Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A 'forgotten' Bond novel makes a welcome return, 23 Jan 2006
Most Bond fans are familiar with the James Bond continuation novels by Amis, Gardner, Benson, and Higson, but few are familiar with this one-shot continuation novel written by John Pearson in 1973. This book claims to be the "true" story of James Bond, secret agent and colleague of Ian Fleming, who gave a one-time interview to John Pearson while on leave in Bermuda in 1973. Pearson’s straight-faced presentation of how he came to meet the real 007 is the first highlight of many in this excellent James Bond novel. I mean biography. I mean…well, you know.The book cuts back and forth between the author's adventures interviewing the sometimes uncooperative Bond in Bermuda and Pearson’s own retelling of Bond’s life story. Many of the events Pearson chronicles read like James Bond short stories -- and good ones at that! For Bond fans who have longed to hear tales of Bond’s early missions and his wartime adventures, you have it all here. Some of the stories have a bite that rivals Fleming. Bond’s mission to Stockholm to kill a former colleague is quite shocking, both in the events and the clean, clipped economy of the writing. We also get looks at Bond’s failings and the periods between missions: James Bond forced to consider taking a job as a Harrods department store detective during a period of desperate unemployment; James Bond the social dropout living off his looks and wealthy women in island resort communities (Pearson reveals the events of “The Hildebrand Rarity” took place during one of Bond's beachcomber periods). One of the strongest moments in the book is when Bond, during a period of suspension because of scandal, takes a seat at a Blades gambling table, not to best a villain or win over a woman, but in a last desperate attempt to make a living. All of Bond’s nerve and skills fail him. It’s as if the universe itself rejects a James Bond who is not 007. The premise of the book is strained a bit in the last third (abruptly sectioned off with its own heading titled “The Man and the Myth”) in which Bond recalls how the famous 007 novels were a plot concocted by Fleming -- and endorsed by M -- to convince Bond’s enemies in SMERSH that 007 was a work of fiction. The sudden appearance of the more fantastical characters of the Fleming novels don’t seem to belong in the same universe as the more realistic Pearson adventures. Still, the “conspiracy” approach to the novels origins puts an interesting spin on things, and it’s amusing how Pearson explains that Moonraker was a pure work of fiction, concocted by Fleming and Bond, to further confuse and frustrate the Russians. It’s a delightful game Pearson plays in this book -- using fiction, posing as nonfiction, to explain how famous works of fiction where, in fact, nonfiction. (Did you get all that?) The entire book is an exercise in misinformation, a twisting-and-turning spy experience for the reader. In the final chapter, Bill Tanner lays out the details of an Australian assignment involving Bond’s old nemesis Irma Bunt, setting up what would have been a terrific second Pearson novel. Unfortunately, this second novel, if there ever was one planned, never materialized; and Bond fans are left to wonder how James Bond handled “The Giant Rats of Crumper’s Dick.” I recommend this book highly.
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Licence to write nonsense, 8 Aug 2008
Yes, I agree with two of the previous reviewers here; this book is utter balderbash. Pearson apes Fleming's style without realising the tongue in cheek attitude the original always kept. There has been no update in style since the 1970s so we get words like negro and Roumanians jumping out on us and bottom line, the story and idea behind it are weak. In an age where Bond is selling any product he's on I cannot recommend this book to even the most ardent Bond fan, even as an enjoyable skim read.
Go for Simon Winder's book The Man Who Saved Britain if you want a read that covers the Bond era as Fleming wrote it without the nonsensical idea of interviewing a man who doesn't exist.
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2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
there's a reason this has been out of print since the 1970's.........., 4 Aug 2008
......and that reason is, this 'novel' is awful, almost unbelievably bad, I really can't put accross in words how terrible this is, it's an insult to any true Bond fans and, more importantly, Ian Fleming himself.
Pearson shows virtually no understanding of the Bond charachter, his attempts to link his book to the original novels are risible, unsually simply stating 'as Ian described in (insert name of any of Flemings novels here)'.
The 'new adventures'of Bond are ridiculous (Bond locked naked in a gorillas cage in a zoo anyone? no thought not), and unsually take up no more than a page of text.
Bonds supposed relationship with Honeychile Ryder (sorry, Schultz - Pearson shows virtually no imagination with charachter names throughout the book, theres even a Russian called Boris for gods sake).
The premise of the book - and it's 'clever' twist - just doesnt work, the original books were written so that the Russians would believe that Bond was a fictional charachter? - what?, what about the Casino affair? wouldnt they realise that the affair had ACTUALLY happened and one of their agents had been killed? what about everyone Bond went to school with? would they not remember someone going by that name? (Pearson cleverly dismisses this by saying that Bond wasnt at school very long so nobody remembers him - oh, that makes perfect sense then)
I really hated this book, almost to the point of giving up on it (which I never do), it was a real struggle to finsh it - dont waste your time, if your stuck for a Bond fix, go and read an original Fleming, or even a Young Bond by Charlie Higson - either will be 100 times better than this trash - honestly, I've never been so annoyed by a book since reading Dan Browns rubbish.
Should have been left firmly in the 1970's where it belongs and not been ressurected as a blatant cash in.
And if you need any more convincing not to read this.....there is a scene with Bond in Lehderhosen, and M (who Pearson seems to have a particular dislike for) is a naturist. I mean, what? seriously? why?
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEAS, PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME READING THIS.........AND IF YOU DO DECIDE, DONT BLAME ME - I TRIED TO WARN YOU
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