Devil May Care (Vintage)
by Sebastian Faulks
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Book Summary Information
Author: Sebastian FaulksEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-05-19
ISBN: 0307387879
Number of pages: 278
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of Devil May Care (Vintage)
Book Review: A Nice Trip Back to 1960s Bond
Summary: 4 Stars
A few years ago I read about half of the original Ian Fleming 007 series and generally found them quite enjoyable and different than I had expected based on the film franchise. Don't get me wrong, they're not great literature, but they are ripping yarns that reflect their era and are much darker than one might expect. Since Fleming's death, there have been several writers authorized to continue the franchise (including Kingsley Amis!), but I'd never been that interested in trying any of them. However, the involvement of a non-thriller writer like Sebastian Faulks -- whom I've never read, but have heard many good things about -- intrigued me enough to pick this up and give it a whirl.
The first good thing is that the book follows the chronology just of the original Fleming books, taking place after the last one, in 1967. It opens with Bond on extended physical and mental convalescent leave, seriously considering whether or not he's had enough of working in the field and is ready to settle down to the quiet life of a desk agent. M calls him away from this break to help out a new 004, by "talking to" a curious businessman named Dr. Gorner, a Lithuanian who just might be the world's foremost heroin dealer. (This set up is a little odd, unless "talk to" is supposed to be a dry euphemism for "kill" or something like that.) In any event, soon enough, Bond is off to Paris to sniff around Gorner, and the stage is set for a classic Bond adventure. And, it has to be said, that it all feels very much like a blend of the original books and some of the better elements from the films:
* The villain is diabolical and deformed (he has a monkey paw for one hand!)
* Bond and he go mano-a-mano in their first meeting (on a tennis court)
* The story takes Bond to an exotic locale (Iran),
* The villain has crazy military vehicle called an Ekranoplan (which is entirely real and historically accurate, right down to its nickname)
* Bond has a suave, likable local ally on the ground a la Darko Karim.
* Felix Leiter and Rene Mathis both have supporting roles
* There are two beautiful women (twins!)
* The window-dressing is all in place (plenty of descriptions of food, booze, cigarettes, clothing, etc.)
* There's plenty of action, including gunplay, hand-to-hand combat, a car chase, and an exciting action sequence in an airplane.
Indeed, the book struck me as a rather effective imitation of the classic Bond novels from its structure down to the various details. I know some Bond fanatics feel like the Fleming style isn't there, but quite honestly, I don't recall Fleming having much style to begin with. There are some minor missteps in terms of continuity with the Fleming books (likely only to bother the trainspotters among the readership), a few bad Roger Mooreish puns creep in, and rather disappointingly, the villain delivers an extended monologue to the captured Bond explaining his master plan in enough detail to give Bond all the info he needs to thwart it. There's also a "big twist" at the very end concerning the identity of one of the major characters which is unlikely to surprise most readers (even Bond admits that he had worked it out early on).
One final aspect of the book that's worth mentioning is how Faulks, as Fleming did in many of the original books, takes an issue contemporary to the time (the rise of heroin) and uses it as the catalyst for the adventure. And although the villain's plan is as insane and grandiose as any Bond villain's, he weaves in quite a number of historical British colonial atrocities as justification (Opium War, Potato Famine, the Malay and Mau Mau rebellions), which Bond has no response to. All in all, a completely satisfying return to the 1960s, when Bond had to save the world without the help of computers and cell phones!
Summary of Devil May Care (Vintage)
Bond is back in this electrifying new novel of intrigue and suspense. A masterful continuation of the James Bond legacy, Devil May Care picks up right where Ian Fleming left off?at the height of the Cold War, with a story of almost unbearable tension. An Algerian drug runner is brutally executed on the desolate outskirts of Paris and Bond is assigned a new task; to shadow the mysterious Dr. Julius Gorner, a power-crazed pharmaceutical magnate. Gorner has lately taken a disquieting interest in opiate derivatives, both legal and illegal. After finding a willing accomplice in the shape of a glamorous Parisian named Scarlett Papava, Bond must stop a chain of events that could lead to global catastrophe. Charged with adrenaline, deception, and Bond's signature wit, Faulks brings us this exhilarating new chapter in the life of the world's most iconic spy.10 THINGS YOU DIDN?T KNOW ABOUT JAMES BOND & IAN FLEMING
A Quiz
Q: Although James Bond is regarded by many as the quintessential English hero, he is actually not English. What is his nationality in the books?A: He is half Scottish and half Swiss. He also hates that most English of drinks, tea--and describes it as 'mud'!
Q: Bond has had many famous incarnations on the big screen but, prior to these, he was first played on the radio by which British actor and game show host?
A: Bob Holness of Blockbusters fame
Q: Which Bond villain shares a birthday with his creator?
A: Ernst Stavro Blofeld. On Her Majesty's Secret Service reveals that Blofeld was born on 28 May 1908. Ian Lancaster Fleming entered the world on the same day at 7 Green Street in London.
Q: Which American President was a big fan of the Fleming novels?
A: President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was known to be a big fan of Fleming and listed From Russia With Love as one of his top 10 favourite books. Bizarrely, both Kennedy and his assassin Lee Harvey Oswald are believed to have been reading Bond novels the night before Kennedy was killed.
Q: Which famed children?s author helped Ian Fleming adapt his children's adventure story Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the big screen?
A: Roald Dahl
Q: Where did Fleming write all his Bond books?
A: At Goldeneye, his Jamaican home. Although now part of a luxurious holiday resort, the house was very basic in Fleming's time--so much so that his friend and neighbour Noel Coward referred to it as Goldeneye, Nose and Throat!
Q: Although Ursula Andress wears the most famous bikini in cinema history in her iconic performance in Doctor No, in Fleming's novel of the same name the character Honeychile Rider wears even less. What does she wear?
A: She is naked save for a knife-belt.
Q: The first Bond novel, Casino Royale, originally had a different title when it was published in the US. Under what title was it initially published here?
A: The initial title here was You Asked For It.
Q: What is James Bond?s favorite meal?
A: Breakfast. He has a particular penchant for scrambled eggs, and the short story 007 in New York even includes his own recipe for them.
Q: Who is Miss Moneypenny named for?
A: Miss Moneypenny was named after a character in an unpublished novel written by Ian Fleming's brother, the travel writer Peter Fleming.
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