142 replies to this topic

[Jim]

Poll added

[Dustin]

I will buy it, of course. Though it's probably true, duty will have a lot to do with it. If I wasn't already familiar with some of Horowitz' Alex Rider I would probably be a lot more cautious, I just say 'Mugabe'... The title sounds like a chapter title Fleming would have come up with, not really sure what to make of it. Except of course that KGB's sniper 'Trigger' might have a hand in it. Pussy Galore's comeback? I'd probably love her violet eyes, but apart from that I remember only very little about her and never really felt a need to explore what became of her after GOLDFINGER's final chapter; we'll see how that plays. The inclusion of 'genuine Fleming material ™' seems more like a gimmick to me. There is a reason much stuff a writer leaves behind isn't published and that reason is simply that it didn't make the cut. Maybe because it wasn't ripe yet, or overdone or the wrong tone, theme, style, whatever. Or simply rubbish. All of that can happen and frequently does. I for one would rather have such material - if there is absolutely a need to publish it - in its raw form, perhaps with footnotes about their origin and background, than see it hashed into the work of another writer.

[Jim]

Amusing little interview with Ajay Thingum on Radio 5 just now, although the label "editor of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" puzzled me - is that still a going concern? I thought new issues were rarer than new Bond novels.

[Double-Oh Agent]

As for the title, my initial reaction was I didn't like it. In the few minutes since, I think that it is okay, but nothing special. For the poll, I put it'll grow on me. (Oh and I agree that the title does sound like a Fleming chapter title. It also follows a trend that a lot of current mystery novels are doing now by putting a spin on a common phrase.)

 

When it's released, I will definitely buy it. More Bond! Now!

 

Regarding the one-shot noted authors, I put I bought them and liked them all. Although I will add, I liked them to varying degrees and not as much as previous continuation authors' efforts. I remain cautiously optimistic and hoping for the best about Anthony Horowitz's turn.

 

With the inclusion of Ian Fleming material and Pussy Galore, I went with we'll see how it comes across I guess. The Fleming material I'm looking forward to. I doubt that it will be anything earth-shaking, but it will be nice to see something new of his work. As for the return of Pussy Galore, I don't know. My initial reaction is I'm not excited, and that I would rather see new characters. But then, I did like how Raymond Benson brought back Marc-Ange Draco in Never Dream Of Dying so maybe I'll like more Pussy. No matter, I'll remain optimistic and see how it goes.

 

What little plot we know sounds intriguing. I must also add that after reading a snippet about the villain, I'm surprised the title of the novel isn't Sin.

 

Regardless, count me in as excited for Sept. 8!

[SecretAgentFan]

Hmm, the title and the inclusion of the Fleming material sound gimmicky to me.

 

But if I like it better than the two previous continuation novels then I will not complain about it.  And a new Bond novel at least is something I can look forward to.

[Orion]

In the poll I said "bought them all and liked them all" In actuality, I didn't like Faulks contribution, enjoyed Carte Blanche and thought Solo was ok but very throwaway.

 

Horrowitz starts "I wanted to go back to the true Bond, the one that Fleming created"

Was really hoping we could get through one Bond press release without someone saying that, it's rarely true.

 

On the plus side, the novel sounds good and I've enjoyed Horrowitz other novels, his Sherlock Holmes stories being particularly good at capturing the characters voices and I think the inclusion of Pussy Galore is a nice call back to how Fleming would make reference to past Bond girls (particularly thinking of From Russia With Love referencing Tiffany Case). I'm curious as to how the Fleming script treatment fits in and if it'll be obvious that we're switching to things that came from Fleming rather than Horrowitz or indeed if Horrowitz has had to change so much to make it work that there's barely any Fleming left.

[chrisno1]

The title sounds like the sort of thing you'd make up for a children's novel [????]

Or a bad Roger Moore pun [????] haven't we got past this?

The inclusion of Pussy Galore is a typical gimmick to pull the uninitiated reader / reviewer who only knows the Honor Blackman interpretation of Fleming's character. If Horowitz doesn't follow Fleming's brief he'll have cocked it up as badly as Faulks did.

I'm not a big fan of DMC or SOLO. They were pretty dreadful. CB was better but Deaver didn't fully understand 007 and basically wrote one of his own books with 007 as a hero.

Yeh, I'll buy it, but once again that title... ugh.

[Tiin007]

The inclusion of 'genuine Fleming material ™' seems more like a gimmick to me. There is a reason much stuff a writer leaves behind isn't published and that reason is simply that it didn't make the cut. Maybe because it wasn't ripe yet, or overdone or the wrong tone, theme, style, whatever. Or simply rubbish.

