60 replies to this topic

[Athena007]

The Raymond Benson CBn Interviews seems to have struck a cord in our Jacques Stewart who has now decided to bring us a series of reviews on Benson

[Qwerty]

Well as different as it may be for Jim to be reading Benson, I loved this review. Very nicely done Jim.

I agree with you on the point about the villain in Guy Thackeray. Seems to putter around in the book, but never really stands out as a complete enemy. I think you're dead on when saying he is a modern day Jack Spang. A villain, yes, but hardly a memorable one.

I find this book on the whole to be one of Benson's lesser ones when I compare it to his other books and novelizations. An intriuging plot, but with characters that do not always come up on top.

A very interesting way of reviewing, as comparing it to film or literary Bond, I look forward to The Facts Of Death.

[zencat]

Great work here, Jim. A very well thought out, balanced review. I look forward to your continuing look at the Benson novels.

[Harmsway]

Jim - in response to your "Is it meant to continue Fleming?" I'd say no. It's the EON films. But you say that depending on Fleming invites comparison - well the movies are allowed to depend on Fleming as much as they like too, and if a film had been created with a ton of Fleming references I wouldn't have batted an eye. Just my thoughts.

But a terrific article. I agree with pretty much every point you make in regards to Zero Minus Ten (and I was surprised to learn that you came to Bond through the books! That's a really cool perspective to have, especially since it contrasts with the majority of the members on these boards).

[Johnboy007]

Definitely a thought provoking article. I have always seen the Benson books to mirror the EON films.

Excellent article.

[marktmurphy]

Nice review- some very good points indeed, most of which I hadn't thought about before.

Talking about the 'tacked-on' nature of the mah-jong game has reminded me of its major irritating factor to me. Namely that at this point in the plot we are not supposed to be aware who the villain is. And then James has a long drawn out 'dangerous' game, like he always does with the villain. And he plays it with Thackeray. Are we supposed to be stupid or what? I wonder who the villain could be....?
Slightly less mind numbing than the sequence in which Thackeray 'dies', filled as it is with Benson's lack of detail which then suddenly and glaringly reverses itself when Benson tries to casually toss in an important event- 'Thackeray's car WENT BEHIND A LORRY FOR A SECOND before it exploded. Did I mention he was a MAGICIAN? You know- he CAN MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THINGS DISAPPEAR.' Unfortunately the identity of the villain is not revealed through the plot -it's acceptable if you can figure it out from clues given- but through the sheer ineptness of the writer.

[Loomis]

Many of Jim's criticisms of "Zero Minus Ten" are valid (such as: buttock-clenchingly embarrassing references to Fleming minutiae; a paper-thin villain; and the book's "cinematic" qualities [mind you, the fact that ZMT is "filmic" is, IMO, one of its chief strengths, rather than a weakness]).... but, for me, those "flaws" are far more damaging to the truly horrible "High Time to Kill" than they are to ZMT.

Take, for instance, the action scenes. They're more or less all within the bounds of believability (the opening parachute jump included), and certainly no more ludicrous than some of the derring-do Fleming had Bond get up to. Compare and contrast the thrills and spills of ZMT to those of HTTK, which lost my interest with that awful, awful, awful, brain-dead and infantile car chase with the flying "scout" (which even Purvis and Wade would have rejected as too childish).

Given the subject matter (Hong Kong and its Handover) and the skill with which Benson treats it, I consider ZMT one of the most thought-provoking and poignant Bond novels (the Flemings included). Certainly, there's more of interest plot- and character-wise than is to be found in Gardner's debut, "Licence Renewed", which coincidentally enough also deals with a scheme to create nuclear carnage. More of the spirit of Fleming, too (and, no, I'm not just referring to the in-jokes).

I posted the following the other day on the thread about rating the Bensons:

I voted for "Zero Minus Ten". Benson's research into and descriptions of Hong Kong and southern China are genuinely impressive. I've read the book twice, and the only false note I could find was the misspelling of a street name, or something like that; otherwise, the history, the culture, the ambiance, the political mood(s) around the time of the Handover.... well, it's all there. A bit of a cliche, this, but Benson succeeds spectacularly in making Hong Kong into a character, and a character to care about.... to the point where the novel's closing lines pack a tremendous emotional wallop.

