Book review: Trigger Mortis
Trigger Mortis is a new James Bond book, written by Anthony Horowitz, inspired in part by a tv-show plot written by Ian Fleming before Bond hit it big on the big screen. (Warning: link contains spoilers.)
Bond is still Bond, but it makes a difference that the author is not still Fleming. So, while Bond is as sexist, classist, and homophobic as ever, it's clear that the authorial voice recognizes him as such -- and has fun putting him in his place on occasion.
For instance, here's a sentence I don't think Fleming would have ever written: "With no helmet or goggles and the wind and dust buffeting his eyes, Bond found it easier to bury his head behind Jeopardy's shoulders and trust to her good sense."
A side note: I'm a fan of Horowitz' work from the TV series Foyle's War, which takes place during WWII, and which was often closely based on real but little-known events. That approach shows up in Trigger Mortis as part of the villain's backstory, which references a real atrocity committed by American forces during the Korean War.
Overall, recommended for Bond fans and the otherwise curious.
Bond is still Bond, but it makes a difference that the author is not still Fleming. So, while Bond is as sexist, classist, and homophobic as ever, it's clear that the authorial voice recognizes him as such -- and has fun putting him in his place on occasion.
For instance, here's a sentence I don't think Fleming would have ever written: "With no helmet or goggles and the wind and dust buffeting his eyes, Bond found it easier to bury his head behind Jeopardy's shoulders and trust to her good sense."
A side note: I'm a fan of Horowitz' work from the TV series Foyle's War, which takes place during WWII, and which was often closely based on real but little-known events. That approach shows up in Trigger Mortis as part of the villain's backstory, which references a real atrocity committed by American forces during the Korean War.
Overall, recommended for Bond fans and the otherwise curious.