War, an equanimity that comes from being the victor, I suppose.
Anyway, for those of us of a certain age, the joy of Fleming's novels was not in the xenophobia or unPC attitudes, which most likely would have escaped us reading the books as teenagers.
For all that, Trigger Mortis is a good read, it flows, its larger than life and feels uplifting, despite its rather dark and nasty aspects. The plot is rather ingenious, with nods perhaps to the film Octopussy and 9/11 allegations. Of all the recent novels, I can well imagine recalling the gist of the plot two years hence, and I can't really do that with Solo, Carte Blanche or Devil May Care, which had so many twists the gist of it got lost in the shuffle. That said, TM really doesn't have the journalistic detail, introspection or melancholy that suffused Fleming's novels, so when the villain sits down to appraise Bond of his history, it seems out of place in a way that it never did in, say, Dr No or Moonraker. The book is not sensual or indulgent enough to make you feel immersed in Bond's world.
Next time, can we have an author who is primarily a journalist, who specialises in politics and travel, is in his 40s (it makes for less pro rata sex scenes), and right-wing, albeit in a way that is countered by a sharp intelligence, rather than someone persuing a left-wing agenda on the sly.
I started reading Bond novels recently. So far have read the first 4 Fleming novels. Before proceeding with the 5th Fleming novel, I thought about checking out one of the continuation novels to see how they feel compared with IF's.
I read about the continuation books and many of the reviews were a mixed bag. Mostly books such as Colonel Sun were rated highly (yet to read Colonel Sun). From the reviews, it appeared that some of the authors have tried to change the timelines or update Bond to their respective times but not with much success.
Trigger Mortis was released in September this year. What I found interesting about the book was that it takes place in the original IF's timeline, which I prefer. The book also boasted of including material by the original author. Being a car enthusiast, the prospect of reading about Bond racing a Maserati 250F (pictured below is the 1956 model which won the Monaco GP) at Nurburgring was mouthwatering. Additionally, the kindle version was on sale so there was no reason to not check it out.
I started reading the book yesterday and today I am in the process of finishing it. I am writing the review as the villain's plan and motivation have been revealed. What remains is how Bond stops the villain.
The story is based after the events in Goldfinger. Basically, it starts with Bond and Pussy enjoying (and contemplating) their relationship. What is interesting (and could be unintentionally hilarious) is that Pussy gets back to her "old" ways. With Pussy's departure, Bond proceeded to Nurburgring on a mission that leads him to a more complex situation. The story focuses on the US-USSR rivalry to dominate the space. Complex issues such as the massacre at "No Gun Ri" are woven nicely with the story. No Gun Ri bridge, which highlights the bullet marks, is pictured below:
Coming to the characters, the villain's part is nicely written. The villain has a unique way of executing his enemies. Bond girls are relatively weak compared with the ones in the first 4 Fleming books that I have read. The locations are described adequately. There are minor logical flaws but those are there to create a dramatic impact so they are acceptable too.
Because the book is set in the 50s, it references events from books such as MR and GF. I liked the connection that the book makes with the past books. Fleming did that too to some extent.
Overall, the book is nicely written and tries to come as close to IF as possible. Compared with IF's books, this one has a movie like feel which is not necessarily a con. Talking about movies, we had SP release too. If I had to chose b/w SP and Trigger Mortis, I would say the book is better. The book would probably have made in to a good movie too esp. considering sequences such as car racing, action and exchanges b/w Bond and the villain.
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).
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).
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.
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."
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.
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. -{
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.
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."
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!
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."
superadoRegent'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.....
Comments
BTW, has anyone noticed the discrepancy between the two mentions of Bond's personal Bentley? The Mk VI first rreferenced in ch 3, "Back to School" was accurate, right down to the blue upolstery mentioned later on, but in ch. 1, "Back to Work," when Bond leaves his flat, it was the 4 1/2 Litre!; I didn't catch that at first shame on me, lol, and only later when the Mk VI was mentioned I realized the error, because Horowitz himself details how the 4 1/2 Litre was destroyed by Drax!
The use of parenthetical clauses (for giving foundational information like this) was overdone, IMO. I think it was lazy for Horowitz to do that, considering that he is a writer who is evidently skilled enough to work those predicate details into the narrative. The parenthetical clauses look more like afterthoughts noted in an earlier draft that should have been later incorporated in the editing process.
