16 replies to this topic

[quantumofsolace]

http://thequietus.co...novel-revisited

[Major Tallon]

An interesting piece, though Per Fine Ounce was by Geoffrey Jenkins, not Perkins. As for Colonel Sun, my view is that the politics are muddled and the villain's plot is unconvincing, but it's well written, and Amis is able to write in Fleming's voice far more successfully than Sebastain Faulks was to do many years later. It's my favorite continuation novel, and I regret that Amis never got another crack at writing Bond.

[Simon]

An interesting piece, though Per Fine Ounce was by Geoffrey Jenkins, not Perkins.

Strange, since he mentions Jenkins two lines futher down.

[augstone]

Thanks for the link to my Colonel Sun piece and thanks for pointing out the Jenkins/Perkins error! Not sure how that happened, I went over this many, many times. Corrected now. Glad you liked the article. I've been on this forum a lot lately. Been very busy, but have finally joined. Look forward to reading your 'The Strange Death...' piece Silhouette Man!

[Major Tallon]

Hi, augstone! Glad you're here. Welcome to CBn.

[augstone]

Thanks Major Tallon! Good to be here.

[The Gunner]

Interesting article on an interesting novel, Aug Stone. Glad to have you here on CBN.

[seawolfnyy]

What is everyone's opinion of Colonel Sun? I still haven't gotten around to reading, but I want to at some point.

[Loomis]

COLONEL SUN remains by far the best of the continuation novels. I'd even go as far as to say that it's better than some of the Flemings.

 

I'm currently re-reading it (haven't picked it up in years, but this must be about the third time I've read it, maybe the fourth) and am knocked out by how good it is.

[plankattack]

COLONEL SUN remains by far the best of the continuation novels. I'd even go as far as to say that it's better than some of the Flemings.

 

I'm currently re-reading it (haven't picked it up in years, but this must be about the third time I've read it, maybe the fourth) and am knocked out by how good it is.

It is the best IMHO. I'm far from a Fleming expert - I just know what I like and I don't like. Maybe because subconsciensly I know it's Amis, or that it's the one continuation novel that's truly from that era (or least closest in eras to the original). Yes I know DMC is set in that era, but it was written now, so to speak.

 

I'm a bit of snob about continuation novels in general (any spin-off perhaps) yet Colonel Sun is very "of the series" to me. 

[Yellow Pinky]

Yes, for me Colonel Sun is far and away the best of the continuation novels.  It towers over the best of the Gardner series, IMHO.  And to me, the best of the Gardner Bond books tower over the best of the Benson series.

 

I also think you're on to something there, Plankattack, in that Colonel Sun really is a product of its time and is a legitimate part of the zeitgeist that infused the spirit of the 60s-era spy thrillers.  Even Gardner's 60s-era spy novels are better than his later output to me.

[Loomis]

Yes, for me Colonel Sun is far and away the best of the continuation novels.  It towers over the best of the Gardner series, IMHO.  And to me, the best of the Gardner Bond books tower over the best of the Benson series.

I'm not particularly well-versed in Gardner. Which of his Bond novels would you recommend?

[Yellow Pinky]

 

Yes, for me Colonel Sun is far and away the best of the continuation novels.  It towers over the best of the Gardner series, IMHO.  And to me, the best of the Gardner Bond books tower over the best of the Benson series.

I'm not particularly well-versed in Gardner. Which of his Bond novels would you recommend?

The truth of the matter is, they all blur together a bit for me.  I remember less which ones were especially good, but instead remember the ones that I thought were particularly bad.  Those would be: Never Send Flowers, The Man from Barabarossa, Brokenclaw, and Seafire.

 

The first 3 or 4 were pretty good as I remember, but even then they didn't overly impress me.

[AMC Hornet]

 

I'm not particularly well-versed in Gardner. Which of his Bond novels would you recommend?

 

Ultimately you'll have to read them all, but if you want to start with the best ones I think are the best, start with:

 

Licence Renewed

Icebreaker

Nobody Lives For Ever

Scorpius

Win, Lose or Die

Brokenclaw

And, since others have differing opinions as to which are the best, the ones I didn't mention will be recommended anyway. So, as I say, ulitmayely you'll have to read them all, then you can decide which ones to recommend when your turn comes - as, if you hang around here, it eventually will.

[seawolfnyy]

Interesting, I'll have to pick up a copy of Colonel Sun then. As for Gardner, I only ever read one of his For Special Services. It was decent, but nothing great and I never liked having Felix's daughter in it (especially as a Bond girl) nor did I enjoy that stupid Saab he had.

[Randy Wiggins]

An interesting piece, though Per Fine Ounce was by Geoffrey Jenkins, not Perkins. As for Colonel Sun, my view is that the politics are muddled and the villain's plot is unconvincing, but it's well written, and Amis is able to write in Fleming's voice far more successfully than Sebastain Faulks was to do many years later. It's my favorite continuation novel, and I regret that Amis never got another crack at writing Bond.

I have to disagree. I think Faulks DEVIL MAY CARE did a fine job of working in the Fleming style. It was and is one of my favorite continuation novels. I am reading SOLO now then plan to go back and read CARTE BLANCHE having skipped it due to a disliking of Deaver's previous work.

 

Randy

[billy007]

I've read all the continuation novels in order.
I'm 3/4 finished with SOLO(so far it is a little above average)
Of them all I'd prefer James Bond Authorized Biography, Colonel Sun, Licensed Renewed, Role of Honor, Zero Minus Ten, and Carte Blanche.
What distinguishes 007 from any other Spy/action Hero is his sense of professionalism and lifestyle.
Many of the continuation novels don't portray these factors- you could substitute Bond's name for any other character.
and few of the continuation novels exhibit Fleming's descriptions ( It's a tough act to follow) despite authors' best efforts the novels seem like EON movie adaptations. I've said this before the average 007 fan is a movie fan and not a literary fan. Fortunately some of us discovered Fleming before EON.