It’s been a long time since I watched Casino Royale, a spoof of 007 films, which had originally been developed as a serious adaptation of the Ian Fleming novel. When the Bond filmmakers, and Sean Connery didn’t want to be involved, the producers held onto the rights and went with a comedy instead. With five…
Tag: moneypenny
Carte Blanche (2011) – Jeffery Deaver
James Bond is back, in the modern era. Jeffrey Deaver, acclaimed author of the Lincoln Rhyme novels updates 007 for the 21st century with his novel, Carte Blanche. While there are recognizable names and characters, Deaver shakes things up a little bit as he establishes a new timeline for Ian Fleming’s iconic character. This time…
Devil May Care (2008) – Sebastian Faulks
Sebastian Faulks brings us the first post-Raymond Benson 007 novel. Picking up shortly after the final Ian Fleming novel, not short story collection, The Man with The Golden Gun finds James Bond on sabbatical in 1967. He’s not resting for long, as M calls him in to have him investigate Julius Gorner, who not only…
Zero Minus Ten (1997) – Raymond Benson
While I may not have cared for Raymond Benson’s 007 short story, Blast From the Past (to be clear I liked everything but for the Penthouse Forum ending of the story) I was more than ready to return to the world of James Bond, and see what Benson could deliver with his first novel featuring…
GoldenEye (1995) – John Gardner
John Gardner’s penultimate 007 novel is a short, uninspired adaptation of the 1995 film, GoldenEye which saw Pierce Brosnan finally step into the shoes of James Bond. I’m not sure if Gardner was simply tired of writing Bond books at this point, or if he was less than impressed with the film’s script and was…
The Man From Barbarossa (1991) – John Gardner
James Bond is back in John Gardner’s eleventh outing with the secret agent. And it was going to happen sooner or later. I just couldn’t get into this one. While I love the idea of tying Bond in with the real political landscape of the early 90s with events that would lead up to the…
Nobody Lives For Ever (1986) – John Gardner
Ian Fleming’s 007 James Bond is back in action in this 1986 thriller penned by John Gardner who carried on the series for the Fleming estate and updated the secret agent by retconning his early adventures into the late 60s and 70s allowing his Bond, slightly older, to prowl and protect the world of the…
James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) – Christopher Wood
Christopher Wood who penned the screenplay for Roger Moore’s The Spy Who Loved Me, also took it upon himself to write the novelisation, with the expanded title, ‘James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me’ in order not to be confused with the original Ian Fleming title. The adaptation is a curious blend of the Bonds…
The World is Not Enough (1999) – Michael Apted
Pierce Brosnan’s third outing as Ian Fleming’s James Bond is the next 007 film for me to view following my reading of For Your Eyes Only, having previously reviewed all the preceding 007 films to that point. This one is a mixed bag as it has perhaps the worst female lead casting for a Bond…
The Living Daylights (1987) – John Glen
It’s time for another Bond film to join the 007 on the book shelf. And we come to one of my favourites, and the first one I ever saw in the theatre. Until this one came along, I had worked my way through the James Bond films in no semblance of order, as I was…
The Mind Reels 