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Critics May Care - Part I

CBn looks at the critical reaction to Sebastian Faulks' 'Devil May Care'

Critics May Care - Part II

CBn looks at the critical reaction to Sebastian Faulks' 'Devil May Care'

[Mr. Blofeld]

I will quote Time Magazine's headline for their review:

Somebody Did It Better

[Dr. Noah]

You always want to trust the critics...

CASINO ROYALE

"Fleming... pads the book out to novel length, leading to an ending which surprises no one but Bond himself."
- Anthony Boucher, New York Times Book Review

LIVE AND LET DIE

"A half-guinea dreadful."
- Anthony Boucher, "New York Times"

DOCTOR NO

"The nastiest book I have ever read."
- Paul Johnson, "New Statesman," March, 1958

"Sex, snobbery, and sadism... a total lack of any ethical frame of reference."
- Bernard Bergonzi in "The Twentieth Century," March, 1958

THE SPY WHO LOVED ME

"Blatant transvestism."
- Vernon Scannell, "The Listener"

ON HER MAJERSTY'S SECRET SERVICE

"Anti-humanist and anti-Christian."
- Raymond Mortimer, "Sunday Times"

[Qwerty]

Splendid work collecting together all this Devil May Care coverage together, Matt.

Who would have thought a continuation Bond novel would receive the amount of press that this one has!

Looking forward to part II.

[Single-O-Seven]

You always want to trust the critics...

CASINO ROYALE

"Fleming... pads the book out to novel length, leading to an ending which surprises no one but Bond himself."
- Anthony Boucher, New York Times Book Review

LIVE AND LET DIE

"A half-guinea dreadful."
- Anthony Boucher, "New York Times"

DOCTOR NO

"The nastiest book I have ever read."
- Paul Johnson, "New Statesman," March, 1958

"Sex, snobbery, and sadism... a total lack of any ethical frame of reference."
- Bernard Bergonzi in "The Twentieth Century," March, 1958

THE SPY WHO LOVED ME

"Blatant transvestism."
- Vernon Scannell, "The Listener"

ON HER MAJERSTY'S SECRET SERVICE

"Anti-humanist and anti-Christian."
- Raymond Mortimer, "Sunday Times"

I rather like some of these! Particularly the reviews for Dr. No - they make me want to read the book all over again.

[[dark]]

You always want to trust the critics...

CASINO ROYALE

"Fleming... pads the book out to novel length, leading to an ending which surprises no one but Bond himself."
- Anthony Boucher, New York Times Book Review

LIVE AND LET DIE

"A half-guinea dreadful."
- Anthony Boucher, "New York Times"

DOCTOR NO

"The nastiest book I have ever read."
- Paul Johnson, "New Statesman," March, 1958

"Sex, snobbery, and sadism... a total lack of any ethical frame of reference."
- Bernard Bergonzi in "The Twentieth Century," March, 1958

THE SPY WHO LOVED ME

"Blatant transvestism."
- Vernon Scannell, "The Listener"

ON HER MAJERSTY'S SECRET SERVICE

"Anti-humanist and anti-Christian."
- Raymond Mortimer, "Sunday Times"

I rather like some of these! Particularly the reviews for Dr. No - they make me want to read the book all over again.

I especially like the one for The Spy Who Loved Me.

[Dr. Noah]

My favorite is "Anti-humanist and anti-Christian."

[Sbott]

Fantastic overview Matt, thanks for the effort.

[MkB]

I just stumbled upon this old Times Online article, "Hands off 007 or I’ll shoot you" by Jeremy Clarkson, dated July 15, 2007, that is very odd: before reading the book it disapproves of Faulks choice as the centenary novel writer (which seems rather bold and clear-sighted), but for all the wrong reasons!

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Critics May Care - Part II

CBn looks at the critical reaction to Sebastian Faulks' 'Devil May Care'

[Dr. Noah]

Here -- some reviews the US audio version:

http://www.canada.co...b4-b298e170c41d

What's new this summer for adults?

Devil May Care, by Sebastian Faulks writing as Ian Fleming. (Random House Audio; six hours on five CDs, abridged, read by Tristan Layton; $34.) Faulks (Birdsong, Charlotte Gray) pretends he's Ian Fleming by writing a new James Bond novel, Devil May Care. The just-released novel celebrates the centenary of Fleming's birth and takes the iconic Bond back to the height of the Cold War. Naturally, there's a gorgeous girl and the requisite villain seeking to take over the world. The charm of 007 is the ease with which he faces both death and romance with an insouciance unmatched by other characters. And if all you know is the Bond of films, the character in the books is considerably more human.

http://sentinelsourc...e/id_313555.txt

Frank Behrens says a new James Bond audio recording is pleasant, if a little less than jolly

By FRANK BEHRENS
Contributing Writer
Published: Thursday, July 10, 2008

Those who insist on writing about popular characters created by deceased authors had best be careful about chronology.

