How had I never read this before? Was absolutely certain I'd read all the original Bond's as a teen (i.e., a half century ago), but none of these storHow had I never read this before? Was absolutely certain I'd read all the original Bond's as a teen (i.e., a half century ago), but none of these stories sounded even remotely familiar. Which is just as well, as there's no reason to ever reread these tales; there's little enough reason to read them once, other than to scratch that "completist" itch.
Three of the five stories are generally spy/assassin related (one of which takes place in "exotic" Vermont), while the other two are just bad marriage soap opera dramas, one a vaguely Agatha Christie-like mystery ("The Hildebrand Rarity") and the other ("Quantum of Solace") frequently described as "similar to W. Somerset Maugham," so note to self - avoid reading Maugham.
As to Fleming's writing style, the less said the better. Among other sins, he's a glutton for adverbs - his characters shake doubtfully, nod amiably, say sorrowfully, smile prettily, and at one point even chuckle bonhomously. He also misspells the name of then-CIA director Allen Dulles ("Alan"), which seems unforgivable for an espionage writer and former spook himself.
That said, Fleming as always shines in his titles, and so at least provides here names for three future Bond films - none of which had ANYTHING to do with the short tales here. (Same is true for Fleming's only other short story collection, which gave us "Octopussy" and "The Living Daylights.") ...more
Promise - last of these silly books for a while…although I have to say, this one was a lot of fun.
Bookended by less interesting "chapters" on the BondPromise - last of these silly books for a while…although I have to say, this one was a lot of fun.
Bookended by less interesting "chapters" on the Bond actors and the movies themselves, the bulk of the book focuses on five main topics: Bond Villains, Bond Women, Supporting Cast, Vehicles, and Weapons & Equipment. These are then discussed alphabetically in true encyclopedia style, which makes them particularly enjoyable in their randomness and weird juxtapositions (see below).
Taken overall, these deep dives helped me to finally understand the plots of many of these (often McGuffin-driven) movies, particularly the Roger Moore stinkers. And when it came to henchmen, sidekicks and other peripheral characters, I had many "oh, so that was the same guy!" realizations, which further put things in perspective, (of particular note, I somehow never realized that the girl Bond chases in the speedboat at the beginning of "The World Is Not Enough" had also been the secretary who offers him a cigar in Bilbao just five minutes earlier). There was also lots of other fun trivia, such as the fact that Colonel Moon's name in "Die Another Day" was a nod to the first non-Fleming Bond Book, Colonel Sun.
BOND VILLAINS: More fun than the bios on the more well-known baddies was the exhaustive listing of henchfolk I had never considered before. A sample two-page spread begins with Mollaka (the parkour-running bombmaker from "Casino Royale") and ends with Nick Nack (Scaramanga's dwarf butler) - but in between, we have General Moon ("Die Another Day"), Dr. Mortimer ("View to a Kill"), Morzeny ("From Russia With Love"), Naomi ("Spy Who Loved Me"), and Necros ("Living Daylights") - none of whom I had a clue about, but who nicely representing every Bond from Connery to Craig. (Also, turns out there is surprising uncertainly over just what the hell kind of hat Oddjob wore; it's usually referred to as a derby or bowler, but was truly neither; here it's called a "dressage top hat," but no - that's not it either…)
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BOND WOMEN: As always, this is a more controversial area. As a pre- and then teen through the Connery years, I well remember the excitement with which we awaited each new release - in no small part due to the fact that Playboy would then run a special "The Women of James Bond" issue for each movie, which one or another of my gang would usually be able to "borrow" from a father or uncle. These were deeply and regrettably sexist times, with Bond cavalierly working his way through characters such as Pussy Galore, Plenty O'Toole, Chew Mee, Octopussy, Drs. Holly Goodhead and Molly Warmflash; particularly loathsome was Roger Moore's literally stacking the deck so that he could deflower Solitaire in "Live and Let Die," (made even creepier by the fact that Moore was at the time more than twice as old as Jane Seymour). That said, the book handles them here as tastefully as possible, and as with the before-and-after chapters includes such "blink and you miss them" players as Prof. Inga Bergstrom, Kimberley Jones, and "first name onlies" Linda, Felicca, Caroline, Manuela, Dink and Marie.
SUPPORTING CAST: Same as the villains above; a great mix of characters large and small…Russian General Gogal and MoD Chief Frederick Gray (both of whom appeared in a surprising six films) are on the same page as Gebruder Gumbold (?) and "Grant's Masseuse (??); while Dikko Henderson is followed by Klaus Hergesheimer (???) and Lt. Hip. And who could forget Minnie Driver's "strangling the cat" rendition of "Stand By Your Man" in "TWINE"?
