miruna_bezi16's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ja_hopkins's review against another edition
3.0
Bond is recovering from the trauma of The Man with the Golden Gun and is on sabbatical when the call from M drags him back to the service. Despite doubts about his fitness, Bond is dispatched to investigate Dr Julius Gorner, and polymath industrialist. Bond manages to bump into Gorner at a Paris tennis club (reminiscent of his first encounter with Goldfinger) to set the ball rolling, and after some further action in Paris, Bond is off to Persia to try to find out what Gorner’s plans are, and what they mean for Britain. The descriptions of the locations, food and people are very much in keeping with the Fleming style, and the story moves along briskly enough to keep the interest levels high.
The ending seems a tad rushed, and the tennis match does seem a bit too close to the Goldfinger golf match. However, these are minor quibbles - very much enjoyed and a good addition to the series.
The ending seems a tad rushed, and the tennis match does seem a bit too close to the Goldfinger golf match. However, these are minor quibbles - very much enjoyed and a good addition to the series.
thebeardedpoet's review against another edition
3.0
Perhaps I've outgrown reading James Bond novels. Generally this story bothered me because Bond failed to demonstrate ingenuity in his investigation, combat skills, and survival techniques. He gets in tough fixes way too easily (walks smack into traps) and gets out of them by convenient circumstances and with too much help from others. Most of what happens seems completely implausible. We learn in the end that Bond has been duped by a completely unnecessary deception. The only parts I really liked were the dialogue sparring with the main villain. The bad guy is one those you love to hate. His demise was somewhere between black humor and slapstick. I suppose the travelogue aspects were something I enjoyed as well.
vela_the_great's review against another edition
5.0
never read a bond novel before this. its ok nothing great action or twist
auronsolo's review against another edition
3.0
I haven’t read many James Bond novels but I am a fan of the films so I thought this would be an entertaining read. It was an okay read, but I don’t really know where it belongs in the James bond mythos. It references Felix’s accident which happens in one of the Timothy Dalton movies but in the books it happens in a much earlier novel. I thought this was entertaining but it wasn’t spectacular. Sebastian Faulks isn’t Ian Fleming, there was just something missing that Fleming’s Bond does so well, a harshness in his character. I don’t know if it’s worthwhile to delve into James Bond novels beyond Ian Fleming’s original books.
genreguy's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
imyerhero's review against another edition
2.0
This is one of the newest books in the James Bond series – written by Sebastian Faulks, who is a famous modern novelist. I am not an enormous Bond fan, but I do enjoy reading the books about him every once in a while. Kind of like I enjoy a big cup of cider sometimes. Not all the time, and just because at the time it sounds enjoyable.
This Bond novel finds 007 on a mandatory sabbatical after a rough assignment. He is lounging around in Paris, trying not to work and very nearly failing. When M calls him back after MI6 is alerted to a frightening new player in the illicit drug market. Julius Gorner is a man with a passion for opium and all of its derivatives, not for personal pleasure but as a business investment. Bond is assigned to learn as much about him as possible. Along the way, 007 picks up a woman (of course) whose sister has been taken captive by Gorner – the lovely Scarlett Papava. Unsurprisingly, what Bond learns about Gorner shows there is much more to be concerned about than simply the increase in opium sales. Gorner has plans to change the face of the planet forever, and will kill anyone who gets in his way. Which is precisely where 007 is standing.
It’s definitely not to be disputed that the 007 novels are cheesy in the best sense of the word; elaborate plots, cool gadget weaponry, beautiful and willing women, and a main character that oozes cool. They are novels written for men and play to every weakness of the male gender. This book is no different. However, it was a bit rough for me to grasp that this was still taking place in the 1970′s. I’m not sure if it was balancing between the new Bond movies set in the present and the book, or if it was the writing style of Faulks. Something kept making me feel it was set in present day. Other than this, Faulks’s homage to Fleming is flawless. He completely understands Bond and can tell a dramatic suspenseful spy story with the best of them. It’s slightly less tongue-in-cheek, with action every other page and a willingness to harm any and every character. If you enjoy the rest of the novels about 007, you’ll enjoy this one.
This Bond novel finds 007 on a mandatory sabbatical after a rough assignment. He is lounging around in Paris, trying not to work and very nearly failing. When M calls him back after MI6 is alerted to a frightening new player in the illicit drug market. Julius Gorner is a man with a passion for opium and all of its derivatives, not for personal pleasure but as a business investment. Bond is assigned to learn as much about him as possible. Along the way, 007 picks up a woman (of course) whose sister has been taken captive by Gorner – the lovely Scarlett Papava. Unsurprisingly, what Bond learns about Gorner shows there is much more to be concerned about than simply the increase in opium sales. Gorner has plans to change the face of the planet forever, and will kill anyone who gets in his way. Which is precisely where 007 is standing.
It’s definitely not to be disputed that the 007 novels are cheesy in the best sense of the word; elaborate plots, cool gadget weaponry, beautiful and willing women, and a main character that oozes cool. They are novels written for men and play to every weakness of the male gender. This book is no different. However, it was a bit rough for me to grasp that this was still taking place in the 1970′s. I’m not sure if it was balancing between the new Bond movies set in the present and the book, or if it was the writing style of Faulks. Something kept making me feel it was set in present day. Other than this, Faulks’s homage to Fleming is flawless. He completely understands Bond and can tell a dramatic suspenseful spy story with the best of them. It’s slightly less tongue-in-cheek, with action every other page and a willingness to harm any and every character. If you enjoy the rest of the novels about 007, you’ll enjoy this one.
milkwithginseng's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
indywonder05's review against another edition
2.0
I have never read an Ian Fleming book so I have nothing to base the comparision on ... does he stay true? I don't know. I do know I did like the characterization of Bond. Somehow he came across as vunerable, yet swaggering at the same time. I don't want to spoil anything but I didn't like the representation of the female double 0 (I hope that is ambiguous enough) she just wasn't cool enough and she was emotional and slightly blubbering. But other than that and the abrubtness at the end I enjoyed it.