Novelized 'Die Another Day'

Raymond Benson has once more taken the screenplay of the latest James Bond film, written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and turned it into an explosive novel. This review will be critiquing Die Another Day as a James Bond novel.

As the novel opens, we find Bond surfing onto Pukch’ong Beach where he will pose as a diamond smuggler set to meet with the North Korean Colonel Moon, a Communist hardliner. Moon is onto Bond and an explosive chase ensues involving hovercraft, which ends with Moon presumed dead, Zao, Colonel Moon’s principal henchman, disfigured, and Bond apprehended by the General Moon, Colonel Moon’s father. Bond is held and tortured by the North Koreans for over the next fourteen months until he is released into South Korea as part of an exchange for Zao. M visits Bond at a military hospital where he is informed that he is “no longer of any use”. Bond of course suspects the possibility of a traitor, someone who could have tipped off Colonel Moon. Bond quickly makes his escape from the hospital and sets off to find the traitor, a trail that reveals a nefarious plot to topple the West.

What will be good news for many Bond fans is that Die Another Day is a return to the over the top Bond and Beyond stories of the sixties and seventies while maintaining a fresh and modern tone to it, which is what has been missing from the stories of Bond of late. Perhaps it becomes a little too unreal at times, especially the scenes involving Bond’s Aston Martin Vanquish. The car, called the Vanish by Q, has the ability to turn invisible to the naked eye. Bond later makes use of the car’s passenger ejector seat to get the Vanquish back on its wheels after it has landed up side down and a rocket is closing in on him. Bond proceeds to use the spikes in the tires to drive up a wall at the Ice Palace. Not to mention the part involving Bond and Jinx flying on rockets (which the NSA, who deals mainly with cryptology and ciphering, have for some reason) or the ice dragster sequences. One must also suspend belief in that Colonel Moon, in a period of fourteen months, just barely over a year, manages to become completely transformed/altered to the white Gustav Graves, and build up his identity as something of a celebrity among the public, enough so to get knighted, as well in that short time period construct a massive satellite weapon and get it into space. In this reviewer’s opinion it would have been wiser to keep Graves and Moon as separate people and make them allies. Even with the chapter Benson includes revealing how this occurred, it doesn’t seem that much more believable. And speaking of Moon, through much of the novel he is presumed dead, even by his father, General Moon. Surely shortly after the events of the beginning of the novel, General Moon would have sent his men out to look for his son and they would find only a smashed hovercraft and no body. I also personally found the virtual reality training to seem a little out there and a little too much like something from Star Trek. It is absurd that Moneypenny would make use of the technology to live out some fantasy involving Bond, particularly when the world is on the brink of war, and since she was in there at the same time Bond and Jinx are off fighting Graves, she would have no way of knowing if he even survived or not.

The novel is not overflowing with action, which is a good thing and a fear I had when I began reading. There actually are not many separate action scenes, only the opening, always expected to contain action, and a fight in Cuba, then one rather long one that occurs a little after halfway through, actually lasting four whole chapters, and of course the climax. The story also contains a well-crafted fencing duel between Bond and Graves at the Blades club that Benson vividly describes. It is a true highlight of the novel.

The novel is filled with a number of “winks and nods” and perhaps goes a little overboard with them, going as far to as include a scene where Jinx is tied down with a laser beam moving between her legs. A white, diamond collared cat even makes an appearance leaving one to wonder if this is just another wink and nod or a hint of something to come (though I honestly can’t imagine how Blofeld could turn out to have had a hand in this). However others are appropriate, such as the new Q commenting how he learned from his predecessor to ‘never joke about his work.’

