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duparker's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Great pacing, and very true to the ethos. Great Wayne for a plane ride, and would be enjoyable to reread.
burg123's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
simplestyle's review against another edition
3.0
Devil May Care is my first Bond novel so it may just be the novelty, but I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through Tehran, the Persian desert, and beyond. Faults does an admirable job bringing Bond and his ensemble to life and the plot moves briskly. If there are any weaknesses, they are what I assume to be the tropes of the Bond universe. But they are all forgiven since they were so much fun the first time around.
saazhar's review against another edition
3.0
my review of this book was published in The Daily Star, and can be viewed at: http://www.thedailystar.net/pf_story.php?nid=74692
thisisstephenbetts's review against another edition
2.0
For completists only! It's kinda fine.
The early parts seemed pretty bad, and I was very aware of the pastiche. It warmed up though. I felt Faulks caught Bond's dialogue reasonably well. Big plot holes though, and twists which were pretty obvious (even to the characters), and M seems to have got a lot more sentimental than I remember. Overall, there's a slightly apologetic feel to it.
I think all of the things that are wrong with this are probably also wrong at times in Fleming's, but perhaps not all in one book.
The early parts seemed pretty bad, and I was very aware of the pastiche. It warmed up though. I felt Faulks caught Bond's dialogue reasonably well. Big plot holes though, and twists which were pretty obvious (even to the characters), and M seems to have got a lot more sentimental than I remember. Overall, there's a slightly apologetic feel to it.
I think all of the things that are wrong with this are probably also wrong at times in Fleming's, but perhaps not all in one book.
jacki_f's review against another edition
3.0
"Devil May Care" is a lightweight, enjoyable pot boiler that is highly reminiscent of the Ian Fleming novels and also the Sean Connery 007 movies. I definitely felt that Sebastian Faulks nailed Fleming's writing style. Unfortunately he has been less successful in constructing a compelling plot and characters.
I very much enjoyed the first half the book which vividly recreates the late 60s. Bond's initial confrontation with the villain is over a game of tennis that reads more like a duel and has all the tension of Casino Royale. The love interest, Scarlett, also makes a dramatic entry. However the second half of the book rapidly loses momentum and pace and the overly-complicated plot gets bogged down with lengthy explanations and the introduction of characters (like Felix Leiter) who add little to the story. The villain's motivations are clichés and the book concludes with a final twist that comes as less of a surprise than it seems it was intended to be.
Three stars, because it's still a quick and fun read that captures the essence of Fleming's writing. But it's not what it could have been.
I very much enjoyed the first half the book which vividly recreates the late 60s. Bond's initial confrontation with the villain is over a game of tennis that reads more like a duel and has all the tension of Casino Royale. The love interest, Scarlett, also makes a dramatic entry. However the second half of the book rapidly loses momentum and pace and the overly-complicated plot gets bogged down with lengthy explanations and the introduction of characters (like Felix Leiter) who add little to the story. The villain's motivations are clichés and the book concludes with a final twist that comes as less of a surprise than it seems it was intended to be.
Three stars, because it's still a quick and fun read that captures the essence of Fleming's writing. But it's not what it could have been.
zare_i's review against another edition
4.0
Although I agree with reviewers stating that this is not Ian Fleming original novel - from the writers point of view (I mean only person capable of writing like Ian Fleming is Ian Fleming himself, right) - this book has that Bond-like touch :) It reads very fast (I finished it in couple of hours) and has a very interesting story (villain seems to be somewhere between dr.No and Bloefeld IMHO :). Story takes place where Fleming has stopped (Bond has avenged the death of his wife and is still considered somewhat mentally unstable by his service, so he is sent on an "easy" mission - at least it looks like it when it all begins).[return][return]Good book. If you are an old-time James Bond fans give it a try, I think you'll like it, and if you are a newcomer this book is a good starting point (although there may be some smaller spoilers regarding previous adventures).[return][return]Highly recommended.
matthewmiller's review against another edition
Couldn't actually finish it. I'm sure Faulks is a great writer but by trying to write in Fleming's voice he fell short and the book just wasn't interesting.
nate_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I haven’t read many James Bond novels but I am a fan of the films so I thought this would be an entertaining read. It was an okay read, but I don’t really know where it belongs in the James bond mythos. It references Felix’s accident which happens in one of the Timothy Dalton movies but in the books it happens in a much earlier novel. I thought this was entertaining but it wasn’t spectacular. Sebastian Faulks isn’t Ian Fleming, there was just something missing that Fleming’s Bond does so well, a harshness in his character. I don’t know if it’s worthwhile to delve into James Bond novels beyond Ian Fleming’s original books.