Literary 007 - MI6 Community

The graphic violence in Raymond Benson's James Bond Novels?

Dragonpol — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:37:30 +0100

It's been a while since I read them, but can anyone here provide me with some quotes of the more violent passages of the Raymond Benson James Bond novels. I've got a few in mind, but I wouldn't mind a few more, especially from the later James Bond novels of Raymond Benson. I think that the Benson Bond novels did become more graphically violent when compared to some of what came before.

Do the UK and US versions of Benson's Bond novels contain differences?

Dragonpol — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:56:37 +0100

I've been wondering lately if any of the members here ever noticed any changes in the UK and US editions of the Raymond Benson James Bond novels and short stories released between 1997 and 2002. This is the thread in which to discuss this topic. I'm interested in knowing the answer to this as I've got the US Pegasus editions of Choice of Weapons and The Union Trilogy and I was wondering if any differences existed between the two. I don't think that this topic has ever been discussed here on MI6 Comm so I thought that it was high time (if you'll pardon the pun) that we discussed it.

Does reading Ian Fleming make you a better person or worse?

007InVT — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:51:26 +0100

I've been reading a lot of Fleming.

We all know Ian's moral compass needle moved around a bit. Attitudes to women, women drivers, other countries etc etc. When you find yourself agreeing with him, or enjoying his jokes, does leave an impression later or do you file it under 'Pure Fleming' and move on?

I'm curious as to anyone gets into trouble by getting too into the novels in their wider life.

When not reading Fleming - I would recommend ?

Bentley — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:13:13 +0100

Fellow Agents,
I thought it might be fun and informative for us to share reviews and opinions on spy novels that we read when not reading Fleming and to compare, were appropriate with Bond.
I'd like to start the ball rolling by highlighting the terrific John Rain novels by Barry Eisler.
In my opinion, Rain is the best anti-hero to grace the pages of spy fiction since Fleming created Bond, O'Donnell gave us the Blaise franchise and Adam Hall launched us into the wonderful world of Quiller.
Eisler's books are a rarity. He succeeds in being highly literate whilst delivering an abundance of thrills in a style that is cool and original.
So fare, Eisler has published six Rain books and although they can be read out of sequence there is a narrative that runs throughout that make them best read in chronological order.
Start your relationship by reading the first, " Rain Fall" and meet the Jazz loving, single malt connoisseur who specialises in hits that present as death by natural causes.
The books are hip and achingly cool. The Tokyo settings and the noir atmosphere will grip you from the get go and the plot, involving a very believable take on the corruption permeating modern Japan, will both inform you and thrill you in equal measure.
In addition, spy aficionados will love the trade craft and bone crunching combat scenes they are both bang up to date and completely authentic (little wonder as Eisler is ex-CIA and holds a black belt in judo).
"Rain Fall" is a truly brilliant book and the entree to a quality series. Savour it and tell your friends - Rain is the coolest hit man to walk the streets and if he were alive, this is what Fleming would be writing today!
What recommendations have you other agents out there got for the Fleming starved reader?
Regards,
Windswept

What's your opinion of the novel version of Diamonds Are Forever. What did you think of it?

Greg_Of_Canada — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:45:42 +0100

Just read the novel (Well the Simon Vance audio book) and I really enjoyed it. Very different from the movie ( IN A VERY GOOD WAY). I'm surprised they didn't follow the novel a lot closer. Oh well. What did everyone else think of the book?

The influence of Robert A. Henlein's novel Starship Troopers (1959) on John Gardner's Cold (1996)?

Dragonpol — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:29:32 +0100

I was discussing some reviews by the poster BluePencilReview on You Tube a whikle back and when discussing his You Tube book review of Cold (1996) by John Gardner. The poster then discvussed what he saw as the links between the classic sci-fi novel Starship Troopers (1959) by Robert A. Henlein (he's also the author of the famous novel Stranger in a Strange Land, 1961) and this novel's far right policies for the United States in the fascist takeover ordered by General Brutus Clay. I found this very interesting, hence this thread. Can anyione confirm the links here at all? If so, I'd be most grateful of hearing from you in this thread. Thank yopu for reading.

"I actualy meant the book. In it, they basically argue that Brutus Clay's tatics would eliminate crime and make for a better world-no joke.

I more found it funny that Clay was using the policies in Starship troopers. I can sort of see his illness in parelle with M's in the book. I was also a little harsh given goldeneye had to be placed in this lot too."