Initially good, quite Fleming like but Horowitz can't seem to go full Fleming and retains a touch of the 21st Century political correctness. Lose that and you're almost there.
Some of the action scenes were a little bit like reading a novelisation from a film. I'm sure H was picturing the action in his head but it didn't seem to be as dynamic as Fleming's action scenes. Re-read OHMSS and the skiing sections and you'll see what I mean.
In spite of this, give H a chance to do a few more and I'm sure we'll have a good continuation author back. I liked Gardner's first books but he turned Bond into a toff. Benson started well but wrote too much like a film tie in.
As for the other Bond novels that came between Benson and Horowitz - thanks but no thanks.
The font is larger than the old Fleming books, so who cares? Well, you get the feeling it's to pad it out a bit to 300 pages. The writing is diluted, it's lighter, much like the other continuation authors you get the sense that it's purpose is to get from one plot point to another. That's all very well, but it was Fleming's attention to detail, his journalistic and sometimes introspective approach that added weight to the yarn, it made it more credible. Okay, it's a bit of a con: like how historian Hugh Trevor-Roper fell for the Hitler diaries scam (there were just so many of them, the story goes: 30 bound volumes, it just had to be for real, it lent credence to the hoax), with all that detail you became immersed in Bond's world. But it was necessary, and what's more, when Horovitz throws in the detail of Bond's shaving brush or something, this time it just seems unnecessary and irrelevant, rather than a tasty consumer detail.
The whole Pussy Galore hangover from the last book also creates tension, in that it makes it all less plausible, in some ways the novels represent their own separate worlds, each starts off grounded and then goes into the stratosphere. You can't bring in the final reel into the first, it would be like starting off a Bond movie with it being set in a villain's magnificent hideaway lair.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
In part, I feel that Horowitz is more comfortable writing about Europe than London; in fact if as the saying goes, the past is a foreign country they do things differently there, then his descriptions of MI6 don't ring any truer than those of American Jeffery Deaver writing about the present day in Carte Blanche, in particular the way the staff are depicted. In fact, they seem to be very similar.
Pussy Galore is a fish out of water, and while the author does point this out, it still jars, not least because many of us think of Honor Blackman rather than the smart, sassy Texan of Fleming's novel. In fact, Blackman's Galore might have fitted in alright in 1950s London. Of course, had the Texan Galore run into The Avenger's Cathy Gale of the black leathers then she might have been fine... In TM Galore gets a politically correct payoff, and this is all very well, but again this is a bit of a theme with the recent continuation novelists, who seem keen to put Fleming straight.
So MI6 has a duty officer who is wheelchair bound, a former 00. Now, leaving aside that this does rather tactlessly bring home the unliklihood of Bond having survived so many assignments without much in the way of lasting impairment, it does seem that this character has just a walk-on part, or wheel-on part, just to make a point. If Fleming had introduced such a character, his impediment would be mentioned by the way, but in this book the character has no great interaction with Bond or anyone, not much in the way of dialogue, so what other point is there? Then again, as M doesn't make much of an impression in this either, and Moneypenny is out to sadistically drown her pot plant, none of them make any great impression.
As for the PC stuff, well, in his own way Fleming was PC too, it just wasn't so obvious. So many foreigners in the books are salt of the earth eg Kerim Bay, Mathis, Tiger, Tracey's Dad and so on. It wasn't done to make a point. Unfortunately, Horowitz is keen to adopt Fleming's xenophobic traits in the writing, and it is rather hamfisted because while Fleming was of his time, here it leaves a bad taste, in the same way that a right-wing politician's schtick seems worse when you sense he or she doesn't really believe it, but done cynically.
Anyway, who is to say Fleming was so very wrong in his attitudes? Now we talk of the global village, but back then each nation was like a medieval village, with its backwardness, prejudices, superstitions and hostility to outsiders. Who's to say his take on the Germans was so wrong - twice in a half century they'd brought Europe to ruins, though you could argue that was mainly the Prussian influence. Fleming's loathing of the Russians, well, they wanted to enslave Europe under the Communist yoke. But there is no animosity from Horowitz towards either here, though in Corbyn style you sense he is happy to take potshots at Fleming the old imperialist, and the Americans. In fact, the one character who gets under the reader's skin is a belligerant Yank, Captain Lawrence, who ignores Bond's warnings and sends him away with a flea in his ear. While of course, the novel's main villain, a North Korean named Sin, turns out to be warped following an particularly nasty offensive by the Americans during the Korean War. Fair enough, but we hear nothing of anything bad by the Russians, whose role in sabotaging a race is treated with less scorn than that directed against FIFA over its bribery allegations. This is a problem I understand with the new Spielberg film Bridge of Spies, this sense that there is a moral equivalence in the Cold War, an equanimity that comes from being the victor, I suppose.