The novel presents an interesting cast of characters this time around. The villains are a bizarre lot worthy of Fleming: Gustav Graves who sleeps only an hour a day with the aide of a specialized machine, and Zao comes across as a menacing henchman, which his altered appearance surely contributes to, as well as a minor henchman aptly named Mr. Kil. The girls are mysterious and exotic: Jinx and under cover MI6 agent Miranda Frost, both of which have their own surprises for Bond.  New allies of Bond turn up: Raoul, the likeable cigar maker who aides Bond in Cuba, and the NSA Chief Falco. The regular characters are back as well. The Q scene is wonderfully written. M is back as her regular cool self, particularly cruel at times, and Robinson once more shows up. It seems like very little is done to actually develop or flesh out most of these characters in any way, even with the brief histories Benson has provided to Zao and Moon/Graves.

Benson takes us through the story with a distinct narrative flare. He has obviously done some research to provide brief histories and descriptions of the locations used to give a better visual image. He has included a particularly well written chapter when Bond is a prisoner in North Korea and describes how Bond mentally makes it through the torture, then briefly recaps Bond’s life, from his childhood to his days in the Royal Navy to how he became a Double-O and made his first kill, and goes on to have Bond recalling his past friends, foes, and women.

Overall, as a James Bond novel written by Raymond Benson, it came across as being pretty average. Of course Benson’s writing won’t be up to par with that of his original novels, but I still found the story to be nothing above average and offer nothing to terribly exciting. The first half was great and very Flemingesque, Bond abandoned by M and off on a personal mission (but nothing like Licence To Kill) and putting the clues together. The second half seemed to be lost along the way. I enjoyed Benson’s recent The Man With The Red Tattoo a considerable degree more, his stronger writing being much more evident, as well as plot wise. I got the impression that this had the potential to be a good Bond story had a few changes been made to some areas and a little more thought or effort had gone into it. On a scale of one to ten, it lands on an even six.

A Different Perspective

It is hard to be objective when it comes to reviewing an audio book, as there are so many elements one can be sidetracked into reviewing. At the same time those elements have to be included in the review, but the most important part is always the audio itself.

The Unabridged Brilliance Audio Die Another Day Audio Book spans 4 casette tapes or 2 CDs and is approximately 6 hours in length. It is based upon Raymond Benson’s 245 page novelisation of Die Another Day, which is taken from a screenplay by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

Sitting down and listening to the adventure that is Die Another Day is a vastly different experience from sitting down and watching the adventure unfold onscreen, but this doesn’t ever seem to detract from the audio book, nor does it detract from the novelisation. It isn’t necessarily true that Raymond Benson’s work is better then the film, but the novel, and in turn the audio book, does posses a unique quality; scenes that will never appear on the silver screen. It is obvious when listing to the story that particular scenes, for instance flash backs, just won’t make it to an print of Die Another Day. The novelisation definitely feels closer to Benson’s Tomorrow Never Dies then The World Is Not Enough due to its added scenes.

The novelisation is read by American Michael Page, and first uncertainties about an American accent reading a Bond novel were soon dispelled. This is largely due to Page’s theatre background, most modern actors aiming for a neutral accent that Page easily finds. Furthermore, he brings in accents for particular characters, some of which he does repeat, but never in the same scene. Jinx and Miranda Frost have particularly different accents and Zao’s voice is brilliantly delivered. Colonel Moon’s voice is almost touch and go at times as it sometimes comes across as a satire Asian accent.

Despite his theatre background, some of Page’s pronunciations may not hit directly home with the audience. For instance, his pronunciation of Omega tended towards ‘a-mega’. Another pronunciation that ‘felt’ strange was that of Zao’s name. To date it had always been sounded, in my head at least, as ‘Zay-oh’ rather Page’s pronunciation is closer to ‘Zah-oh’. Page’s pronunciation is similar to that of the onscreen pronunciation, so any unfamiliarity will be seemingly dispensed after the films release.

An audio-book is definitely not for everyone, however, Brilliance Audio’s Die Another Day Audio Book does ‘work’ and is very entertaining. Bond fans should definitely buy either a copy of the novelisation or a copy of the audio book, depending on their reading preferences.

