57 replies to this topic

[Smitty]

I know we're all bracing ourselves for the first lot of gossip coming from the new film but does anyone know anymore news about the new book. I 'm a HUGE Benson fan and can't wait till May '02!
We know the title, who the villian is, the reappearance of Tiger, and the main country, but does anyone know of any other locales, and who the Bond Girl might be. In Bensons novels every second Girl has been an agent (Niki in T.F.O.D. & the Taunt twins of DoubShot) so I'm guessing she maybe an agent in this one. (Russian?)
I'm also guessing Russia maybe involved somehow ( in N.D.O.D. Yoshida talks about some Islands once belonging to Japan but are now Russian) - could this be a sub-plot? Again this is something Benson has used before (no I'm NOT saying that's bad!) in evry second novel ( war b/twn N.& Sth Cyprus in TFOD & Gibralter in D.)
Please, if anyone knows anything, (or cares!) let me know :-)

[Mister Asterix]

mccartney007 (10 Apr, 2002 05:04 a.m.):

General Koskov (10 Apr, 2002 12:07 a.m.):
Does Benson write more 'Flemingish' in this book? He hasn't in all his others, so I wouldn't expect it, but it would make [TMWTRT] all the more appealing!

I think most Bond fans would feel insulted/alienated if Raymond tried to write like Fleming.

I would agree. A post-fleming Bond Author's writing should be influenced by Fleming but the author should not try to immitate him.

[RossMan]

Think there's any chance amazon'll ship the US edition before the official release date?

[Blue Eyes]

Well I'm about half way through the book and I must say I'm really loving it. No complaints from me. Here and there I've thought things like "strange" but their insignificant things.

It's a good story. I can't really talk about it, spoilers and all that. But you can neatly see it all coming together. Because at the start it's not all related.

What's the best comparison I can give? Who has scene 'Snatch' by Guy Ritchie? None of the characters are related in anyway, but by the end of the film they've all crossed paths.

[Jim]

Bullet Tooth Tony does not cross paths with Brick Top. Neither does Boris the Blade.

Hmm.

I am waiting for The Man with the Red Tattoo with an open mind. Honest.

p.s. chappie what done played Boris the Blade was also the victim of the chemical weapon at the sart of Mission: Impossible 2. From what I understand (which may be chaotically misguided), that is not entirely unrelated to TMWTRT

[RossMan]

I'm geting very interested. Sounds like it'll be more of a mystery like ZMT or DS rather than the action packed ones like NDOD or TFOD.

[scaramanga]

RossMan (02 Apr, 2002 01:12 a.m.):
I can't beleive that we're already only two months away from the release of TMWTRT.

[gloat]Well, for those of us in the UK, it's only one month to wait. [/gloat]

[RossMan]

I looked at amazon.co.uk and it looks like this book'll be 320 pages, that would make it Benson's longest yet. I'm glad to see that, I though his previous books have been rather short, excluding ZMT and NDOD, they're around 250 pages. I know it's picky but I like to get my moneys worth when I pluck down twenty some dollars for a book.

I still don't know how I feel about that title, The Man with The RedTattoo. It'll end up taking up the entire cover!

[zencat]

RossMan (30 Dec, 2001 08:06 p.m.):
I looked at amazon.co.uk and it looks like this book'll be 320 pages, that would make it Benson's longest yet. I'm glad to see that, I though his previous books have been rather short, excluding ZMT and NDOD, they're around 250 pages. I know it's picky but I like to get my moneys worth when I pluck down twenty some dollars for a book.

I wouldn't put too much stock in these pre-order descriptions, RossMan. Seems to me I remember some of the other Benson books listing at 320 pages, only to discover they were much shorter when released.

[Blue Eyes]

Thanks for the notification guys, I just added the news to the main page

[Jacques Nexus]

Mr*'s theories sound marvelous to me. I recall a Western Australian author wote a novel about the old Japanese bio weapons experiments called "Frozen Secrets". Never read it but it reinforces Mr*'s theories. At the risk of seeming negative, this stuff about a bio-terror attack sounds very reminiscent of Fleming's OHMSS (Anthrax etc attack on the UK) and not to mention Benson's TFOD (Hera Volopolos's subplot to unleash a new disease on the world). Anyway...that doesn't worry me and I'll be looking forward to it, as Benson's plots are excellent.

[Jacques Nexus]

daman3755 (24 Dec, 2001 11:25 p.m.):
4) the main villian is from the Union (that Japanese guy, can't recall his name offhand, but he is the "man with the red tattoo" - his tattoos are that of the Yakuza)

Excellent...just as I thought. Those Yakuza guys have very large elaborate tattoos over most of their bodies. The book cover should be very interesting. I'm hoping we get a Japanese Yakuza heroine (not sure they exist)...with those tattoos, she'll be incredible !!.

