James Bond in the 21st Century: Why We Still Need 007 (Smart Pop series) [Paperback]

Glenn Yeffeth (Editor), Sarah Zettel (Collaborator)

Book Description

Series: Smart Pop series | Publication Date: August 11, 2006

** COMPLETELY UNAUTHORIZED **

 

The staying power of the world’s most dashing secret agent and the evolution of the James Bond franchise are explored in this smart yet nostalgic collection of essays. Leading writers, including Raymond Benson, J. A. Konrath, Raelynn Hillhouse, and John Cox, discuss the 10 sexiest Bond girls, the best villains, and the controversy surrounding the latest actor to play James Bond. Topics covered range from the playful—how to build a secret lair and avoid the perennial mistakes made by would-be world dominators—to the thought-provoking, such as Bond’s place in the modern world, his Oedipal tendencies and perceived misogyny, and the unerring allure of the charming spy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"While little is known at the moment about the specifics of this new James Bond book, one little bit of trivia can be noted. Amazon.com reports that the book is a part of publisher Benbella Book's 'Smart Pop series.' According to the official Smart Pop site, these books are 'a series of anthologies on the best of pop culture. Anthologies that are smart, thoughtful and insightful... but never forget to have fun.' It is probably safe to bet that this 007 book will be somewhere along those lines." - www.commanderbond.net"

About the Author

Glenn Yeffeth is the editor of several anthologies in the Smart Pop series, including Anthology at the End of the Universe, Farscape Forever!, Five Seasons of Angel, Navigating the Golden Compass, Seven Seasons of Buffy, Taking the Red Pill, and What Would Sipowitz Do? He lives in Dallas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 199 pages
• Publisher: Smart Pop (August 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193377102X
• ISBN-13: 978-1933771021
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,438,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice to see there are others who think way too much about the James Bond books and movies, November 29, 2006

By 

Joseph P. Menta, Jr. (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: James Bond in the 21st Century: Why We Still Need 007 (Smart Pop series) (Paperback)

I'm a sucker for lofty treatments of popular subjects (I loved all those American Studies courses I took in college), so this book was a fun ride. Actually, it's not all that lofty... just light little essays, appreciations, and riffs about the James Bond books and movies. The pieces are mostly on the humorous side (successfully humorous for the most part, thankfully), though there are a couple of pretty interesting straight-forward pieces about different aspects of the Bond literary and filmic canon. One essay, for example, proposes that there are major Oedipal themes in the movie "Goldfinger", and damn if the author's examples didn't have me nodding in agreement.

The book is about 200 pages long and composed of ten or so essays (about eight to ten pages each), with a few one or two page jokey/light pieces (mostly revolving around James Bond's eating and drinking habits and, of course, his enthusiastic pursuit of the opposite sex) scattered among the longer offerings. So, for a week or so, it was pleasant fun to read one or two pieces each night before bed.

Finally, for a small-press book with a light popular-culture bent, "James Bond in the 21st Century" is well organized, nicely edited, and almost completely free of typos. You see, regardless of whether they contain material worth reading, small-press books on "gee whiz/geeky" popular culture topics such as this one are notorious for their lack of production polish and overall amateur air. However, this book was refreshingly free of the "amateur hour" production quality of many trade paperbacks of this type.

The good content and solid production of this title make me want to check out other offerings in the "Smart Pop" series.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid start to analyzing James Bond, February 11, 2011

By 

axled - See all my reviews

This review is from: James Bond in the 21st Century: Why We Still Need 007 (Smart Pop series) (Paperback)

Good, not great, but there were some really interesting essays in the book, some pretty dry, others a little too light on substance and heavy on fluff. I'd only really recommend buying it if you're really into the analytical side of the Bond franchise, otherwise it's something you'll read once and never look at again.