Blurb:
A British agent floats in the waters of the French Riviera, murdered by an unknown hand.
Determined to uncover the truth, James Bond enters a world of fast cars, grand casinos and luxury yachts. But beneath the glamour, he soon encounters a dangerous network of organised crime.
It’s time for Bond to earn his licence to kill. He must find those responsible and unravel their devastating plan – before he becomes their next victim…
Discover the exhilarating prequel to Casino Royale.
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Narrator: Matthew Goode
Publisher: Penguin
Genre: Thriller
Running Time: 7hrs 36mins
My Rating of ‘Forever and a Day’: 5 out of 5
Review:
I’m a regular at turning up late to a party where book series are concerned … so I suppose if I’m going to dive into the James Bond pool so many years after it began, I may as well plump for what is now technically the prequel.
Being my first Bond book, I wasn’t certain what to expect. Technically, not having read a Fleming novel, I still don’t know what to expect for when I eventually try Casino Royale. But, what I can say for Horowitz’ offering, is that it was very enjoyable. It was fast-paced, it was sleek, smooth and sophisticated. It read like a man who was writing in his own world rather than playing in another author’s sandbox.
A couple of things in it were easy to to see coming, but if that isn’t true of the films, then I don’t know what is. Speaking of films, Forever and a Day reads like it would translate perfectly onto the big screen and I’d not be the least surprised to see it happen one day (they can only milk the same films for so long after all).
I enjoyed seeing how James Bond took up the mantle of 007, the mythos surrounding the department and everything that goes on in his world that I wasn’t already privy to. Seeing him on a mission prior to taking his new job was a nice touch and seeing him taking his first steps as a fully-fledged double agent was great. I also loved how the ‘Bond villain’ genuinely had the feel of a big screen Bond villain. Wonderful stuff.
The only negative thing I’ll say is that the character of James Bond isn’t overly likeable. But, not having read the Fleming novels I could be moaning at Horowitz for religiously keeping to Fleming’s character model. For all I know, the Bond I’m reading could be an accurate portrait of Fleming’s time.
My minor dislike of the character of Bond aside, the novel was an action-packed romp of a spy thriller and it the hours sped by as though they were minutes. Helped out greatly by the expert narration of Matthew Goode. He’s a true talent who I’ll be looking out for in future audio work.
The long and the short of it is; if you’re a Bond fan, pick this up. If you’ve never tried Bond, pick this up. If you have tried Bond and really don’t like it … carry on as you are.
Swords & Spectres 
Well, Bond is a womanizing, hard drinking, gambling, manipulative, assassin only held in check because he’s on a government’s payroll. Not qualities to create a very likeable character.
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I haven’t watched the films since I was younger, so I think my young mind wasn’t aware of how unlikeable he should be. My present one is
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I think I read a Fleming Bond novel or two back in high-school, but it just never grabbed my attention. I do wonder what I would think of it now.
Bond seems like a character that can keep on going through books n movies as long as writers use a little imagination.
Do you think you’ll seek out Flemings stuff?
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I think Casino Royale will be one of those audio books I seek out when I’m at a loss for something and have a credit spare. It’s not a franchise I’d be desperate to explore, but one I’d read if I couldn’t put my finger on what I wanted at the time.
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Well, I was unaware of the fact that another writer was continuing the Bond stories! Worth taking a peek, one of these days… 😉
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I only discovered it due to it being the daily deal on Audible a while back. Having never read a Fleming novel, Ian will be the ‘other author’ to me 😛
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I do really like Horowitz’ writing, but have always been reluctant to pick up his Bond books. Guess I’ll have to give them a try after all
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Did you read his Sherlock Stuff? Those were wonderful
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I have! Really enjoyed them indeed. I made Dave read Moriarty, but he almost instantly guessed the twist 🙈
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I remember enjoying Moriarty … but have forgotten the twist😅
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