[Jacques Nexus]

daman3755 (24 Dec, 2001 11:25 p.m.):
1) The main action is a bio-terrorism attack

In CBN's interview with Benson, he let slip that there will be a meeting of all the 00's. As soon as I read that, I knew something BIG was going to happen. Marvellous...hopefully this meeting will give us fans some insight into the 00 Section and it's other operatives.

[RossMan]

[b]scaramanga (03 Apr, 2002
[gloat]Well, for those of us in the UK, it's only one month to wait. [/gloat]

Bloody Brits.

[zencat]

I hadn't heard about this. Cool!

[Blue Eyes]

20. by Jacques Nexus
In ZER0 MINUS TEN you introduced the concept of SINGLE-0 agents. Will that come back again one day ?

Probably. If the story requires it. There is a scene in the next book at MI6 where I mention a meeting attended by Double-O agents as well as lower level agents.

God I feel so stupid now. There it is, a major chunk of information. We did nothing with it!

[RossMan]

Jacques Nexus (01 Jan, 2002 12:13 p.m.):
In CBN's interview with Benson, he let slip that there will be a meeting of all the 00's. As soon as I read that, I knew something BIG was going to happen. Marvellous...hopefully this meeting will give us fans some insight into the 00 Section and it's other operatives.

I wonder if we'll see the return of 001 from Doubleshot or those two single oh people from the beginning of ZMT.(Can't recall their names right now)

[Blue Eyes]

I would like to seem them both as well. I'd love to know more about the Single-O section. And I'd like to see 001 at least acknowldged for old times sake.

[scaramanga]

Well, I finally cracked and pre-ordered it last night. Only just under 3 more nail-biting weeks left and by then Blue Eyes and zencat will have read it 3 times over!

[Blue Eyes]

I'm hoping to get my hands on a copy of the The Man With The Red Tattoo very soon! So fingers crossed for me. I don't know that I'll get a review online straight away, as I may leave it depending on what will bring Raymond more publicity for the novel.

[RossMan]

The 00's, other than Bond, are not used too much in the novels, by any author where in the movies they're frequently in there. I'm very interested in all the other 00s.

So far I really like what I'm hearing about TMWTRT.

[zencat]

RossMan (05 Apr, 2002 11:50 p.m.):
I thought that the UK edition didn't come out until May.

BTW, You have no idea how jealous I am, zencat.

Now I'm jelous of you, RossMan. You still have a James Bond book to look forward to. I have to settle in for the long wait for the next.

(It was awsome, by the way.)

[RossMan]

zencat (12 Apr, 2002 06:48 p.m.):
Now I'm jelous of you, RossMan. You still have a James Bond book to look forward to. I have to settle in for the long wait for the next.  

Hadn't looked it at like that but I still can't wait for it to arrive, it's so frustrating.

I may re-read NDOD soon to get my mind set for Red Tattoo.

[scaramanga]

RossMan (03 Apr, 2002 01:23 a.m.):

[b]scaramanga (03 Apr, 2002
[gloat]Well, for those of us in the UK, it's only one month to wait. [/gloat]

Bloody Brits.

LOL! Sorry about the gloating.

[zencat]

Should be getting my copy any day now. VERY excited.

[Smitty]

Got my copy yesterday morning Daniel-san & finished it already. All I'm gonna say is there's some similarities between it and a certain film, but a great story and good characterization.

[RossMan]

I was thinking of ordering the UK edition a while back just because I'd get it a month earlier but I said, ah, what' an extra month, besides I've the US editions of the others.

I feel like I'm going to be the only one here who hasn't read it yet come May.

[General Koskov]

This plot summery just appeared on the Amazon.co.uk order page for RED TATTOO:
'With an emergency G7 summit meeting just days away, it's a race against time as James Bond confronts both man and nature in a desperate bid to stop the release of a deadly virus that could destroy the Western world.'

Is the G7 summit in Alberta or Japan? ???

[RossMan]

I can't beleive that we're already only two months away from the release of TMWTRT. It doesn't feel like it was that long ago at all when NDOD came out. (I'm gonna have to give it a re-read soon).

[daman3755]

Welcome back to me. I used to be JReber007, but I lost my password...oy...

Anyway, I could ask Ray Benson that, about your theories I mean, Smitty. I've been interviewing him via email for this newspaper I write for. If you'd like, I could send him what you said and ask him if he has any comments. How does that sound?

~Jerrold