Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 in High Time to Kill

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
The Union is a criminal organization with tentacles throughout the world, specializing in military espionage, theft, intimidation and murder. After one of its agents assassinates James Bond's friend, the Union becomes 007's priority target.

Customer Reviews: Read 79 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Benson's Bond Series Overview August 25, 2001
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

As a long time 007 fan, I have just re-read all of Raymond Benson's Bond novels in the proper order and have some reflections on his entire series through "Never Dream of Dying." First of all, Benson is not Ian Fleming and readers should get past that expectation before beginning. He's not John Gardner, either (thank goodness!). That said, I believe Benson has come the closest to Ian Fleming of all the post-Fleming writers in that he has truly captured the essence of Bond's character and the universe in which 007 operates. It is a fantasy spy world, not based in reality, just as Fleming's was, but like Bond's creator, Benson keeps the main character very human. Benson's Bond makes mistakes, shows fear, feels pain, and is melancholy much of the time. At the same time, Benson has brought in many elements of the Bond film series (I have read an interview with him that states that he and the Ian Fleming Estate agreed that this would be the approach to take). Therefore, Benson's Bond is a mixture of the cinematic and literary Bonds, and for me, this works splendidly. I have seen some fans object to this or that but it seems to me that these fans are not getting past personal expectations. Bond is many things to many people. Benson, a long time Bond scholar and author of the excellent "James Bond Bedside Companion" knows his stuff. He has nailed the Bond character. Some have complained about his writing style. Benson is no Fleming, as stated earlier, but his style is succinct and easy to read. His books flow quickly and are highly entertaining. "ZERO MINUS TEN": Benson's first book has one of his best plots, but it suffers slightly from being a "first novel." His writing is at its weakest here, but that said, ZMT is a wonderful Bond story. It is very Fleming-esque with its Hong Kong location, characters like Guy Thackeray and T. Y. Woo and Li Xu Nan, and its descriptions of food, mahjong, and Triads. When reading ZMT, one is immediately aware that this is a harder-edged and darker Bond than perhaps what we are used to. For a first effort, it is very, very good. "THE FACTS OF DEATH": Benson's second book is more film-like, it feels like an EON Productions movie story. The plot is more "fantastic" in that it deals with a secret criminal organization called the Decada that is run by a crazy mastermind. The writing is improved, though, and in many ways this is a more entertaining book than ZMT. What is especially interesting is Benson's development of the "M" character and her relationship with Bond. "HIGH TIME TO KILL": My personal favorite of the bunch. This is a classic Bond novel in every sense of the word. The first half is fairly predictable cinematic-Bond stuff, except for a very Fleming-esque opening and 2nd chapter golf match. The second half, however, shows Benson hitting his stride and finding his own voice with a truly original departure from what is expected. As Bond and companions climb one of the highest peaks in the Himalayas, the action becomes more like an "Into Thin Air"-type story. It's authentic spy-stuff amidst an environment that is cruel and harsh. This is a thrilling, un-put-downable book. "DOUBLESHOT": Another departure from the norm, as Benson appears to be experimenting with the structure of a Bond novel with this one. The first chapter is the ending of the book told from the different perspectives of several characters. The rest of the story begins in the past and catches up to the ending, and by then we are hooked. In this story, Bond is not well, he is injured, he is not working at full capacity, and this is what is interesting. "Doubleshot" is the middle book of a loose trilogy (beginning with "High Time to Kill") and it is darker and more introspective than the others. Some fans apparently didn't get it, but in many ways, this is Benson's most courageous book. "NEVER DREAM OF DYING": Another great one, right up there with "High Time to Kill," in terms of glueing a reader to the page. It's an excellent plot, tying up the trilogy that Benson began in HTTK. In this book, one can see the blending of the cinematic and literary Bonds more than in any other entry-- a lot of the action is very movie-like, while the storyline and characterizations are more like the Fleming novels. The moods and settings are the best that Benson has done, and the love interest is perhaps his strongest. The real stroke of brilliance in the book is what the author has done with the character of Bond's father in law. A very engaging book. My five-star review is based on Benson's series as a whole. Each book may not be a 5-star book on its own, but I don't think any of them are less than 4. Benson has put his mark on the Bond literary series. Fans who don't like him tend to focus on one or two aspects of what he does-- his writing style, his dependence on the cinematic elements, whatever... I feel that they're not seeing the forest for the trees. In my humble opinion, Raymond Benson has brought new life to the series and I hope he continues the books a long, long time.

