Anthony Horowitz's James Bond novel - Trigger Mortis

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Comments

  • I'm surprised he's gone for the CR prequel idea. It seems somehow a bit, I dunno, presumptuous to write a novel in the original timeline that usurps CR's introduction to Bond. Or am I overthinking it?
    I'm sure I'll enjoy it anyway. I loved Trigger Mortis and wish him all the luck with the next one.
  • edited November 2017 Posts: 4,622
    shamanimal wrote: »
    I'm surprised he's gone for the CR prequel idea. It seems somehow a bit, I dunno, presumptuous to write a novel in the original timeline that usurps CR's introduction to Bond. Or am I overthinking it?
    I'm sure I'll enjoy it anyway. I loved Trigger Mortis and wish him all the luck with the next one.
    I think your concerns are valid re a CR prequel.
    You are not overthinking. It is a tad presumptious I think.
    There is danger here.
    Mind you, as a Bond fan, I do read everything that is published, but my preference is for new Bond adventures set in present time, you know like Fleming used to do, and which Amis, Gardner, Benson and Deaver continued.
    I did like Trigger Mortis, but didn't much like the Pussy Galore continuation. I thought it was contrived.
    Deaver's book I do consider the worst Bond novel ever, but that has nothing to do with his present-day setting, but everything to do with his failure to grasp the character. So you do have to find the right author.

    I am looking forward to the new book, but I think Horowitz penning Bond in the present day would be way more exciting!
  • Posts: 7,653
    I am currently enjoying Moriarty which is a good way to expeand the Sherlock Homes series.

    Would a new book called Blofeld not as much fun for the Horowitz to write?- Better than a prequel to CR I would think.
  • edited November 2017 Posts: 17,241
    SaintMark wrote: »
    I am currently enjoying Moriarty which is a good way to expeand the Sherlock Homes series.

    Would a new book called Blofeld not as much fun for the Horowitz to write?- Better than a prequel to CR I would think.

    Would love a new Bond book with Blofeld included, but it's maybe an even more difficult thing to write than a prequel?
  • Red_SnowRed_Snow Australia
    Posts: 2,494
    Anthony will be talking about his new book 'The Word Is Murder' on Graham Norton's BBC Radio 2 show on Saturday, 2 December at 10AM.

    Perhaps he will mention the new Bond book.
  • edited April 2018 Posts: 847
    Lot of people like this book but I have several problem with this book. I think it's could be interresting to tell why. First, it is a novel who is supposed to take place in the end of the 50's but it is written like a comptempory novel ; we never have the impression to be in 50's. One of the cause of this is the politically correct : remember in Goldfinger (who takes place only two week before TM) when Bond think that "Koreans are lowers than apes" ? Guess what, they are no racism ligne for Bond in TM while the villain is Korean... Remember in Goldfinger when Bond say that he no time to loose with homosexual ? Well he have gay friend friend in TM. The litterary Bond is, even if it is a bad behaviour that I don't aproove, racist and homophobic, so why ignore that in TM, specially in an novel who is set in the 50's ? It will have reinforce the time piece sentiment (and the one to have the true Bond) for the reader if Bond can have sometime a racist/homophobic ligne.

    Two, the worst moment of TM is probably after Bond and Jeopardy fled from Sin Castle. Throughout the next chapter where they are in the hotel I had the same thoughts all the time : "Please Anthony, do not write that Bond leaves these damn important documents unattended in front of this girl that he don't know and who will probably steal it. It's had been seen, seen, reviewed and corrected in many novels/films, and it would be really terrible to fall into this cliché. Bond is not as stupid or beginner, and you're better than that. No ? ". And guess what? Horrowitz really dared to write such a predictable scene!

    Three, Horrowitz tease and denial you constantly. There are a lot passage that tease you about the Nürburgring, tell that is a difficult and dangerous circuit and that it don't will be easy for 007. So okay, I'm haste to read his first time on the Nürburgring now. No, denial : you won't know that, the scene is summary by "Nürburgring was every bit as brutal as he had been warned" only. Just that, no details...
    And there is the passage where Logan ask to Bond how did he had his scar (the tease). And the next lignes are : "The rest of the meal passed pleasantly enough and the two of them were touching shoulders as they returned to the car". Thanks to excited me to a second for dissapoint me the next one.
    And there is this horrible scene when Bond go in the Jeopardy car after the motel assault. Okay, but the problem here is that once you get into the car, there's an ellipse in the story and we find Bond who asks him a question later in a restaurant : "Who are you and what is your role in this story? ". But... but why did not they have that kind of conversation before, in the car? Why wait to find a restaurant for this ? I mean is the first thing who came in mind, no ?
    On the other hand, there are scenes that would have deserved reductions as when the author tries to put a big suspense on what is in the hangar of Sin when we all know what it is - obviously - a rocket... Moreover, the holes in the portraits of the castle is really scary, but one would have to know why Sin made these holes. In the current state it just serves to say, "you've seen, this character is really villain."