You Tube BluePencilReview Links:

Cold

Starship Troopers

The Man From Barbarossa

Scorpius

The increased level of violence as a key factor in Kingsley Amis' Colonel Sun (1968)?

Dragonpol — Sat, 11 May 2013 16:36:28 +0100

What are your thoughts on the uncharacteristically violent nature of Colonel Sun by Robert Markham, as a James Bond novel?

Did Kingsley Amis (or Robert Markham) go too far in the CR and LALD direction, do you think?

This level of violence - rape/skewering/stabbing/burning/head torture etc. - was it a step too far for a James Bond novel or do you think it fitted in with the works of Ian Fleming?

There are characters brutally stabbed to death, skewered with wooden skewers, almost burnt alive, raped, and Colonel Sun is stabbed by Bond twice in the back and then partially blown up by his own mortar bomb and finally given the coup de grace by a knife slid into his heart by Bond, after he has apologised for the head torture that he had just inflicted upon him and that he was a mad fool to quote Le Sade etc.. I think the violence in this Bond novel is certainly more graphic than those by Ian Fleming. It's also quite a different death scene for a villaion here, with Sun calling Bond "James", rather like Le Chiffre in Casino Royale. This is indeed appropriate as Colonel Sun bsits very much with the more brutal and violent James Bond early novels like Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Diamonds Are Forever and Dr. No.

I'm currently writing a lengthy article on this aspect of the first James Bond continuation novel, entitled 'The Strange Death of Colonel Sun'. Watch my blog space, The Bondologist Blog, for when it features there, very soon.

Rank the Fleming Bond Novels-Readability

DB5 — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:41:11 +0000

Omitting the short story collections (FYEO and Octopussy/TLD) how would you rank the twelve Fleming Bond novels in terms of readability? (1 being most readable, 12 being absolute torture to get through).

The best Fleming Bond novels/stories based on following criteria

Perdogg — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:44:03 +0100

The best Fleming Bond novels/stories based on following criteria

1.Structure
2.Plot/Storyline
3.Fleming’s Style
4.Character development
5.Realism

The Best

Casino Royale
Live and Let Die
Moonraker
Dr No
"From A View to A Kill"
"For Your Eyes Only"
"Risico"
Thunderball
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
You Only Live Twice
"The Living Daylights"

The Middle

Diamonds Are Forever
"The Hildebrand Rarity"
The Spy Who Loved Me
"Octopussy"
"The Property of a Lady"

The Worst

Goldfinger
"Quantum of Solace"
The Man With The Golden Gun
"007 in New York"

Darko Kerim Bey?

Cameron_Mott — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:15:06 +0100

This may be Nazim Kalkavan on the right. Maybe circa 1950s

This may be him in 1971.

And again the last man on the right in 1971.

Which Bond novel are you reading currently?

Samuel001 — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:42:39 +0000

One of the favourites, or at least it used to be, so what are you reading at the moment? I've started from the 'Casino Royale' again, only today.

I'm personally looking forward to what 'Carte Blanche' brings us as well, and if it's any good!

a Gothic Fleming-Bond movie based on the influences of Rohmer, Quinn, or Merritt?

Perdogg — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:03:01 +0100

I hope the moderators do not mind me posting this in "Literary Bond". This posting deals mainly with the influences and similarities of other works of fictions to Ian Fleming's James Bond.

The last Gothic Bond movie we had was “Live and Let Die”. Unfortunately, because of the misunderstood title of chapter 5, the movie appeared to have “camped” down to reflect the blackplotation films of the early 70s. Sir Roger Moore’s interpretation of “Live and Let Die” was that novel‘s “treatment of black people was extremely out of place in today’s society” (James Bond Omnibus Vol One – Oct 2009). Analysis by author Ken Follet suggests that this was Fleming’s tribute to the culture of Harlem that Fleming loved (Live and Let Die Folio Edition – 2007). This is unfortunate because, the backstory of “Live and Let Die” made the ‘spy’ story more interesting. In fact, the gothic backstory somewhat reminded me of Sax Rohmer’s “Green Eyes of Bast” in the way the reader was forced to evaluate the information given to him on the page.
I really do not think it was given a proper treatment.

