Funk Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Bond is back. And he's part of the iPhone generation.
I can't imagine the challenge of trying to fill Ian Fleming's shoes. On the one hand, Bond is such a franchise that the honor of getting to write a story today with Bond as the primary character has got to be one of the most amazing ego hits around. On the other hand, no one writes like Fleming.
I'm always amazed how few "James Bond fans" have actually read the original books. We've all seen the movies, but the books are truly amazing. They wouldn't get published today - they're short, taut, and brilliant.
If you haven't read a Fleming book, I don't know if I should tell you to read an original or to read this. This is some nice writing, in classic mildly creepy Jeffrey Deaver form. The bad buy is pretty weird. Not as "evil" as the SMERSH and SPECTRE characters, but very creepy...
All in all, I gotta say, this is a good summer read. Not without its flaws and shortcomings, many of which are simply a function of the comparative point of Fleming; enjoyable nonetheless. Particularly if you suspend disbelief on technology and the iPhone ;)
Comments