The Unabridged Brilliance Audio Die Another Day Audio Book can be bought online from Barnes and Noble and amazon.com:

• Order the CD edition of Die Another Day from Barnes and Noble
• Order the Cassette edition of Die Another Day from Barnes and Noble
• Order the CD edition of Die Another Day from Amazon.com

UK Cover Art Confirmed For 'Die Another Day'

Copies of Raymond Benson’s Die Another Day novelisation have already started appeared in bookstores world-wide, however, to date no cover art for the UK release of the novel has been confirmed.

‘Nigel’ was able to pick up a copy of the novel and has written in to tell us that the cover art is that of the US Teaser B / US One Sheet poster, making it different from the US novelisation which features the UK Teaser A Ice Gun.

The same artwork that is on the UK novelisation appears on the US Audio Book.

'Die Another Day' Audio Book Covers Revealed

The covers for the various Die Another Day audio books have been revealed by Barnes & Noble. Unsurprisingly, the four covers are all version of the Die Another Day Teaser B poster.

The audio books are various versions of Raymond Benson’s Die Another Day novelisation, and are available on both CD and cassette, and abridged and unabridged. Prices for the items at Barnes & Noble range from $19.96 through to $59.40.

Cover Art For US Paperback Novelisation Revealed

The cover art for the US Paperback novelisation of Die Another Day has today appeared on the internet.

It’s a surprising cover and at this stage could still be changed. The first thing you’ll notice is that Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry have equal billing on the book. Is this a sales ploy for the US market? Quite possibly, call sheets I saw earlier in the year for Die Another Day filming gave Halle Berry third billing. Perhaps her contract could state a different billing on the US version of the film.

Also interesting is the huge ‘Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’ and claiming the film to be ‘The Biggest Bond Movie Ever’. Finally, there’s also the tag line “He’s never been cooler”.

More Details On 'Die Another Day' Audiobook

A few smaller details have been released about the Audio Book version of Raymond Benson’s novelisation for Die Another Day.

The tenative release for the US version of the audio book is currently October 28, 2002. A date which is almost a month before the release of Die Another Day in cinemas.

The casette version of the audio book will take up four casettes. The story will be unabridged and will total about six hours of listening.

'Die Another Day' Novelisation For Sale Across The Net

Zencat has been doing some homework on the Die Another Day novelisation and has come up with some places to pre-order and some interesting release dates:

Amazon.co.uk has now listed both the UK hardcover and the UK paperback up for pre-order. The hardcover is selling at £18.99 and the paperback at £5.59. The latter already has a 20% discount, so it could be a good idea to pre-order now.

Amazon.co.uk has given both the books a 7 November 2002 release date.

Amazon.com has only got the US paperback listed at the moment. They have it selling at $6.99 and with a simple November 2002 release date.

However, it is Barnes & Noble who have got the interesting release date for the US paperback. They’re claiming it will be shipped on October, almost a full month before the release of Die Another Day!

Barnes & Noble have also listed for pre-order the audio CD and cassette of the novelisation, selling for $23.96 and $19.96 respectively. And again there is an October release date!

'The Man With The Red Tattoo' Reviewed By JNTO

A Review By Andrew Sobol
Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) Chicago Office

Raymond Benson’s The Man with the Red Tattoo

I found The Man with the Red Tattoo to be very entertaining in terms of its broad cultural context and its classic James Bond plot. I was particularly impressed with Mr. Benson’s attention to seemingly miniscule cultural details that carried the plot along nicely and more importantly, offered incredible insight into the psyche and cultural awareness of the Japanese people.

Mr. Benson’s acuity in identifying the behavioral traits and customs of the Japanese people helped create a realistic depiction of modern Japan that includes everything from bullet trains and neon lights to the subtle humility that identifies the Japanese persona. Mr. Benson carefully includes these cultural references amongst the excitement and drama common to all James Bond plots and successfully builds a common-sense understanding of Japanese culture for the reader.

