Posted 15 August 2008 - 06:43 AM
I finished reading this about two weeks ago after having completed "Never Send Flowers" before that.
"SeaFire" isn't the best Gardner I've read (admittely, I haven't read many) but it wasn't terrible by any means. I think I've yet to read a terrible piece of Bond literature, anyway. The book features some very original ideas & plot points. For one, James Bond is no longer part of what we have always known as MI6. Secondly, he is now very much in love and we even see him propose for the first time in twenty some years. In short, the novel contains a lot of interesting and well-designed ideas that I'd love to see in the films at some point, such as the ones mentioned above, though with Craig's Bond just starting off it probably wouldn't make sense to employ them any time soon.
The opening scenes aboard the Caribbean Prince play out like a classic pre-title sequence and I'd love to see Q Branch's Powerchute vehicle realized on screen someday. The ending reminds me very much of "OHMSS" except that this time around, the leading lady doesn't actually die, although with the way she ends up, she probably would be better off if she had. I've heard COLD resolves the issue of Flicka (I already know what happens to her) but I've heard that book is one of the worst so I probably won't be reading it.
3/5 stars