54 replies to this topic

[B007GLE]

Thanks Qwerty, maybe I'm not out of my gourd.

[zencat]

Le Gerant is seen only in shadow by his leutenants throughout the book I believe. Bond's secretary (was it Leolia Ponsonby or a successor?) goes missing. Wouldn't it have been a mind blower if at the end we find out the secretary was not used by the Union but was the Union... that she was Le Gerant?

Not a bad idea at all.

[B007GLE]

Thanks Zen I appreciate it.

I love these discussions of What If? and "wouldn't it have been better if..."

[B007GLE]

I have one question: What is a "High Time to Kill"?

[zencat]

A not-so-great title. Benson wanted to call it "A Better Way To Die" which I think is a much better title. But to quote John Gardner... "The title thing has become a nightmare."

[Qwerty]

A not-so-great title. Benson wanted to call it "A Better Way To Die" which I think is a much better title. But to quote John Gardner... "The title thing has become a nightmare."

That's an understatement!

Some of his titles were just plain horror!!

[Loomis]

A not-so-great title. Benson wanted to call it "A Better Way To Die" which I think is a much better title.

Hmmm.... not bad, but a little silly-sounding - a better way than what?

[clinkeroo]

While I'm here let me throw out an idea I had while reading the book which I thihk would have made it better:

Le Gerant is seen only in shadow by his leutenants throughout the book I believe. Bond's secretary (was it Leolia Ponsonby or a successor?) goes missing. Wouldn't it have been a mind blower if at the end we find out the secretary was not used by the Union but was the Union... that she was Le Gerant?

OK, BIG TIME SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ For Special Services. I'M STILL FIGHTING WITH THIS TEXT COLOR THINGIE, HOPEFULLY THE SPOILER WILL APPEAR IN BLACK TEXT BELOW:


John Gardner already did this in FSS when the relatively secondary character of Nena is found to be Blofeld's daughter and running the reformed SPECTRE. Many of the anti-Bensonites would have eaten him alive if he'd used one of Gardner's tricks.

Edited by clinkeroo, 10 February 2004 - 04:05 AM.

[B007GLE]

Clinkeroo,

I disagree. I think having it be someone so close to Bond would have made it and the subsequent books, more interesting. Of course Gardner was really big on the double agent thing. It got so that you wondered how Bond could trust anyone.

I think my suggestion is different enough from FSS to make it work. Then again nobody asked me to write a Bond novel so they may know better than I.

On another note re this book: I think "A Better Way To Die" was a beter title, just like "Reflections in a Broken Glass" is better than "Doubleshot". All the subsequent Bond titles really made me appreciate Fleming's gift for titles.

[clinkeroo]

For as much as I love High Time To Kill, I do find the very end of the book too much of a cliche. I also never liked the character of Le Gerant that much after he came out of the shadows (one of the few things I disagree with Zencat on is his love of Never Dream Of Dying). So, I do agree that something could have, should have, been done to make the post-climatic ending more memorable, I'm just not sure what.

I agree about the titles. Glidrose/IFP never seems to get it; let the friggin' authors title their own novels.

[Johnboy007]

I am going to start on this book tonight

[zencat]

[Qwerty]

You're in for a pretty good treat John, my views always change on it, but I've grown to like it alot. It seems to really flounder around in lots of action, you just need to get into it.

I hope you enjoy it!!

[Triton]

I liked this book a lot, but I always thought of it as James Bond meets Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. If the Everest tragedy hadn't occurred, I don't believe that Raymond Benson would have written a novel featuring mountain climbing.

I seem to remember that Benson had announced that his next book after The Facts of Death was going to be set in New Zealand. I wonder what happened to that story idea? Perhaps Dr. Hope Kendall was taken from this undeveloped story idea?

As for titles, I don't think that Benon's rejected No Tears for Hong Kong is really any better than Zero Minus Ten or A Better Way to Die is really any better than High Time to Kill.

Although I really like John Gardner's rejected title Blondes Prefer Gentlemen because it seems so Fleming-esque and in the same vein as Live and Let Die or Diamonds Are Forever.

[B007GLE]

The title thing is always interesting (esxpecially now that the films have abandoned the FLeming titles).

"Zero Minus Ten" is much better than "No Tears For Hong Kong"

"The Facts Of Death" really has that Fleming turn of phrase thing down. I think "BLondes Prefer Gentlemen" gentle is a good title with a good turn of phrase but there is no menace to it.

My two favorite titles that FLeming thought of using but decided against are "Hell is Here" and "The Undertaker's Wind"

[1q2w3e4r]

I think it's a capable book. Certianlly in my opinion his best effort in writing a book... Continiously, It's interesting, the golf game screams of Fleming. But that could be because it feels like the few chapters Fleming wrote in Golfinger... Sorry Goldfinger.

With exception of the "pre sequence" in Zero Minus Ten it's definatly his best piece. Much better than Gardner's cause at least the story and plot are coherant.

[1q2w3e4r]

My two favorite titles that FLeming thought of using but decided against are "Hell is Here" and "The Undertaker's Wind"

Fleming actually uses "Hell is here" in Moonraker.

Bond is driving his Bentley and stops by the road shocked by the sign only to find it actually reads "Summer Shell is here."

Thought it was interesting.

[B007GLE]

1q2w3...

I love that scene in MR. I think it would work perfectly in a movie. Maybe someday....

[zencat]

1q2w3...

I love that scene in MR. I think it would work perfectly in a movie. Maybe someday....

I also love that bemoment in Moonraker. They sort of ripped it off in Batman Returns. When what's her name transforms into catwoman and rips apart her apartment, a smashed neon sign spells out "Hell Here"

[Qwerty]

Oh yes, I love that movie Zen! Listen to the music in that scene, it's excellent!

The sign was originally "Hello there' or something, I think.

[dajman_007]

Great novel. I would read it again if I didn't hate reading. Bond is the only suspence that can keep me in a book, except when I've already read it.

How do you guys do it?

[Qwerty]

I love reading, but reading James Bond is an even better treat!

[B007GLE]

I love reading and the lack of an un-read Bond novel is killing me. Though I enjoyed LALD and MR as much on my re-read. Granted I read each of them for the 1st time at least 15 years ago so I had forgotten quite a bit.

I had totally forgotten that "Hell HERE" moment in Batman Returns. What a ripoff in an other wise very enjoyable movie.

Even though it was done thereI'd like to see it in a Bond film.

[General Koskov]

I think the Hell is Here--and, in fact, the whole foreshadowing in Moonraker--is fantastic.

It deserved a place in one of the films. Octopussy seems to be a good one.

[B007GLE]

I agree General.

While Purvis and Wade were turning Moonraker into DAD they should used that element of it and DAD could now be HIH.