Mr. Benson creates this sense of understanding through his accurate depictions of Japan’s cities, carefully selected inferences made by Bond and other characters, and through the countless dialogues that tie the novel together. While providing the reader with vivid descriptions of major metropolitan locations such as Tokyo and Sapporo, Benson also pays close attention to the natural beauty of areas such as Kamakura and Aomori, identifying the stark contrast between Japan’s big cities and its rural areas. Likewise, Benson acknowledges the unique relationship between the old ways and modernity in Japan that is as alive in the big cities as it is in the countryside. Also marking the evident relationship between Japan’s past and present are Benson’s carefully crafted dialogues that reflect a very traditional aspect of Japanese culture–honor. Throughout the novel, Benson provides readers with an insider’s view of the Japanese social hierarchy through conversations between Japanese people and conversations between Japanese people and foreigners. In order to explain the social hierarchy as it is presented in the novel, Benson provides historical references and identifies the relationship between his historical explanations and their relevance to the plot. By the end of the novel, Bond’s insightful and often complex assumptions regarding Japanese society can be easily interpreted and accepted, even by readers with little or no previous knowledge about Japan.

Benson’s in-depth look at Japan and the structure of Japanese society offers a wonderful opportunity to familiarize readers with Japan and its people. Mr. Benson’s research and efforts are definitely apparent in his work; after reading The Man with the Red Tattoo, I would recommend the book not only for its Bond-paced excitement, but also as an introduction or refresher to the unique culture and environment that is Japan.

Turning To A Novel And Not A Film

How does one successfully review a novel? I’m not sure that one can. So I’ll tell you this. I am a person with an opinion; I am therefore a person with a bias. Please keep that in mind as you read anything opinionated from me. And a review is just that, pure opinion.

In his sixth James Bond novel Raymond Benson takes James Bond back to Japan, the first time Bond has been there since the events of You Only Live Twice. Now, those events aren’t to be confused with the film version but one must think of Fleming’s novel, which I must admit, sadly, I haven’t been able to lay my hands on a copy to date. That said, I do know most of the events of the novel.

Returning to Japan does present a problem on an emotional level for Bond. It was here that he finally killed Blofeld (at much peril to himself), spent several years in recuperation living like a Japanese fishing man as opposed to a debonair British Agent.

However, sadly, this emotional level doesn’t fully hit home in The Man With The Red Tattoo. Yes, Benson does present the emotional argument inside Bond, does make you understand just what the man went through but I kept finding myself forgetting these emotional perils for Bond. Why? The only thing I could really pin it down on is the fact that the novel is extremely fast paced. I have to admit, I tend to read novels and occasionally skip paragraphs thinking, “Could this scene be more droll?” I didn’t do that in The Man With The Red Tattoo. It’s too well structured. But as a I mentioned, it speed may be a little too fast to let the reader actually savor the emotional effects of the occurrences in Bond’s world.

But don’t let that statement fool you. Benson does manage to bring back Bond’s emotional peril. I found that the notion appeared three times, conveniently at the beginning, in the middle and towards the end. It is in the middle that it is most effective. While I can’t mention what happens here, it would after all spoil too much of the novel for you, I did find myself questioning Bond’s reaction to the event. Why exactly did Bond handle it that way? In my mind Bond would have handled it quite differently. Perhaps Benson didn’t flesh the scene out, or perhaps his definition of Bond in such an event is different from my own. Either way, it’s a question that I’d like to pose to him sometime in the future just to hear his view on the matter.

I mentioned earlier in this review that Benson turns in his novel to Fleming’s novel rather that the movie, and I feel I must comment on this. Don’t let the fact stop you from reading Benson’s work. While Benson does make such a decision, I’m sure it won’t alienate friends. The appearance of Tiger Tanaka, and I guess the evolution of that character, did not alienate me in anyway from the movie which I’m sure more Bond fans are familiar with. In every way Tanaka played in my head and melded perfectly with the definition of the character given to us by Tetsuro Tamba who played him in the 1967 film.

