Carte Blanche
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4.0 • 189 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
The face of war is changing. The other side doesn't play by the rules much any more. There's thinking, in some circles, that we need to play by a different set of rules too . . .'
Fresh from Afghanistan, James Bond has been recruited to a new agency. Conceived in the post-9/11 world, it operates independent of Five, Six and the MoD, its very existence deniable. Its aim: to protect the Realm, by any means necessary.
The Night Action alert calls Bond from dinner with a beautiful woman. GCHQ has decrypted an electronic whisper about an attack scheduled for later in the week: casualties estimated in the thousands, British interests adversely affected.
And 007 has been given carte blanche to do whatever it takes to fulfil his mission.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The James Bond franchise is thriving, and this terrific new pastiche will amply reward Bond fans and possibly bring new readers into the fold. Deaver (Edge), an avowed fan of the Fleming canon, has set the novel in the post-9/11 present, and Bond, that icon of the 1960s, handles the transition perfectly. The book opens in Serbia with 007 trying to uncover the meaning of "Incident 20," a cryptic reference that suggests an impending terrorist plot. Deaver deftly sketches in Bond's background: a veteran of the Royal Naval Reserve who had served in Afghanistan, he was languishing in naval intelligence until recruited by a new, super-secret team whose mandate is to "protect the Realm by any means necessary," hence the "carte blanche" of the title. Most of the action takes place in South Africa, and the plot is predictable in a purely Bond-ian way (credibly incredible), but also intricate and inventive, surprising and satisfying a testament to Deaver's skill as a storyteller. The plot and setting may be up to the minute, but Bonds aficionados will be comforted by the usual Bond tropes: his love of fast cars, fine drink, and gorgeous women (two of whom sport the traditionally clever and ridiculous names: Ophelia Maidenstone and Felicity Willing); his colleagues M, Moneypenny, and Q (who creates the world's most powerful iPhone dubbed the iQPhone); and an appropriately perverse villain, Severan Hydt, a self-made tycoon with a fetish for decay and death, complete with suitably evil henchman. Fleming purists may balk at the hint of a New Age sensitivity in Deaver's Bond, but they will recognize one of the world's most enduring fictional characters: competent, courageous, charming, and cool.
Customer Reviews
Great Read
Bought this as I was going away for a long weekend and needed a book for the beach. As a fan of both the original Fleming books and somewhat of the modern writings I was interested to read this.
I couldn't put it down. Every time I had a spare moment I wanted to carry on reading. Some parts of the storyline we predictable, but those were minimal compared to the twists that kept you hooked. Overall a fantastic read.
Just average.
Expected big things from this book. Sadly, it fell short of my expectations in terms of plot, characters and 'wow' factor I associate with Bond novels.
By that I mean the plot lacked a decent villain, there was little character expansion beyond the franchise mainstays and no show stopping antics usually associated with Her Majesty's finest.
I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a wasted purchase, but I probably wouldn't purchase any of Deaver's other works on the back of it.
Easy read for a long journey, but equally easy to put down in favour of anything remotely distracting. 3 stars from me.
First class 007 thriller
I've always loved Bond and really enjoyed the new film. I decided I would like to read about him for a change. I could not put this book down I loved it. I can highly recommend it to bond fans and thriller lovers alike.