    Four, it's not a problem with the novel but with the book itself. The cover says "with original material by Ian Fleming" : this is also one of the main commercial arguments. So why almost all the edition haven't the complete script of inside (especially a script who is only 10 pages long!). It didn't seem too much to ask for a book promoted around Murder on Wheels. Didn't you feel stolen when you open your book for the first time and notice the absence of the script at the end ? Me, yes. Why, the name of "Ian Fleming" is wiiten in bigger on the USA cover than the one of Horrowitz, while there not even his script inside?
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    All good and valid points that I noticed as well.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    edited August 2019 Posts: 4,050
    Reading people's opinions on https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/ (in a thread that I created), I have seen Trigger Mortis and Forever and a Day get mentioned most, as Bond books to be adapted for the cinema. Maybe film them back to back for Bond 7, first FAAD and then TM. Come on EON, please take note!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    Reading people's opinions on https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/ (in a thread that I created), I have seen Trigger Mortis and Forever and a Day get mentioned most, as Bond books to be adapted for the cinema. Maybe film them back to back for Bond 7, first FAAD and then TM. Come on EON, please take note!

    Please don t , EON. We don t need to see more of this boring bastardization of Bond.
  • DoctorNoDoctorNo USA-Maryland
    Posts: 754
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    Reading people's opinions on https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/ (in a thread that I created), I have seen Trigger Mortis and Forever and a Day get mentioned most, as Bond books to be adapted for the cinema. Maybe film them back to back for Bond 7, first FAAD and then TM. Come on EON, please take note!

    Please don t , EON. We don t need to see more of this boring bastardization of Bond.
    Better than Mendes and P&W bastardization of Bond.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited August 2019 Posts: 17,727
    DoctorNo wrote: »
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    Reading people's opinions on https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/ (in a thread that I created), I have seen Trigger Mortis and Forever and a Day get mentioned most, as Bond books to be adapted for the cinema. Maybe film them back to back for Bond 7, first FAAD and then TM. Come on EON, please take note!

    Please don t , EON. We don t need to see more of this boring bastardization of Bond.
    Better than Mendes and P&W bastardization of Bond.

    In any event, there are several contemporary-set Bond continuation novels they could do with adapting in some way first well before any need to adapt these period-set Bond novels.

    They could start with Colonel Sun and work from there. I know some of it has been adapted in haphazard fashion over the years, but it could still provide a firm basis for a new Bond film. The plot has never actually been adapted, for just one instance. They could then move on to the John Gardner novels.

    If nothing else the earlier continuation novels could provide a creative springboard to fire up their imaginations and make better written and scripted Bond films in the years ahead.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited August 2019 Posts: 4,378
    Birdleson wrote: »
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    Reading people's opinions on https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/ (in a thread that I created), I have seen Trigger Mortis and Forever and a Day get mentioned most, as Bond books to be adapted for the cinema. Maybe film them back to back for Bond 7, first FAAD and then TM. Come on EON, please take note!

    Please don t , EON. We don t need to see more of this boring bastardization of Bond.

    I'm with you @Thunderfinger . Those novels were pretty lame.
    I enjoyed TM from beginning to end. But I don't think it would work that great for a movie.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I came across this, from the 50s.
    PaulMurry15.jpeg
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    That's fun!

    Anyone watched any of the Alex Rider series on Amazon? It's quite fun a bit odd: it wants to be Spooks but it's based on a kids' book and it's hard to look past the silliness of the source material. I think the more Bond-y fantasy of the movie had a better tone.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
    mtm wrote: »
    That's fun!

    Anyone watched any of the Alex Rider series on Amazon? It's quite fun a bit odd: it wants to be Spooks but it's based on a kids' book and it's hard to look past the silliness of the source material. I think the more Bond-y fantasy of the movie had a better tone.

    My mum has been very into it (she loves Horowitz). I don't have Amazon Prime so I am yet to experience it.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    That's fun!

    Anyone watched any of the Alex Rider series on Amazon? It's quite fun a bit odd: it wants to be Spooks but it's based on a kids' book and it's hard to look past the silliness of the source material. I think the more Bond-y fantasy of the movie had a better tone.

    My mum has been very into it (she loves Horowitz). I don't have Amazon Prime so I am yet to experience it.

    Yeah it's not bad at all, I think I'll probably finish it and it's worth a go. I just think a little tweak could have improved it.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,050
    I feel that if the Bond novels get adapted to TV, Trigger Mortis should come after Goldfinger. Even Forever and a Day could start it out! End on Colonel Sun.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    I feel that if the Bond novels get adapted to TV, Trigger Mortis should come after Goldfinger. Even Forever and a Day could start it out! End on Colonel Sun.

    If they adapt Bond to tv, I hope they will stick to Fleming and make it time accurate. I don t want Horowitz or Amis into that mix.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    If Eon allowed them though, I wouldn't mind the Radio 4 adaptations doing this one. Could be fun.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,050
    mtm wrote: »
    If Eon allowed them though, I wouldn't mind the Radio 4 adaptations doing this one. Could be fun.

    +1
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