Welcome to the show folks...
LICENSE TO THRILL?
The Ian Fleming estate has tapped American thriller writer Jeffrey Deaver to write the next James Bond novel.
Now some are saying that an American
might not "get" the style and idiom of such a quintessentially British character as Agent 007. Personally, I think it is possible for a non-Brit to write like one if they do their research and let Bond's distinctive voice break through.
What does concern me is that Deaver is a full time thriller writer.
You see what made Ian Fleming so groundbreaking in his original novels was that he eschewed the hyperbolic "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" style of adventure/thriller writing found in the pulps of the early 20th century and forged his own path. His path was lined with clear, precise prose, that carefully explained the operations of Bond's world in very great detail. This came from his background as a journalist, editor, and war-time intelligence officer, all jobs that called for such style.
This "adventure as journalism" style gave even the wildest Bond adventures an air of verisimilitude that authors still struggle to achieve today.
British-isms can be imitated, but that sort of created sense of reality can only be achieved through back breaking work.
I'll just conclude by saying that if Bond ends up chasing after a genius serial killer and his amazing ability to elude capture through complex puzzle traps, I'm going to slap someone.
ZUCKER YEA OR NAY?
I hate these sort of teasing news pieces. Movieline says that NBC-Universal honcho Jeff "The Destroyer" Zucker is going to be paid to finally ride off into the sunset with $30-$40 million in his back-pocket once the merger with Comcast is made official.
However, The Wrap disagrees, saying that the $30 million is just what he's going to making until his contract runs out in 2013, and he won't be leaving any time soon.
I fear that The Wrap might be onto something here. Zucker's the corporate equivalent of the killer in a low rent slasher film. Just when you think he's gone, he rises from Crystal Lake for an inevitable and more expensive sequel.
Anyway, we should just wait and see what happens. Because if he really does leave he can do a live performances in the Contractually Prohibited From Ruining Another TV Network Tour.
LICENSE TO THRILL?
The Ian Fleming estate has tapped American thriller writer Jeffrey Deaver to write the next James Bond novel.
Now some are saying that an American
might not "get" the style and idiom of such a quintessentially British character as Agent 007. Personally, I think it is possible for a non-Brit to write like one if they do their research and let Bond's distinctive voice break through.What does concern me is that Deaver is a full time thriller writer.
You see what made Ian Fleming so groundbreaking in his original novels was that he eschewed the hyperbolic "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" style of adventure/thriller writing found in the pulps of the early 20th century and forged his own path. His path was lined with clear, precise prose, that carefully explained the operations of Bond's world in very great detail. This came from his background as a journalist, editor, and war-time intelligence officer, all jobs that called for such style.
This "adventure as journalism" style gave even the wildest Bond adventures an air of verisimilitude that authors still struggle to achieve today.
British-isms can be imitated, but that sort of created sense of reality can only be achieved through back breaking work.
I'll just conclude by saying that if Bond ends up chasing after a genius serial killer and his amazing ability to elude capture through complex puzzle traps, I'm going to slap someone.
ZUCKER YEA OR NAY?I hate these sort of teasing news pieces. Movieline says that NBC-Universal honcho Jeff "The Destroyer" Zucker is going to be paid to finally ride off into the sunset with $30-$40 million in his back-pocket once the merger with Comcast is made official.
However, The Wrap disagrees, saying that the $30 million is just what he's going to making until his contract runs out in 2013, and he won't be leaving any time soon.
I fear that The Wrap might be onto something here. Zucker's the corporate equivalent of the killer in a low rent slasher film. Just when you think he's gone, he rises from Crystal Lake for an inevitable and more expensive sequel.
Anyway, we should just wait and see what happens. Because if he really does leave he can do a live performances in the Contractually Prohibited From Ruining Another TV Network Tour.
That news about a new writer for James Bond is surprising. My concern is that Fleming would be forgotten ,set aside for the new improved Bond. Now if the new Bond story is retro,and set in cold war days,I could go for that. So now Bond is the stuff of legend, alongside Sherlock Holmes,Miss Marple, and Poirot?
ReplyDeleteIt's not all that new. Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and American Raymond Benson have all written Bond novels under the supervision of the Fleming Estate.
ReplyDeleteMost recently novelist Sebastian Faulks released Devil May Care, which picks up the Bond story in the late 1960s. I'm currently halfway through it, but so far it seems pretty enjoyable, though slightly different in style from the original.
I'm assuming that Deaver's book will take up the continuity that Faulks established, but I don't know any details of what he's going to do.