Bond, James Bond

Sunday Dec 4, 2011

I, and several million others, thoroughly enjoyed roaming the world in Ian Fleming's tales of the great British agent James Bond. Fleming wrote for the London Sunday Times. He took a month off each year, vacationing in what must have been the then laid back island of Jamaica in the 1950s. He also wrote a couple of children's books, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and a non fiction Thrilling Cities. 

But it was the tales of Bond after a super villain the enthralled us all. The precise description of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual, now wrapped round his knuckles, Bond  rising to the balls of his feet, and then spinning, dropping low, using the circular momentum of his turn to accelerate the metal bracelet into the solar plexus of the man behind him, 

well or something like that. Fleming lived to see the first two films, Dr. No and From Russia with Love turned into movies. Those two were the most accurate of the entire series as being faithful to the original novels. by the third, Goldfinger the race to gadgets and a bevy of women was on and frankly the series went a bit flat. 

There have been other attempts to replicate the Bond saga with various writers since Fleming's death. Bur in my opinion, none have captured the essence of the detail, page turning plots, and exotic locales and bad guys envisioned by Fleming.

Jeffery Deaver changes all that with Carte Blanche. 

Highly recommended, I checked it out of the library Friday and should finish today. It's all here, the weird international villain, Felix Leiter, the Bentley, the Walther, and the precise descriptions of every details form the food to the drinks.  The role of women has been appropriately updated for a new more significant role in society. And Deaver has done his research, Jack Bauer and Bond both need their PDAs....

Bond is back, make ours shaken not stirred. 

 

Comments

[Phillip Garcia]

I have enjoyed watching the James Bond’s movies on T.V. but I don't like when they change the Bond actor after a couple of movies. I my opinion the best Bond actor was Roger Moore. I also enjoy watching the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang when I was a kid and did not know that Fleming wrote both this books. I like James Bond style and calmness in stressful situations and how he get out.

[Dennis Elam]

I liked Roger Moore better a The Saint on the tv series, a bit too much like say Peter Niven but then I liked him in everything he ever did including the spectacular Around the World in 80 Days

This is a great up to date on the Bond series