VEHICLES: Surprisingly, this is the dullest section of the book. Once you get past the classic Aston Martin DB5 and such cool-at-the-time gizmos as the "Little Nellie" autogyro, it's just a boring litany of cars, motorcycles, small planes, helicopters and speed boats. That said, the movie with the largest number of awesome vehicles? "Thunderball," without a doubt. Not only does it kick off with an Aston Martin cameo, it also includes a jetpack, Fiona's rocket-firing BSA motorcycle, speargun-firing underwater bomb and tow sleds, and the classic Disco Volante breakaway hydrofoil.
WEAPONS & EQUIPMENT: Pretty much what you'd expect - full range of guns, watches, bombs, trapdoors, cigarette lighters, poisons, throw-back cameras and tape recorders; plus all the "Q Branch" silliness you could ever want: broom radios, rake metal detectors, rocket-firing cigarettes, "micro-comparators," sonic rings, third nipples, X-ray glasses, detonator glasses, and on and on…
Overall, a great sunroom or nightstand book, best read a page or two at a time and over a period of months. Only negatives are that the book was published to celebrate the launch of Daniel Craig in "Casino Royale," and so doesn't include the following films, (although an update version came out in 2014 that goes through "Skyfall"). Also, as with other DK books of this size and weight, the spine is weak - and so this library copy is in danger of losing pages in the near future. But otherwise, a nice farewell to the Bond films - at least until a new actor and film are (hopefully) announced....more
Deighton's Bernard Samson is a neat cross between Adam Hall's "Quiller" and John le Carré's "George Smiley," both in style and substance (and that's nDeighton's Bernard Samson is a neat cross between Adam Hall's "Quiller" and John le Carré's "George Smiley," both in style and substance (and that's not a bad thing). Deighton combines Hall's wry first-person voice with le Carré's complicated plotting (and odd fascination with both "moles" and cuckolds) to create a book that - if not truly unique - makes a valuable addition to the British Cold War espionage canon, (not to be confused with American espionage fiction - I recently had to break those out into two different bookshelves).
The story gets off to a somewhat slow and confusing start, dealing with an intelligence macguffin involving - German banking secrets? Not the most thrilling plot device, if you're used to ticking time bombs and space lasers, but probably more realistic. Unfortunately, like so many Brit-spook stories (and I’m especially thinking "Slow Horses" here), it spends WAY too much time in London rather than the other 99.9% of the world where British spies are actually supposed to be working; but then it does move for a good chunk towards the end into the titular Berlin where what little "action" the story actually has takes place.
Anyway - good book and glad I read it, (though no promises that I'll return, as there are another eight books in the series and I have SERIOUS literary commitment issues). Still, though, a timely call-back to the days when Russia was the Big Bad - which only shows that what goes around, comes around. Makes me wonder…the First World War was originally just "The Great War" until we decided to do it again 25 years later, and so rebranded as "WWI" and WWII." At what point are we going to face reality and accept that - in a similar situation some 30 years later - we should start calling our present situation "Cold War II"?
And finally - need to add a plug here for the late, great Adam Hall, whose "Quiller" books not only hold their own against those of Deighton and le Carre, but also surpass them in terms of both action and exotic locales. But yet for some reason they have not received the same level of recognition or respect, with none (other than the first, The Quiller Memorandum) reaching 500 reviews on Goodreads. Come on, people!...more
I've read a couple other non-fictions about the whole James Bond thing, but they were largely focused on the every-present spy-tech, or the changing cI've read a couple other non-fictions about the whole James Bond thing, but they were largely focused on the every-present spy-tech, or the changing character of Bond himself in the books or as played by the various actors. But this was my first book that looked at the whole "Bond-nomenon" as a cultural trend - from the original books to films to copycat TV shows to even Austin Powers - and so as such, was much closed to such other "entertainment histories" as The Spice Must Flow (Dune), They Shouldn't Have Killed His Dog (John Wick) and Let's Go Crazy (Purple Rain film/album/tour).
Overall, gotta say this was great fun, as McKay offers up a ton of new facts (which I enjoyed) and even more opinions, SO MANY of which I totally disagreed with. But we obviously share a semi-passion here, so he'd be the perfect guy to have a pint with and argue any of the following points, presented in no particular order (as I've already put far too much time into this):
- Maybe it's an age/generational thing, but McKay largely sees the Bond movies as comedies (although many more broad than others), and so is a staunch Roger Moore fan - probably his most unforgivable sin. As such, while he hated "Thunderball" (which I didn't think was that bad), he finds "Spy Who Loved Me" a high point in the series, and Jaws one of its best villains'…seriously??? I just don't know where to begin on this one…
- …and don't even get me started on Octopussy - absolutely a comedy, and absolutely unfunny. Surprisingly, McKay is even more generous here - even though this is the film that used a Tarzan yell as background to Moore swinging on a vine, and then literally put Sir Roger in both a gorilla suit and clown costume. He even gives the film points for not "browning up" actors to play the various Indian roles; but makes no mention of Louis Jourdan playing an Afghan prince (who I always thought was also Indian; guess this came out before Afghanistan was really on anyone's radar), who was at least "tanned up."