Another of example of a wonderful gothic story would be the novel by Sax Rohmer “The Seven Sins” with Rohmer’s own French James Bond “Gaston Max”. A tale of gothic murder mystery with the backdrop of wartime London, Nazi spies, beautiful women, the love of gambling, and a clear explanation of the mystical properties of the number 7. We know that Fleming was influenced by Sax Rohmer since “Dr No” was based on Fu Manchu, probably “The Bride of Fu Manchu”. I believe that Flemings own “Live and Let Die” was influenced by Sax Rohmer “The Island of Fu Manchu”.

I am not saying the Die Hard movies were perfect by any means, but I have to give that franchise’s writers credit for seeking inspiration outside of Marvel comics or Jason Bourne for new material. I believe the movie “Die Hard III” was loosely based on the original Goldfinger novel. We also know that “Die Hard II” was based on Walter Wager’s “58 Minutes” with the original story by Roderick Thorp’s 1979 “Nothing Lasts Forever”. In fact, the fourth “Die Hard” movie was based on an article in Wired Magazine called "A Farewell to Arms" by John Carlin (Wired Magazine May 1997).

So it would be possible to explore other authors’ works and influences other than Fleming, where it has been admitted that Fleming’s material has been exhausted. I would find this more interesting than continuing to explore the leftist psychobabble, as Mendes said, the “combination of lassitude, boredom, depression, difficulty with what he's chosen to do for a living, which is to kill" (Digital Spy - Published Sunday, Apr 29 2012) and which John Logan has promised to revisit.

Even though Fleming Bond did experience these thoughts, hardly the majority of time, why did Mendes feel the need to emphasize these characteristics? Possibly because Mendes believes, like all leftists, that Bond engaged in non-humanistic activities and that Bond needed to “think on his sins”. Bond did not enjoy killing, like most people, but felt it was necessary as long as it wasn’t killing in cold blood and in the line of duty. He understood that carrying one of the three 00-numbers meant that killing was part of the job.

However, in reading Abraham Merrit’s “The Seven footprints to Satan”, I can see some similarities in Fleming’s Goldfinger and Rohmer’s “Fu Manchu’. All of these novels contemporary with Ian Fleming exhibit the Manichaeism that is missing in today’s Bond movies. “The Seven footprints to Satan” has all of the Bond elements, an agent, a woman, an intelligent Villain, and a question that will keep Bond fans guessing to the end. Another author that should be considered in Seabury Quinn. An American gothic writer whose novel dealt with Satanism. His most famous male lead was French detective Jules de Grandin. Quinn’s novels were influenced by Aleister Crowley, who some believe is the model for Le Chiffre in Fleming’s Casino Royale.

I am not suggesting that the writers turn 007 into “007 Vampyre Killer” although Broccoli and Wilson would do it in a heartbeat if they could make a buck doing so. I think it might be funny for Dame Judi Dench to return from grave as a Vampyre haunting Whitehall, Then Bond can hire Christopher Lee as a sort of Van Hesling type character. Only kidding, of course.

The Orient Express in "FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE"

DRush76 — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 07:25:20 +0100

I read on the Wikipedia site that Ian Fleming had traveled aboard the Simplon Orient Express in the mid 1950s, traveling from Turkey to France. But while reading the "From Russia With Love" novel, I found it very disturbing that Bond passed through the Greek town of Thessaloniki before reaching the Yugoslavian city of Belgrade. Isn't there something off about that? I thought that Thessaloniki was part of the Orient Express branch between Athens and Belgrade.

Boyd Cover Art - A Petition

Villiers53 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:52:38 +0000

The Bond canon has enjoyed some of the most prolific artwork in publishing history.
The Jonathan Cape UK Fleming hardback originals are absolute classics with the late, great, Richard Chopping setting new standards. In the '60s, Raymond Hawkey designed a series of covers for Pan that resulted in those particular editions becoming the fastest selling Bond books of all time.
With the exception of the Cape first edition of "Colnel Sun" and that publisher's covers for the first five John Gardner continuation novels, few Bond afficianados would claim that the adult Bond novels, Fleming or continuation, have enjoyed remotely the level of dust jacket art that they deserve. Indeed, the work on both sides of the Atlantic for the Faulkes & Deaver continuation novels has been, at best, lack lustre.
The purpose behind this petition is to challeng IFP and the publishers of William Boyd's forthcoming Bond book to give a commission to a serious artist to provide us with something worthy of Chopping and Hawkey particularly when 2013 will mark the 60th anniversary of Casino Royale.
If you are of like mind - give your opinion and sign up below. Let's motivate the powers that be to provide the fans with something really special!

