Anthony Horowitz's Bond novel - Forever and a Day

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  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,111
    octofinger wrote: »
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    shamanimal wrote: »
    It's a none story. If you read it carefully it's something he said at a literature festival, and it may well have been prompted by a question, and delivered with a smile. Nothing to see here.

    Ah, that's why I was confused - I thought the issue was already settled!

    I'd love him to get a third crack at it. Fingers crossed.

    Quite. For a while now I've said that I think Horowitz should have been given a trilogy right from the off. (Or at least once the first proved to be good.) I think a problem with the 'author of the month' approach that the estate has been taking for the past many years is that no author really gets the chance to settle into the role.

    Give Horowitz the mandate and a long leash to write a series of 3 cracking books and I'm quite confident he wouldn't disappoint.

    I won't be surprised if his contract is for 3 books. I'd be interested in him setting Bond in the modern day. Perhaps to face Blofeld. He did sneak in Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: The House of Silk.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,108
    Has anyone read The Word Is Murder? I picked it up for the Kindle recently and enjoyed it very much. It's a clever detective story, unusual in that Horowitz himself is the narrator, so you're never quite sure where fact ends and fiction begins. There are a couple of Bond references.
  • Posts: 7,653
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    Has anyone read The Word Is Murder? I picked it up for the Kindle recently and enjoyed it very much. It's a clever detective story, unusual in that Horowitz himself is the narrator, so you're never quite sure where fact ends and fiction begins. There are a couple of Bond references.

    I did buy the book, but could not finish the book.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,111
    Think we'll hear anything from Anthony Horowitz or IFP about another Bond novel this year? The reviews of Horowitz's books are a sign that people want more from him.
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    octofinger wrote: »
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    shamanimal wrote: »
    It's a none story. If you read it carefully it's something he said at a literature festival, and it may well have been prompted by a question, and delivered with a smile. Nothing to see here.

    Ah, that's why I was confused - I thought the issue was already settled!

    I'd love him to get a third crack at it. Fingers crossed.

    Quite. For a while now I've said that I think Horowitz should have been given a trilogy right from the off. (Or at least once the first proved to be good.) I think a problem with the 'author of the month' approach that the estate has been taking for the past many years is that no author really gets the chance to settle into the role.

    Give Horowitz the mandate and a long leash to write a series of 3 cracking books and I'm quite confident he wouldn't disappoint.

    I won't be surprised if his contract is for 3 books. I'd be interested in him setting Bond in the modern day. Perhaps to face Blofeld. He did sneak in Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: The House of Silk.

  • Posts: 2,896
    From what I've read, Forever and a Day sold poorly in the UK. And given how little attention it received in the U.S., sales were probably worse there.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,111
    I've realized that there is no Wikipedia page for FAAD. It goes straight to Anthony Horowitz's page. That's not a good sign..
  • Posts: 2,896
    Speaking of American attention to Horowitz, a review of FAA turned up today in the Los Angeles Review of Books: "Long Live 007." Surprisingly positive, considering the LARB's usual university professor tone.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,111
    https://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2019/01/barry-award-nominations-2019.html?m=1

    FAAD just got a nomination for best thriller. Evidence enough for Horowitz to come back for a third book? Or to have him adapt his book for a screenplay for the next Bond actor's first outing? Considering it's a origin story, this is where EON should go next.
  • Posts: 5,767
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    https://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2019/01/barry-award-nominations-2019.html?m=1

    FAAD just got a nomination for best thriller. Evidence enough for Horowitz to come back for a third book? Or to have him adapt his book for a screenplay for the next Bond actor's first outing? Considering it's a origin story, this is where EON should go next.
    Eon should consider an origin Story?

  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,111
    boldfinger wrote: »
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    https://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2019/01/barry-award-nominations-2019.html?m=1

    FAAD just got a nomination for best thriller. Evidence enough for Horowitz to come back for a third book? Or to have him adapt his book for a screenplay for the next Bond actor's first outing? Considering it's a origin story, this is where EON should go next.
    Eon should consider an origin Story?