- One final damning quote on the whole Moore thing: regarding his final role in "A View to a Kill," McKay states: "This was 007 as Keystone Cops…For some, the comedy was off-putting; personally, I think it's wonderful. It's Moore at his charming, engaging best…" 'Nuff said…well, except that McKay also believes that "any bloody fool can play tragedy; it takes a special knack to pull off light comedy successfully." So, y'know, take that Anthony Hopkins!
- Moving on to the Brosnan era, McKay thinks Denise Richards was brilliant as Christmas Jones in "The World Is Not Enough" (although he totally misquotes Bond's awful final line in that movie), and also thinks Toby Stephens was equally brilliant as the ever-sneering Gustav Graves in "Die Another Day"…I just don't know what to say here.
- The book is full of British-isms, so at least I now know what "Received Pronunciation" is, (i.e., it's basically just the standard British accent). However, McKay's most (over)used word is the uber-British "naff" - obviously his favorite (along with "naffness, naffest"), which I totally had to look up, but basically means "unfashionable" or "lacking in taste." Casinos and hotels are all naff, as are shoes, watches, southern France…Indeed, McKay uses it so broadly that it reached a point where I started feeling like Inigo Montoya: "I don't think that word means what you think it means." Seriously - if you made this into a drinking game, you'd probably be pissed (another Britism) by chapter three. (Oh, and apparently in England, they spell "nonetheless" as three words, which to my Yank eyes just looks wrong.)
- While I learned a lot about England here, McKay doesn't seem to know much about the U.S. At one points, he claims that both Scully and Mulder in "The X-Files" worked for the CIA (they were in fact FBI); and in discussing American spy shows from the '60s, he lumps "I Spy" in with "Get Smart" as comedies, (and okay, while still fairly goofy, "I Spy" was certainly more serious than "Man from U.N.C.L.E.," and was one of the first TV shows to actually film on location, bringing much of the world to the rest of the world for the first time). Bizarrely, he also mentioned that the phrase "scaring the living daylights" out of someone "must have seemed utterly cryptic to American audiences…," again - really??
- THE MUSIC: Where to begin? McKay hated Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only" and (rightly) A-Ha's "The Living Daylights," but loved Duran Duran's "View to a Kill;" he mentions a pretty bad Chrissie Hynde song - "If There Was a Man" - that played over the closing credits of "The Living Daylights," but then ignores Patti LaBelle's outstanding "If You Asked Me To" which served the same role in the next film, "License to Kill."* He also rather snidely dismisses the song from Connery's unfortunate "Never Say Never Again" as "a 1970s loungecore cabaret song" sung by "some woman;" and while it truly wasn't great, it was no worse than "All Time High" or "Nobody Does It Better," and was in fact sung by Lani Hall, the original singer with Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 and wife of Herb Alpert. (He also somehow manages to sound even older than me in describing the theme song from "Casino Royale" as being "belted out by someone popular with young people called Chris Cornell.")
But to be fair, there were other things he got right:
- McKay does a good job tying the evolving books and movies into world events (and in particular, British politics), even though both Fleming and producers Broccoli and Salzman tried hard to remain apolitical - so points on that score; a lot here I hadn't considered before.
- McKay also points out the importance of Bond re-releases in the days before video - something I'd kinda forgotten. Movies back then appeared in the theaters when they first came out, and then that was it until they (years later) popped up on TV. So the regular theatrical re-release of the movies - usually as double- or even (at all night drive-ins) triple-features was an important way to expose various generations to the entire Bond ouvré as it continued to grow. McKay also points out that of the entire mid-'60s glut of spy movies - some of which were very good - only Bond survived not only into the '70s, but somewhat miraculously up to the present day. Who but the cultist remembers Harry Palmer or Quiller?
- McKay enjoys pointing out many of the goofs and fashion faux pas throughout the series, but his record is incomplete at best. For example, while he rightly slams Connery's terrycloth pool outfit in "Goldfinger:"
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…he fails to mention his nipple-length pink tie (or is it a bib?) in "Diamonds Are Forever:"
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- And on the continuity front, he also overlooks one of the most glaring examples in "Thunderball," where Bond is literally shot in the leg in one scene, then is scuba diving the next day with nary a bandage in sight.