Anyway, for those of us of a certain age, the joy of Fleming's novels was not in the xenophobia or unPC attitudes, which most likely would have escaped us reading the books as teenagers.
For all that, Trigger Mortis is a good read, it flows, its larger than life and feels uplifting, despite its rather dark and nasty aspects. The plot is rather ingenious, with nods perhaps to the film Octopussy and 9/11 allegations. Of all the recent novels, I can well imagine recalling the gist of the plot two years hence, and I can't really do that with Solo, Carte Blanche or Devil May Care, which had so many twists the gist of it got lost in the shuffle. That said, TM really doesn't have the journalistic detail, introspection or melancholy that suffused Fleming's novels, so when the villain sits down to appraise Bond of his history, it seems out of place in a way that it never did in, say, Dr No or Moonraker. The book is not sensual or indulgent enough to make you feel immersed in Bond's world.
Next time, can we have an author who is primarily a journalist, who specialises in politics and travel, is in his 40s (it makes for less pro rata sex scenes), and right-wing, albeit in a way that is countered by a sharp intelligence, rather than someone persuing a left-wing agenda on the sly.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I started reading Bond novels recently. So far have read the first 4 Fleming novels. Before proceeding with the 5th Fleming novel, I thought about checking out one of the continuation novels to see how they feel compared with IF's.
I read about the continuation books and many of the reviews were a mixed bag. Mostly books such as Colonel Sun were rated highly (yet to read Colonel Sun). From the reviews, it appeared that some of the authors have tried to change the timelines or update Bond to their respective times but not with much success.
Trigger Mortis was released in September this year. What I found interesting about the book was that it takes place in the original IF's timeline, which I prefer. The book also boasted of including material by the original author. Being a car enthusiast, the prospect of reading about Bond racing a Maserati 250F (pictured below is the 1956 model which won the Monaco GP) at Nurburgring was mouthwatering. Additionally, the kindle version was on sale so there was no reason to not check it out.
I started reading the book yesterday and today I am in the process of finishing it. I am writing the review as the villain's plan and motivation have been revealed. What remains is how Bond stops the villain.
The story is based after the events in Goldfinger. Basically, it starts with Bond and Pussy enjoying (and contemplating) their relationship. What is interesting (and could be unintentionally hilarious) is that Pussy gets back to her "old" ways. With Pussy's departure, Bond proceeded to Nurburgring on a mission that leads him to a more complex situation. The story focuses on the US-USSR rivalry to dominate the space. Complex issues such as the massacre at "No Gun Ri" are woven nicely with the story. No Gun Ri bridge, which highlights the bullet marks, is pictured below:
Coming to the characters, the villain's part is nicely written. The villain has a unique way of executing his enemies. Bond girls are relatively weak compared with the ones in the first 4 Fleming books that I have read. The locations are described adequately. There are minor logical flaws but those are there to create a dramatic impact so they are acceptable too.
Because the book is set in the 50s, it references events from books such as MR and GF. I liked the connection that the book makes with the past books. Fleming did that too to some extent.
Overall, the book is nicely written and tries to come as close to IF as possible. Compared with IF's books, this one has a movie like feel which is not necessarily a con. Talking about movies, we had SP release too. If I had to chose b/w SP and Trigger Mortis, I would say the book is better. The book would probably have made in to a good movie too esp. considering sequences such as car racing, action and exchanges b/w Bond and the villain.
Recommended {[]
Thanks!
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).
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).
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.
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
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"I never joke about my work, 007."
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.
-{
I just ordered the small paperback from the UK. That will solve my problem. -{
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
from The Baby Bond Book Kindergarten Royale.
Now that is Young Bond!
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...)
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.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
"Poo here; pee here."
"So that's what I've been doing wrong all these months..."
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
A View To A Cot
From Rusk With Love
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.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS