The increased level of violence as a key factor in Kingsley Amis's Colonel Sun (1968)?

Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
edited August 24 in James Bond Literature
What are your thoughts on the (to some) uncharacteristically violent nature of Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis as a James Bond novel?

Did Kingsley Amis go too far in the Casino Royale and Live and Let Die direction, do you think?

This level of violence - rape/skewering/stabbing/burning/head torture etc. - was it a step too far for a James Bond novel or do you think it fitted in with the works of Ian Fleming?

There are characters brutally stabbed to death, skewered with wooden skewers, almost burnt alive and raped. Colonel Sun himself is stabbed by Bond twice in the back and then partially blown up by his own mortar bomb and finally given the coup de grace by a knife slid into his heart by Bond. This was after he had apologised to Bond for the head torture that he had just inflicted upon him and that he was crazy to quote Justine by the Marquis de Sade (whose name the word "sadism" is taken from) etc. I think the violence in this Bond novel is certainly more graphic than those by Ian Fleming. It's also quite a different death scene for a villain here, with Sun calling Bond "James", rather like Le Chiffre in Casino Royale. This is indeed appropriate as Colonel Sun sits very much with the more brutal and violent early Fleming James Bond novels like Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Diamonds Are Forever and Dr. No.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
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Comments

  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I haven't read it in years ( but will in a few months, so should have a better
    Responds by then. ;) ). I remember being shocked by the deaths of the Hammond's
    And the " torture " scene is gruesome. Although I don't remember the rest as
    Being overly violent ( this could be that I'm an exceptionally violent man, just
    Waiting for someone to disagree so I can unleash HELL !! :)) ) or it's been so long
    I've forgotten the juicy bits. I do recall a Russian General looking lustfully at a
    Young fisherman.
    All in all I do think it's the best of the continuing novels. Not Fleming of course,
    Missing the famous " sweep" that he put in his adventures.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
    edited July 2014
    Yep, me too, it's been a long, long while since I've read it, like almost a couple of decades! However, I recently did listen to the audiobook and as with the Fleming books, it's always a different experience hearing it. As far as the upping the ante on the action and violence, I suppose any writer would have been tempted to do that as a direct follow-up to Fleming himself.
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
  • AlphaOmegaSinAlphaOmegaSin EnglandPosts: 10,926MI6 Agent
    Gardner took it even further, just read NLF and you will see what I mean -{
    1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
    edited October 2014
    Does anyone else want to give their views on this? I'm planning to re-read Colonel Sun very soon. :) -{
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • AlphaOmegaSinAlphaOmegaSin EnglandPosts: 10,926MI6 Agent
    I found most of Colonel Sun to be rather dull, but the Torture Scene with Bond and Sun was well written -{
    1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I liked the violence of Col Sun. Bond alone and down to
    using just a knife to do his work. Showing despite the
    nice clothes and cars. Bond's job is Brutal !
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
    Thunderpussy wrote:
    I liked the violence of Col Sun. Bond alone and down to
    using just a knife to do his work. Showing despite the
    nice clothes and cars. Bond's job is Brutal !

    Yes, the Bond of CS was much more like the Bond of Dr. No or LALD, wasn't it? :) -{
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    -{ Yes he is Amis puts him through hell.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • AlphaOmegaSinAlphaOmegaSin EnglandPosts: 10,926MI6 Agent
    edited October 2014
    Thats why Dalton remains my top Bond -{


    Colonel_Sun_Torture_Scene.jpg
    1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
    AlphaOmegaSin wrote:
    Thats why Dalton remains my top Bond -{

    And mine - he actually read the books! :) -{
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I also liked how Bond made sure the boy helping on
    the boat was put ashore, so he wouldn't be involved
    in the assault.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • AlphaOmegaSinAlphaOmegaSin EnglandPosts: 10,926MI6 Agent
    Yes -{
    1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    :)) I think we ( at least) all agree on Dalton {[]
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
    AlphaOmegaSin wrote:
    Thats why Dalton remains my top Bond -{


    Colonel_Sun_Torture_Scene.jpg

    That wonderful artwork is from Playboy I believe where Col. Sun was serialised. :) -{
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    What's Playboy ? :)) Great picture -{
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • AlphaOmegaSinAlphaOmegaSin EnglandPosts: 10,926MI6 Agent
    :))

    There are more on the 007wiki Page for Colonel Sun -{
    1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
    Thunderpussy wrote:
    What's Playboy ? :)) Great picture -{

    Oh, come now... :))
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • David SchofieldDavid Schofield EnglandPosts: 1,528MI6 Agent
    I suspect part of it was to out Fleming Fleming. Grab attention. Make his Bond novel stand out.

