Book Review - Trigger Mortis

As good as the original bond novels are they undoubtedly a symptom of the time. Were they to be published today they would undoubtedly provoke more outrage than Jeremy Clarkson holding a cold steak.  

So it is an interesting decision for Anthony Horrowitz, to build a new bond story around pre-existing Ian Fleming writing. As you star the novel what makes it even more remarkable is that he goes to great lengths to tie this new novel in to the original series, quoting recent events and continues to make James Bond a misogynist dinosaur. The theme continues as he picks up the relationship with Pussy Galore  and continues the Myth that bond is so irresistible to women that he can even convert lesbians to the alter of men.    For me the author pursued this angle right up to, but not beyond my tipping point, then it dropped and the realization dawned that he was almost apologizing for some of the Fleming Crassness, whilst at the same time re-writing history to allow a more acceptable Bond.   

Once you get over the, not –inconsiderable introduction and scene setting, the story finally begins. When it does its worth the wait, It continues at the pace you’d expect from the franchise and the story unwinds in a plot of catastrophic proportions. Of course we all know bond will save the day and we’re pretty clear that he’ll do so by charging in, girl in hand, avoiding death by the skin of his teeth. This leaves the suspense of the story a little flat, but what there is focused on the villainous characters and the unknown plot itself.

The book is set in the context of the burgeoning space race and does provide some interesting insights in to the events of the times, as well as the global political dynamic. One of the main villains builds a story based on the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Gun_Ri_Massacre which was new to me as was a lot of the Korean war.   However , despite being about a British secret agent, there was very little British interest in the story instead, it was Bond saving America from the Russians

All in all an enjoyable book but no-where near the best in the franchise. Somehow it loses out on originality and frankness when compared to the Fleming novels and loses out to more contempory characters when compared to novels such as Jeffery Deavers, Carte Blanche.

QE2

I recently posted a blog about trying to review a Historical Fiction Novel for each English Monarch, in order of the most recent.  

So the starting point is our current Queen, Elizabeth II, and as our longest serving Monarch there is a long period of time from which to draw a decent historical Novel.  However, it’s also a recent period of time and so the History is much more recent.  Since 1952 a lot has happened but are there many historical fiction novels set in that period.

Her reign included the Cold war, the death of Diana, an Anus Horribilis, the decline of the British empire, and the growth of the commonwealth. It outlasted many governments and prime ministers including Thatcher, Blair, Eden, Heath and McMillan. There were several crisis’ including Suez, Northern Ireland, The Falklands, Iraq, and the miners’ strike.  One would think that with so much history it would be easy to find a novel set in that context but in essence the issue is that it’s all too soon. In 100 years which of these events will be the most memorable who knows, but Britain’s role in the Cold war seems certain to remain. Now let me see if I can find a Major English character linked to the cold war, someone who fought the Russians throughout, perhaps  a Secret Agent…

The Names Bond…

Immediately as soon as you reach Bond as you have to rule out all the original books, all of the Fleming novels were contempory fiction written about current events, so we have to look at his successors, but again most bring the bond character forward retaining its contempory nature, but there are 3 notable exceptions Devil May Care, SOLO and Trigger Mortis. Devil May care was a great read, but it was a while ago, and I've already reviewed it. I’ve not read SOLO, so this just leaves us with Trigger Mortis, which coincidentally I am currently reading.  So conveniently I’ll start there Next week.

Watch this space!

Hopfully…

Devil May Care - Classic Bond, Re-told

Devil May Care captures the spirit of Fleming perfectly, and does so without the outdated attitudes of the time. In terms of plot its exactly what you'd expect from a bond story, even if it is a touch too movie orientated. All the key elements are there, the car chases, the gadgets, the women, the Megalomaniac with a physical deformity and a grand plan to bring down the British Empire. Its a good holiday read, and for fans of Fleming, the novel continues on smoothly from previous stories, but whilst Fleming seems to have grown tired by the end, Faulks is revitalized and brings the story alive with his creativity and a way of building a plot that despite the story having been told 20 times before still excites.

The original Bond novels where by today's standards racist, sexist and homophobic, which at times made them hard reading and would almost certainly have prevented Fleming from getting published in today's world. So Faulks had a challenge to keep true to a Bond that in its nature was outdated and a sociological dinosaur, especially as the story carries on directly from "The Man With The Golden Gun". Faulks does this by focusing on Bond's recovery and deliberately introducing an aspect of modernisation into the secret service, and the wider world order, which places Bond as the old guard, and allows significantly toned down views, so he remains sexist but realizes that its an outdated view, there is a gay character who is the figure of some ridicule, but its done in a way that openly reflects the time. What isn't there is the crass Bond who magically cures the Lesbian instincts of Pussy Galore, and gone too is the racisim, instead Faulks focuses on how Gorner (Arch Criminal with Anglophobia and a dodgy hand) manipulates and exploits those in poverty. The result is that it allows the Bond character to be re-positioned in a world and an age that Flemming lived but that has thankfully moved on from.

Another change in storytelling since Fleming's day, has been the increase in sex and swearing and violence in novels. So Devil may care certainly does notch up the descriptive nature , But comparatively to other modern fiction it remains conservative, and thankfully Faulks is very tasteful about Bond's woo'ng of the love interests, and has managed to stay away from swearing almost entirely. One thing that hasn't been modernised in Bonds character is the drinking and especially the smoking, we find the main characters smoking at every interval, and whilst it undoubtedly would have been the case at the time, i don't like the growing trend of role models smoking in modern fiction and TV.

There are some nice references to earlier novels that pop up throughout the book and for those who have read the Flemming back catalog they will jump off the page, but for those new to Bond they will just add a little bit of color to the story. A number of old stories are name checked and old arch-villains referenced all in order to give the bond character depth for new readers. Some of the familiar characters of the past make a reappearance too, Leiter, Ponesenby, Housekeeper May, and of course M and Moneypenny But sadly no reference to Quarrel,or his decadence.

I've certainly read more gripping stories with more complicated plots and better developed characters. I've read more realistic crime novels and certainly more believable plot lines. But none of this is what bond is about and ultimately as a Bond novel Devil May Care certainly stands its own, and it's up there with the best of Fleming Bond stories. Its light hearted even humorous at times yet still packs a punch rattles along at a pace and manages to make the incredible seem plausible and great evil seem laughable. The books should be great escapism for those stuck on a busy commuter train, and easy to read on the beach in some far off land. With such an expectations would have been very easy for a talented writer such as Faulks to have retained too much of his own depth and to have completely miss-played the story, but thankfully Devil May Care was an easy and enjoyable read throughout, and noble addition to the Bond plot line.