In the films, James Bond never grows older — or as soon as one Bond actor does, he is replaced by a younger one. However, the James Bond novels pretend to be realistic. Therefore, since Ian Fleming states that Bond joined the service in 1938, a new novel about him would have to explain how a man around 90 could do what he does.

That is one reason why Sebastian Faulks has placed his James Bond adventure “Devil May Care” back in Cold War times. I was happy when Random House Audio was quick to issue a complete reading of this book on both CD and audio tape. It is read very well indeed by Tristan Layton.

The villains are Julius Gorner, a megalomaniac with a hand of an ape and a sadistic henchman with an open flap in his skull. Business is as usual.

There is a long tennis game at which Gorner cheats, recalling the long golf game between Bond and Auric Goldfinger. There is the super weapon that is an updating of Drax’ Moonraker. There is the usual ravishing young woman, in this case two of them, who is/are not what they seem to be.

There are the long technical discussions of weapons, detailed accounts of meals, and so on. In fact, the only new element is Bond’s saying “no” to a sexual invitation by the woman. (But just once.)

I have no wish to reveal any of the plot. Faulks’ style, however, lacks that tongue-in-cheek twinkle one finds in Fleming’s writings and the outlandish elements found in some of the John Gardner follow-up novels about Bond. (I have not read any other author’s attempt at new Bond stories.) In short, Faulks takes it all a little too seriously; and what is a Bond novel if not an enjoyable fantasy?

So to all my fellow iPod walkers, or those with long daily drives, I can honestly recommend this Random House Audio set as a very pleasant, if a little less than jolly, addition to the James Bond legend.

[zencat]

Great work collecting and encapsulizing these reviews, [dark].

[Blofeld's Cat]

Great work collecting and encapsulizing these reviews, [dark].

HERE HERE!

Here's an enthusiastic review I found via an RSS feed from a crime writing blog.

[Dr. Noah]

For completists: Here's the Christian Science Monitor review, and a nice reader review in the Independent, and a Bond hater says Faulks is TOO close to Fleming!

[Loomis]

For completists: Here's the Christian Science Monitor review

I agree with the following:

It's enjoyable as an exercise in mimicry, but it could have been so much more. Bond's personality is dossier thin, and there's no character arc to make the reader feel invested in the hero's exploits. Even the new Bond movies starring Daniel Craig recognize that audiences want more than comic-strip action these days.

Fleming once wrote, "The target of my books … lay somewhere between the solar plexus and, well, the upper thigh." To make the literary Bond relevant to the 20th century, Faulks should have targeted his book for the mind.

[Safari Suit]

A Bond hater says Faulks is TOO close to Fleming!

Clearly not a fan, but I see no evidence to suggest the reviewer is a (ugh!) "hater".

[Dr. Noah]

Clearly not a fan, but I see no evidence to suggest the reviewer is a (ugh!) "hater".

Yeah. "The Fleming novels aren't very good" and "Fleming was an inferior writer. He was worth stealing from, not emulating" constitute a real (ugh) lovefest.

[Safari Suit]

Is someone who gives an honest critique of a book or film now considerd a "hater"? (God how I loath that term) I see no disdain for the character or franchise, just the writer's personal opinions on the quality of the books, which is what he has been paid to give. The author even refers to the movie series being "spectacularly updated".

Edited by Safari Suit, 16 July 2008 - 02:51 PM.

[Dr. Noah]

Is someone who gives an honest critique of a book or film now considerd a "hater"? (God how I loath that term) I see no disdain for the character or franchise, just the writer's personal opinions on the quality of the books, which is what he has been paid to give. The author even refers to the movie series being "spectacularly updated".

Sorry I'm not using cool original words like "ugh." You're very neat.

[Safari Suit]

You enjoy agruing, don't you? Or getting a rise out of people, waiting for a response and then using it to get a rise out of them anyway.

[Dr. Noah]

You enjoy agruing, don't you? Or getting a rise out of people, waiting for a response and then using it to get a rise out of them anyway.

LOL

You argue that calling Fleming a bad writer isn't hating, and I like to argue?

[Safari Suit]

I quite agree; 27 a day and no more!

[Dr. Noah]

(Ugh.)