Trigger Mortis

Post Reply
User avatar
Kiwichris
Lieutenant-Commander
Posts: 286
Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2014 9:36 am
Favorite Bond Movie: GoldenEye, Licence to Kill, The Living Daylights, You Only Live Twice, The World is Not Enough, Casino Royale, For Your Eyes Only
Favorite Movies: Star Wars, V for Vendetta, Dredd, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Braveheart, Raimi Spider-Man Films, Man of Steel, Zulu, Indiana Jones, Road to Perdition, Enemy at the Gates
Location: New Zealand

Trigger Mortis

Post by Kiwichris »

Image

New Bond book by Anthony Horowitz finally has a title and cover art. I was hoping we would see some dust jackets inspired by Richard Chopping but alas we still will not see a return to that style, which hasn't been seen since Nobody Lives Forever in 1986. What does everyone else think of the novel's prospects?
"Dalton makes an effective Bond - lacking Sean Connery's grace and humor, and Roger Moore's suave self-mockery, but with a lean tension and a toughness that is possibly more contemporary" - Roger Ebert
Image
User avatar
Daltonite Toothpaste
Single O
Posts: 883
Joined: Tue May 22, 2012 2:35 pm
Favorite Bond Movie: The Living Daylights, Licence To Kill, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, From Russia With Love, Tomorrow Never Dies & For Your Eyes Only.
Favorite Movies: American Mary, Deadlier Than The Male, Dracula, Saved, The Big Sleep, The French Connection, Under The Sand

Re: Trigger Mortis

Post by Daltonite Toothpaste »

Not a fan of the title, it's a bit too on the nose. I also don't like this pattern of hiring "one and done" authors. I would like to see another Gardner/Benson type, who would write a series of books.
Image
User avatar
Blowfeld
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence
Posts: 3195
Joined: Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:03 pm
Favorite Bond Movie: Goldfinger
For Your Eyes only
The Living Daylights
Location: the world

Re: Trigger Mortis

Post by Blowfeld »

Very uninspired cover and the name is another matter. Not sure why I dislike it.

I know Anthony was eager to be a part of the literary 007 world for decades. I hope he has a great story to tell.

I used to buy all the 007 books as they were released. Last one I bought was Carte Blanche, which I liked. In my opinion is was what the reboot could have been like. Funny enough a pal has Daniel's 007 as his mental picture for that book, while I have a distinctly do not.

However it does appear the Bond series is in decline, last time I looked a the sales numbers they were losing ground to previous releases.
As it stands now each guest author writes one and moves one, great it gets a lot of talented authors in the mix, except it does nothing for the loyal flowing. Each author gets a vanity project never needing to follow up, while the reader might get an enjoyable read, maybe.

I feel sorry for Raymond Benson, there was a 007 nut hounding him. Threatening letters and such to everybody involved (publishers, agents, book stores ).
Image
"Those were the days when we still associated Bond with suave, old school actors such as Sean Connery and Roger Moore,"
"Daniel didn't have a hint of suave about him," - Patsy Palmer
User avatar
Kiwichris
Lieutenant-Commander
Posts: 286
Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2014 9:36 am
Favorite Bond Movie: GoldenEye, Licence to Kill, The Living Daylights, You Only Live Twice, The World is Not Enough, Casino Royale, For Your Eyes Only
Favorite Movies: Star Wars, V for Vendetta, Dredd, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Braveheart, Raimi Spider-Man Films, Man of Steel, Zulu, Indiana Jones, Road to Perdition, Enemy at the Gates
Location: New Zealand

Re: Trigger Mortis

Post by Kiwichris »

The "one and done" approach was what Glidrose originally had in mind, but Colonel Sun was the only book they did until 1981. Strange they would revisit it so many decades later. Even stranger that they wouldn't use the "Robert Markham" pseudonym either. Horowitz was invited to pen a second Sherlock Holmes novel by the Conan-Doyle estate as his first book sold and was received well. I guess only time will tell if he can work the same magic with Bond for Ian Fleming Publications.
"Dalton makes an effective Bond - lacking Sean Connery's grace and humor, and Roger Moore's suave self-mockery, but with a lean tension and a toughness that is possibly more contemporary" - Roger Ebert
Image
User avatar
Daltonite Toothpaste
Single O
Posts: 883
Joined: Tue May 22, 2012 2:35 pm
Favorite Bond Movie: The Living Daylights, Licence To Kill, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, From Russia With Love, Tomorrow Never Dies & For Your Eyes Only.
Favorite Movies: American Mary, Deadlier Than The Male, Dracula, Saved, The Big Sleep, The French Connection, Under The Sand

Re: Trigger Mortis

Post by Daltonite Toothpaste »

