I'm still waiting for it at the library.
James Bond: Carte Blanche. Keen?
- Thread starter Australis
- Start date
I've read it. It's enjoyable enough and quite a page turner. I definitely prefer it to Devil May Care which was too much a greatest hits anthology rather than anything original. I have come to the conclusion that I prefer cinematic Bond to the literary, and as glaring as the product placement is in the films I actually found it ten times worse in the book, for example when Deaver's going on about how great Emirites is.
Also all the talk of torture and rendition etc seems a bit old hat, particularly Bond's attitude to it, and he never really comes across as especially three dimensional. Moneypenny gets mentioned but is effectively sidelined, and Q's reinvention as a young man of arab/indian origin would have been cool except Spooks already did that.
It is very Fleming, Deaver goes into (too) much detail about what Bond eats/wears etc, and the villain is, of course, both foreign, and has a creepy sexual prediliction. If Devil May Care was a mediocre book with an impressive villain's plan at its heart, Carte Blanche is the opposite, exciting and action packed but the resolve is slightly mundane. If only you could take the Ekranoplan out of DMC and put it in here!
I might be giving the impression I didn't enjoy it much but I actually did! Kudos as well that an American writes about the UK very convincingly. I'd definitely read another Deaver Bond, I wouldn't have said that about Foulkes.
Also all the talk of torture and rendition etc seems a bit old hat, particularly Bond's attitude to it, and he never really comes across as especially three dimensional. Moneypenny gets mentioned but is effectively sidelined, and Q's reinvention as a young man of arab/indian origin would have been cool except Spooks already did that.
It is very Fleming, Deaver goes into (too) much detail about what Bond eats/wears etc, and the villain is, of course, both foreign, and has a creepy sexual prediliction. If Devil May Care was a mediocre book with an impressive villain's plan at its heart, Carte Blanche is the opposite, exciting and action packed but the resolve is slightly mundane. If only you could take the Ekranoplan out of DMC and put it in here!
I might be giving the impression I didn't enjoy it much but I actually did! Kudos as well that an American writes about the UK very convincingly. I'd definitely read another Deaver Bond, I wouldn't have said that about Foulkes.
Okay, I finally finished it tonight. Deaver delivers a very good reboot of the Bond series (better than the movie reboot, IMHO). The plot is pretty good and also Bondian enough. The villains also deliver on the beloved clichés of the series, and Bond is Bond, even though he quit smoking. Deaver also shows his skills as a master story-teller, as the novel never quits being thrilling, or at least interesting. I also like his sense for irony, picking the topic of recycling for the reboot of the novel series. Touché.
I really hope Deaver will write more novels for the series.
I really hope Deaver will write more novels for the series.
I'm not sure if it's a reboot for the series per se. Faulkes book was stand alone so it may be that this one is as well, and whoever the next author is simply writes their own interpretation rather than carrying on with what Deaver's set up.
I think one of the things that does grate, and both me and a friend who'd also read the book agree on, is that Deaver goes more than a little overboard with Bond's iPhone and it's multiple Apps.
I think one of the things that does grate, and both me and a friend who'd also read the book agree on, is that Deaver goes more than a little overboard with Bond's iPhone and it's multiple Apps.
I'll take a look see.
Read Gardner and Benson why not this guy? Despite the time jump, which like Iron Man's updated origin I can understand this. At least Bond is an adult again.
Read Gardner and Benson why not this guy? Despite the time jump, which like Iron Man's updated origin I can understand this. At least Bond is an adult again.
I enjoyed it. I think Deaver did a decent job of updating the character while keeping most of the qualities that made the original character Bond. I appreciated the little references to parallels in the back story between DeaverBond and FlemingBond. Definitely found it to be a better read than Devil May Care.
I agree that the iQphone got grating and times. I liked the fact that most "gadgets" were low tech and appropriate.
Only, thing I really didn't agree with was Bond's PPS being chambered in .40 S&W. That's really more a personal choice that anything. It just seems that if he's going to carry a gun in multiple countries, he'd stick to the more commonly available 9mm. Sure, he's going to bring his own ammo, but you never know. That, and the .40 PPS seems to have had some reliability problems out the gate. Maybe I put to much thought into it.
