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| Author: Sebastian Faulks
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Category: Book
Used (12) from £11.23
Avg. Customer Rating:  81 reviews
Sales Rank: 624178
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 278
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2
ISBN: 0385524285
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780385524285
ASIN: 0385524285
Publication Date: May 31, 2008
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| Customer Reviews:
 A quantum of (enjoyable) nonsense September 24, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Shall we call this a missed opportunity?
"Devil May Care" is a well paced thriller, that's about it.
I've never read Ian Fleming and I'm not a James Bond fan (anymore) but when I was younger I read James Bond and Moonraker (Film-Script Adaptation) and was fascinated (as a kid) by the character's stoic levels of endurance and impressed by the fact that whilst externally cool, internally 007 was in turmoil most of the time. Who better to expand on this theme than Sebastian Faulks post-Birdsong?
Unfortunately the author never really seizes the opportunity although there's the odd moment that comes close (e.g. "the cigar tube"). Maybe he's trying too hard to write like Ian Fleming? If that's the case I wouldn't know (or really care for that matter).
Even more disappointingly the book has just about the same plot as all of the James Bond films: bad guy captures Bond/bad guy tells Bond his plans before killing him (...fatal mistake that - as JB is the most dangerous man on the planet as far as any international criminals are concerned, you'd think they'd take him out without further ado - rather than subject him to the usual contrived attempted execution)/Bond kills bad guy. Plus there's a plot twist at the end that's so obvious it's just not worth bothering with.
Although still flawed, the film "Casino Royale" was a more successful attempt at reinvigorating the James Bond character. This book is much less effective in doing so. It still passes the time though - one for your next aeroplane journey but wait until it's going cheap.
 Very fashionable - mostly boring September 16, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is by far the most tedious book I have read in ages. Where is the action? The dramatic twists and turns? It seems like an ode to food, cocktails, fashion and exotic locations. Bond sat in his room, ordered this drink, had that to eat, wore this and looked out over some or other supposedly amazing view.
It's boring.
And can someone in the literary world please stop this trend of throwing foreign phrases into English books? I do not have a French dictionary on hand to translate 'en fete'. It doesn't make it clever. It makes it incomprehensible.
As for the bad guy - a monkey's paw Mr Faulkner? Really.
I suppose it was the hype that did it in. If you really want the spirit of James Bond, may I suggest you try the Young Bond series by Charlie Higson. It's all action.
More parody than pastiche, Mr Bond September 15, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
As someone who has recently read all of the Fleming Bond novels I feel I have a fairly good grasp of their style and tone. It seems Faulks does too but unfortunately although he may technically be a better writer than Fleming (something which is apparent in the early sections of the book particularly) that doesn't mean he's entirely comfortable with this genre or the type of stories Fleming wrote for Bond. This is all too obvious throughout much of 'Devil May Care'. Fleming's Bond stories were often preposterous and towards the end the author started to copy his older material even to the point of parody. Here Faulks does much the same thing, often painfully aping older Fleming characters or story elements, or intentionally imitating Fleming's decidedly un-PC stance to women and homosexuals. But often what Faulks seems to regard as playful homage feels more like clumsy parody.
The plot is patchy but again that's nothing new for a Bond novel, but this does feel like one of Fleming's later (or less successful) plots. All the classic characters are there and feel about right but it's almost like Faulks is ticking them off a checklist rather than doing them justice.
At least one of the plot twists (about two thirds of the way through) is completely pointless and feels like padding (it covers a couple of chapters). It's inconsistent, makes little sense and serves little purpose to the story. Surely someone as smart as Faulks realised this so is he being purposefully ironic or has he been reduced to writing the equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster - adding pointless set pieces to the plot just because that's what is required.
And the final key twist that is 'revealed' right near the end of the book is extremely predictable. Faulks hammers it home nearly every time a particular character appears so I'm fairly sure it would be obvious to anyone over the age of twelve. This particular twist is also odd given M's knowledge of Bond's character and private life. Overall, a pointless attempt to do something different in a novel that is otherwise rather too safe.
I'll admit that at times I was very impressed and overall I did enjoy reading 'Devil May Care'. It was easy to read, it has some fine moments, and genuinely makes for a welcome addition to the list of Bond novels, but it's inferior to many of the Fleming originals (which it tries and often clumsily fails to be so loyal to) and hardly feels like the landmark event in publishing that it's been heralded as.
I'm currently reading the late John Gardner's 'Licence Renewed' from 1981, the first major attempt to relaunch the Bond book franchise and although it's not standard Fleming fare I have to admit that I'm enjoying it more than 'Devil May Care' which sadly runs close at times to being more parody than pastiche.
 Fleming returns through Faulkes September 14, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The depth of the original Bond books was the appeal in my eyes, and the new novel 'Devil May Care' lives up to the detailed and exquisite Bond lifestyle that any reader of Fleming's books will appreciate, with a depth of characters and ever changing scenery, the story flows well, with a mellifluous mixture of action, dialogue and descriptive prose. A great read, and a great resurrection of the style of writing.
Superb.
James Bond by numbers September 12, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Anyone who likes James Bond will like this book, though probably for different reasons. This is James Bond by numbers: sexy bond girl; technology; fast cars; a little chauvinism; and an intelligent villain with a physical deformity.
Those people, like me, who enjoy the simple entertainment value of James Bond, secretly wishing that they were James Bond, will enjoy this book. It's a proper boy's own adventure stuff.
Those James Bond aficionados loyal to the memory Fleming, who feel disgusted by the idea that someone else could write a James Bond novel, will also enjoy this book. Judging by some of the reviews they will enjoy the pedantry of finding fault with this book. e.g that James Bond isn't like this or that he would/wouldn't do that in that situation.
I say live and let live!
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