I agree. It was generally well-received. The only people who seemed to actually dislike it were those of a certain political persuasion who felt aggrieved by the caricature of the villain.
The funny thing is I read it this time with a bit of a Craig-ish, modern Bond in mind; and with that the story actually feels a little more slight, in that there's nothing really in the way of drama for Bond. It is a pretty straightforward, Bank Holiday style Bond-takes-down-a-baddie story, which is fine for what it is, but I must admit I do kind of enjoy the recent Bonds where there's a bit more in the way of personal stakes for Bond. There's a bit of that with the previous murdered agent being Moneypenny's lover, and that's fine and M gets a bit of grit from that, but it's quickly forgotten.
I know lots of folks want that element of personal stakes removed from any future movies or stories, but this book kind of proved to me that I really don't and I missed it not being there.
I can see that. In Fleming's day, any attack on the UK felt personal - to UK dwellers anyhow. Now, in our more globalised society, it doesn't quite, we don't seem to have that island identity any more, for better or worse. Society feels more fragmented within a country itself, so what foreign action seems to hurt one section may not hurt another, or rather they may feel the other section of our society probably encouraged it at some point. It's not the same threat as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union.
So I bought a copy of OHisMSS and read it again. I quite liked it the first time around. It is okay on second offering. I didn't detect the differences between the hardback edition and the softback, so the interview with Charlie Higson helped identify what I missed. Otherwise, it is a decent read; swift and to the point. It covers the basic tenets of a Fleming Bond thriller without any fuss. A couple of factual errors / queries aside there isn't much to complain about. The villain is a bit of a bore and on this reading I ended up thinking he was a bit of an idiot too, very camp and not especially convincing. This is where a higher word count would assist the telling. Higson clearly has the legs for a longer Bond work and I would like to hope IFP will offer him the job. He talks about wanting to go retro and write about Bond in the war and his early years in the service, but Horowitz has kind of covered that already and I'd prefer something contemporary dealing with issues we see around us. Higson certainly has a handle on this modern outlook although on second reading he labours over the social media / far right / conspiracy theory angles a bit much. I know I could have got it cheaper online, but I wanted to support Waterstones, so £9.99 it was.
The book is longer than a short story and shorter than a novel, and I think the exercise was quite tricky for Higson considering the context. I appreciate the piece of work he delivered but I can understand why some people don't. To be honest, I expected nothing from it, and it probably helped me to enjoy the ride. Nevertheless, I found the last pages very disappointing. The daughter comes from nowhere and there's no previous clue to make the twist a genuine one. It's poor skill plotwise, and we can clearly see Higson was in a hurry to finish the book before the coronation. Furthermore, there are many common elements with novels like Scorpius and Brokenclaw.
Higson and Benson are very good authors but for me, With a mind to kill remains the ultimate masterpiece. I consider this one as the best continuation novel. I'm not sure another writer will ever be able to reach such a degree of perfection. Thank you Mister Horowitz.
Forgive me if this is a question that has been asked but the search feature isn't allowing me to search the 200+ comments on this thread:
Does anyone know why OHisMSS is not officially available in Canada? I know one can order an imported copy from dealers, and the ebook option exists (but I want physical media). But this is the first time I have ever encountered a James Bond novel not distributed here. I can't order it through Indigo (our main national bookstore chain) and on Amazon Canada I can only use "marketplace" dealers selling UK copies (and paying extra for the privilege). I know there is often lag between UK publication and it appearing in Canadian stores, but about a month ago I saw the second Sherwood novel available for sale in an Indigo so Higson's book got bypassed.
It's not even being listed anywhere as a future release in Canada. As I say, if I want to pay the extra postage etc (I don't have Prime and it doesn't always apply to Marketplace vendors) I can easily order a copy online from the UK or US, but this is now legit curiosity. I've never seen the Steve Cole Young Bond books in a store here in Canada either, now I think about it, though Higson's Young Bond books are everywhere.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,757Chief of Staff
I checked Amazon.ca and there were two hardback copies available at $29.18 CAD….but I’ve honestly no idea why it wouldn’t be available in Canada…and this has me slightly worried…I’ll have to look into this when I’m over…
Ian Fleming Publications don't seem to distribute in Canada at all. I have never seen any of their books for sale in any Canadian bookshop or online through any Canadian retailer/wholesaler. Furthermore, the last time I checked, the IFP shop won't ship to Canada either. Fortunately, there are plenty of book shops that will ship IFP products to Canada and shipping can be less expensive than you would imagine, but it's still a lot more expensive than purchasing something in Canada.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,757Chief of Staff
That’s awful, and very strange 🤔 I wonder why that is? I know the copyright has expired in Canada, but it would be rather petty if that was the reason…🙄
I know I bought all three Horowitz books in independent bookshops round these parts, not sure if I ever saw them in Indigo/Chapters.