- McKay is also bitingly funny. He memorably notes that Roger Moore is an incredibly awkward kisser who consistenly "sucks his cheeks in, so that it looks as though the woman concerned is sucking all the air out of an old paper bag," (watch any Moore snog and you'll never be able to un-see this); and that Connery's toupee in "Never Again" makes him look like one of the puppets in the old "Thunderbirds" TV show. (He also rightly describes Charles Gray’s Blofeld in “Diamonds are Forever” as having “the aesthetic sensibility of a gay chihuahua.”)
- Finally, full points to McKay for generally calling bullshit on MI6, which in the Bond movies (and others, including all of le Carré's works) is portrayed as far more professional than our own CIA; while in reality the British Secret Service is much like the empire itself these days; a mere shadow of its former glory, more focused on its internal financial problems than the world's, (think more Jackson Lamb than George Smiley).
I could go on - okay; I've already gone on - but despite the above comments (or perhaps because of them), I really did enjoy this. That said, the book is probably best read in chunks. The first third is mainly Connery, next third Moore, and then the rest is, well, the rest; so that's how I read it. Sadly, the book ends with "Quantum of Solace" (which McKay also quite liked, totally ignoring the whole "filmed without a script" thing due to a lengthy writer's strike), so I would love to see him address the rest of the Craig films if this is ever reprinted, since I think that would resolve most of his outstanding issues: "can Bond truly be Bond if approached seriously?" (he can); "will the series survive without 'classic' M, Q and Moneypenny?" (it clearly has). ___________________________________
* Google the original video of this song to see a true diva performance by LaBelle - and I mean that in the best way possible. This song was also written by Diane Warren, who not only has over a dozen Oscar nominations, but has written hits for everyone from Beyonce and Lady Gaga to Cheap Trick and Meatloaf - go ahead and Google her as well. Indeed, Celine Dion took "If You Asked Me To" - while virtually stealing LaBelle's original arrangement - to number one just three years later....more
Lazy, "tell-don't-show" writing (Chapter 4 begins with the sentence "There'd never been a time when Emma did not want to be Well, that wasn't good :(
Lazy, "tell-don't-show" writing (Chapter 4 begins with the sentence "There'd never been a time when Emma did not want to be a spy;" Chapter 7 starts with "At school, Emma had always felt somehow separate from the other children"); terrible tradecraft (right away on page 8, Emma abandons the shop where she's been working in alias and undercover for months and races "at full steam" straight to her organization's top secret HQS without any attempt to see if she's being followed; and then later than day she takes TOP SECRET files home from that same secret HQS to study in her apartment - isn't that kinda what got Donald Trump in trouble??); and a plot devoid of anything resembling a surprise or an "I didn't see that coming" twist. Because I SAW IT ALL COMING.
Indeed, the Goodreads blurb - "A British spy has twelve hours to deliver her asset across London after Russia hacks the city’s security cameras. Can she make it without being spotted…or killed?" - isn't a teaser, it's THE ENTIRE STORY. The only question is the one posed there - can she make it or not? And sure, I won't spoil the ending, but use your imagination. Or really, don't - because you won't need it; everything is just that obvious.
The back-cover endorsement from Karen Cleveland ("Move over James Bond - there's a new hero in town, and she's fantastic") should have warned me off, as I disliked her Need to Know even more than this book. Am still looking for a cool female spy character but, well…am still looking.
AND FINALLY: Stupid title. So okay, "Emma's" not her real name. Irrelevant; never mentioned again...even "Harriet the Spy" is better; but that one was already taken....more
As the subtitle says, this is just a compilation of Herron's previous Slough House novellas/short stories, with the slim and sole addition of what is As the subtitle says, this is just a compilation of Herron's previous Slough House novellas/short stories, with the slim and sole addition of what is basically "A Slow Horses Christmas Special," (which you should NOT read unless you have read at least both Slough House and Bad Actors, as it contains MAJOR spoilers). That said, I enjoyed re-reading The List, as it introduced several characters who subsequently played larger roles in later books....more
Last in the series (for now at least - although assuming/hoping there will be more), but sad to say that compared to the rest of the books, this one eLast in the series (for now at least - although assuming/hoping there will be more), but sad to say that compared to the rest of the books, this one earned my only 3-star rating as it was probably my least favorite. Just too much politics (and too little actual spying); too much Shirley and not enough Jackson Lamb and Catherine Standish...Meanwhile, while Herron has never been shy about killing off major characters, his latest replacements don't seem to quite measure up to his original team.
Only great thing about this one is that unlike listening to his books over time during my too-short daily commute, I had this one for a long trip from Northern Virginia to Upstate New York, so was able to get through it in one fell swoop.*
Anyway, still the best spy series out there - just hope it gets back on track - and soon!