Continuity: dating the Fleming novels

Sir_James_Moloney — Sun, 12 May 2013 13:27:42 +0100

I'm currently re-reading the Fleming novels - just started FRWL - and there's a greater emphasis on internal continuity than in the films. But, as with everything Bond, the continuity is a bit of a mess.

Year One
CR takes place in late summer (less than two years after Bond receives his 00 status)

Year Two
LALD takes place the following February (Bond's briefing is the first time he's seen M since "the end of last summer" following the skin graft on his hand)
MR takes place three months later in May (this is explicitly stated by Fleming in a footnote)
DAF takes place two months later in July (Bond's just returned from his leave in France and notes that MR was his last mission)

Year Three
FRWL takes place in July, almost exactly 1 year after DAF. DAF was his last mission and Bond has been living "the soft life" for a year. Tiffany Case has just moved out of his flat and back to the States.

All pretty straightforward so far.

But FRWL is where we start to hit trouble because during the SMERSH briefing General G. states that "the rocket affair [i.e. Moonraker] was three years ago" but that "the diamond smuggling affair [i.e. Diamonds Are Forever]. That was last year." It seems that this is the point where Fleming decides to retcon the dating of the novels in order to keep the stories contemporary to their publishing dates.

Just interested to hear people's thoughts on this. It's the first time I've re-read Fleming in many years and I'm sure there will be more examples as I get through the later novels. It seems clear that Fleming didn't really have a plan and just retconned the continuity as he went. Has anyone found a way of figuring out a "fan continuity" for the novels that works?

A new "look" for the Casino Royale Bond

Cameron_Mott — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:36:18 +0100

I shouldn't say new because it probably isn't to the peeps on this board.

Bond would have been 30 years old or so in CR. The photos I've seen have generally been of Carmichael in his twenties or forties.

Here is Carmichael as a 33 years old.

Here he is at 36.

These are closer to the right age and they have Bond's harder look and one shows him with "sunburn". This is more or less what I picture in my head now when I read Fleming. He's probably about the right build too in these.

Which Bond novel is the least dated?

echo — Mon, 28 May 2012 02:15:20 +0100

I'm rereading DAF and it struck me that it's basically a time capsule of New York and Nevada from the '50s. I can see why they made the changes they did in 1971, and even more if they did it 2012. (Vegas, for one thing, has completely changed.)

As for the least dated, I'm voting for OHMSS. The heraldry subplot is timeless, and the biological warfare threat could not be more contemporary. And while a bit rarefied, the locations could be pretty much the same now.

Rank your continuation Bond authors.

saunders — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:40:47 +0100

It's generally agreed that Fleming's novels are the best, but who do you prefer out of the continuation novelists? Do you think Kingsley Amis is brilliant? Is Christopher Wood the greatest? Is John Gardner the very best? Is Sebastian Faulks just outstanding? Is Charlie Higson really amazing? Is Raymond Benson (spit!) not completley sh*t? Well here is the discussion thread to list your rankings for all to see!

saunders rankings

1. Ian Fleming
2. Sebastian Faulks
3. Christopher Woods
4. Kingsley Amis
5. John Gardner
6. Charlie Higson
7. Raymond Benson (spit!)

Great passages & quotes from the Fleming novels...

MrBrown — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 04:23:11 +0000

Feel free to share some of your favorite quotes from the Fleming novels.

As I roll through the Fleming Bond series of books once more, I'll be extracting my favorite quotes and posting them here. For starters, here are a couple from LIVE AND LET DIE:

"There are moments of great luxury in the life of a secret agent. There are assignments on which he is required to act the part of a very rich man; occasions when he takes refuge in good living to efface the memory of danger and the shadow of death…" -- Another fantastic Fleming opening.

“You start to die the moment you are born. The whole of life is cutting through the pack with death. So take it easy. Light a cigarette and be grateful you are still alive as you suck the smoke deep into your lungs. Your stars have already let you come quite a long way since you left your mother’s womb and whimpered at the cold air of the world … Don’t lose faith in your stars.” -- Bond reflecting on life during his shaky ride to Jamaica. I almost wanted to head to the store, purchase a pack of smokes and light up after re-reading that page.

CATCHING BULLETS - Memoirs of a Bond Fan

CatchingBullets — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 13:37:13 +0100

Introducing a brand new 007 book out September 2012....

