Scan barcode
stuporfly's review against another edition
3.0
The first James Bond novel following the death of Ian Fleming, Colonel Sun was written by Kingsley Amis under the pen name Robert Markham, reportedly in part to prevent the character from falling into public domain and allowing any old schmo to publish their own story about the celebrated secret agent. Reviews of Colonel Sun were apparently mixed when it was released in 1968, and that's how I feel about the book in 2020.
My run through the original chronology (see my blog post for further explanation) morphed from actual books into audiobooks a couple of weeks ago as I spent four days in my car driving from New York to California, and I enjoyed the experience enough that I've carried it over into my two-week quarantine. Which is why I found myself listening to the continuing adventures of James Bond in a small cottage behind my mother-in-law's house in Oakland.
Some academic reviewers clearly far more nuanced than I am weren't sure Amis managed to successfully emulate Fleming's style, a continued lament (or at least concern) as the character of James Bond has lived on in print for over fifty-five years following the originator's death. This was of course the first, and was perhaps most scrutinized, and I guess I listened a bit more intently for similarities myself. And either I'm not too observant or I bought what Amis was selling, because had I not already known it wasn't written by Fleming, I wouldn't have guessed.
Colonel Sun is, if nothing else, an improvement on Fleming's final James Bond novel, The Man With the Golden Gun, published posthumously. Fleming was out of gas with the character by then, and the book hadn't undergone the thorough editing process in concert with the author that had long been common practice. And this is neither here nor there, but the movie adaptation wasn't very good either.
There is no movie adaptation of Colonel Sun, which is probably for the best as the villain is a racist caricature in a t-shirt. Elements of the book have been used in three Bond films, two in the overstuffed Pierce Brosnan era, and the last in the vastly superior Daniel Craig film Spectre.
Colonel Sun is sometimes gruesome, sometimes tedious, sometimes thrilling. In other words a James Bond novel.
This audiobook edition was narrated by Simon Vance, who holy shit, has lent his dulcet tones to over 750 audiobooks, including the entirety of the Fleming-penned Bond books. He's at his best in the narration, and with characters with British accents. Those with other accents are less successful, at least in the few Bond books I've heard him read.
My run through the original chronology (see my blog post for further explanation) morphed from actual books into audiobooks a couple of weeks ago as I spent four days in my car driving from New York to California, and I enjoyed the experience enough that I've carried it over into my two-week quarantine. Which is why I found myself listening to the continuing adventures of James Bond in a small cottage behind my mother-in-law's house in Oakland.
Some academic reviewers clearly far more nuanced than I am weren't sure Amis managed to successfully emulate Fleming's style, a continued lament (or at least concern) as the character of James Bond has lived on in print for over fifty-five years following the originator's death. This was of course the first, and was perhaps most scrutinized, and I guess I listened a bit more intently for similarities myself. And either I'm not too observant or I bought what Amis was selling, because had I not already known it wasn't written by Fleming, I wouldn't have guessed.
Colonel Sun is, if nothing else, an improvement on Fleming's final James Bond novel, The Man With the Golden Gun, published posthumously. Fleming was out of gas with the character by then, and the book hadn't undergone the thorough editing process in concert with the author that had long been common practice. And this is neither here nor there, but the movie adaptation wasn't very good either.
There is no movie adaptation of Colonel Sun, which is probably for the best as the villain is a racist caricature in a t-shirt. Elements of the book have been used in three Bond films, two in the overstuffed Pierce Brosnan era, and the last in the vastly superior Daniel Craig film Spectre.
Colonel Sun is sometimes gruesome, sometimes tedious, sometimes thrilling. In other words a James Bond novel.
This audiobook edition was narrated by Simon Vance, who holy shit, has lent his dulcet tones to over 750 audiobooks, including the entirety of the Fleming-penned Bond books. He's at his best in the narration, and with characters with British accents. Those with other accents are less successful, at least in the few Bond books I've heard him read.
bryce_is_a_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
It's funny how Kingsley Amis taking the franchise for a spin caused a book 40% bitchier, mixed the sex with depression and existential dread, and manages to hate communists even more.
So yes, it's an Amis book.
I'm being a little tongue in cheek, but it is kind of remarkable how well the character suits Amis's preoccupations. In his hands Bond becomes another reluctantly atheistic, common sense sensualist, a protagonist thick on the ground in Amis's oeuvre. His bad guys are either those who have let ideological brain worms drain them of their capacity for simple pleasure, or perverts who twist it. Only since this *is* Bond he gets to shoot these people rather than rolling his eyes at them and drinking in a corner.