I often see the Horowitz books and the three earlier oneshot books in Toronto's BMV Books, which is used and remaindered books. They must be getting them somewhere, as they are more typically on their shelves than actual Fleming titles
but I have never seen On His Majestys Secret Service in the wild. nor that other recent book where Bond is missing and three other double-ohs have adventures instead
It may to do with the publishers of the books: I thought it was IFP publishing their own but it seems these all have different publishers- the Horowitzes are Harper Collins for example.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,757Chief of Staff
in your official capacity as ajb007 Chief of Staff, will you be doing a grand tour upon your arrival to meet'n'greet all the loyal ajb007 members in Canada?
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,757Chief of Staff
Bear in mind I haven't read it yet, I've just heard a lot of noise, but I don't feel Bond should be used as a vehicle to hash out one's tribal politics.
I think Michael Apted cut out a scene from TWINE because he didn't want to 'ram the politics down the audiences throat' and they were talking about the Caspian sea oil, and Stalin, Kruschev etc.
Lifestyle guide to the products and locations featured in the James Bond films.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,757Chief of Staff
Comments
I would hope so. It seems to have sold well enough, and Charlie Higson enjoyed writing it.
And Charlie has always said he’d love to write a fully fledged Bond novel…he did a great job with this and his Young Bond novels…
I agree. It was generally well-received. The only people who seemed to actually dislike it were those of a certain political persuasion who felt aggrieved by the caricature of the villain.
The funny thing is I read it this time with a bit of a Craig-ish, modern Bond in mind; and with that the story actually feels a little more slight, in that there's nothing really in the way of drama for Bond. It is a pretty straightforward, Bank Holiday style Bond-takes-down-a-baddie story, which is fine for what it is, but I must admit I do kind of enjoy the recent Bonds where there's a bit more in the way of personal stakes for Bond. There's a bit of that with the previous murdered agent being Moneypenny's lover, and that's fine and M gets a bit of grit from that, but it's quickly forgotten.
I know lots of folks want that element of personal stakes removed from any future movies or stories, but this book kind of proved to me that I really don't and I missed it not being there.
I can see that. In Fleming's day, any attack on the UK felt personal - to UK dwellers anyhow. Now, in our more globalised society, it doesn't quite, we don't seem to have that island identity any more, for better or worse. Society feels more fragmented within a country itself, so what foreign action seems to hurt one section may not hurt another, or rather they may feel the other section of our society probably encouraged it at some point. It's not the same threat as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
So I bought a copy of OHisMSS and read it again. I quite liked it the first time around. It is okay on second offering. I didn't detect the differences between the hardback edition and the softback, so the interview with Charlie Higson helped identify what I missed. Otherwise, it is a decent read; swift and to the point. It covers the basic tenets of a Fleming Bond thriller without any fuss. A couple of factual errors / queries aside there isn't much to complain about. The villain is a bit of a bore and on this reading I ended up thinking he was a bit of an idiot too, very camp and not especially convincing. This is where a higher word count would assist the telling. Higson clearly has the legs for a longer Bond work and I would like to hope IFP will offer him the job. He talks about wanting to go retro and write about Bond in the war and his early years in the service, but Horowitz has kind of covered that already and I'd prefer something contemporary dealing with issues we see around us. Higson certainly has a handle on this modern outlook although on second reading he labours over the social media / far right / conspiracy theory angles a bit much. I know I could have got it cheaper online, but I wanted to support Waterstones, so £9.99 it was.
Still don't like the cover.
The book is longer than a short story and shorter than a novel, and I think the exercise was quite tricky for Higson considering the context. I appreciate the piece of work he delivered but I can understand why some people don't. To be honest, I expected nothing from it, and it probably helped me to enjoy the ride. Nevertheless, I found the last pages very disappointing. The daughter comes from nowhere and there's no previous clue to make the twist a genuine one. It's poor skill plotwise, and we can clearly see Higson was in a hurry to finish the book before the coronation. Furthermore, there are many common elements with novels like Scorpius and Brokenclaw.