CATCHING BULLETS - MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN
by Mark O'Connell
Published by Splendid Books
www.splendidbooks.co.uk
Available September 2012

Foreword by MARK GATISS
Afterword by MAUD ADAMS

From the offbeat vantage point of a gay teenager whose grandfather was chauffeur to legendary 007 producer Cubby Broccoli, Catching Bullets – Memoirs of a Bond Fan is a love-letter to James Bond, Duran Duran title songs and bolting down your tea quick enough to watch Roger Moore falling out of a plane without a parachute.

When Jimmy O'Connell took a job as chauffeur for 007 producers Eon Productions, it would not just be Cubby Broccoli, Roger Moore and Sean Connery he would drive to James Bond - his grandson Mark swiftly hitches a metaphorical ride too.

In Catching Bullets - Memoirs of a Bond Fan - Mark O'Connell takes us on a humorous journey of filmic discovery where Bond films fire like bullets at a Thatcher era childhood, closeted adolescence and adult life as a comedy writer still inspired by that Broccoli movie magic.

“Mark O’Connell is a great new writing talent and we are delighted to be publishing his first book,” says Splendid Books’ Editorial Director Shoba Vazirani. “Catching Bullets is very funny and he brings a genuinely new insight into the Bond film phenomena. “The book is a fascinating journey, in which Mark reconsiders all the Bond films as they fire into his and everyone’s cinema-going memories.”

Furthermore, writer and actor Mark Gatiss - star of the BBC drama Sherlock - has penned the foreword to Catching Bullets. “We are absolutely delighted that Mark Gatiss, who is a huge Bond fan, has written a superbly witty and incisive foreword,” says Shoba Vazirani.

“Author Mark O’Connell has penned a very funny, interesting and poignant book in Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan and Mark Gatiss’ foreword complements it perfectly.”

In addition former Bond girl Maud Adams, who starred with Roger Moore in the 007 film Octopussy has contributed an afterword to the book. “To have Mark Gatiss and Maud Adams flanking the shoulders of Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan is a true honour,” says Mark O’Connell.

Order here http://www.splendidbooks.co.uk/books/catching-bullets-memoirs-of-a-bond-fan/

Check out the book on Facebook and writer Mark O'Connell on Twitter @Mark0Connell

New James Bond audio books

DarthDimi — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:03:51 +0100

http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/literary_audio_books_2012_ian_fleming_007_reloaded.php3?t=&s=&id=03193

Man, am I thrilled or what?

I love audio books. They keep me from boredom during those long, tedious train rides to and from work.

The names mentioned thrill me beyond sanity. Rosamund Pike... Jason Isaacs... Bill Nighy...

I'm only a bit surprised the list doesn't include the shorts. Would be a blast if they could have the likes of Dalton, Moore, Connery, Brosnan, ... participate on those.

Fleming's short stories as one novel?

007InVT — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:03:54 +0100

Suspend your belief with me a second and imagine if you were to connect all the short stories into one plot. Where would you start and end?

I'll start us off by beginning on Milton Krest's boat in The Hildebrand Rarity...

Exclusive information on Kingsley Amis' Proposed Second James Bond Novel in the 1970s?

Dragonpol — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 12:05:52 +0100

I was doing some searching over at another James Bond forum as I remembered the forumm member Mark Hazard had told me over on AJB in 2005 or thereabouts that he had cuttings from a newspaper that had referred to Kingsley Amis as Robert Markham writing a follow-up to Colonel Sun (1968) which would no doubt have been published in the early 1970s (possibly 1971 or 1972) given the dates from newspaper sources. BVelow you will find quotes from posts made by my good friend Jeremy Duns (aka spynovelfan). There is also another quote from another forum member who will remain nameless. I'd really love to hear more of your views on this subject matter as I see it's never been discussed before here on MI6 Community. If any membere here know more about the projected second Kingsley Amis novel, I'd love to hear from them. This is a subject that surely cries out to be written about at some point in the future.

FIRST QUOTE- SPYNOVELFAN

"Incidentally, for those interested in COLONEL SUN - yes, we were discussing that, a long time ago! - in 2005, there was a very detailed 12-page article about it in Issue 47 of OO7 magazine by Hank Reineke. Reineke traced the history of Amis' involvement with Bond, and quoted at length from many of the (mostly somewhat negative) reviews the novel received. Reading the article again now, I see that Amis' appointment to write the novel was announced to the press on April 24 1967. On April 13 1967, Ann Fleming wrote to Lord Campbell saying 'Since Peter Fleming agrees to the counterfeit Bond, I am prepared to accept his judgement.' And on May 21, 1967 Amis mentioned in a letter to Philip Larkin that he had finished his 'Bond novel'.

