Until someone approached me recently and said there may be a new James Bond movie on the horizon—Skyfall—I hadn’t realized I’ve missed them so much. I’ve seen or read all the Bond movies and films at least once—like Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, From Russia With Love, Diamonds Are Forever, The Spy Who Loved Me. And I’m not alone. It’s said that half the world’s population has seen a Bond film and remembers that the suave hero “likes his martinis shaken, not stirred.”
Turns out that Ian Fleming’s 007 is one of my all-time favorite characters. Even his despicable villains and henchmen like Goldfinger, Dr. No, Hugo Max, and Brokenclaw continue to stand out in my mind. It’s amazing how much they, in Fleming’s classic mode, resemble the mobsters in the nearly dozen mystery/suspense novels I’ve authored. But, after all, a mystery is nothing more than a puzzle and a morality play wrapped into one. We’re clear on puzzles, but what’s a morality play? It involves the question of good versus evil which exactly reflects the James Bond story line.
The other day I got to thinking: Although I’m a novelist who sticks to the mystery/ suspense genre in his craft, for my own entertainment I prefer spy/adventure/ action novels, especially those featuring the exchange:
“And who may I say is calling?”
“Bond . . . James Bond.”
Here is a quick update on Skyfall
Discovery
Spying for Keeps
The Saga of Hodge
The Blue Baron Mystery
Dangerous Triangle
Diamonds and Pirates
Global Shadows
The
Strange Death of Napoleon Bonaparte
I can’t wait for the next 007 movie. Characters like Bond are certainly memorable.
Dan