Scorpius

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Scorpius by James Gardner follows agent 007 as he infiltrates a religious cult run by a terrorist whose goal is to assassinate politicians. Mr. Gardner was an award-winning author and professor of medieval literature.

James Bond’s phone number is found in the pocketbook of a dead girl, which leads the investigation to look at a cult called The Society of the Meek Ones. Bond, who knows the girl, has suspicions about the cult’s leader, Father Valentine.

As he continues to investigate, 007 realizes that Father Valentine is Vladimir Scorpius, a ruthless criminal and terrorist. As he infiltrates the cult and is forced to marry Harriett Horner of the IRS, the stakes show more suddenly go beyond national security and become immensely personal.

The seventh book in the John Gardner’s Bond series starts off with an exciting adventure more reminiscent of Ian Fleming’s MI6 agent than the one in the movies. James Bond is even lacking stamina and makes crucial mistakes during the narrative.

Vladimir Scorpius is an interesting villain, which is what makes most stories. He’s a megalomaniac who has taken the 1980s religious terrorism and uses it for his plans.

It’s amusing to read books from this era, where modern technology seems old to us. Some of the old-school, considered high-tech when Scorpius by James Gardner was written, spy craft had me thinking that in today’s world, the solution might be a sentence where the character just googled the answer.

The novel set up the grand finale quite nicely, and the last quarter just…fizzled. Despite the great plot and interesting villain, the plot is uneven, and in dark moments, the author decided to include some silliness. That works in movies, not in novels.

Despite all that, I thought this was one of the better Bond novels that Mr. Gardner wrote. The meta joke where Bond is watching The Untouchables starring “one of his favorite actors” surprisingly works well. show less

A quite good effort by gardener here. This was an interesting premise linking some mystical elements in with James Bond. Of course this has been done before, especially by Flemming, with regards to voodoo in living and let die. This time it takes bond from the cold skies of London to South Carolina. A gripping thriller it’s worthy of a read.

This did not really feel like a Bond novel to me, at least based on the last 20 or so I have read. It seemed a little goofy. 3.4

BOND JAMES FICTITIOUS CHARACTER FICTION 007 SECRET AGENT ENGLAND

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Chomsky-Le-pouvoir-mis-a-nu/541969
> Nuit blanche, (89), hiver 2002–2003. p. 53. : https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/19184ac