    Also, consider, Amis was writing at the height of Bondmania and would have been aware of the increasingly stylise, less realistic violent tones of the movies. Bare in mind, Amis was writing right between Connery and Shaw beating lumps out of each other and Lazenby punching his way through OHMSS: Amis was not a fan of movie Bond and here again he could simply be reminding audiences that the "real" James Bond was his lit one.

    And, finally, consider the increasingly "left" social politics and attitudes to war and violence. Le Carre, one of Fleming's greatestes critics, was writing of a spy world where problems were solved by upper middle class depressives betraying something of other (usually to Mother Russia) with an Oxbridge wave. Yet here was Amis reminding readers that spying was a violent, horrible affair, fought on the frontline, not in stuffy university rooms. Amis. was after all, one of Fleming's greatest admirers, and defenders.

    Just a few thought thoughts as to "why". Sadly, by concentrating on these, and perhaps because a Bond novel wasn't his normal territory, CS lacks pace and direction; the head of MI^ is kidnapped, full of secrets - James Bond goes for a cruise round the Agean.
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
    edited November 2021
    Thank you very much for that interesting and thoughtful read, David. I have come to some of the same conclusions especially regarding Amis trying to out-do Fleming in the violence and sex stakes as well as being more overtly political.
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • AlphaOmegaSinAlphaOmegaSin EnglandPosts: 10,926MI6 Agent
    I should really give CS another Read -{
    1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
    AlphaOmegaSin wrote:
    I should really give CS another Read -{

    I really need to too in order to write a planned series of articles! :) -{
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
    I just watched Marathon Man for the first time on DVD and I was greatly impressed by this film.

    The simplicity of the dental torture scenes reminded me of Colonel Sun torturing Bond.

    Is this the nearest Amis' novel has come to being filmed (in part)?

    Are there any other spy films that come to mind with similar torture scenes to Colonel Sun?

    I'd love to hear from you! :) -{
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • AlphaOmegaSinAlphaOmegaSin EnglandPosts: 10,926MI6 Agent
    It's a shame that CS gets overlooked. When it was originally released, how much Attention did it get?
    1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
    edited July 2022
    AlphaOmegaSin wrote:
    It's a shame that CS gets overlooked. When it was originally released, how much Attention did it get?

    It certainly got a lot of critical attention being the first continuation Bond and it had the big literary name of Kingsley Amis attached to it too of course. It sold moderately well but not all critics were kind to it so I think Glidrose may have been burned a tad by the experience.
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • AlphaOmegaSinAlphaOmegaSin EnglandPosts: 10,926MI6 Agent
    I know that Amis was critical of Gardner's early Bond Adventures.
    1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
    AlphaOmegaSin wrote:
    I know that Amis was critical of Gardner's early Bond Adventures.

    He certainly was. I typed out his reviews a while back in a thread here in the Literary section in fact. Amis' Collected Letters are worth a read in this regard too. -{
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
    Barbel wrote:
    Since it was an open secret at the time that "Robert Markham" was really Kingsley Amis, it got attention from most if not all of the newspaper critics.

    Apparently it didn't sell fantastically though. I'd love to see a record of the sales figures as that's an area I've always been very interested in.
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • AlphaOmegaSinAlphaOmegaSin EnglandPosts: 10,926MI6 Agent
    Talking of Reviews, I might revive my Series on the Gardner Books -{
    1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,865MI6 Agent
    AlphaOmegaSin wrote:
    Talking of Reviews, I might revive my Series on the Gardner Books -{

    That would be a great idea. I really need to get back to writing myself.
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 38,068Chief of Staff
    Please do, SM, some of your planned essays sound fascinating.
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