I agree that the iQphone got grating and times. I liked the fact that most "gadgets" were low tech and appropriate.
Only, thing I really didn't agree with was Bond's PPS being chambered in .40 S&W. That's really more a personal choice that anything. It just seems that if he's going to carry a gun in multiple countries, he'd stick to the more commonly available 9mm. Sure, he's going to bring his own ammo, but you never know. That, and the .40 PPS seems to have had some reliability problems out the gate. Maybe I put to much thought into it.
If its not EON, its non canon. That goes for books as well, therefore Ian Fleming's novels and the idea of the character shouldn't exist, thus creating a paradox. Did Marty McFly drop the idea of James Bond into EON productions as well teaching Chuck Berry "Johnny B Goode"? 
Wasn't there something in "Dr. No" or "From Russia With Love" about Bond's gun jamming and M recommending he take something new instead?
It's Dr No, up till then Bond was carrying a Beretta. I could be getting the films and books mixed up, that bit is definitely in the Dr No film though.
I'd agree it's definitely a better read than Devil May Care, though I liked the period setting a lot in DMC, it was just too much rip off, not enough homage and definitely not enough originality. Deaver trod the line much better than Faulkes IMO.
I'd agree it's definitely a better read than Devil May Care, though I liked the period setting a lot in DMC, it was just too much rip off, not enough homage and definitely not enough originality. Deaver trod the line much better than Faulkes IMO.
It was in the novel, too. The flaw was pointed out to Fleming by a fan named Geoffery Boothroyd, who recommended the use of the Whalter PPK. Fleming named Major Boothroyd (aka "Q"), who had his first appearance in Dr No during that scene, after him.
I'm about 1/3 of the way through the book and I'm enjoying it a lot more than the Faulks novel, which was a real chore to read. I don't mind the modern-day tech - John Gardner did the same thing in Licence Renewed - although I fear it will probably end up dating the novel in a few years.
The only thing I don't like is Deaver's decision to reimagine/update Bond's colleagues in MI6 more or less in keeping with how Fleming handled them in the novels, yet instead of
, he's a new East Indian character.
If you're bringing back all the other characters, to omit one in this fashion smacks more of political correctness than anything else. That said, I am only 1/3 of the way through the book, so
may well put in an appearance before it's done. It's not a deal-breaker - the new character is kind of cool (I kept seeing Vijay Amritraj from Octopussy in the part)- but it's a bit annoying.
Alex
The only thing I don't like is Deaver's decision to reimagine/update Bond's colleagues in MI6 more or less in keeping with how Fleming handled them in the novels, yet instead of
Q being Major Boothroyd
If you're bringing back all the other characters, to omit one in this fashion smacks more of political correctness than anything else. That said, I am only 1/3 of the way through the book, so
Boothroyd
Alex
Different folks, different strokes. It's not a question of needing to do anything. Devil May Care stayed in the 60s, now they want to try a modern-set 007. There's scope for both.
It's set in the modern era, it would be rather odd, if all of the characters were white males (except for the Admin staff).
He did. However, Major Boothroyd's first choice (and still a good one, imo) was the S&W Centennial Airweight. However I do agree that an updated Bond probably wouldn't be carrying a PPK now.
I understand why Deaver would want to have Bond still carry a Walther firearm. The PPS isn't a bad gun and is quite concealable. Very thin and flat. Everyone I know who has one in 9mm loves it. I just disagree with the caliber choice in this case, and this is coming from someone who frequently carries a .40S&W.
It's a complete reboot/reset in the 21st Century. I'm 3/4ths of the way through, and I really think it's as if Fleming lived in the now and wrote the character accordingly.
While I'd love to see a continuation of the original novels done in period (or even a conclusion), this book is NOT the movies, nor is it the tripe that Benson and Gardner fed us. This is Bond. 21st Century book Bond.
While I'd love to see a continuation of the original novels done in period (or even a conclusion), this book is NOT the movies, nor is it the tripe that Benson and Gardner fed us. This is Bond. 21st Century book Bond.
I liked Benson and Gardner. 
