16 replies to this topic

[zencat]

SPLIT FROM THE FACTS OF DEATH: BEST BENSON NOVEL?
Sorry I messed up the split, Loomis. I meant to start this thread with your post, not my answer to your post. You are the rightful "thread starter" here, but I don't think I can correct the mistake. Sorry.

Originally posted by Loomis
zencat and clinkeroo, I'm interested in reading more about why you hold "High Time to Kill" in such high esteem.  

What, exactly, is so good about it? The characters? Benson's handling of Bond? The plot? The action? The locations? The surprise move of setting half a Bond novel halfway up a mountain? The writing style? What really sets it apart from Wood, Gardner, and Benson's other works? Is it simply that it just happens for some reason or another to float your boat and strike a chord with you?

While I dislike the book, I'm not about to rail against your opinions, or trying to set a trap for you. I'm not interested in arguing the "cons" of HTTK, since I've done so on other threads - right now, I'd just like to know about its "pros". Both of you are writers who are exceptionally well-versed in the literary Bond of all eras, so I'm aware that you more than "know your stuff"; in addition, I respect your opinions very much, and so I'd like to read more of your views on HTTK. Perhaps they'd help me to see the book in a more positive light.

I want to give you a good answer, Loomis...but let me come back to you. I gotta get my mind back into real-world mode today.

[Loomis]

Originally posted by zencat

let me come back to you.  

No hurry whatsoever.

[clinkeroo]

Loomis,
I'm trapped at work right now, and as such, am incapable of using my brain in a constructive manner . Not trying to cop out, I'll just have to beg off until this evening.

[Loomis]

Originally posted by clinkeroo

I'll just have to beg off until this evening.  

Again, no hurry whatsoever.

[MrDraco]

(look at watch)
(walks away)

[clinkeroo]

Well...Maybe Zencat and I are going by Alaskan evenings.

[clinkeroo]

MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING IF YOU HAVEN'T READ HIGH TIME TO KILL

Originally posted by Loomis

What, exactly, is so good about it? The characters? Benson's handling of Bond? The plot? The action? The locations? The surprise move of setting half a Bond novel halfway up a mountain? The writing style? What really sets it apart from Wood, Gardner, and Benson's other works? Is it simply that it just happens for some reason or another to float your boat and strike a chord with you?

Many of these reasons, and a few others. I won't attempt a full-blown review, which would take a re-reading, so I'm just going to go by my initial impressions and a few details from the second reading I gave it about a year ago. So I'll probably jump around a bit as things come to me.
The main point I enjoyed was the mountain. One thing that disturbs me about many of the continuation novels (and also the films) is that they attempt to expand upon Fleming's character by making Bond into a modern Renaissance Man who is a master and expert in all fields rather than the blunt instrument many of us came to love in IF's stories. Fleming's Bond certainly has his areas of expertise such as diving, gambling, skiing, and driving. For his work he has his language skills, his marksmanship, and his tenacity. In Fleming's books and stories, when Bond ventures beyond these fields, he is assisted by experts such as Tanaka (in Japan,) Kristatos (even though he ends up being a baddie,) Leiter (in the US,) or Snowman (at Sotheby's). In these situations, Fleming usually had Bond sit back and learn, and then apply his own unique talents to these situations. Too often in the Gardner and Benson books, Bond ends up delivering lines to the "experts" that make it appear he knows their own subjects and cultures better than they do and the reader's suspension of disbelief flies out the window. Yes, I know, I'm digressing, but here's my first point:
Rather than turning Fleming's Bond into

[zencat]

Okay

[Loomis]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by clinkeroo

One thing that disturbs me about many of the continuation novels (and also the films) is that they attempt to expand upon Fleming's character by making Bond into a modern Renaissance Man who is a master and expert in all fields rather than the blunt instrument many of us came to love in IF's stories. Fleming's Bond certainly has his areas of expertise such as diving, gambling, skiing, and driving. For his work he has his language skills, his marksmanship, and his tenacity. In Fleming's books and stories, when Bond ventures beyond these fields, he is assisted by experts such as Tanaka (in Japan,) Kristatos (even though he ends up being a baddie,) Leiter (in the US,) or Snowman (at Sotheby's). In these situations, Fleming usually had Bond sit back and learn, and then apply his own unique talents to these situations. Too often in the Gardner and Benson books, Bond ends up delivering lines to the "experts" that make it appear he knows their own subjects and cultures better than they do and the reader's suspension of disbelief flies out the window. Yes, I know, I'm digressing, but here's my first point:
Rather than turning Fleming's Bond into

[zencat]

Thanks Loomis.

Anyone else have any thoughts re HTTK?

[MrDraco]

High Time To Kill, i remember when this book came out i was way to young to under stand the damn thing but read it anyway only knowing bond was on a mountain with bad guys LOL so stupid at a age of ignorance, then at i think 10...i did like it now at 15 almost 16 i read it and thought woah.. it had the On Her Majesty Secret Service style ending (Death of Bond's Secretary) and (tracys)....it was cool but i felt the whole moutain climbing thing kind of bores me, but it was execllent i'd say high time to kill was the most orginal James Bond novel scenes Man From Barborssa the reason i say that is, Barborssa took bond and put him in a scene we've never seen him before, the same with High Time To Kill...we only get pre-titles or endings with bond on a mountain or doing something in the wilderness...not since You Only Live Twice have we seen him using his skills to survive...
and the whole villain within the good guy element was great too.. Le'Gerant is awesome too (my fav of benson's villains)
..hell now i'm tempted to read it again but.. i'm reading For Special Services...SPECTREs BACK. haha

[zencat]

Cheers, MrDraco.

[MrDraco]

Thats what i'm talkin about with Benson boys and girls its either six one way or half a dozen the other way
hahaha, i gotta go home now...(at school and shouldn't be here )

[deth]

I just finished reading it for the first time about.... oh.... 20 minutes ago....

.....I think what I liked most about this was the surprise of discovering that Benson is actually a very capable author.


.....with the others, I felt he was simply trying to hard to make us understand how the "new M is different from the old M"........ which became rediculous after a while....

[MrDraco]

Yeah he did do alot of that, you gotta thank gardner for bringing her in the litarary series in Cold Fall, (idea coming from Goldeneye) brought the movies and the books togather...

[Qwerty]

It's odd, when I first read this one, I loved it and thought it to be his best. However, now I am unsure of what I really like the best of the Benson books.

[MrDraco]

Yeah i know with Benson you have to tip toe carefully... i like the fleming approach--> "Six one way half a dozen the other."