Blowfeld wrote:I feel sorry for Raymond Benson, there was a 007 nut hounding him. Threatening letters and such to everybody involved (publishers, agents, book stores ).
I remember hearing about that. I liked Bensons books, some of them were better than some of Flemings, imho.
Image
User avatar
Kiwichris
Lieutenant-Commander
Posts: 286
Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2014 9:36 am
Favorite Bond Movie: GoldenEye, Licence to Kill, The Living Daylights, You Only Live Twice, The World is Not Enough, Casino Royale, For Your Eyes Only
Favorite Movies: Star Wars, V for Vendetta, Dredd, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Braveheart, Raimi Spider-Man Films, Man of Steel, Zulu, Indiana Jones, Road to Perdition, Enemy at the Gates
Location: New Zealand

Re: Trigger Mortis

Post by Kiwichris »

Daltonite Toothpaste wrote:I liked Bensons books, some of them were better than some of Flemings, imho.
Seconded. Benson was a great pick, he truly knew what made the literary Bond tick through his own painstaking research. He is the only continuation author that got anywhere near to Fleming's writing style of un-political correctness. I think some (like the hate mail guy) Bond fans were snobbishly worried about having an American author Americanizing Bond. Ironically, this happened less in Benson's books than it did in Gardner's (particularly the later ones).
"Dalton makes an effective Bond - lacking Sean Connery's grace and humor, and Roger Moore's suave self-mockery, but with a lean tension and a toughness that is possibly more contemporary" - Roger Ebert
Image
User avatar
commander0077again
Commander
Posts: 337
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:56 am
Favorite Bond Movie: OHMSS YOLT GOLDFINGER LALD FYEO GOLDENEYE
Favorite Movies: OUR MAN FLINT THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD/ERROL FLYNN CASABLANCA ZORRO FILMS / TV SHOW
Location: Hong Kong by the Sea

Re: Trigger Mortis

Post by commander0077again »

Just read TM, quite engaging and read it in two days, well into the (good)night. I have no major bones to pick, a very credible job. The story is set just after Bond's mission with Goldfinger. It has many, many Fleming touches, such as: Bondian chapter titles; the punctuation/spelling was British, a big plus; Bond has much of his wit and reflections; I was waiting for the exclamation points! that Fleming used with much alacrity in OHMSS ... here, they appear later in the story and I had to cheer. Some of the writing is from an unpublished Fleming short story involving Grand Prix racing. Like Anthony Horowitz, I have wondered why Fleming never involved Bond in the world of racing (although we know that Bond 'dabbled' in it). The racing passages are first-rate and it does sound like good old James at the wheel. I was waiting for a 'God Almighty!' but it wasn't to be. Another nice touch is that when Bond curses, he says _____ you! instead of the modern writer's actually spelling it out. The author has delivered a top notch Bond novel. He places Bond in several ingenious situations -- among the best I've ever read in any thriller. Out of a possible Five Golden Bezants, I give this book at the least a very solid 4.5. No one has been able to capture the Fleming magic 100%* but this is a very acceptable addition to the canon ... yes, I like it that much. One of the funny bits is when the villain mixes a poor martini, and Bond files this away as proof the villain is lacking. Also, there is a real life shocker involving a massacre. (*note to above: several authors have been able to replicate the world of Sherlock Holmes, but none have succeeded with Bond). :cake:
You move very well for a dead man, Mister Bond

Kill him!
Kill Bond! Now!!!
User avatar
Blowfeld
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence
Posts: 3195
Joined: Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:03 pm
Favorite Bond Movie: Goldfinger
For Your Eyes only
The Living Daylights
Location: the world

Re: Trigger Mortis

Post by Blowfeld »

You convinced me to give this one a chance. I like Horowitz a lot, the publisher's Russian roulette of authors has put me off the book series.
Image
"Those were the days when we still associated Bond with suave, old school actors such as Sean Connery and Roger Moore,"
"Daniel didn't have a hint of suave about him," - Patsy Palmer
User avatar
commander0077again
Commander
Posts: 337
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:56 am
Favorite Bond Movie: OHMSS YOLT GOLDFINGER LALD FYEO GOLDENEYE
Favorite Movies: OUR MAN FLINT THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD/ERROL FLYNN CASABLANCA ZORRO FILMS / TV SHOW
Location: Hong Kong by the Sea

Re: Trigger Mortis

Post by commander0077again »

Maybe if this one's a success financially, they'll convince Horowitz to sign on for another mission. As Double Os, of course everyone wants a perfect Fleming homage ... it may never be done, but this one really has many of the things that make Bond Bond. :cake:
You move very well for a dead man, Mister Bond

Kill him!
Kill Bond! Now!!!
Post Reply