Lucky Jim indeed.
So yes, it's an Amis book.
I'm being a little tongue in cheek, but it is kind of remarkable how well the character suits Amis's preoccupations. In his hands Bond becomes another reluctantly atheistic, common sense sensualist, a protagonist thick on the ground in Amis's oeuvre. His bad guys are either those who have let ideological brain worms drain them of their capacity for simple pleasure, or perverts who twist it. Only since this *is* Bond he gets to shoot these people rather than rolling his eyes at them and drinking in a corner.
Lucky Jim indeed.
ornithopter1's review against another edition
3.0
This one is far better written than any of the Ian Fleming novels I've read. Bond comes across as a more sympathetic character than he does in the original canon too. Less pleasing is the plot, which is rather paper-thin and slow to become clear. Instead of the expected dynamic spy, Bond is mostly reduced to reacting to the efforts of his opponents rather than getting ahead of the game and outwitting the enemy. The story sags in the middle, but manages to rebuild tension towards the conclusion.
ja_hopkins's review against another edition
3.0
This is not a bad book in the Bond cannon, but does not really stand out as a classic. To me Sun is a bit of a caricature villain, but its fine.as something to read on holiday.
dpmcalister's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I remember reading this years ago and really liking but a re-read has left me disappointed. It’s a slow, plodding tale with very little to endear you to the characters or plot. It actually became a chore to finish.
thebeardedpoet's review against another edition
3.0
Ever since my teens, James Bond novels always seemed ideal beach reading. Thus I started reading this one on the beach a couple weeks ago. It reads well and tells a decent adventure story. The villain is a sadist and a bit insane. Makes him a threatening bad guy. And Bond is portrayed in a sympathetic manner. I was rooting for him to rescue M from kidnappers and pleased with the allies he assembled along the way. The big problem is an age-old one. The hero ends up in a bind so awful and deadly it seems there is no way out. Oh, but then along comes a minor character who bails him out and gives him the upper hand. I really hate when that happens. I want the hero to find some ingenious way to turn the tables because he is James Bond, not just get help from some invention of the writer who had no other way out. So, all-in-all Colonel Sun is okay beach reading, but not a novel I can highly recommend to anyone. It was interesting though that one scene was lifted almost verbatim from this novel for the Daniel Craig movie Spectre. In fact, Kingsley Amis was acknowledged in the credits for it.
marvelarry's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Brigant jaune/Excrément occidental
Une toute petite histoire pour ce premier roman reprenant le personnage de James Bond après la mort de Ian Flemming.
Pourtant, ça commençait plutôt fort avec l'enlèvement de M. L'enjeu est donc important et il se développe dans le plan du Colonel Sun. Sauf que.
Jamais Kingsley Amis ne parvient à créer la moindre émotion tout occupé qu'il est à se moquer du genre dans lequel il doit écrire. Alors oui, c'est rigolo avec les blagues racistes, homophobes et, bien évidemment, misogynes. Il prend les travers de Flemming et les pousse jusqu'à l'absurde mais sans jamais les contrebalancer avec autre chose: du suspens, de l'aventure, de l'action ou même son style propre. Egalement, son mépris pour les gadgets montre qu'il n'est pas plus intéressé par la version cinématographique du personnage. Il n'était vraiment pas le choix idéal pour reprendre la série et d'ailleurs ce sera son seul titre.
Malgré les enjeux, jamais on à l'impression que c'est important et les personnages se baladent au gré des événements sans aucune hausse de tension.
La principale erreur est d'avoir déconnecté le lecteur de James Bond. Chez Flemming, dès qu'il apparaissait, on était dans son monologue intérieur, le lecteur voyait tout par ses yeux. On était avec lui, on était lui. Ici, c'est le personnage principal, certes, mais il est traité comme tous les autres.
Reprend la traduction de 1969. Pour 13€ le poche de 270 pages, une nouvelle traduction aurait été la bienvenue. Non pas pour amoindrir quoique ce soit mais pour la nettoyer des expressions et du style de traduction de l'époque. Et 13€ quand même.
milkwithginseng's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
mbouch6's review against another edition
4.0
Not a Fleming Bond…which I’m starting to think is a good thing. Too bad for George though.
f1racer3's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0