James Bond 007: Colonel Sun
by Robert Markham
James Bond Novels: Continuation Series (15), James Bond Novels (15)
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The life of secret agent James Bond has begun to fall into a pattern that threatens complacency, until the sunny afternoon when M is kidnapped. The action ricochets across the globe to a volcanic Greek island, where Colonel Sun Liang-tan of the People's Liberation Army of China collaborates with an ex-Nazi atrocity expert in a world-menacing conspiracy. Stripped of all professional aids, Bond faces, unarmed, the monstrous devices of Colonel Sun in a test that brings him to the verge of his show more physical endurance. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Sometimes a literary author (in this case, the legendary Kingsley Amis) can elevate genre fiction, and sometimes an author like that just makes genre fiction more boring. There is a section toward the end of this novel in which Bond is being tortured that is so long, over-written, and over-explained (by the villain) that it feels like the reader is the one being tortured. Which would potentially be interesting intellectually if it weren't right near the end, only delaying the inevitable escape, victory, etc...
There are two positives. The first is that some of the dialogue is funny; it's much better than most of the prose. The second is that there is an undercurrent of frustration by every factions' (British, Russian, Chinese, and Greek) show more soldiers that it is their bureaucrat bosses that are ruining everything. It brings to mind the movie Black Rain's contention that no matter how different the country, cops-and-robbers is still cops-and-robbers. At least in fiction. show less
There are two positives. The first is that some of the dialogue is funny; it's much better than most of the prose. The second is that there is an undercurrent of frustration by every factions' (British, Russian, Chinese, and Greek) show more soldiers that it is their bureaucrat bosses that are ruining everything. It brings to mind the movie Black Rain's contention that no matter how different the country, cops-and-robbers is still cops-and-robbers. At least in fiction. show less
Not as irritating as a lot of Fleming's other novels. For some reason, Bond's dialogue feels less "chummy" and contrived than in the Fleming novels. But it is still pretty boring, with much of the action taking place on a boat. The villain, an Anglophile Chinese general, could have been interesting (and I think this may be the only novel where the omniscient narrator strays from Bond to the villain) but his presence is fairly minimal.
The first of the official James Bond novels that was completed after Fleming’s death. The difference does show. Whilst there are very flaming, light touches in places, a lot of the time bond seems inaccessible here and also a different sort of character. With a blend of Greek smugglers and is a combination of Colombo and caring Bay. This does seem like a rather distorted repeat in many respects.
The locations are suitably unusual, and for its time exotic, but this isn’t the world travelling excitement fest that is the normal offering from Fleming. Bond is more cautious, cynical, but remains driven, loyal, and as charming as ever.
A good effort, but this is no Fleming novel. I see this as more of an interlude between the bonds great show more adventures. Some of the really great Fleming like ideas, including the attack on Quarterdeck, the capture of M, and what comes next door, crushed by lack lustre, and dreary passages. show less
The locations are suitably unusual, and for its time exotic, but this isn’t the world travelling excitement fest that is the normal offering from Fleming. Bond is more cautious, cynical, but remains driven, loyal, and as charming as ever.
A good effort, but this is no Fleming novel. I see this as more of an interlude between the bonds great show more adventures. Some of the really great Fleming like ideas, including the attack on Quarterdeck, the capture of M, and what comes next door, crushed by lack lustre, and dreary passages. show less
Sad to say, this was a major disappointment for me. I was really excited to read the first "sequel" to Ian Fleming's work, and right away, I was let down. 'M' is kidnapped and Bond has to rescue him. That really is the whole plot. There is an "evil" plot, but I really couldn't make heads or tails of it, and I REALLY didn't understand why it was so important to stop! Colonel Sun was a cool bad guy, but only during the last 30-40 pages. Before that, he was barely in the book at all! And 007 is so different than he was in Fleming's work! He seems unsure, almost nervous, and he seems to have much more of a conscious than he had previously. In this book, he's almost "007 Light"! Well, maybe I'm being too harsh, but this book really didn't do show more anything for me. Bleh. show less
The very first continuation novel published four years after the death of Fleming. Initially I felt it was making good headway, with an interesting premise in the depiction of Bonds Enlgish idyll being shattered in the way that it is. Amis's narrative is different to Fleming and it's in the first few chapters that the similarity is the strongest. It does initially feel like a good paced Fleming thriller. Then Amis's rather more imaginative style takes over and whilst the action initially is thick and fast, this then lapses into an adventure story set in and around the Greek islands. Is that a problem? No, if that's what you're looking for. It doesn't have the bondian themes of luxury living, gourmet and gourmand flourishes to wet the show more appetite, and even a particularly memorable villain. This feels like half a story that Bond would otherwise go onto to finish at another location. The Bond girl and allies are equally as unmemorable. Interesting, but not as exciting as I'd like and not in my humble opinion, up to the latest offering from Horowitz. show less
James Bond expanded series number 15. M is kidnapped from his home and spirited out of the country by a mysterious group. Bond is dispatched to find out why even though it seems like he is also a target for the group. After enjoying Forever and Day, written by Anthony Horowitz I was looking forward to this. Ultimately I found this book very disappointing when I reached the end. The bad guys are very stereotyped, especially Colonel Sun. The interplay between the bad guy groups are over convoluted and easy to get lost in. I hope the next in the series is better.
A good Bond story except for the escape from the villain at the end. The minion just releases him!?!. It's a shame Kinsley Amis didn't write more. It was also interesting that it's Bond and a Russian against the Chinese.
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- James Bond 007: Colonel Sun
- Original title
- James Bond 007: Colonel Sun
- Alternate titles
- Colonel Sun
- Original publication date
- 2005-12; 1968; 1970 (Pan Books ed.) (Pan Books ed.)
- People/Characters
- James Bond; Bill Tanner; Chao Ho-Shu; M (Admiral Sir Miles Messervy); Doctor Cat; Jorge Dias (show all 26); Fernando Gomez; Kitty Redwing; Dr. João Onca; Miss Moneypenny; Quantz; Dr. Lohmann; De Graaf; Sir Ranald Rideout; Q; Colonel Sun; Colonel Sun Liang-tan; S.P.E.C.T.R.E.; Ariadne Alexandrou; Major Piotr Gordienko; Stuart Thomas; Niko Listsas; General Arenski; von Richter; Luisi Tartini; Doni Madan
- Important places
- London, England, UK; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Belém, Pará, Brazil; Quarterdeck, Windsor Park, England, UK; Vrakonisi, Greece; Athens, Greece (show all 8); The Acropolis, Athens, Greece; The Altair
- Dedication
- To the Memory of Ian Fleming
- First words
- James Bond stood at the middle tees of the eighteenth on the Sunningdale New Course, enjoying the tranquil normality of a sunny English afternoon in early September.
- Quotations
- James Bond stood at the middle tees of the eighteenth on the Sunningdale New Course, enjoying the tranquil normality of a sunny English afternoon in early September.
"No," said Bond again. "We're prisoners. But let's enjoy our captivity when we can." - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)'But let's enjoy our captivity when we can.'
- Blurbers
- Amory, Cleveland
- Disambiguation notice
- Robert Markham is a pseudonym of Kingsley Amis.
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- Reviews
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- ISBNs
- 26
- ASINs
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