Customer Reviews

James Bond: Choice of Weapons: Three 007 Novels: The Facts of Death; Zero Minus Ten; The Man with the Red Tattoo (James Bond 007)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am so pleased that Raymond Benson's Bond novels are being reprinted in this and the previous collection, "The Union Trilogy." It's also a treat to have his two short stories as an added bonus. For those of us who strongly feel that Benson was the best and most reverent Bond novelists to carry on Fleming's tradition, and who are still wincing with embarrassment over the limp and impoverished posturings of "Devil May Care," any chance to encourage others to revisit or discover the pleasures of Benson's sure-handed Bond novels is welcome. I especially like the claustrophobic and suspenseful action of The Facts of Death as a personal favorite of these three novels, but all three demonstrate Benson's attention to details whether it's exotic locales, cultural traditions or sophisticated weaponry. This collection is a must-have for all Bond completists, and I believe Benson's contributions to the Bond canon will not only withstand the test of time but with every passing year, will prove to be in a league all by themselves. Thank you to the publishers of this and the "Union Trilogy" reissues.

After John Gardner's tenure as the official James Bond novelist came limping to an undistinguished end, the Ian Fleming estate asked Raymond Benson to revivify the literary 007 series. Rather like Timothy Dalton inheriting the film role from Roger Moore, the new guy was tasked with returning the "real" James Bond to us, which he did in sparkling -- if, at times, underappreciated -- fashion.

It's a real treat to have these three stand-alone Bond adventures gathered into one volume; they represent the first, second, and sixth (and final) entries in Benson's contribution to the saga. Comparisons among the post-Fleming 007 authors is a rather pointless task, but Benson consistently -- and accurately -- NAILED the Bond character and the fantasy universe he inhabited. These three novels read and feel like the real thing: it's not Ian Fleming, of course, but it IS James Bond.

The French have a word for it: le jamesbonderie. Strictly speaking, James Bond stories aren't spy or espionage fiction, they're heroic fantasy disguised as contemporary thrillers. These three novels give the reader the amazing villains, the delicious heroines, the high-stakes gaming, the fabulous meals and luxurious travel which are part and parcel of Fleming's fictional world. Le jamesbonderie. James Bond is sent to exotic locations as England's single combat warrior to foil the apocalyptic schemes of just-this-short-of-lunatic bad guys; we have a ringside seat. He (and we) meet interesting people: stalwart allies, beautiful girls, brutish henchmen, and femmes fatales. You know, le jamesbonderie!

Newcomers to the literary James Bond will find this a welcome introduction to a character slightly different than his screen incarnation. Old 007 hands will be pleased to add this volume to their collection.

Terrific stuff!

Having read all of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, I did not find the other previous bond writers very compelling and I stopped reading James Bond novels. This all changed when I met the author of this giant volume and decided to invest some money, time and effort to read this text. This volume has three full length James Bond novels, Zero Minus Ten, The Facts of Death and The Man with the Red Tattoo. It also contains two short stories, Live at Five and Midsummer Night's Doom.

All of these novels and short stories were excellent. It is clear this author understands the Bond personality and 007's various interests and quirks. The first story, Zero Minus Ten has Bond in Hong Kong to investigate the takeover by China of that city. The second novel, Facts of Death pits Bond against a fanatical cult. The third book, The Man with the Red Tattoo has Bond dealing with a biological attack involving a variation of the West Nile virus. This is also the most action packed story.

The two short stories were also good reads, but I personally enjoyed the Midsummer Night's Doom the best. In this short story 007 solves a crime while at the famous Playboy mansion.

In conclusion, I personally loved reading these Bond novels so much that I intend to read more of Raymond Benson's books in the future. His writing is clear, concise and flows beautifully. In my opinion, other than Ian Fleming, who is the creator of the James Bond series, of all the other writers who also wrote James Bond novels, Benson is the best.
Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Predator Hunter: A Warrior's Memoir)

Benson is the best 007 author since Ian Fleming. Choice of Weapons collects three of Benson's Bond novels, Zero Minus Ten, The Facts of Death and The Man with the Red Tattoo, along with the previously uncollected short stories "Live at Five" and "Midsummer Night's Doom."

In Zero Minus Ten, Benson takes over the Bond franchise from John Gardner and rather than continue with the Gardner story lines, Benson returns us to the days of Commander Bond, the Walther PPK and Major Boothroyd's Q branch. Thank goodness! The second Benson Bond novel, The Facts of Death, has our hero back in Greece with beautiful women, high-stakes baccarat, killer mathematicians and deadly plots to start nuclear war. My personal favorite, the last of Benson's 007 novels, The Man with the Red Tattoo, is a continuation of Fleming's You Only Live Twice, returning Bond to Japan and his old friend, Tiger Tanaka.