Bond's journey into the People's Republic on the Kowloon-Guangzhou Express ("Day Trip to China") is a wonderful piece of Flemingian travelogue, conjuring not only the excitement of "the exotic", but displaying a terrific eye for authentic detail. The subsequent chapter, "Agony and Anger", contains a horrifying torture sequence worthy of Fleming (or Amis.... or Lindsay Anderson's IF....):

Bond turned his head to the left and spat, 'Please ... sir. May ... I have ... another, you ... bloody ... bastard ...?'

Apart from which verisimilitude and unpleasantness, ZMT is a rollicking good yarn (and extremely filmic). The Bond girl, Sunni, is a far more developed and interesting character than may be apparent on first reading, while there's a surprising amount of humour (that works pretty well).

Is it a perfect book? No, not at all. There's a lot of what can only be described as "very sloppy writing" (I'm talking about a lack of elegant prose, and the occasional true howler in the use of the English language; Benson's research, as stated above, is spot-on, while characterisation is, generally speaking, good, and the story is more than sufficiently interesting and well-told to keep one turning the pages). If there weren't so many good things about ZMT, I wouldn't care - but there are, and those good things make me wish that Benson had had a better editor, more time to hone and polish his manuscript, etc. It's something I feel all the time when reading Benson. He has imagination and talent, but, bluntly, needed more help while writing the Bonds than he evidently received.

All in all, though, perhaps the second best continuation novel I've read (after "Colonel Sun"). My vote for second finest Benson goes to "The Man With the Red Tattoo", with "Never Dream of Dying" in third place, although I've yet to read "The Facts of Death" and "Doubleshot".

[marktmurphy]

For what it's worth I think moving the book series towards the films is a very sensible idea- after all, people who approach these books are more likely to enjoy Bond because of the films and want more of the same. Fleming fans like Fleming and still have Fleming to read, Bond fans want Bond (usually of the films) and it doesn't matter who writes him. So give a few 'kisses' to the Fleming past, but make sure it pleases film Bond fans, because that's who'll be reading it.
Benson and his bosses nearly got it right, but unfortunately Benson rarely shows the imagination or wit that the film producers do. Compare the ideas behind any of his action sequences to one from (even the Brosnan) the films and he'll come off worse. The film action always has a clever twist upon the theme, Benson's read as if he has stolen them from whichever TV movie was on channel 5 at the time. Although his fight scenes are very good, far better than Gardner's.

[Double-Oh-Zero]

Good stuff all round, Jim. It's funny how you should mention the Triad ceremony and the majong game being sort of "shoved in" without any real purpose or coherence, because those are the two parts of the book I least remember. Come to think of it, I remember almost none of the novel itself. Hell, I even forgot about the Albino brothers until you mentioned them in your review. (Mind you, I think I read it about 4 or 5 years ago. I might re-read it this summer.)

For the most part, I completely agree with you on ZMT. Great potential for a film, even though it is dated. I also got kind of confused with the references to the other authors and the films. To me, it seemed like Benson was trying to establish to the fans reading that he knows his Bond, and he can do a good job if you give him a chance.

So, can we expect reviews of the Benson short stories, as well? Or possibly the Brosnan films and LTK? Regarding your least favourite subjects related to Bond, it sounds to me like you're in your "transitional phase" right now.

[Loomis]

BTW, Jim, nice timing, given that today is the seventh anniversary of the Handover.

Keep a finger on the pulse at http://news.bbc.co.u...fic/3853723.stm.

[Jim]

BTW, Jim, nice timing, given that today is the seventh anniversary of the Handover.

Keep a finger on the pulse at http://news.bbc.co.u...fic/3853723.stm.

I wondered if anyone would spot that...

[Genrewriter]

Great article, Jim. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[Donovan]

Wow, a great and thorough review.

I'd like to address what I believe to be a key point in any creative person's abilities, whether it be acting or writing. In spite of the fact that both acting and fiction writing are venues for make-believe, one cannot escape their own life's experiences and backgrounds when they create something. You bring a part of yourself into this fictional world.

In the case of Fleming vs. Benson, so-to-speak, on one hand you have a member of British high society who was in World War II, worked with early versions of the secret service, enjoyed living without regard to mortal risks, and was a journalist where he learned to be descriptive and keep the story moving. One the other hand, there is an American who grew up during the Cold War, was influenced by Fleming and his creation, enjoys classic rock music, has been involved with many aspects of theater over the years, and is a down-to-Earth family guy.

