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Books : Devil May Care (James Bond)
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Devil May Care (James Bond) by: Sebastian Faulks List Price: £18.99 Childrens Toy Shop Price: £7.99 You Save: £11.00 (58%)Prices subject to change. |
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Binding: Hardcover EAN: 9780718153762 ISBN: 0718153766 Label: Penguin Manufacturer: Penguin Number Of Pages: 320 Publication Date: May 28, 2008 Publisher: Penguin Release Date: May 28, 2008 Studio: Penguin Sales Rank: 338 Related Items:
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Editorial Review: Amazon.co.uk Review: A variety of authors have written 007 novels since the death of Bond's creator, Ian Fleming -- and the results have been mixed, to say the least. As 'Robert Markham', Kingsley Amis penned the very first post-Fleming Bond, and this attempt by a novelist better known for his 'literary' work was judged a success. Now, after a decade of less successful entries by such writers as John Gardener, we have another serious writer, Sebastian Faulks (author of such acclaimed novels as Birdsong), taking up the challenge. Devil May Care has already collected a jaw-dropping amount of publicity, with even the Royal Navy helping to put the book firmly at the top of the best-seller charts (Bond is, of course, a naval commander), and few books have had such wind under their sails (the relaunch of the movie franchise with the re-make of Casino Royale and Daniel Craig's second Bond film, Quantum of Solace, is all part of the ever-accelerating momentum). Of course, this also gives the book farther to fall if it misses the mark. Faulks' author credit on the book ('Sebastian Faulks writing as Ian Fleming') is both revealing and encouraging – the author has reportedly said that he undertook the task with total seriousness, and he has tried to work within the parameters of the Ian Fleming formula (Faulks re-read all the extant Bond novels and stories) rather than the more glossy film incarnation. Among several very canny moves by the author is his decision to keep his 007 in the 1960s rather than catapulting him into the 21st century (as other ersatz Fleming novels – and, of course, the films -- have done. So how successful are the results? Fleming aficionados can relax – this is a sterling job of recreation, and a novel that functions with total authority in its own right. The evocation of time and place (or places, notably Paris and the Middle East) is impeccable, as are the plotting and detail (as colourful and violent as anything in Fleming); there is a satisfyingly unpleasant larger-than-life villain, Julius Gorner, with a grotesque deformity of the kind Fleming often gave such characters (the chapter 'The monkey's hand' gives this away) and grandiose, evil ambitions. Best of all, this is Ian Fleming's James Bond – not a superman -- worried about his health and his physical powers (which he fears may be on the wane). Delicious stuff in fact. Now... can Faulks be persuaded to write another such novel? --Barry Forshaw. Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Too much Flemming and not enough FaulksIt's my own fault that I really didn't enjoy this book. Faulks makes it clear that he is writing as Ian Flemming. Whether he achieves this I will leave to those more qualified than I. However from reading other reviews opinions seem to be mixed. I suppose I had hoped that he would inject a bit of the Faulks magic into Bond. Devil May Care is almost completely devoid of insight or interesting observation, the plot is thin and unconvincing and place description so cursory you felt you could be virtually anywhere. The characters are superficial and the twist frankly risible. One might feel that Faulks attempts to rehabilitate Bonds reputation as a sexual predator was worthy except for the way in which he then associates ... Read More: Rating:  - A GOOD READTry not to think too deeply who has written this book; let's face it, Sebastian Faulks is a very good author! This book is pretty close to the Ian Fleming originals and is a good read. It will be interesting how the film franchise adapts this story? A resurgent Iran, drugs from Afghanistan...very current affairs! Rating:  - A quantum of (enjoyable) nonsenseShall we call this a missed opportunity? "Devil May Care" is a well paced thriller, that's about it. I've never read Ian Fleming and I'm not a James Bond fan (anymore) but when I was younger I read James Bond and Moonraker (Film-Script Adaptation) and was fascinated (as a kid) by the character's stoic levels of endurance and impressed by the fact that whilst externally cool, internally 007 was in turmoil most of the time. Who better to expand on this theme than Sebastian Faulks post-Birdsong? Unfortunately the author never really seizes the opportunity although there's the odd moment that comes close (e.g. "the cigar tube"). Maybe he's trying too hard to write like Ian Fleming? If that's the case I wouldn't know ... Read More: Rating:  - Very fashionable - mostly boringThis is by far the most tedious book I have read in ages. Where is the action? The dramatic twists and turns? It seems like an ode to food, cocktails, fashion and exotic locations. Bond sat in his room, ordered this drink, had that to eat, wore this and looked out over some or other supposedly amazing view. It's boring. And can someone in the literary world please stop this trend of throwing foreign phrases into English books? I do not have a French dictionary on hand to translate 'en fete'. It doesn't make it clever. It makes it incomprehensible. As for the bad guy - a monkey's paw Mr Faulkner? Really. I suppose it was the hype that did it in. If you really want the spirit of James Bond, may I suggest ... Read More: Rating: - More parody than pastiche, Mr BondAs someone who has recently read all of the Fleming Bond novels I feel I have a fairly good grasp of their style and tone. It seems Faulks does too but unfortunately although he may technically be a better writer than Fleming (something which is apparent in the early sections of the book particularly) that doesn't mean he's entirely comfortable with this genre or the type of stories Fleming wrote for Bond. This is all too obvious throughout much of 'Devil May Care'. Fleming's Bond stories were often preposterous and towards the end the author started to copy his older material even to the point of parody. Here Faulks does much the same thing, often painfully aping older Fleming characters or story elements, or intentionally imitating Fleming's decidedly un-PC ... Read More: |
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