 

This is my biggest gripe with all this. In a weird way, it almost feels as if IFP (or Horowitz, or whoever made this decision) do not have enough confidence in Horowitz's own ideas, that they have to milk whatever is left of Fleming. Including Fleming material is not an automatic key to success. In fact, one of my issues with comments on CBn is that many Bond fans assume Fleming = good, anything else = bad. This is most notable in the constant claims that the EON films are better when they stick closer to Fleming's work-- a claim I cannot agree with. Yes, sometimes the films that most closely resemble their respective novel are indeed top of the line (FRWL), but going forward EON does not need to mine every last nook and cranny of Fleming material out there. They have proven time and again that they are capable of coming up with worthy material that did not originate with Fleming.

 

That being said, I would love to see an adaptation of the Castle of Death from Fleming's You Only Live Twice, but EON should be left to develop their own stories now. Cinematic Bond has, at least in the public's eye, transcended the work of Fleming, and should no longer feel bound to it. 

 

 

 

Horrowitz starts "I wanted to go back to the true Bond, the one that Fleming created"

Was really hoping we could get through one Bond press release without someone saying that, it's rarely true.

 

 

Yes, I too wish Bond authors were more like Gardner and Benson who, despite output of varying quality, at least tried to put their own stamp on Bond. If I want more Fleming, I will go back to his 12 novels and 9 short stories. But from Horowitz I want Horowitz's take on Bond.

 

My gripes aside, I am very excited for Trigger Mortis, and will certainly read it as soon as I finish the Benson novels and SOLO. 

[glidrose]

Horrible title. Was "No Deals, Mr. Bond Part Deux" not available?

 

Yeah, it does kinda sound like a Fleming chapter title.

[marktmurphy]

Really cheap, crappy title. I never get bothered about Bond titles these days ('Spectre' is unexciting but functional) and the last few novel titles have been sort of minimal  but still very classy in a Bond sort of way. This is just a nasty cheap pun.. it's awful.

 

Still, I enjoyed House of Silk and I'm sure I'll enjoy flicking though this on a beach somewhere at some point in the future.

[DamnCoffee]

I'm the slightest bit taken with it. After not being much of a fan of the continuation novels (Admittedly I still have a load to get through). I feel the most recent ones have completely unphased me. Haven't even bothered with the latest one. I remember enjoying Carte Blanche to an extent, and being totally passive over Devil May Care. Let's up Horowitz does something good. I love that this is the first Bond novel to fully tie in with Flemings canon and I totally dig the fact that they're adapting some unseen Fleming material. Also.. 

 

Spoiler

Set two weeks after Goldfinger, and the return of Pussy Galore is an interesting way to start.

 

I could totally get behind this. I just hope it's not just another let down, because I know the most recent continuation novels have been for many people. 

[tdalton]

Horrible, horrible title.  Someone should seriously be fired over at the publishing company for green-lighting it.

 

The rest of what we know about it sounds like a desperate gimmick, to borrow the phrase from the poll.  It'll have to get rave reviews for me to check it out.  The publisher has lost any benefit of the doubt with the "quality" of the recent products they've been pushing out.  

[sharpshooter]

I think the title is fun, but would agree that Fleming, the master, would've used it as a chapter title at most. I like the fact it's set in between the original timeline and not after, and the inclusion of Pussy Galore is interesting. I'll buy the book. But it's all down to the execution, and the other continuation novels have been disappointing in this regard.

[stromberg]

Still not sure what to think of it. But I must say that I do like the UK cover design.

[sharpshooter]

Yeah, the UK cover is pretty good. The US cover has been revealed on Amazon, along with a few other details:

http://www.amazon.co...ASIN=0062395106

[stromberg]

The US cover has been revealed on Amazon? It's been on the IFP website (and on our main page) since yesterday.

[sharpshooter]

The US cover has been revealed on Amazon? It's been on the IFP website (and on our main page) since yesterday.

Ah, I didn't know that. I've only seen the cover while browsing Amazon just then.

[ACE]

I guess I'm enthusiastic about any new iteration of literary Bond. The title for me is fun, better than Solo and not a pastiche thing.
The inclusion of Fleming material is fine - there are a number of unpublished short stories which appear to be complete but remained unpublished. In 1966, Glidrose did not want to include The Property Of A Lady in the Octopussy paperback because they didn't think it was up to standard.

As for the return of Pussy Galore, there are many precedents set for that in other Continuation Novels. It's probably more about headline grabbing and marketing but also, perhaps, it might turn out to be a legitimate device. I'm generally suspicious when characters are brought back.