Moving away from smaller details Benson has managed to craft a clever plot. While he is using an age-old stratagem, terrorism, he’s managed to mold it in a clever way that keeps a reader entertained. On a personal level it also hit a deep nerve within me. It made me think of what is truly possible in a world of good and evil. While terrorism is not such a simple task, the way terrorism is conducted in The Man With The Red Tattoo is realistically scary. It’s real life possibility made me think twice, and I found myself worried about small tingles on my skin. You’ll understand what I mean once you’ve read the novel.

I feel I must congratulate both Benson and the publishers on not scrapping The Man With The Red Tattoo. Goro Yoshida, the book’s main villain, is a Japanese nationalist and hates the United States, which he makes his target for his act of terrorism. While this novel was written pre-September 11 it could have easily been scrapped with the events of that day in mind. Moreover, it is good to see that a the events of September 11 do have a mention in the novel, making the reader aware that Bond’s world is not that different from our own. To paraphrase producer Michael G Wilson, Bond’s world is just a step away from our own and slightly more surreal.

I could write hundreds of more words on the novel, but I’ll try and be brief from here on in to not give you to many preconceptions of the novel.

One thing that I must say surprised me was Benson’s choice of Bond girls. One of the Bond girls seems the most obvious choice and she’s crafted well. However, it’s the book’s other Bond Girl who made me think “What?” (I shant mention her name as she doesn’t develop as a Bond Girl for sometime). While it’s obvious that Bond will undoubtedly bed her it is the fact that she was working as a high-class prostitute, much as Zero Minus Ten‘s heroin was, that made me wonder why Benson returned to an older concept. It does add or subtract from the story, but its an interesting notion for fans to consider. Perhaps it’s the though of Bond sexually conquering a woman who is primarily sexual that is most interesting to the reader? Much in the same way Fleming’s Bond coverts Pussy Galore from lesbianism to heterosexuality.

Benson is by no means Fleming, only Fleming was Fleming and that’s how it shall remain for all of time. He’s crafted a good book with The Man With The Red Tattoo, with good references to the past. I just hope in time books such as The Man With The Red Tattoo will appeal to a wider audience rather than strictly Bond fans. However that said, The Man With The Red Tattoo would appeal to a wider audience of fans who do appreciate the Bond films. Benson gives the book an excellent sense of location (one can easily conjure the various Japanese locations in their mind), a good plot and a good tempo.

Mr Benson, a job well done.

A Novel Way of Death: 'The Man With The Red Tattoo'

Jacques Stewart (better known around the CBn Forums as Jim) has graced us with his review of Raymond Benson's The Man with the Red Tattoo. The review does include spoilers and readers who don't want to read spoilers may want to avoid it.

There's a comment in Raymond Benson's The James Bond Bedside Companion that, in comparing the Fleming and Gardner books, Fleming's would be savoured at Sardi's and Gardner's munched at McDonalds. The metaphor, albeit a crassly alliterative one, begs the query: where into this grand scheme of comestibles fall Mr Benson's own delicacies?
With The Man with the Red Tattoo Raymond Benson has produced a competent book, which may or may not be as successful or unsuccessful as his other five original James Bond stories. The plot, the usual hysterical twaddle about a terrorist event at a world event, fast becoming a Benson tattoo itself, is neither here nor there. It services 290-odd pages of an entertainment, which rumble along pleasantly and then end. Requisite shoot-outs happen along the way and the girls are respectively a secret service agent and a well-spoken and naturally charming prostitute, both again recognisably indelible in Mr Benson's output. The eponymous villain is suitably dastardly, with the requisite cohort of crazed killers and physical freaks at his disposal. All present and correct, all well and good.

Perhaps.

The decision to set this book in Japan is a revealing, and ultimately exposing, one. It will inevitably draw comparison with You Only Live Twice, perhaps Fleming's most thematically rich novel, if not his most narratively arresting. Mr Benson seems to intend to invite the comparison. Rather than avoid the ghosts of the past, he beckons them enter, making central to the early parts of the book Fleming's character of Tiger Tanaka, and inviting the casual reader to cast their mind back to Vesper Lynd, Tracy Bond and Kissy Suzuki, and the fight in Blofeld's garden of death. At which point, the casual reader may well wonder whether (s)he's been invited to this party at all.

