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pewterwolf's review against another edition
2.0
Can’t decide between 2 or 3 stars. It was ok, but slow at the start & not what I was expecting. Need to have a think about it.
Review taken from The Pewter Wolf
007 is dead. He was shot in the French Rivera and MI5 wants to find out who and why he was killed. They promote a new recruit to the number and send him out to find out the truth. The new recruit's name? James Bond.
That's right, this is a "prequel" of Bond's first mission. And oooh... ooooh, I had problems. So many problems.
Ok, before I sink my teeth into the problems and issues I had, let's get into the positives. There are a few that I can talk about. Now, I have never read a Bond book, so bear with me, but the second half of the story had really good pacing. It moved faster. Plus, some of you guys will like reading this as this is Bond's first mission so you get to see what happened to make him tick.
My biggest positive is the "Bond Girl" (I loathe that term!) - the character of Sixteen. I found her fascinating, and she was, possibly, the only character I felt was fleshed out. She had a history, motivations, character traits and flaws. I wanted to read more about her. Possible spinoff prequel, anyone?
Now, onto the problems and issues. I have a long list! I didn't like the narrator for a good chunk of the audiobook (sorry!) , the first half of the story was slow in pace and it was a struggle to get to the heart of the story, not much was fleshed out, the idea of another prequel story coming out (I'm intrigued over Solo: A Star Wars Story but I know a lot of you don't want it). But the main thing that happened was, for the good amount of the audiobook, I frankly didn't care.
I know I am going through a bit of a reading slump, but I didn't care for the story. I never felt any true moment of danger for Bond and, because of that, I didn't care what happened because I thought "He'll be fine...". I just didn't really care about the story until the very end.
Now, I'm not sure if I feel like this because I'm in a weird reading slump, and I've only begun to crawl out of my reading slump but... yeah... this wasn't for me. I wonder if I had read a collection of James Bond stories, each story written by a different author, if my opinion was have been more favourable.
Review taken from The Pewter Wolf
007 is dead. He was shot in the French Rivera and MI5 wants to find out who and why he was killed. They promote a new recruit to the number and send him out to find out the truth. The new recruit's name? James Bond.
That's right, this is a "prequel" of Bond's first mission. And oooh... ooooh, I had problems. So many problems.
Ok, before I sink my teeth into the problems and issues I had, let's get into the positives. There are a few that I can talk about. Now, I have never read a Bond book, so bear with me, but the second half of the story had really good pacing. It moved faster. Plus, some of you guys will like reading this as this is Bond's first mission so you get to see what happened to make him tick.
My biggest positive is the "Bond Girl" (I loathe that term!) - the character of Sixteen. I found her fascinating, and she was, possibly, the only character I felt was fleshed out. She had a history, motivations, character traits and flaws. I wanted to read more about her. Possible spinoff prequel, anyone?
Now, onto the problems and issues. I have a long list! I didn't like the narrator for a good chunk of the audiobook (sorry!) , the first half of the story was slow in pace and it was a struggle to get to the heart of the story, not much was fleshed out, the idea of another prequel story coming out (I'm intrigued over Solo: A Star Wars Story but I know a lot of you don't want it). But the main thing that happened was, for the good amount of the audiobook, I frankly didn't care.
I know I am going through a bit of a reading slump, but I didn't care for the story. I never felt any true moment of danger for Bond and, because of that, I didn't care what happened because I thought "He'll be fine...". I just didn't really care about the story until the very end.
Now, I'm not sure if I feel like this because I'm in a weird reading slump, and I've only begun to crawl out of my reading slump but... yeah... this wasn't for me. I wonder if I had read a collection of James Bond stories, each story written by a different author, if my opinion was have been more favourable.
max538's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
narzack's review
2.0
I don't know, it just didn't do it for me. No real reason why, it just felt kind of passionless. There wasn't a hell of a lot of insight into Bond as a character, which was what I was hoping for. It's not offensively bad, just kind of sparkless.
zare_i's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book on Bond's career start in 00 section. Great pacing and characters - both Bond's allies and enemies - entire environment (south of France) is very vividly presented to the reader ... everything is just perfect.
Also, it is very interesting to get into the head of James Bond and "hear" his thoughts on his job and his aims in life.
Highly recommended to all aficionados of thrillers, crime, James Bond and spy novels in general.
Also, it is very interesting to get into the head of James Bond and "hear" his thoughts on his job and his aims in life.
Highly recommended to all aficionados of thrillers, crime, James Bond and spy novels in general.
nayles's review against another edition
4.0
Stylish and sexy. And oh my goodness the narrator! Definitely made the book more enjoyable
clarkgw's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
saintreagan's review against another edition
3.0
not very good lol
the first 50 pages were so promising and then the rest of the book was just cliche after overused cliche.
the first 50 pages were so promising and then the rest of the book was just cliche after overused cliche.
geralddaniels's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gsatori's review against another edition
4.0
This is the closest to an Ian Fleming Bond novel I've read in some time. It helps that the book is set in the fifties, and tells of Bond's ascent to the "00" section. Horowitz gives us classic Fleming description, the exotic flavor of an observant traveler.
A great Bond novel? No. But a very good one, and with a few playful elements, such as showing us where Bond got the idea for his famous alcohol order: "Shaken, not stirred." And like the best Bond, there's even a gambling scene in a casino.
A great Bond novel? No. But a very good one, and with a few playful elements, such as showing us where Bond got the idea for his famous alcohol order: "Shaken, not stirred." And like the best Bond, there's even a gambling scene in a casino.
l6zarras's review against another edition
4.0
I've never read a James Bond before, so I'm not sure how to compare this to an Ian Fleming. I enjoyed it a lot and it was very Bond-esque.