I guess we'll have to wait and see but after some less than successful Continuation Bonds, I don't see this as potentially being worse than what we've had before.

Solo was my favourite of the recent ones because I think Boyd was actually a Fleming fan and had a great take on not only the character but that world.
I'm hoping Horowitz will too and early signs are that he might.
Hell, it simply can't be as disappointing as Devil May Care.

And at the end of the day, I enjoy READING Bond as well as seeing it.

[stromberg]

Hell, it simply can't be as disappointing as Devil May Care.

"A word momentous calmly hast thou spoken." 

[Orion]

Interesting that Solo and Carte Blanche get a little bit of fondness, I rarely see Devil May Care get even a grudging "was alright". It is disappointing that, outside of Fleming, the appreciation (standard?) for Bond novels seems to be so low.

 

On Trigger Mortis - I'm more excited for it than I was having read that Goldfinger is his favourite of the novels, as it's always been a favourite with me. Adore the opening chapter of Bond in the airport.

[007jamesbond]

Some interesting detail regarding the plot in the Amazon USA cover.....whether the info is true or not remains to be seen 

[tdalton]

The plot synopsis on Amazon is quite detailed.  Doesn't sound particularly great, though.  Couple that with an absolutely terrible title, I've got to say that whatever little enthusiasm or curiosity I had for this project along the way has dissipated greatly.

[sharpshooter]

Interesting that Solo and Carte Blanche get a little bit of fondness, I rarely see Devil May Care get even a grudging "was alright". It is disappointing that, outside of Fleming, the appreciation (standard?) for Bond novels seems to be so low.

Outside of the Fleming originals, I only really rate Colonel Sun, The Authorised Biography and the Higson Young Bond series. Not really taken by the rest. 

[Harmsway]

The title is gloriously cheesy, almost to the point of brilliance. It brings a smile to my face whenever I see it in print. So I'm a fan.

 

Also, this is one of the few cases where the US cover is preferable to the UK cover.

[Call Billy Bob]

Great, pulpy title and a new author's input - also nice to insert something into the established timeline rather than stick it at the end. I'm sold and ready!

[DaveBond21]

Anthony Horrowitz did an excellent job with his Sherlock Holmes novel - The House of Silk (2011) was fantastic and got me into seeking out the original Conan-Doyle novels. He is a great writer.

 

I can imagine him writing something that would rival Fleming.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[Orion]

Charlie Higson has read, and enjoyed, Trigger Mortis. This says more to me than anything else, Higson being the only one of the continuation authors who got Fleming

https://twitter.com/monstroso
"Really enjoying the new 007 book from <a href="https://twitter.com/...honyHorowitz</a> (not in shops till Sept) Gloriously, unashamedly, unapologetically Bond. At last!"

 

[Dustin]

The most telling thing being the last two words here...


EDIT

On a sidenote: currently our poll, non-representative as it is, shows that 60 per cent of those voting either like the title or suppose that it will grow on them. 80 per cent are either sure buyers or will probably buy. Contrast to this the fact over 50 per cent of the vote are critical or highly critical to the continuations since 2008. Goes to show hope is the last thing to die, or something like that. Lastly, 30 per cent see the inclusion of Fleming material as a publicity stunt. Whereas it's a serious selling point for over 26 per cent of voters. Who was that writer whose grocery list would sell just as good as his books? Looks like Fleming is in the same class now - though it's got to be said in IFP's defence in this case the material would seem to be a bit more substantial.

[tdalton]

 Goes to show hope is the last thing to die, or something like that. 

 

If hope for the literary franchise is still alive, it's very much on life support.  

 

I've wanted to like the previous attempts that they've made.  It's not like you go into a brand new Bond novel hoping for failure, yet that's exactly what they've given us time and time and time again.  

 

It's going to take some phenomenal reviews for the publisher to get my money this time around.  They've burned me too many times now, taking the absurd price that a novel costs nowadays and giving me garbage in return.  They've lost the benefit of the doubt, especially after this amateurish title and gimmicky Goldfinger sequel setting.

[007jamesbond]

Charlie Higson has read, and enjoyed, Trigger Mortis. This says more to me than anything else, Higson being the only one of the continuation authors who got Fleming

https://twitter.com/monstroso
"Really enjoying the new 007 book from <a href="https://twitter.com/...honyHorowitz</a> (not in shops till Sept) Gloriously, unashamedly, unapologetically Bond. At last!"

 

 

So get to read the book 3 months ahead! I guess as a former author of young adult..he get an exclusive