I bring this up because whatever Fleming did came naturally. Although you can tell when his heart wasn't in a project, you can't deny it still contains a certain quality that is a big part of Bond's success. Benson's heart was in the right place, and he gave 1000%, and he had more cooks in the kitchen than Fleming ever had to worry about. But I think it was still an effort for him to create his novels. The films were something of an influence, particularly when it came to juvenille sexual innuendos, which an actor can say with a twinkle in his eye, but a writer cannot deliver. (Sexually-speaking, Fleming used to write some outlandish stuff. His various rape-references are a bit scary like Kerim Bey; Bond in TSWLM). Another film aspect Benson had to deal with was Bond as this glittering sophisticated iconic secret agent. It's unescapable in modern Bond.

So, I mean, Benson cannot escape comparisons to Fleming, which is both fair and unfair. But that's the way it goes.

[Napoleon Solo]

The article brought up several interesting points. I particularly liked the analysis of viewing the novels as if they were novelizations of yet-to-be made movies.

[deth]

I'm printing this now...... gonna read it in bed tonight...... I'll get back with my thoughts tomorrow.....

[Bond_Bishop]

Tomorrow Never Dies
High Time to Kill
Doubleshot
Never Dream of Dying
Die Another Day

[Wrong FORUM!!!!! move it to rate Benson's novles please]

Edited by Bond_Bishop, 03 July 2004 - 07:37 PM.

[deth]

approx. when will the next review be completed?






I enjoyed this review, and I really have to agree with everything that was said in it. However, I felt that perhaps you should have kept the "strengths" section to only strengths...... and not used have of it pointing out flaws..... which should be kept in the "weaknesses" section.


.....I'm a bit picky......

[eamonh]

Please note, I discuss the major spoilers of the novel rather frequently in this post, but if you've clicked on this thread and bothering to read my overdone reply, it's safely assumed you've read the book!

I liked the review on the whole - in responding to the review, as with some of the books in general, we have a tendency to play up what we think are the faults and not sing the praises of what we like the most. Overall, I don't understand much of the Benson bashing that goes on one bit - even at his most 'unconventional' with the Bond character, I still enjoy him.

Much keeps getting made of ZMT being a 'movie' book - with the general pacing and structure and such. I was a bit superficial with this, considering that the period of the book would date the story too much. If anything, I thought the Hong Kong handover was too good an oppurtunity to pass up, as well as a good excuse to bring Bond to China. And if you can't escape the movies, it still makes for a nice lead in to Tomorrow Never Dies.

In questioning the style, there's a lot of criticism about the padding with events such as the Mahjong game and restaurants. Benson aid himself that 'I'm not Fleming and I never will be.' The irony is, the Mahjong scene is what I find to be the most Fleming-esque of the entire book. It's a battle of wits, and even if you don't understand the rules enough for it to be totally comprehensible, it still stands against some of the card games Fleming threw into his books - his battle against Drax, for example (minus the ecstacy in his drink...) Likewise, things such as the Triad induction seems to drag out, but again, we're getting this kind of attention to detail that the author thinks is important that Fleming lavished on us. If I want a concise analysis of a Laser Guided Bomb or some other technical artifact, I'll go to straight to Clancy and not collect 200 rupees, but if it's style, I'm willing to slog through something like a literary card game.


Jacque's Stewart does make mention of the story 'wandering off' with the descriptions, throwing events in for the sake and not staying on track (I apologise if that was not the intended arguement). I agree to an extent - I think it loses sight after the 'death' of Thackery. I also find it slightly frustrating that a massive chase ensues after the 'assassin', all for little real benefit, but that could just be my short attention span cheating me.