4 out of 5 stars

Good story, poorly written! September 5, 1999
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Although I must confess to having really enjoyed reading HTTK, it struck me that it was one of the worst written books ever. It reads like a teenager's english essay! Having said this it was probably the slickest, fastest moving, and most action packed Bond book of all time. This is proved by the fact that I finished it in just two sittings. All the essential bond elements were there but were overdone- the Jaguar's special 'extras' were ridiculous and the girls and fights were so frequent its a wonder Bond had any energy left for his mission! The story concerns itself mainly with introducing the Union(SPECTRE II!)in a way reminiscent of Flemings introduction to SMERSH in Casino Royale. The Union(with the help of an old rival of Bond's) have stolen an important British Military secret and Bond is sent to recover it. Overall Bensons latest effort pretty good but their is still much to be improved on!

1 out of 5 stars

You love it or you hate it...I hated it. July 2, 1999
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

Well, by looking at the Customer Comments on this book, it appears that you either love it or you hate it...odd how little middle ground there is! Me, I couldn't understand why any fans enjoyed this...I found it dull, slow (Benson does not have the skill to make rock climbing interesting...I kept thinking of that old "Mystery Science Theater 3000" epsiode where the mountain climbing scenes went on...and on...and on...and on...and on...), and most disappointing of all, incredibly predictable (the villain is *exactly* who you, and Bond, suspect it is, with absolutely no intrigue or mystery). Add to that a very awkward subplot featuring a Bond romance gone wrong (hey, we don't want to read about 007 having spats with his lovers...) and you're left with one of the weakest entries in the canon. (Then again, I liked most of John Gardner's entries and my favorite movie is "On Her Majesty's Secret service", so you can take my advice with a grain of salt if you wish--I'm obviously not in the majority of Bond fans).

1 out of 5 stars

There's no excuse October 10, 1999
4 out of 8 found this review helpful

for a novel this poor. Glidrose should BURY James Bond for good if Raymond Benson is the new trend of writer. Writer? This is some of the worst prose I have read in ANY kind of novel. And the fact that Bond is being written by an American is abominable. I am seriously disheartened with the choice of writer, and it seems that Benson is here to stay for a while. He has no idea how to structure a novel like this. And he simply drops names and events from Ian Fleming's mind in order to prove to us that he is a BIG James Bond fan. This is very unfortunate and I would NOT recommend this book or ANY of the Benson Bonds to anyone, period. Read all of Fleming's work over and over again if you must.

2 out of 5 stars

Benson Blows It Again June 9, 2000
3 out of 5 found this review helpful

Benson has some good ideas for Bond novels. I'll grant him that much. Unfortunately, his Bond is the movie Bond rather than the classic James Bond of the Ian Fleming novels.

For example, in High Time To Kill Benson has Bond repeatedly order a Vodka Martini, "shaken, not stirred." Well here's a news flash for you. Ian Fleming's James Bond never--EVER--drank a Vodka Martini. Only the movie Bond does that, and only the movie Bond uses the lame "shaken, not stirred" phrase. Fleming's Bond drank Gin and Tonics. Also, Major Boothroyd (Q in the movies) never, ever said "now pay attention, 007" except in the movies and now in Benson's movie script/novels. Boothroyd never even showed up in a Fleming novel until his first appearance in Dr. No, and then he was the armourer--an expert in firearms. He didn't deal in goofy gadgets, and certainly no silly cars with "liquid metal" skins.

Raymond Benson writes James Bond for the movie crowd. I've gone back to re-reading the classic Fleming novels and won't touch a new Bond novel again until Gildrose dumps Benson and brings in a real author.

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