Zero Minus Ten

Wow.

Raymond Benson wrote one of the best books on Bond back in 1984. It was the James Bond Bedside Companion. Back then, as well as now, it is a valuable reference on all things Bond.

It was Benson’s love of 007, as well as his perfect grasp of Fleming’s work and style, that made this book a special one for me, especially coming into Bond-dom back in late ’84.

Now Benson is writing the novels, taking over from John Gardner.

James Bond. Ian Fleming’s James Bond is back.

I read Raymond Benson say that he wanted to write the Ian Fleming Bond in the EON Bond world. He has succeeded.

Zero Minus Ten reads like a Bond movie. The first chapter is really a pre-credits sequence (which would be great if ever used in a movie) and the characters are all true to what Bond movie fans would expect, yet keeping 007 himself faithful to the Fleming version. Benson, in my opinion, has produced a great mixture of a mission (foiling the sabotage of the Hong Kong handover from Britain to China), adventure, a travelogue (Jamaica to England to Hong Kong to Australia and back to Hong Kong), a little of how HMSS works (Bond, a double-oh agent training two single-oh’s), a beautiful girl, a maniacal villain, henchmen, a organized crime society not being what they seem to be (the Triad) and lot of reminiscing of earlier novels (off the top of my head, Thunderball, Casino Royale, Doctor No, Live and Let Die, OHMSS, Moonraker, as well as some of the women in his life from the Gardner efforts). For me, All four authors are united. This is the same 007 who is from Casino Royale, goes to Colonel Sun, through the Gardner books and continues with Benson.

The only complaint I have is the sex scenes are a little too descriptive and Guy Thackerly's "death" was obviously staged. Also, there is no way this is ever going to be a movie (at least how it is written. It's too dated and the pivoting event took place on a specific date. Plus, it would probably translate too much as Tomorrow Never Dies. Britian versus China abd al that). Other than that, I enjoyed this book tremendously. Well worth the $20.00 I paid for it. I am looking forward to The Facts of Death this summer.

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