Higson and Benson are very good authors but for me, With a mind to kill remains the ultimate masterpiece. I consider this one as the best continuation novel. I'm not sure another writer will ever be able to reach such a degree of perfection. Thank you Mister Horowitz.
Forgive me if this is a question that has been asked but the search feature isn't allowing me to search the 200+ comments on this thread:
Does anyone know why OHisMSS is not officially available in Canada? I know one can order an imported copy from dealers, and the ebook option exists (but I want physical media). But this is the first time I have ever encountered a James Bond novel not distributed here. I can't order it through Indigo (our main national bookstore chain) and on Amazon Canada I can only use "marketplace" dealers selling UK copies (and paying extra for the privilege). I know there is often lag between UK publication and it appearing in Canadian stores, but about a month ago I saw the second Sherwood novel available for sale in an Indigo so Higson's book got bypassed.
It's not even being listed anywhere as a future release in Canada. As I say, if I want to pay the extra postage etc (I don't have Prime and it doesn't always apply to Marketplace vendors) I can easily order a copy online from the UK or US, but this is now legit curiosity. I've never seen the Steve Cole Young Bond books in a store here in Canada either, now I think about it, though Higson's Young Bond books are everywhere.
I checked Amazon.ca and there were two hardback copies available at $29.18 CAD….but I’ve honestly no idea why it wouldn’t be available in Canada…and this has me slightly worried…I’ll have to look into this when I’m over…
Ian Fleming Publications don't seem to distribute in Canada at all. I have never seen any of their books for sale in any Canadian bookshop or online through any Canadian retailer/wholesaler. Furthermore, the last time I checked, the IFP shop won't ship to Canada either. Fortunately, there are plenty of book shops that will ship IFP products to Canada and shipping can be less expensive than you would imagine, but it's still a lot more expensive than purchasing something in Canada.
That’s awful, and very strange 🤔 I wonder why that is? I know the copyright has expired in Canada, but it would be rather petty if that was the reason…🙄
I know I bought all three Horowitz books in independent bookshops round these parts, not sure if I ever saw them in Indigo/Chapters.
I often see the Horowitz books and the three earlier oneshot books in Toronto's BMV Books, which is used and remaindered books. They must be getting them somewhere, as they are more typically on their shelves than actual Fleming titles
but I have never seen On His Majestys Secret Service in the wild. nor that other recent book where Bond is missing and three other double-ohs have adventures instead
Looks like they sold the ebook and audiobook, but I can't see any mentions they sold the physical edition.
It may to do with the publishers of the books: I thought it was IFP publishing their own but it seems these all have different publishers- the Horowitzes are Harper Collins for example.
Maybe I should buy a bunch of them and bring them, over 🤣
On His Majesty's Postal Service? 😃
sir miles said: Maybe I should buy a bunch of them and bring them, over
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
in your official capacity as ajb007 Chief of Staff, will you be doing a grand tour upon your arrival to meet'n'greet all the loyal ajb007 members in Canada?
Very good 🤣
I was thinking more along the lines of all the Canadian AJB members can come visit me and bring me gifts 👀🤣
On a similar note, it looks like my permanent residency papers should be here soon 👏🏻
You're not staying? Now I will be all alone.
Bear in mind I haven't read it yet, I've just heard a lot of noise, but I don't feel Bond should be used as a vehicle to hash out one's tribal politics.
I think Michael Apted cut out a scene from TWINE because he didn't want to 'ram the politics down the audiences throat' and they were talking about the Caspian sea oil, and Stalin, Kruschev etc.
I doubt that 👀😳🤭
😁😁😁😁
That's an odd couple. 🤭
Let me know if this has been posted before, and I'll delete it -https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/jun/01/bond-woke-charlie-higson-row-metrosexual-007
Thanks for posting that, Barbel, I hadn’t read it before.
I guess I’m stuck in the 60’s, as for me, that’s the golden era of James Bond.
I hadn’t read that either…thanks 🍸
I enjoyed this article where he picks his favourite five Flemings:
https://fivebooks.com/best-books/best-ian-fleming-books-charlie-higson/
(Thankfully I can post that link!)
I hadn’t seen that either…it’s a good read, thanks 🍸
Another good article, thanks @emtiem
Yes, thanks @emtiem.