The Australia sidestep however does make me worry - in keeping with Jacques' arguement, this is the part of the story that I feel was added 'because he was in the general neighborhood'. Being an Australian myself, it pains me to say that his trip out here is a mixed bag. The fact that Bond is stuck out here frustrates me - which is the intended effect, Bond has limited time to reach Hong Kong with the knowledge that he has - but it's also out of place. Not just with the environment, but with the general tone of the book. We've been in this mess of Sovreignty, Corporate manuevering, the Triad, Drug Trafficking, and Corruption, only now to discover the book is about a nuclear weapon. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

The other plot point - indeed, something I was surprised wasn't really covered in Jacques' analysis - was General Wong. Benson delivers a fantastic premise for a plot - Chinese General grows heroin, the Triad transports it, and Eurasia ships it. General Wong's role in the book was particularly important, but it was a shame he came in fairly late and made a hasty departure - he could have warranted more, if need be. Bond in China too is a good premise, the problem is, there's only so much a gweilo when he can't fit in.

Li Xu Nan, I thought, was also a fantastic character, and a very, very important one for Benson. Strip away the location, nationality, and circumstances, and it's Benson's impression of the relationship between Bond and Draco from OHMSS. In the Benson interviews (what a goldmine!), he makes clear mention of his 'dislike' for Draco - as a person - in that he is a crook, with little in the way of redeeming qualities, and any other day, he and Bond would be enemies. Li is basically Draco - but instead of the Corsican Mafia, it's the Hong Kong Triad, and instead of a daughter, it's a 200 year old document. The material and impersonal nature of the document means that he can have Bond say what he really thinks of him.

I've really, really, prattled on at length here. All in all, I liked Zero Minus Ten, it was a good first outing, and while it could have been capable of more in terms of action and development of ideas, it was a good blend of Fleming, the Movies, and Benson's own style - the biggest problem is that you're not always going to please all three parties, but he manages a good compromise. I don't know if I'd call it my favourite Benson - there's a lot of good and bad in the other books, so it's a question of what I'm in the mood for, really - but ZMT is a good opening innings.

[Athena007]

NEW REVIEW...

Check out CBn's Main Page Story: Part 2 of The Impossible Job: The Facts of Death

[Qwerty]

Up to discussion on The Girl. Splendid work, once more Jim.

[Genrewriter]

Excellent job, Jim. I agree with the Stefan Tempo issue. I did an adaptation of the novel just for fun and posted a summary of about two thirds of it last year. I might finish it off just to be done with the whole thing.

[Simon]

You've certainly done your work here fella.

Very very interesting.

[Double-Oh-Zero]

[quote]Stefan Tempo. If it

[Mister Asterix]

Brilliant constuctive critisism there, Jim.

[Harmsway]

Pretty solid analysis there, Jim. Keep up the good work.

[Trident]

Excellent work Jim!

And you brought up what always struck me as odd about TFOD: Bond visiting Leiter for the first time at home in Texas and not a single mention of Cedar Leiter. OK, Benson obviously hated the character (and so did I!). But why did he mention the Bismaquer mission at all? Isn't it a completely stupid thing to mention the mission and thus claiming it as having been happened in Bensons Bond-cosmos and with the same move omitting one of the main characters (though not a memorable one, I must say) of the adventure?

I also was constantly irritated by Benson mixing film-Bond and literature-Bond. Such as when he stated, Bond bought the Aston Martin DB 5 minus the "extras" from Q-branch. (Sorry, that was in another book, i suppose.)

The Jaguar XK 8 is really a very classy car but with by far too much gimmikry stuffed into the bodywork. The whole car-chase felt like science-fiction or a kind of PC-game. Not very convincing in a novel-Bond at any rate. But it might have made for a magnificent movie. I myself prefer Gardners car-chases in LR; FSS and IB. Although the Saab was itself equipped with the (then state-of-the-art) kind of defence/attack gear, it never came across as such a over-the-top-superhero vehicle the XK 8 does.

[Jim]

Ummm... despite what the CBn title page says/said, due to colossal technological ineptitude on my part (that's really reassuring, innit?) the third part has been momentarily lost.

"Better off lost" many would say. Including, I fear, Mr Benson. Theoretically - I'm not for a moment advocating that he reads this rubbish, or should.

[spynovelfan]

[quote name='Athena007' date='1 July 2004 - 04:04']The Raymond Benson CBn Interviews seems to have struck a cord in our Jacques Stewart who has now decided to bring us a series of reviews on Benson

[Qwerty]

Working fine for me, try clicking on them from the first post again.

And they're naturally in the Benson Literary 007 section on the main page.

[spynovelfan]

Odd - works for me now, too. Thanks.