Bond is back! As the cinema posters tend to say every time a new film is released.
This time though Bond is indeed back and in the same style as Fleming. Intended to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Fleming, Faulks has I feel performed an admirable task.
With an utterly mad villain assisted by a lunatic henchman who shows no qualms there are plots afoot to take over the world in a typically dastardly fashion.
Not having read a Fleming Bond book for many years it was a pleasure to pick up Faulks’ book and once again immerse myself into 1960′s world of James Bond: hard living and hard playing. After all who else would have scrambled eggs and a half a bottle of whiskey for breakfast?
In traditional style there is the getting to know you contest with the chief villain, not gambling or golf but tennis this time with the usual twists. Don’t forget car chases, shoot outs, break ins and outs, glamourous girls, a Bentley Continental and the Walther PPK.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and in many ways was taken back to my childhood when I originally read the books which I bought in well worn condition for a few pennies each, I think I still have them in a box in the garage where they are falling apart despite repairs with sticky tape.
Fantastic stuff, Bond is as he should be (unlike most of the films excepting: Dr No, From Russia with Love and Casino Royale) hard, brutal and not overly gadget laden (remote control invisible BMW my arse).
Finally many thanks to my brother for buying this for me.
Carrie K | 15-Jun-08 at 9:37 pm | Permalink
I’ve heard good things about Faulks book. I did love the actual Bond books of Ian Fleming! The movies were good too, but pretty much “only the names have been saved and the storylines tossed”.