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lkubed's review against another edition
2.0
another james bond novel - ok - not as full of the techno gadgets as usual - but ok
jmgustaf's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book much more than its predecessor. Where “Death is Forever” seemed tedious, dry, and overwhelmingly convoluted to me, “Never Send Flowers” was fun, engaging, and a breezy read.
The plot was boilerplate for a Gardner Bond novel, mysterious death(s) somehow connect with Bond or Britain, James plays detective rather than spy and investigates. However, this one tends to cut to the chase and we are pretty quickly thrown into an adventure. Bond is paired up with a woman agent (surprise, surprise!) and they investigate the origins of a unique rose left at a collection of funerals. This leads them to a Castle of a once world famous actor who has retired from a rocketing career. There is a twist, as per usual, but it is fun and rewarding rather than confusing and unnecessary. They learn that the man is planning to assassinate Princess Diana and the two young princes in EuroDisney and we get a great showdown at Disney; which is a place you wouldn’t think James Bond would like, but we learn Bond genuinely does enjoy.
I really enjoyed our extra time with M and reading about his stamina outdoing everyone else’s as he grills a ‘witness’ during an overnight interrogation/interview. We get an reference to Thunderball when M suggests Shrublands to Bond’s new female partner that M actually hires on the spot to work with Bond. But, the most unique moment with M is when we learn that he has actually attempted to play matchmaker for Bond when pairing up with this new partner and tells Bond that he could much worse AND we get her back in the next novel when M teases that James’s job is about to change for the better and he has a promotion coming! I like that connective tissue in the books!
Our villain is fantastic, he is a genius level actor and master of disguises who can transform into anyone (a la ‘The Saint’). In his homestead castle I couldn’t help but picture Gary Oldman as the man. I just pictured him because of his transformative ability into his roles and I think his work in Dracula actually inspired this character (that is pure speculation on my part). We learn a twist about him that I won’t give away, but he has a sister that is also an interesting character and she is the one who has grown the unique roses. There are two ‘henchman,’ Charles and William, that are quickly dispatched, but referenced often and integral to the figuring out the plot.
I really enjoyed this read and, while it did get off to a predictable and familiar start, it quickly found its own way into similar, but creatively different, territory. I give this one an 8 out of 10 and I loved that it ended by getting me stoked for the next one, it rejuvenated my interest in the Gardner stories, and gave me the ‘spark’ I needed to finish out the Gardner Bonds with some renewed interest!
Neil, maybe you could give this one a try when you are ready to get back into them
The plot was boilerplate for a Gardner Bond novel, mysterious death(s) somehow connect with Bond or Britain, James plays detective rather than spy and investigates. However, this one tends to cut to the chase and we are pretty quickly thrown into an adventure. Bond is paired up with a woman agent (surprise, surprise!) and they investigate the origins of a unique rose left at a collection of funerals. This leads them to a Castle of a once world famous actor who has retired from a rocketing career. There is a twist, as per usual, but it is fun and rewarding rather than confusing and unnecessary. They learn that the man is planning to assassinate Princess Diana and the two young princes in EuroDisney and we get a great showdown at Disney; which is a place you wouldn’t think James Bond would like, but we learn Bond genuinely does enjoy.
I really enjoyed our extra time with M and reading about his stamina outdoing everyone else’s as he grills a ‘witness’ during an overnight interrogation/interview. We get an reference to Thunderball when M suggests Shrublands to Bond’s new female partner that M actually hires on the spot to work with Bond. But, the most unique moment with M is when we learn that he has actually attempted to play matchmaker for Bond when pairing up with this new partner and tells Bond that he could much worse AND we get her back in the next novel when M teases that James’s job is about to change for the better and he has a promotion coming! I like that connective tissue in the books!
Our villain is fantastic, he is a genius level actor and master of disguises who can transform into anyone (a la ‘The Saint’). In his homestead castle I couldn’t help but picture Gary Oldman as the man. I just pictured him because of his transformative ability into his roles and I think his work in Dracula actually inspired this character (that is pure speculation on my part). We learn a twist about him that I won’t give away, but he has a sister that is also an interesting character and she is the one who has grown the unique roses. There are two ‘henchman,’ Charles and William, that are quickly dispatched, but referenced often and integral to the figuring out the plot.
I really enjoyed this read and, while it did get off to a predictable and familiar start, it quickly found its own way into similar, but creatively different, territory. I give this one an 8 out of 10 and I loved that it ended by getting me stoked for the next one, it rejuvenated my interest in the Gardner stories, and gave me the ‘spark’ I needed to finish out the Gardner Bonds with some renewed interest!
Neil, maybe you could give this one a try when you are ready to get back into them
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