The 'Looking Back at Raymond Benson' Series
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The 'Looking Back at Raymond Benson' Series
Started by
Qwerty
, Jul 01 2007 04:33 AM
3 replies to this topic
#1
Qwerty
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Posted 01 July 2007 - 04:33 AM
#2
Qwerty
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Posted 19 September 2008 - 05:32 AM
Updated with the three short stories.
#3
Harry Fawkes
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Posted 18 January 2009 - 09:24 AM
Killing off Bond's son in Blast from the Past and putting Bond up against Draco in Never dream of Dying was what turned me off Raymond Benson, big time.
I remember thinking to myself, on both occasions: 'What bloody right has he got to turn Ian Fleming's world upside down like that and leave me, the reader, stone cold and shocked?! Somethings are sacred. Why go for such cheap shock tactics? He could have built upon those characters in a more interesting way than just simply killing one off and turning the other into a deranged revenge seeking sicko.'
Well, he lost my respect as a Bond fan for those two fouls (so to speak) which is the reason why I hold John Gardner as the best Bond writer since Fleming.
Harry
I remember thinking to myself, on both occasions: 'What bloody right has he got to turn Ian Fleming's world upside down like that and leave me, the reader, stone cold and shocked?! Somethings are sacred. Why go for such cheap shock tactics? He could have built upon those characters in a more interesting way than just simply killing one off and turning the other into a deranged revenge seeking sicko.'
Well, he lost my respect as a Bond fan for those two fouls (so to speak) which is the reason why I hold John Gardner as the best Bond writer since Fleming.
Harry
#4
eddychaput
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Posted 04 February 2009 - 01:14 AM
I had a couple of hours in the afternoon and I went to my local library. Out of pure instinct I did a search for some Raymond Benson material, of which I had never read. It turned out they had a copy of Doubleshot. I snatched it from the shelf, found a chair and began to read it.
I have to say, I find his use of the English language very pedestrian, and believe me, I'm no English language major or anything of the sort. I had this feeling, which I couldn't fight the more I read, that Benson had written the book for 12-14 year olds. Readers that may be mature enough for some violence, but so long as it's delivered in fairly bland language. Compared to Fleming, I thought it pailed tremendously.
The story is alright though. There is a mystery that had me hooked, although by around page 140 or so I had it figured out. Still, I really didn't like the very flat manner in which it was written.
I have to say, I find his use of the English language very pedestrian, and believe me, I'm no English language major or anything of the sort. I had this feeling, which I couldn't fight the more I read, that Benson had written the book for 12-14 year olds. Readers that may be mature enough for some violence, but so long as it's delivered in fairly bland language. Compared to Fleming, I thought it pailed tremendously.
The story is alright though. There is a mystery that had me hooked, although by around page 140 or so I had it figured out. Still, I really didn't like the very flat manner in which it was written.