RA Crossroads No. 9: Ian Fleming's Quantum of Solace
Neal Wyatt -- Library Journal, 10/23/2008 12:49:00 PM
As Lewis Carroll’s Alice so aptly points out, "What is the use of a book...without pictures or conversations?" Welcome to RA Crossroads, where books, movies, music, and other media converge and whole-collection reader’s advisory service goes where it may. In this column, Ian Fleming's Quantum of Solace leads me down a winding path.
This year marks the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth, and the highlight of the celebrations culminate on November 14 with the release of Quantum of Solace, the second outing for Daniel Craig’s 007. To say I’m excited is an understatement. Bond is big in my house; secret agents in general find an ap
preciative audience among my friends and family. Not the most patient bunch, we are currently indulging in an all out spy fest.It was mandated that everyone start with the books. You have to—Fleming’s novels are different from the movies. Bond in print is colder, more intricate, and tends to get oversimplified on screen. It is best to read them in order, which means starting with Casino Royale, but if you are going to jump around, be sure to read From Russia with Love, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and Dr. No.
Penguin has been releasing new editions of Fleming’s work and just published the James Bond short stories, Quantum of Solace, where you will find not only that story but also "From a View To a Kill," "For Your Eyes Only," "Octopussy," and "The Living
Daylights." Graphic novel fans should check out the James Bond strips that appeared in the Daily Express, reprinted by Titan Books.A handful of writers have taken up Fleming’s mantle, most notably Sebastian Faulks, Raymond Benson, and John Gardner, but as far as read-alikes go, Tom Clancy’s early novel The Cardinal of the Kremlin gets my vote with its mix of character, intrigue, and complex plotting. There are plenty of other agents eager to fill Bond’s tightly cut tux as well. Try Ted Bell’s Alex Hawke, Barry Eisler’s John Rain, Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath, and Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp.
As for media, since video games are fast becoming one of the ways fans elect to stay in the world of the narrative they love, consider Goldeneye and James Bond 007 Everything or Nothing, the games most universally praised so far. On November 14, the Quantum of Solace game, which also covers Casino Royale, will be released by Treyarch and has already been judged one of the best new games by GamePro.
Both The Saint starring Roger Moore (his memoir, My Word Is My Bond, just published) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. make good next viewing, as each captures some of the Bond ethos. Fleming even contributed a bit to the creation of U.N.C.L.E. The Jason Bourne films nicely parallel the Daniel Craig iteration of 007—fast, ruthless, and self-efficient. Keeping in the same mode, if you find that the Bourne movies work for you during your Bond downtime, consider Three Days of the Condor starring Robert Redford for more of the agent-on-the-run feel.
Yet, captivating as Bond is, even the fiercest fans may yearn for an alternative to his slick-as-glass perfection. The Ipcress File, made in the same era as early Bond with some Bond film alumni, stars Michael Caine as a sort of anti-007. It’s based on the Len Deighton novel.
To wrap up your spy extravaganza, consider La Femme Nikita, a movie that is so much of the game that it, like Bond, re-creates it. You have to think that everyone involved with the early 007 films would have cheered when it came out—and seen within it much of their own stylish point of view.
(For more Bond media, see Raya Kuzyk's recent Movie Tie-In Madness: Bond, Button, and McCarthy.)