    Maybe... Better have him back to write it than P & W again.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,111
    https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/bond-books-anthony-horowitz-ian-fleming

    Anthony Horowitz favorite Bond books. I'm surprised at the lack of OHMSS, any John Gardner or Raymond Benson.
  • edited April 2019 Posts: 2,598
    Reading these column inches, PussyNomore finds it bizarre that whereas the Bond movie buffs are prepared to put up with the most variable cinematic output, nothing short of the resurrection of one Ian Lancaster Fleming could possibly satisfy some literary aficionados.
    In the round, surely we aren't so precious. Isn't it simple? Is the book a rattling good yarn and does the author capture Fleming's high old tone ?
    The Pussy thinks that Anthony Horowitz does a bang up job on both counts and prays that IFP hangs on to him.
    Frankly, as fare as the Fleming original material is concerned - come on, it's for the birds (sorry Birdleson). It comprises six vignettes (there are actually four left) that were skeletal outlines for a TV series that never made it to the screen. They contain nothing of any significance and are purely a marketing ploy.

    Yes, I’ve found this, shall we say, interesting. A handful of members in the past have stated that the literary Bond should be put to bed permanently but are all for the cinematic Bond continuing despite some very lackluster entries, post Dalton era. Well, maybe they’re fans of all the Brosnan and Craig films. Some cinematic enthusiasts refuse to read anything that isn’t Fleming. If it ain’t Fleming it’s fan fiction...apparently. If this is the case then why not refuse to watch any Bond film not produced by Albert R. Broccolli?

    I’m trying to decide whether I should finally start reading Forever and a Day or savour the excitement for a little longer and read another non Bond book. Trigger Morris was a great read and certainly Flemingsque to me and I’ve read all the Fleming books seven or eight times. I’ve just finished all the Young Bond books. Red Nemesis was a good read but not quite up there with Heads You Die in terms of Cole’s very solid entries in the world of Young Bond.
  • Posts: 4,024
    I’ve not tried the Young Bond books. I found Forever And A Day very enjoyable. There were some predictable elements, but there were some great action scenes.
  • Posts: 2,598
    This news regarding lack of sales for Forever and a Day is worrying. There wasn’t much marketing at all for Forever and a Day though. I just hope IFP hang on to Horowitz. I can’t see any other author enjoying more sales for a Bond book either unless the novel receives more marketing activity than Forever and a Day did.
  • edited April 2019 Posts: 2,598
    vzok wrote: »
    I’ve not tried the Young Bond books. I found Forever And A Day very enjoyable. There were some predictable elements, but there were some great action scenes.

    I’d recommend reading the young Bond books; great Flemingsque yarns. If you have trouble picturing a young boy experiencing all these adventures so close to each other then picture him as a chap in his late twenties, who is working with the service and is obviously still inexperienced. :)
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,397
    Bounine wrote: »
    vzok wrote: »
    I’ve not tried the Young Bond books. I found Forever And A Day very enjoyable. There were some predictable elements, but there were some great action scenes.

    I’d recommend reading the young Bond books; great Flemingsque yarns. If you have trouble picturing a young boy experiencing all these adventures so close to each other then picture him as a chap in his late twenties, who is working with the service and is obviously still inexperienced. :)

    I'm also a fan of the young bond books. But only the ones of Higson.

    Some say that Horowitz doesn't have the writing quality as Fleming does. This may be. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Trigger Mortis much more than a lot Fleming's novels and FAAD was a good read, too. Not great, but nice to have it in the collection.
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    https://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2019/01/barry-award-nominations-2019.html?m=1

    FAAD just got a nomination for best thriller. Evidence enough for Horowitz to come back for a third book? Or to have him adapt his book for a screenplay for the next Bond actor's first outing? Considering it's a origin story, this is where EON should go next.

    I can't imagine that the book works as a movie. For example the torture scenes are strong but wouldn't have the same evilness on film, because this kind of pain is easier to dedcribe in words...or the second torture scene would lead to a movie only for 16+. Scipio is a cool villain, but he wouldn't work in a movie...it would be too...much.
  • SeanCraigSeanCraig Germany
    Posts: 732
    I wondered that there wasn‘t a translated version of „Forever And A Day“ in Germany so far (I bought the english version since I did not want to wait any longer last year) but this might add to the „poor sales“ news. I liked the book and also it‘s predecessor Trigger Mortis plus I would also buy a translated copy of FAAD ...