* (Or as my kids used to say, "one swell poop") ...more
Not bad but totally unnecessary prequel to The Coldest City - typically convoluted Cold War spy story in the vein of early (and dumbed down) le Carré,Not bad but totally unnecessary prequel to The Coldest City - typically convoluted Cold War spy story in the vein of early (and dumbed down) le Carré, and not really helped by the overly-busy illustrations.
For some reason, Johnston (or his publisher) changed illustrators from the first book, and (at least IMHO) not for the better. City was sketchier but actual illustrations:
[image] …while Winter was obviously high-contrast lifts or tracings from actually photographs (a trick I often used in college):
As with the other book, this also goes through the Bond canon film by film, with each movie linked at least tangentially to one main area of science/tech, (e.g., From Russia With Love and spy gadgets; Goldfinger and lasers; Moonraker and explosives; etc.*). And to my surprise, there was some serious science here, as proven by the fact that I didn't understand a fair amount of it - particularly when Harkup (who is herself a chemist) gets deep into the weeds in areas such as how poisons, venoms, drugs and viruses work on the human body, or the details of nuclear physics. (Sample line: "A trigger can break off the oxygen atoms from the potassium nitrate (KNO₃), which can then react with the carbon and sulphur to produce carbon dioxide (CO₂), sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and a lot of energy.")
I personally chose not to read the book straight through, but alternated chapters between first the Bond and Craig films; and then when those were done alternated between Moore and Dalton/Brosnan - I just don't think I could have done seven Moore chapters in a row! But I did find this a nice way to mix things up, and as each chapter necessarily skipped around between movies - e.g., when You Only Live Twice focused tongue-in-cheek on the building (and then staffing and managing) of "evil lairs," it then had to go back to Dr. No as well as ahead to Stromberg's underwater city in Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker's space station - it really didn't make any difference; you can jump around any way you'd like.
Anyway - both a lot of fun and seriously interesting. I mean, who knew that cocaine was made by soaking chopped up coca leaves in gasoline, and then adding sulphuric acid which is then siphoned off before adding caustic soda to make a paste…yuck!
* Is it weird that the image of a dead woman has become so idolized? I think it's weird. * No judgement intended. Whatever works for you. Please stay safe. * In the novel Ryder is described as having a broken nose and a boy's bottom. Make of that what you will. * Insert your own joke about men comparing their weapons here. (…followed immediately by…) * Insert your own joke about Moore's wooden acting here. * Better still, don't kill people. * Your definition of a vital organ may differ.
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* Other science topics covered include: torture/pain; bizarre deaths; electrocution/electricity; lasers/death rays; diamonds; dangerous animals; vehicles/chases; drugs; explosives; the physics of stunts; scars and physical abnormalities; and others - you'll have to read the book to figure out how those line up with specific films....more
UPDATE: Getting ready to read the next (and so far final) book in the Slough House series, and so as usual had to reread the previous one so that I knUPDATE: Getting ready to read the next (and so far final) book in the Slough House series, and so as usual had to reread the previous one so that I knew where things stood. And good thing I did, because I didn't remember pretty much anything, even though it's only been six months. But damn if it wasn't just as good the second time through - so 5 stars last time, and 5 stars now. ____________________________________
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
FACT: There is absolutely no better fiction series than Slough House out there at the moment. And sure, Murderbot is damn close…except I never wanted to be a killer robot as a child, but back in those mid-60s "Man from U.N.C.L.E./Mission: Impossible" days I always did think it would be cool to be a spy, so extra points for that.
There's nothing I can say here that wouldn’t be a killer spoiler, but believe me when I say that no one does either humor or horror better than Mick Herron. Just read them, or watch the first two seasons on Apple+ and then STILL read them, at least twice…and pray that Herron keeps writing 'em, because there is only one of these bastards left and that IS. NOT. ENOUGH. (And okay, I've rated several of them a mere 4 stars, but only in comparison to each other; if I compared them to anything else out there, they'd all have to be 6 stars at a minimum…)...more
"Every man has his own underworld and a part of him never leaves it."
With his first-person, hard-boiled persona, Quiller is the most noir of all the 6"Every man has his own underworld and a part of him never leaves it."
With his first-person, hard-boiled persona, Quiller is the most noir of all the 60s spies, and Hall really begins finding his voice with this second Quiller book,* (although he has yet to start using the paragraph-long run-on sentences that are half the fun of his later stories), moving away from the retro Nazi-hunter plot of the previous book and dropping Quiller into Vietnam-era Southeast Asia.