In Benson's previous collection, his middle three Bond novels, The Union Trilogy, we have a James Bond that is deeper, darker and introspective. With the Choice of Weapons novels, however, I get the feeling that Fleming was looking over Benson's shoulders making certain that his 007 really could live twice.

When Raymond Benson started writing continuation Bond novels in the 1990s, we were experiencing a true Bond renaissance. The end of the Cold War was still fresh, but the hunger for the West's greatest fictional icon of that era had not abated. James Bond roared back both to the movie screens (with Brosnan as Bond) and the printed page. New graphic novel adventures even appeared at comic book stores. These three Benson Bond thrillers made a good splash, but in some ways they were not given the time nor consideration they deserved. This trilogy (like The Union Trilogy which preceded it) provides the reader with great, sweeping adventures in the Fleming tradition. What Benson accomplishes in his Bond novels is to negotiate the never-never land between Ian Fleming's literary creation and the cinematic Bond. The results are three wonderfully entertaining thrillers. Benson, of course, knows his Bond. He never uses a turn of phrase that sounds like clanking pieces of tin when spoken by Bond. He successfully infuse Bond with Fleming's voice, Fleming's attitudes towards life, and Fleming's sense of adventure. Benson, though, does not let his love of Fleming trap him. He places 007 firmly in the present. He realizes that readers want not only the grand sweep of Fleming's novels, but the breath-taking scale of the Bond films. Benson is skilled at writing action. He knows how to take the time to set up a chase or fight so that the reader is invested in the outcome. Ian Fleming once stated that he was not in "the Shakespeare Stakes," and Benson understands this. These are page-turners. Solid works that are fun to read, but like Fleming's books, stay with the reader. To read them now is in many ways more satisfying than to have read them when they were originally published. At that time it was easy to place all one's expectations for Bond on these books. Now, it is easier to read these with more perspective and enjoy them for the thrills, smiles and pulse-quickening adventures they are. Highly recommended.

Bravo Mr. Benson for recreating the hero avid Bond fans like myself all love. Excellent story telling, fantastic style and even better action. If it didn't say Raymond Benson on the cover, I would have thought Flemming came back from the grave. Please, write more Mr. Benson. Encore and some more.

I haven't read the book yet,but its Ramond Benson so its got to be very good. I have the individal books as well

JAMES BOND WEAPONS OF CHOICE es el segundo omnibus que recopila tres novelas y dos relatos cortos independientes entre si, escritos por Raymond Benson en los años noventa. Como se sabe, Benson sucedió a John Gardner, quien escribió mas de 10 originales de Bond. Este tomo recopila THE FACTS OF DEATH , ZERO MINUS TEN (primera escrita por Benson)& THE MAN WITH THE RED TATTO. Mas dos relatos cortos- uno de ellos realmente muy corto, aparecidos en Playboy. Como es caracteristico en Benson, sus libros son amenos, rápidos de leer y con tramas centrados en hechos de la actualidad en que fueron redactados, con un 007 que deberia tener algo mas de 40 años. Benson tambien escribió las adaptaciones a novelas de las tres ultimas peliculas de la era Brosnan-Bond, tambien muy bien escritas, pero no sabemos si se animarán a reeditarlas tambien. Lo que sería bueno es que reeditasen en forma de omnibus las novelas de John Gardner tambien. Compren el tomo, que esta a buen precio y de buena lectura de escape.

It's been a long time, but we finally have these three excellent James Bond books by Raymond Benson back to enjoy. Especially after how disappointing "Devil May Care" was, these read like *real* Bond!

"The Facts of Death" is especially good, with some very cool villains and exciting action scenes. There is also plenty of the high living that you expect from a James Bond novel, something John Gardner seemed to forget about. "Zero Minus Ten" reads almost like a classic British adventure novel from the 1920s, what with its depictions of Triads' secret ceremonies and oriental intrigue. And I'm pretty sure Mr. Benson identified the West Nile Virus as a potential BIG problem in "The Man with the Red Tattoo" way before the media started to get all panicky. Some excellent predictive observation there, Ray!

Settle down in a comfortable chair with this omnibus volume, some quality smokes, and a chilled martini... and get back into the double-oh-seven world. Now THAT'S living!

It's great to have three of Raymond Benson's best 007 novels in one collection. For my money, "Zero Minus Ten" is still the best post-Fleming James Bond book written. "The Facts of Death" and "The Man With The Red Tattoo" are also great reads.

"Choice of Weapons." Well done!