If Amis' appointment hinged on having Ann Fleming's permission - which I'm not sure it did, mind - this is all rather extraordinary, because Amis had started researching the book in September 1965 - what state was the book in a year and a half later? He can't have finished it in a month, so who was the central character? What would have happened if Ann hadn't given the green light - or had they already given it to Amis without her knowing? Add in the contract with Jenkins and it's a pretty curious state of affairs!

Reineke also discussed two mentions by Amis in The New York Times in 1968 regarding a follow-up to COLONEL SUN to be set in Mexico, featuring an assassination on a train: 'I can just see the beginning: Bond had never cared for Acapulco. That's the way to start.'

Not mentioned in the article, and something I suppose I might have mentioned earlier, as it is fairly arcane (I don't believe it has ever been mentioned in Bond articles or books, but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong), is that Amis seems to have developed this idea a little more. And it might surprise you who was going to be assassinated. On 24 October 1970, several newspapers around the States ran a very short Associated Press story, with minor variations in some cases. Here's the one that appeared in the Daily Globe, Ironwood, Michigan, on that date:

'James Bond to Die

(London (AP) - James Bond is about to die for what may or may not be positively for keeps. Kingsley Amis, who succeeded the late Ian Fleming as author of the agent 007 series said today that in the next book his hero will be blasted by a bazooka-wielding bartender on a train in Mexico.'

Quite a headline, no?"

SECOND QUOTE - NAMELESS POSTER

"It was mentioned, although only briefly and in a different context in Siegfried Tesche's 'James Bond - Autos, Action und Autoren' (James Bond - Cars, Action and Writers). Tesche writes that this bazooka/Mexico/bartender-affair would have been Amis original idea for a continuation. Most unlikely, as it basically meant to ask Glidrose to slaughter their goose."

END OF QUOTES.

What's really left of Fleming to adapt?

echo — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:12:34 +0000

Let's pretend we're Babs or MGW for a moment. What's left to plunder?

CR: very little
LALD: the underwater swim, Mr. Big's scheme
MR: most of it (the card game at Blades, Gala Brand, the cliffs of Dover, the climax)
DAF: the kicking torture, the Spangs, the train climax
FRWL: very little
DN: the squid fight, the guano burial
GF: very little
FYEO: all of QoS and FAVTAK, including Mary Ann Russell; Liz Krest, Fidele Barbey, and the plot of THR
TB: very little
TSWLM: all of it (legally off-limits)
OHMSS: very little
YOLT: the Garden of Death, the geyser, the balloon escape, the cliffhanger
TMWTGG: the assassination attempt, the train sequence
OP and TLD: very little

If they decide to go back to Fleming, their best shots are the usual suspects: LALD, MR, YOLT, and TMWTGG. And, curiously, THR.

Presumably, FAVTAK and QoS are less ripe for adaptation because they are, respectively, dated and talky.

Critical Cold Front? Your views on Cold/Cold Fall (1996) by John Gardner?

Dragonpol — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:22:11 +0000

Continuing the theme of the controversial James Bond novels by John Gardner, let's have a look at his last novel, Cold (UK), Cold Fall (US). There are significant differences between the two versions of the novel, with Cold Fall probably being more coherent and beter organised than the UK version, although it is edited in places. There used to be a very interesting article on the interweb about the differences between the UK and US versions of Gardner's Bond novels, written by the staff writer Nick Kincaid on the now defunct site 007 Forever. Luckily, though, I still have print copies from the site taken in 2001-02.

I wonder are there also elements of foretelling the 2001-2009 Bush Jnr.administration here also - far right foreign and social policy/torture like waterboarding/US and UK led 'War on Terror' etc.?

What are our thoughts on Gardner's controversial swan song from the literary James Bond?

Listen to this interesting yet bizarre and overtly critical review on You Tube from "Blue Pencil":

Fairly strange guy reviewing this, but interesting nonetheless!

Was Gardner's plot with General Brutus Clay inspired by the American Nazi Party/American Christian Fascists or Christ-fascists at all? Clay appears nowadays as a sort of mix of Len Deighton's General Midwinter (from Billion Dollar Brain) and President George W. Bush (in office 2001-2009).