The plot is good-but-not-great, and despite being famous as the "cerebral spy who never carries a gun," Quiller gets himself into a number of situations where he would have done far better with less thinking and more shooting - just sayin'. Other plot points hinge on dumb luck and questionable choices, (at one point, Quiller realizes the only way not to lose the bad guy he's trailing is to hop in the car with him - where he is immediately captured), but hey…it was the '60s, man.**
So anyway...a 3+ story, rounded up for signalling the potential of what was to come. Dude definitely deserves more recognition today.
(One minor - okay, pretty major - kvetch: Hall throughout refers to Beijing-controlled Communist China as "The Republic of China" [ROC; i.e., Taiwan], instead of the proper "People's Republic of China" [PRC]. Isn't that what editors are for?) ___________________________________
* This was the second Quiller book in the "original" series; i.e., books 1-10 published pretty much biannually from 1965-1981 and all titled "The (Adjective-Noun)"; e.g., The Berlin Memorandum, The 9th Directive, etc. At that point, Hall took a needed four year break before returning for another nine books all titled "Quiller Something-or-Other", (Quiller Salamander, Quiller Bamboo, etc.).
** Interesting to note that Hall published his first Quiller book the same month Ian Fleming published his last Bond novel. Also interesting - the layout and execution of the whole assassination plot here has a very "Dealey Plaza, 1963" feel to it - I've got to believe this is what Hall was going for here, as he probably started writing this barely a year after Dallas.
PERSONAL NOTE: My book was a nice leather-bound first edition, picked up for a buck or two at our local used book store; it has an embossed "Wilmington Public Library" seal halfway through, but no signs of a book pocket on either the front or back inside covers - pretty sweet.
Nice continuation of the "Slough House-adjacent" story of John Bachelor, as told throughout all of Herron's "X.5" novellas. Don't know how he does it,Nice continuation of the "Slough House-adjacent" story of John Bachelor, as told throughout all of Herron's "X.5" novellas. Don't know how he does it, but Herron continues to surprise with slick twists in all these books, despite their slim size.
Absolutely no appearances from the SH regulars (other than Lady Di at "the Hub"), but I wouldn’t be surprised if Bachelor finds himself among the Slow Horses in one of the future books in the main series....more
I have to rate the "Slough House" books solely against each other, since GR only allows 5 stars. So this one gets a solid 4+ for its place in the seriI have to rate the "Slough House" books solely against each other, since GR only allows 5 stars. So this one gets a solid 4+ for its place in the series; but if I could honestly compare this to other books I've recently rated as 4s, this should genuinely be a 7 or 8.
Joe Country is another solid entry in the series, and Herron's style and wit are sharper than ever here. That said, woe be to the reader who hasn't been filling in the "main" book gaps with the "X.5" interim stories - i.e., The List and The Marylebone Drop; as well as Nobody Walks, which isn't part of the series per se but does exist in the "expanded Slough House universe" - all of which provide necessary background on several of the newer Slow Horses here.
Have to say I'm not a huge fan of the "Cartwright/Harkness family soap opera," but that's a minor complaint about a storyline that appears to play itself out here. And the writing and plotting is (as always) so enjoyable in itself that I occasionally had to pull myself up and say "wait a minute; why are they all here again?" or "what the heck are the Germans actually doing in this story?" In fact, with each new book, I first go back and prepare myself by revisiting the last 50 pages or so of the previous book so I can remind myself just what that one was about, who died (and Herron is NOT shy about killing off main characters), and how the thing ended, since each book largely picks up right where the previous one left off. (Indeed, for the first time - I think - this book actually ends in a bit of a cliffhanger.)
Disastrously, there are only two more "full-length" books in the series (to date; hopefully Herron will produce more in future), so I need to start pacing myself. That said, next up is another novella, The Catch , which I am sure will be required reading before moving on to the curiously-named Slough House, (as that's the 7th book in the overall "Slough House" series; be kind of like simply calling the fourth Daniel Craig Bond movie "James Bond").
Bottom line - absolutely great stuff, and only hope the Apple+ series goes on as long as the books do....more
A pleasant diversion for someone who's been a James Bond fan since "From Russia With Love" first came out.* It runs through the series film-by-film, fA pleasant diversion for someone who's been a James Bond fan since "From Russia With Love" first came out.* It runs through the series film-by-film, focusing on the spy tech (or "spy-fi" as Brake calls it, a term he may or may not have coined to define the nexus of spy and science fictions) and villains - who aside from Q, seem to generally be the guys wielding the tech.
The book also includes nice summaries of each film in terms of box office, budget, body counts, etc. And so while production budgets were overall fairly predictable - "Dr. No" the lowest at just $1 million, and 2015's "Spectre" the highest at $230-300 million (which seems a rather inexact range) - it wasn't a steady progression: "You Only Live Twice" was the first film to cost more than $10m, but then it didn't hit eight digits again until "Spy Who Loved Me" five films later ($14m); and then more than doubled for the next film, "Moonraker" ($34m)…the whole thing would probably make an interesting (if uber-nerdy) bar chart.
