The World Is Not Enough (Linford Western Library) [Import] [Hardcover]

Raymond Benson (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd; Large Print Ed edition (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843958449
• ISBN-13: 978-1843958444
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,210,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As of January 2011, Raymond Benson is the author of twenty-four published books. These include six original JAMES BOND novels (now collected in the recent anthologies THE UNION TRILOGY and CHOICE OF WEAPONS), three 007 film novelizations, and the first two TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL novels (for the latter he used the pseudonym of "David Michaels"). With John Milius he penned HOMEFRONT: THE VOICE OF FREEDOM. He also wrote the novelizations of the popular videogames--METAL GEAR SOLID and METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY. Raymond writes his own original suspense books as well--stand alone thrillers such as TORMENT, ARTIFACT OF EVIL, SWEETIE'S DIAMONDS, FACE BLIND, and EVIL HOURS, or his two "Spike Berenger Rock 'n' Roll Hits" featuring a music industry detective--A HARD DAY'S DEATH and DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE. Coming soon--Raymond's entry in the "Gabriel Hunt" adventures, HUNT THROUGH NAPOLEON'S WEB, and an original thriller, THE BLACK STILETTO. There's a lot more, so if you want the full story visit the author at his website... www.raymondbenson.com!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars More Junk Bond from Raymond Benson, November 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The World Is Not Enough (Paperback)

I approached this novelization of a Bond film from a "literary" standpoint: I haven't yet seen the new film "The World Is Not Enough", so I read the novel as a novel, without any visual references--memories--of the film. Unfortunately, the non-novelist Raymond Benson offers us another bland effort. This alleged novel self-destructs in many ways. Foremost is the novel's lack of suspense: the narrative stays on one level; and Benson's description of action scenes are awkward. (He still can't describe a series of quick moments and therefore resorts to boring explanations: "It all happened in six seconds" (11), he tells us in the fight scene in Lachaise's office.)

Added to this mess is Benson's tone of voice. We sense, as we do in his previous 007 efforts, that he's nervous about writing a Bond novel. As a result, he lacks the confident, booming authorial voice of a seasoned novelist. Oh, he does try to convince us that he knows what he's doing: he struggles to add background material to some characters, but he pours the information all at once. Take, for instance, the villain Renard: the background of the character appears late in the novel, taking up almost an entire chapter and, consequently, disrupts the main narrative. To make matters worse, we learn nothing new about our man Bond. He's so bland that he is nothing more than nine letters on a page that comprise the name "James Bond."

And let us not forget the laughable travelogue narrative. Benson's description of cities and places is more suitable for an elementary school geography book, not a spy thriller. Indeed, his description of the Bosphorous is geared for six-year-olds: "The Bosphorous has always been a strategic focal point in the magnificent city of Istanbul, the link between the two continents. The western shore lies in Europe, while the eastern one is in Asia" (167). Geez, how fortunate we are to have Benson remind us that Europe is the West and Asia is the East!

But perhaps the narrative reaches its lowest point during the love scenes. Whereas Ian Fleming, Kingsly Amis, and John Gardner present romantic scenes that were, yes, risque but with touches of mystic, Benson takes the extra step to become blatantly risque. The love scene of Bond and Electra is low-class junk...

To which we say: Pass the Tylenol.

All in all, this novel is a waste of brain cells. It's best to just watch the movie. Ah, better still, my fellow Bond fans, let us return to Ian Fleming's orignal novels for good James Bond stories.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well... it's a novel...of the film, January 6, 2000

By 

Kohta Wajima - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World Is Not Enough (Paperback)

Based on the new James Bond film, Raymond Benson takes up on Bond once again. This time, the story really stays pretty straight with the movie, only providing a bit more than the film. It contains some background information of Elektra/Renard, and what happens in the past, etc., but it isn't too much. Unlike Tomorrow Never Dies:A Novel, TWINE is not adding much to the film. Basically, if you saw the film and you are a little wishy-washy on reading a Bond book or having to read the what you saw on film, you probably don't need to buy this. However, if you're an avid Bond fan or would still want to take up on a Bond book, it's still a good read. If you see the movie first, it becomes easier to imagine the scenes. Raymond Benson has written better Bond novels than this, however, so make your choice more warily.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's all hope the movie is this terrific!, November 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The World Is Not Enough (Paperback)

I am on record as trashing High Time to Kill (see reviews for that book) along with vowing to wait for the Benson novels in paperback (if not used papaerback). Well, I bought this paperback new and would have paid for a hard cover of this story's quality. Benson is terrific on this novelization. I'm sure there is a lot of extra info that will clarify parts of the movie when I see it. The rumored "airhead" personality of Christmas Jones does not come through in the book and I was afraid that the return to "sexpot" Bond girls would send the modernized Bond into a tailspin. One especially bright point is the meatier role for M. I think Benson likes writing her and it shows. For fans who haven't followed every plot point posted on the web, I'm sure there will be more than a few surprises. The plot-Bond is assigned to bodyguard Elektra King, the daughter of a recently-assassinated oil magnate. Elektra has already been the target of kidnappers led by the villainous Renard, a terrorist who has no pain center. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a "painless" killer was written into the Tomorrow Never Dies plot, but was scrapped after the novelizatioon had already been written) Great gadgets, great plot, great girls,a surprise development with M, and an atomic bomb stolen from a foremer Soviet Republic make for an exciting and riveting thriller.