    Too bad - imho it does not reflect the quality of the book but maybe an overall lesser interest in James Bond ... also due to the last film being not that well-received as Skyfall was? Dunno, really but maybe these things affect each other ...
  • Posts: 5,808
    It hasn't been translated in french either, but that's hardly surprising. There are quite a few continuation novels (by Gardner, Benson, Cole and Weinberg) who have not been translated either. A complete list can be found here :

    https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_de_romans_et_recueils_de_nouvelles_de_la_s%C3%A9rie_James_Bond
  • Posts: 5,767
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    boldfinger wrote: »
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    https://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2019/01/barry-award-nominations-2019.html?m=1

    FAAD just got a nomination for best thriller. Evidence enough for Horowitz to come back for a third book? Or to have him adapt his book for a screenplay for the next Bond actor's first outing? Considering it's a origin story, this is where EON should go next.
    Eon should consider an origin Story?

    Maybe... Better have him back to write it than P & W again.
    I have Nothing against Horowitz´ writing so far, though writing a novel is not the same as writing a screenplay. But the idea of having a Bond origin Story, after Craig´s tenure was more or less that, is too much for me.

  • Posts: 2,598
    Bounine wrote: »
    vzok wrote: »
    I’ve not tried the Young Bond books. I found Forever And A Day very enjoyable. There were some predictable elements, but there were some great action scenes.

    I’d recommend reading the young Bond books; great Flemingsque yarns. If you have trouble picturing a young boy experiencing all these adventures so close to each other then picture him as a chap in his late twenties, who is working with the service and is obviously still inexperienced. :)

    I'm also a fan of the young bond books. But only the ones of Higson.

    Some say that Horowitz doesn't have the writing quality as Fleming does. This may be. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Trigger Mortis much more than a lot Fleming's novels and FAAD was a good read, too. Not great, but nice to have it in the collection.
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    https://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2019/01/barry-award-nominations-2019.html?m=1

    FAAD just got a nomination for best thriller. Evidence enough for Horowitz to come back for a third book? Or to have him adapt his book for a screenplay for the next Bond actor's first outing? Considering it's a origin story, this is where EON should go next.

    I can't imagine that the book works as a movie. For example the torture scenes are strong but wouldn't have the same evilness on film, because this kind of pain is easier to dedcribe in words...or the second torture scene would lead to a movie only for 16+. Scipio is a cool villain, but he wouldn't work in a movie...it would be too...much.

    In terms of Horowitz not having the same writing skills as Fleming, I’m not sure. I don’t dispute what you’re saying as the only Horowitz book I’ve read is Trigger Mortis. All I’ll say is that Fleming today, unfortunately, couldn’t get away with the writing he did in the 50’s and 60’s. Nowadays, everything mainstream, has to be faster paced with less description and bigger words. :)
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    That's why I can't get behind Horowitz at all. I was excited at first when he was announced as the next Bond novelist a few years back. But, now that I'm looking back, I have to say he didn't live up to his reputation and his novels are nothing short of fan fictions at best.
  • Posts: 2,598
    That's why I can't get behind Horowitz at all. I was excited at first when he was announced as the next Bond novelist a few years back. But, now that I'm looking back, I have to say he didn't live up to his reputation and his novels are nothing short of fan fictions at best.

    Out of curiosity, are there any non Fleming Bond novels that you don’t think read like fan fiction except for maybe Colonel Sun?
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Bounine wrote: »
    That's why I can't get behind Horowitz at all. I was excited at first when he was announced as the next Bond novelist a few years back. But, now that I'm looking back, I have to say he didn't live up to his reputation and his novels are nothing short of fan fictions at best.
    Out of curiosity, are there any non Fleming Bond novels that you don’t think read like fan fiction except for maybe Colonel Sun?
    Christopher Wood's novelizations, which I think are far better than Colonel Sun. Gardner and Benson provided quite the fan services, but they were far from being on the same level of fan fictions that Horowitz's books happen to be. And while Boyd's novel isn't a fan fiction, it's one I find the most boring out of all the Bond books.
  • Posts: 2,598
    I see. I’ve never been a big fan of Colonel Sun but the novel doesn’t read like fan fiction. I agree in terms of Benson; his books couldn’t be any more fan fiction.