Cold/Cold Fall certainly had a lot of relevance nowadays - I think that its prescient qualities need to be reappraised now in 2013!

I've also been doing a little bit of Google and book researching on John Gardner's final James Bond continuation novel Cold/Cold Fall (1996) and I've found trhe following information online on the possible inspiration for General Brutus Brute Clay as the American Christian Fascist in the novel version: one US Congressman Brutus Junius Clay whose father was a certain General Brutus Clay. See the website posted below here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutus_J._Clay

http://claye.tripod.com/descendants_of_green_clay.htm

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg … d=15490047

http://files.usgwarchives.net/ky/bourbo … 400003.txt

Was John Gardner inspired by the Clay family to create the villain General Brutus Clay who wants to take over the United States in a Fascist coup.

Does anyone here have any thoughts on this revelation - do you think that this was what inspired Gardner to create General Brutus Brute Clay in Cold/Cold Fall or is this merely concidence? Gardner did have vast tomes of military and political history in his West Virginian home in the United States so my theory about his getting the name from United States political history might just fit. Having a villain with the name "Clay" also works from the "Clay Pigeon" perspective - a reference Gardner also made in his final James Bond continuation novel in 1996.

I can't help but think that Gardner was also inspired by the funamentalist Christian far right Americans of the time - see the 'hawks' such as Vice President Dick Cheney etc. in the later George W. Bush Administration. What are our thoughts on this element of potential inspiration for the novel? I'm currently reading a book called American Fascists (Jonathan Cape, London, 2007) on the subject of the Christian Far Right in the United States and General Brutus Clay would certainly not look out of place amongst its pages.

I'm writing a review of John Gardner's Cold/Cold Fall for my The Bondologist Blog, hence my rather niche questions/observations inn this thread.

I'd really love to hear your thoughts on these (admittedly esoteric) points on the background of Cold/Cold Fall by John Gardner.

Thanks for reading.

James Bond 14 Ian Fleming Novels/Leather/Gold Binding/New-Sealed

dennisspectre — Sat, 11 May 2013 20:52:44 +0100

I have a complete set of 14 007 novels for sale, please contact me if interested.
Easton Press/discontinued.
Price negotiable, looking for $80.00-100.00 for each of the 14 books.

Dennis

Best Short Story

DB5 — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 05:05:48 +0100

Just curious which short story everyone would rate as "the best." My vote would be "The Living Daylights." Just re-read it recently (the last time was about 30 years ago). I had forgotten just how good it is. Fleming really gives you the feel of Cold War Berlin. And you really get inside Bond's mind, drifting from the business at hand (killing the KGB sniper to save the defector) to thinking about the attractive girl cellist. And then the plot twist at the end! Any other nominations for best short story?

Anyone take Bond's Drive in Goldfinger?

Hank_Scorpio — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:15:40 +0000

Since the question is asked, I always like the way Fleming describes Bond's pursuit of Goldfinger through France in the novel. So has anyone ever followed the route? For that matter has anyone followed the routes in other books (e.g Bond chasing Drax in Moonraker?)

Scorpius (1988) by John Gardner - The Most Prescient James Bond novel?

Dragonpol — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 12:41:57 +0000

Do we here at MI6 Community consider John Gardner's Scorpius (1988) to be one of his more prescient James Bond novels? After all, it is the novel which features a suicide bomber plotline, years ahead of Al-Queada suicide bombing insurgency attacks in war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq from 2001-present. The Father Valentine front also referred to the televangelism scandals of the late 1980s, as did the character of Professor Joe Butcher in the following year's Licence to Kill (1989) James Bond film (of which Gardner also wrote the novelisation, of course).

What to make of this review by 'Blue Pencil' on You Tube?

Interesting nonetheless!

See this John Gardner overview here:

Rank the John Gardner continuation novels

saunders — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:23:49 +0100

I have always held the opinion that the quality of John Gardner's Bond novels started fairly well but about half way through his tenure they began to decline rapidly. Putting them in a ranking order has more or less confirmed my suspicions that for me at least this tends to be the case, but how would you rank them?

1. Licence Renewed
2. For Special Services
3. Nobody Lives Forever
4. Role Of Honour
5. No Deals Mr Bond
6. Win Lose or Die
7. Scorpius
8. Seafire
9. Death Is Forever
10. The Man From Barbarossa
11. Icebreaker
12. Brokenclaw
13. Never Send Flowers
14. Cold (Cold Fall)