For this adoration of the dead characters of a dead man is the rotten core at the soul of this exercise in futile necrophilia. It is a gutless performance to rely on another's characters to flesh out a tale. It is also extremely risky, and counter-productive. "Bond fans", we happy few, will recognise the character from the earlier work, and thus the character is fully formed and needs no further backstory. How pleased we are to see them return. How easy that must be to write. How horrifically that exposes the one-dimensional nature of the writer's own new characters. Propping up new characters no thicker than a paper wall with old hands only serves to undermine them. A problem: Fleming's character will still outshine all. Where is the confidence to ditch the past? Where is the confidence to create something new? Where is the confidence in one's own creation?

Where are the memorable Benson characters? The easiest answer is to remind the writer of Le Gerant, erstwhile head of The Union in the preceding three books. A point noted, but not taken, for Le Gerant was thrown away in his final appearance in favour of the resuscitation of a Fleming character, whose appearance can have meant little or nothing to those whose first Bond book by any writer Never Dream Of Dying will have been. Blown away was Le Gerant, for an in-reference.

And this is why it is so counter-productive. If one writes for the "fans", one is in danger of disappearing down an ever decreasing circle straight to hell. Who will read a book that alienates them by chucking in a reference every few pages, and not just a reference, but a reference the author wishes to invest with some significance? One wonders how ruthlessly commercial that is. One wonders if it is simply playing to a core captive audience, but never breaking out to the wider mainstream, because of never changing the material.

It's just to easy to hang onto the past. Another Benson tattoo. One wonders, if Mr Benson delivers unto us a "Jamaica" book, it will be revealed to us that Quarrel was only mildly singed, or Strangways and Mary Trueblood did have that affair after all, or Ross just went for a swim, or Mary Goodnight is still out there, spending weekends at the Thunderbird Hotel? Wouldn't that just give all us "fans" a warm tickly feeling inside, that the author is showing off his Bond knowledge (an entirely justifiable way to spend one's life, I'm sure) rather than telling us something new? If you don't get all the above references, you may appreciate my point.

Or would it, should it, make us fear that this relentless pursuit of Bond lore will be left on the shelves, ignored by the wider public and dismissed into fandom? Too much introspection will lead to destruction.

And The Man with the Red Tattoo is ringing that death knell loud. Having read it twice in forty-eight hours, I remain mystified to whom this will appeal apart from those "in the know", those whose "knowledge" of this utterly trivial thing, can be taken for granted, those who simply will accept a new Bond book, because it is a new Bond book. Where it appeals to those who may just want to give Bond " a look", may just want to see what it's like in print rather than on screen, I do not know. I think this route commercially unsound. I think it is potentially suicidal and, unlike the Japanese methods, entirely without honour.

I could not dismiss this concern if the writing was better, but it might be dulled. However, once more, Raymond Benson has produced a story, and an engaging story while it's there, but without a text. The narrative is incredibly bland. There is no craft at work here, no attempt to explore the written art. It is narrative. It is reportage. It gets the job done, although his fondness for the redundant phrase still needs to be tempered by his editor. The overwhleming stench of "will this do?" pervades the book, and engenders the impression that it is written without love for, or interest in, the skill of writing.

This intrinsic nothingness of style is heightened in this sixth book, structurally (and narratively) closest to The Facts of Death but more exposed in this book than its forebear. A second novel might be forgiven a fledgling style; a sixth, infused by the same empty phraseology and leaden, serviceable prose, is considerably harder to forgive. The effect is someone reporting something they have seen without much imagination, or interest. Consider the sound loops many cinemas have for their deaf or blind patrons.

We have seen Mr Benson be more structurally inventive than his new book: High Time To Kill and Doubleshot were new constructs, so far as the Bond novels go, and their flaw is not in that they were done that way, but in the manner of their execution. If the writing were stronger, more involving, if there were an authorial voice of any description, there would be much to enjoy in those books and their experimental natures. As they stand, the writing is too weak to hang onto those bones, and they are rendered skeltons of novels, rather than fleshed out.