    The continuation authors have to acknolwedge some things though like the literary Bond’s liking for Bentleys and bourbons...
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Indeed. But, Horowitz went overboard with it. Madame Sixtine giving Bond two of his personal traits all at once seemed like a very poor choice and that put me off. You'd think a man of Bond's refined tastes would have found all of those on his own in a matter of time and separately at that.

    Oh I didn't mean to imply that Colonel Sun is a fan fiction. By a long shot it's not. I just happen to find it overrated, placing it on the same level as Solo. The lesser is said about both Carte Blanche and Devil May Care, however, the better.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,397
    Bounine wrote: »
    Bounine wrote: »
    vzok wrote: »
    I’ve not tried the Young Bond books. I found Forever And A Day very enjoyable. There were some predictable elements, but there were some great action scenes.

    I’d recommend reading the young Bond books; great Flemingsque yarns. If you have trouble picturing a young boy experiencing all these adventures so close to each other then picture him as a chap in his late twenties, who is working with the service and is obviously still inexperienced. :)

    I'm also a fan of the young bond books. But only the ones of Higson.

    Some say that Horowitz doesn't have the writing quality as Fleming does. This may be. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Trigger Mortis much more than a lot Fleming's novels and FAAD was a good read, too. Not great, but nice to have it in the collection.
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    https://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2019/01/barry-award-nominations-2019.html?m=1

    FAAD just got a nomination for best thriller. Evidence enough for Horowitz to come back for a third book? Or to have him adapt his book for a screenplay for the next Bond actor's first outing? Considering it's a origin story, this is where EON should go next.

    I can't imagine that the book works as a movie. For example the torture scenes are strong but wouldn't have the same evilness on film, because this kind of pain is easier to dedcribe in words...or the second torture scene would lead to a movie only for 16+. Scipio is a cool villain, but he wouldn't work in a movie...it would be too...much.

    In terms of Horowitz not having the same writing skills as Fleming, I’m not sure. I don’t dispute what you’re saying as the only Horowitz book I’ve read is Trigger Mortis. All I’ll say is that Fleming today, unfortunately, couldn’t get away with the writing he did in the 50’s and 60’s. Nowadays, everything mainstream, has to be faster paced with less description and bigger words. :)

    True, Trigger Mortis was definitely faster paced. Surprsingly, FAAD was more chatty and the action kicked in late.
    SeanCraig wrote: »
    I wondered that there wasn‘t a translated version of „Forever And A Day“ in Germany so far (I bought the english version since I did not want to wait any longer last year) but this might add to the „poor sales“ news. I liked the book and also it‘s predecessor Trigger Mortis plus I would also buy a translated copy of FAAD ...

    Too bad - imho it does not reflect the quality of the book but maybe an overall lesser interest in James Bond ... also due to the last film being not that well-received as Skyfall was? Dunno, really but maybe these things affect each other ...

    I had the same problem. As I realized that no translation was announced after a few months, I decided to read it in english. It really seems that Trigger Mortis wasn't a success, at least no the german translation. The same happend with the Gardner translations...
  • DaltonforyouDaltonforyou The Daltonator
    Posts: 308
    They should have made a global release in the fall instead of one in may and one later in the year. All it did was confuse the average bloke.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Birdleson wrote: »
    That's why I can't get behind Horowitz at all. I was excited at first when he was announced as the next Bond novelist a few years back. But, now that I'm looking back, I have to say he didn't live up to his reputation and his novels are nothing short of fan fictions at best.
    His prose are weak. Very weak.
    Unfortunately.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Birdleson wrote: »
    And even conceptually, I didn't dig all of the "cute" attempts at the building of Bond in FAAD. That all of these Bondian troupes and iconic aspects are all because of same annoying dame that he ran into on his first 00 mission (and the whole "Keep the Flag Flying.." statement may be the most unBondlike statement, and idea, that I have come across in these continuation novels).
    Precisely. I agree with all of those points. Sixtine giving Bond his personal troupes like the Morlands cigarette for instance was bad enough. It wasn't even "cute". Also, Fleming's Bond wasn't the patriotic "Keep the Flag Flying" type. The cinematic Bond probably is. But, not the literary character.
  • Posts: 5,767
    I have only read TM thus far. I got the Impression that Horowitz was at his best when he didn´t try emulating Fleming.
    I generally think emulating another writer is a bad Thing, unless the Emulator really does so already by nature. All other Writers should stick to their own language and make something out of it.
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