However, unlike the overall rise in budgets, body counts were all over the place. Most films produced casualties in the 30-70 range, while "Dr. No" and "Live and Let Die" came in with a measly dozen each, and - surprisingly - "Golden Gun" gave us just a measly six murders; just what kind of assassin was he?? On the high end, "Spy Who Loved Me" had 147; "YOLT" had 196 and "Spectre" clocked in at 235 - so apparently those expensive evil lairs are also death traps. (While this book came out before the Craig's final "No Time to Die," a quick Google search shows that this film comes in a disappointing third place with just 155.)
One other fact that jumped out - to me at least - is that while Connery, Brosnan and Craig tended to go up against Cold War superpowers or evil organizations like SMERSH, Quantum or Spectre, Roger Moore seemed to spend most of his time battling bored Elon Musk-type billionaires like Mr. Big, Karl Stromberg, Hugo Drax and Max Zorin, (although Brosnan's Elliot Carver falls firmly on this list as well - and is probably the most Muskian of them all).
Brake provides a lot of interesting and factual background in the "this movie was a response to the oil crisis" or "this was a result of the early space race" vein, although in other places he keeps his tongue at least loosely in cheek. My favorite comment in the whole book is: "Felix Leiter was a regular feature in Bond films, played by a rather confusing number of different actors; making one wonder whether Bond's faculties as an agent failed to include that of face recognition."
Anyway, a nice easy listen if you're among those for whom James Bond represents one of the few constants throughout our LOONNG lives.
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* I can still remember going to Bond triple features with my sister at any of several drive-in theaters at the time; I also remember how, as some of the Connery movies were December releases, we went to at least a couple of them after opening our presents on Christmas - back when you just bought a ticket and walked in on the movie...whenever, and then when it ended you just sat through it again to make sense of the plot. Good times!!...more
Another great "Slow Horses" story - but Herron being Herron, you have to hold him to a higher standard; so what might have been 5 stars for anyone elsAnother great "Slow Horses" story - but Herron being Herron, you have to hold him to a higher standard; so what might have been 5 stars for anyone else is just a 4+ for Mick, and overall this doesn't quite measure up to his full 5-star reads like the original Slow Horses and it's follow-up Dead Lions.
Herron's writing and repartee is as razor sharp as ever, but while the overall plot takes a welcome turn away from Cold War leftovers, it's still a tad confusing and not fully convincing, and occasionally veers into the silly (as do most of the books) with its penguins and paint cans. That said, it features some unexpected heroes at the end, which is a welcome surprise.
Still some of the sharpest writing and best-developed characters out there; I just wish Herron was writing them as fast as I'm reading them! ...more
FINALLY - a decent post-Fleming Bond book! I've given Jimbo and his various reincarnations MULTIPLE chances - Horowitz's Forever and a Day ,* AmisFINALLY - a decent post-Fleming Bond book! I've given Jimbo and his various reincarnations MULTIPLE chances - Horowitz's Forever and a Day ,* Amis' Colonel Sun,** and Gardner's License Renewed*** - and so was really ready to quit Bond World for good if this "last chance" book didn't pan out...but damn if it's "not horrible" reviews weren't right on the nose.
Points to Deaver for learning from what Daniel Craig did in "Casino Royale" - straight up reinvent the character for the 21st Century - and so we have here a James Bond born ca. 1990, a veteran of Afghanistan, and here in 2011 recently new to the Double-O service. Deaver also does us the favor of steering Bond away from any #$@! Mediterranean casinos - what is this obsession with baccarat?? - and putting him back in the exotic settings where he belongs, including Dubai, Serbia and - for a full two-thirds of the story - Cape Town.****
So…while, like, obviously not a 5-star book on its own, I just had to give it at least two stars more than its closest competitor so far, the generally lame Forever. Sadly, looks like this was Deaver's only contribution to the series; and so at this point, if I ever decide to return it will probably be to reread Fleming's original SPECTRE trilogy,***** largely because when I first (and last) read them back in the 1970s I didn't realize they were a trilogy - idiot that I am, I'd always assumed SPECTRE was the big bad in most Bond stories.
(Also, shout-out again to "McKay's Used Books" in Manassas, where I found a mint hardcover edition for a buck!) ____________________________________ * Bad. ** Worse. *** Execrable.