In The Man with the Red Tattoo we proceed without a construct, we chug through in a linear manner that propels the book to its conclusion without engaging the reader sufficiently to admire the manner in which one reaches it. Although doubtless influenced by this latest work, it would still be immensely crass for me to throw in a You Only Live Twice reference here, so ignore the next comment if you want to avoid solid gold hypocrisy: it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive. Stylistically, Mr Benson is perfectly competent at arriving, but doesn't appear very interested in how he gets there.

And that's a surprise, because strengths of Raymond Benson's books are his travelogue, his research and his sense of place. This was effective in High Time To Kill and Never Dream
Of Dying and indeed so here. A far more wide-ranging (geographically, if not stylistically) book than You Only Live Twice, The Man with the Red Tattoo takes in several Japanese cities and islands, and the differences between them are competently presented to us. Regrettably, the absence of style unfortunately renders these descriptions as colossal info-dumps. The effort to weave the detail into the text is at best, clumsy, and at worst, distracting. However, any book that starts with two pages of thanks (including thanks to the two main actresses in You Only Live Twice) can't be dismissed as lazy in preparation, just in execution. The relentless pursuit of barraging the reader over the head with as much information as possible in one paragraph renders the book an effective guide book, but if it was a guide book I wanted, a guide book is what I would have bought. The overwhelming detail cannot compensate for the underwhelming presentation.

Comparisons are death; I am striving not to compare Mr Benson to Mr Fleming or Mr Gardner. All have their weaknesses. Fleming was patently a colossally egotistical bigot. It was always amusing to see how plainly John Gardner's boredom with the character of James Bond would shine through. But where Fleming was a self-made man in love with his own creator and creation, whose style was (at its least showy) extravagant, and Gardner was technically adept and intrigued in manipulating the Bond character out of his Fleming candyfloss world into something more espionagey (probably not a word), I fear that Mr Benson is in love with someone else's character. You always hurt the one you love, the one you shouldn't hurt at all. Comparisons are invidious; Mr Benson is coming up with basic plots that are the measure of Fleming and Gardner, even if he does retain Gardner's fondness for public events and including real people. Apparently James Bond is Tony Blair's best pal. On a plot for plot basis The Man with the Red Tattoo is the equal of Moonraker or Diamonds Are Forever or Thunderball. But it ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it, that's what gets results.

So where are we now, and where do we go from here? I cannot see what The Man with the Red Tattoo has added to James Bond. It is insufficiently dramatic to signal a new direction, it is thematically immature and obvious (the constant references to Mishima give away the ending) and it is navel-gazing in the extreme. Accordingly, we are where we were before it was published. Where do we go? On a commercial level, I want the book to be a success, and have wide public recognition, because otherwise the commercial future of the written Bond, if what is written is of this standard, is bleak. I fear it will not sell well in the UK. The branch of Waterstones in Oxford at which I bought it had only one copy. The chap on the till expressed surprise that "anyone was still writing those". On a practical level, I could live without a Bond book for more than a year if in that time, Raymond Benson has a really long think about his next book. Perhaps the structure of his contract will not let him do this, but that structure is a mistake. He needs to spend a great deal more time and attention to how he is writing, as much as to what he is writing. If a pause means he can refresh and generate something really enervating, that will be time well spent. On a faecetious level, buying a thesaurus would be an idea. If, however, it is a book a year for fourteen original books and there are eight more of these to sit through, I fear my interest waning. There is a danger of a dead horse being flogged here. There is also a danger of Mr Benson's talents being overfaced.

Which brings us back to the culinary analogies. Neither savoured at Sardi's nor munched at McDonalds (the latter's popular appeal is not to be mocked. surely?), The Man with the Red Tattoo is a glass of water. It is sustenance, but that alone, and no more memorable. Presently, the water is still relatively fresh, but as we're told throughout The Man with the Red Tattoo, don't let it go stagnant; that breeds death.