105 replies to this topic

[Dr. Noah]

Just received my replacement copy - it's a fourth edition! Amazing that it's in its fourth print run so soon.

Haven't you been reading here? It's a miserable failure! They must be so upset at IFP...

[zencat]

Wasn't the first print run something like 100,000? Someone on eBay said something about it being in its 4th and I doubted them. I was wrong. Amazing.

[[dark]]

Wasn't the first print run something like 100,000? Someone on eBay said something about it being in its 4th and I doubted them. I was wrong. Amazing.

Correct - 100,000.

And 250,000 in the U.S. Wonder how many of those have been shifted.

[spynovelfan]

Just received my replacement copy - it's a fourth edition! Amazing that it's in its fourth print run so soon.

Haven't you been reading here? It's a miserable failure! They must be so upset at IFP...

But nobody's said it's been a commercial failure, have they? Not liking the book is quite different from saying it's not sold well!

[Dr. Noah]

But nobody's said it's been a commercial failure, have they? Not liking the book is quite different from saying it's not sold well!

And you just conceded in the review thread that one opinion on this board doesn't mean much, and you posted that it's getting a 3 1/2 star reader average on Amazon, where it's been a bestseller for a month, breaking records. So where does that leave us?

[spynovelfan]

But nobody's said it's been a commercial failure, have they? Not liking the book is quite different from saying it's not sold well!

And you just conceded in the review thread that one opinion on this board doesn't mean much, and you posted that it's getting a 3 1/2 star reader average on Amazon, where it's been a bestseller for a month, breaking records. So where does that leave us?

I didn't say either of those things - that was Trident. Where it leaves us is that the book sold a lot of copies. But so do many books I think are terrible. The number of copies sold doesn't alter my own view of a work of art - does it yours?

[Dr. Noah]

I didn't say either of those things - that was Trident. Where it leaves us is that the book sold a lot of copies. But so do many books I think are terrible. The number of copies sold doesn't alter my own view of a work of art - does it yours?

God, I love talking to brilliant people who can explain to me why books I like and sell a lot of copies are terrible...

[spynovelfan]

I didn't say either of those things - that was Trident. Where it leaves us is that the book sold a lot of copies. But so do many books I think are terrible. The number of copies sold doesn't alter my own view of a work of art - does it yours?

God, I love talking to brilliant people who can explain to me why books I like and sell a lot of copies are terrible...

And I love talking to brilliant people who explain to me that because a book sold a lot of copies it must be good and if I didn't like it I'm an idiot.

The massive commercial success of Devil May Care does not change my opinion of its merits anymore than it changed my opinion of, for instance, The Da Vinci Code. Do you really believe that the more copies something sells, the better it must be?

[Trident]

I didn't say either of those things - that was Trident. Where it leaves us is that the book sold a lot of copies. But so do many books I think are terrible. The number of copies sold doesn't alter my own view of a work of art - does it yours?

God, I love talking to brilliant people who can explain to me why books I like and sell a lot of copies are terrible...

Well, Dr. Noah, I think this discussion has reached a state where it seems pretty pointless to try and convince the opposite member of one's own point of view. Nothing wrong if you are happy with DMC and love it. I'd just like to urge you to check out some of the stuff on CBn's fan-fiction department. There are some terribly fine stories to be found there and I have absolutely no doubt that you'll be pleasantly surprised. Please take a look at (only a few examples)


Mightier Than The Sword

Just Another Kill

To Whom It May Condemn

Perhaps, after reading these, it's a little bit easier for you to see what people who don't keep DMC in as high regard as you do miss in Faulks work and why we feel let down by it.

[Qwerty]

I didn't say either of those things - that was Trident. Where it leaves us is that the book sold a lot of copies. But so do many books I think are terrible. The number of copies sold doesn't alter my own view of a work of art - does it yours?

God, I love talking to brilliant people who can explain to me why books I like and sell a lot of copies are terrible...

Let's cool it down in here please.

[Dr. Noah]

[Moderator's Note: POST DELETED. Let's try to move on and not continue this needless argument.]

Edited by Qwerty, 06 July 2008 - 04:51 AM.

[Qwerty]

[Moderator's Note: Let's try to move on and not continue this needless argument.]

[Dr. Noah]

You mean talk about a Bond book's huge success without somebody posting outside of the review section that it's a failure because he didn't like it? I don't think it's possible.

[Dr. Noah]

Article on value of various editions:

http://www.rodcollin...ebastian-faulks

[Jim]

You mean talk about a Bond book's huge success without somebody posting outside of the review section that it's a failure because he didn't like it? I don't think it's possible.

I don't understand the argument. The book's commercial success is undeniable and one assumes that this is not simply hype but that many people have liked it; it has received some good reviews and some indifferent ones. It was likely to be scrutinised more negatively here as that's what happens here to everything Bondy, but that in no way means that you cannot like it nor that liking it is somehow "wrong". Don't be so defensive. You liked it. Be happy.

[Trident]

You mean talk about a Bond book's huge success without somebody posting outside of the review section that it's a failure because he didn't like it? I don't think it's possible.

I don't understand the argument. The book's commercial success is undeniable and one assumes that this is not simply hype but that many people have liked it; it has received some good reviews and some indifferent ones. It was likely to be scrutinised more negatively here as that's what happens here to everything Bondy, but that in no way means that you cannot like it nor that liking it is somehow "wrong". Don't be so defensive. You liked it. Be happy.

Absolutely my view. Nobody is meant to defend himself for his liking of DMC or any other thing here in my perception. And on more than one occasion I conceded that, while I myself am not very fond of DMC, to put it mildly, its outstanding commercial success surely does have its own specific merits; bringing new fans to Fleming and to Bond in general as well as giving the literary franchise a whole new perspective for years to come. That alone is certainly no small feat and I welcome this development very much.