**** In a nice bit of synchronicity, turns out I was unintentionally and simultaneously reading two books set largely in South Africa, this and Anne Innis Dagg's wonderful Pursuing Giraffe: A 1950s Adventure. Love when that happens :)
***** Thunderball, OHMSS, and You Only Live Twice - although things then get confusing again when SPECTRE/Blofeld continue to appear in a number of additional movies....more
Five stars for the first 290 pages but then wow, a solid two for the last six (so averaging out to 3.5, which I am only rounding up out of the goodnesFive stars for the first 290 pages but then wow, a solid two for the last six (so averaging out to 3.5, which I am only rounding up out of the goodness of my heart and a knowledge of what Herron would return to). Not sure if Tom Bettany's story continues in later books, but this one didn't end in a cliffhanger - it ended in an abdication.
This book was written after just the first two Slow Horses novels (and one novella - The List), so perhaps Herron was still finding his way with how he wanted the series to evolve. And thankfully, he moved back to the original formula after this - less grim, more humorous, and his full cast of weirdos - rather than continuing to expand into a greater "Slow Horses Universe," so points for that.
The overall story is similar in its "family revenge" format to such classics as Get Carter or even Richard Stark's The Hunter, but told with Herron's unique voice and razor-sharp dialogue. Would still recommend for all Slow Horse fans, but mainly because it provides some necessary background on one of the new "horses" who reappears in Spook Street....more
Good, almost-standalone (you definitely need to read The List novella first, but don't really need to know "greater Slough House" - although I'm sure Good, almost-standalone (you definitely need to read The List novella first, but don't really need to know "greater Slough House" - although I'm sure this is no one's first exposure to Mick Herron) addition the world of the Slow Horses. Not quite sure where it fits in the overall chronology…will have to wait until one of the characters here inevitably arrives at Aldersgate Street, and then slot it in there.
Nicely plotted, but like the best le Carre, just a bit too complicated for my simple (or maybe just less devious) mind. I can pretty much wrap my head around double agents, but triples? "Wait a minute…so he/she is working for this team now, but really working for this one and just pretending to…okay, wait a minute…"
Do hope that in some of the future books, Herron lets his team get out of England and see a bit of the world - even River Cartwright's brief trip to France in Spook Street was a welcome respite from London, London and more London. But then I'd probably need at least 6 stars to rate those books. Anyhoo…I have to start rationing myself on these, or like any addict I'm gonna be pretty strung out when my source ultimately dries up…...more
UPDATE: Getting ready to read the next book in the series, so thought I should at least skim through this to refresh myself on just where we left off.UPDATE: Getting ready to read the next book in the series, so thought I should at least skim through this to refresh myself on just where we left off. But then, once I started I just had to read the whole thing again - or at least all the dialogue, which is some of the consistently sharpest and funniest in contemporary crime/spy fiction. Jackson Lamb is SUCH an a-hole...but also just a wonderful character, and Gary Oldman captures him perfectly in the Apple+ miniseries - hard to believe the same actor also played George Smiley just a couple of years ago!
ORIGINAL REVIEW: Mick Herron and his Slow Horses are at it again with yet another great combination of brilliant characters, razor-sharp dialogue and clever (if occasionally too clever) plotting. There's a great what the fuck?? surprise around the 50 page mark, and another big (though slightly less satisfying) one about 200 pages later. But there are also just a few too many convenient coincidences to give this the full 5 stars that so many of his other books have earned, as well as a second (after Dead Lions) over-reliance on "remnants of the Cold War" driving the plot.
"Slough House," Martha Wells' "Murderbot," and James S.A. Corey's "The Expanse" are the best fiction series presently out there IMHO; and both Slough House and The Expanse were adapted brilliantly to the small screen. Let's just hope Murderbot isn't far behind!
NIGGLING COMPLAINT: No points off, but listening to Spook Street as an audio, it wasn't until I read someone else's review that I realized the new SH is named "J.K. Coe," not "J.K. Ko" - which I initially thought was a second major Asian character with poor interpersonal skills, (not cool). Why in the world would Herron give two characters rhyming names, especially knowing that this would be unclear to audio listeners? Just seems unnecessary and very-easily avoidable…...more
So apparently this is a thing now, writing these little "filler" novelettes in between major entrees in an ongoing book series. I mean, James S.A. CorSo apparently this is a thing now, writing these little "filler" novelettes in between major entrees in an ongoing book series. I mean, James S.A. Corey has written so many for "The Expanse," that they've just been released as their own 400+ page compilation, Memory's Legion.
But so far at least, this is proving a good thing. This one - the first of at least three that Herron has written - is set in the "Slough House world," but is largely incidental to the other books. Jackson Lamb and several of his SH cohorts do make cameo appearances, but it's not truly their story.
I have to say that 98% into the audiobook, I still couldn't see any way the story would reach anything approaching a satisfactory resolution in the remaining 10 minutes - but of course, this is Mick Herron we're talking about, and so he managed to pull a neat little last-pages surprise…well played, Mick!...more
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