Alex James's Blog: AlexJamesNovels Blog - Posts Tagged "spy"

Seen the film and not sure if the book can match it? Think again! Casino Royale blew me away. From basic mission dossiers from M, to what can only be described as one of the most intricate and yet fascinating build-ups to a casino game that will decide the fate of Soviet agent Le Chiffre. In a manoeuvre orchestrated between London and the folks at Washington, Bond is the man best placed to out-gamble Le Chiffre and remove the substantial Soviet fifth column of 50,000 men that he controls.

His nemesis is desperate to pay off his debts and this game will be the perfect chance. If Le Chiffre loses, his Soviet paymasters will hunt him down with the deadly organisation SMERSH, which deals with traitors and back-sliders.

Bond will soon learn that more is at stake than a casino game, and that he needs a proper reassessment of just how brutal the enemy spies are, and of what lengths spies are willing to go to keep their covers.

Casino Royale is a ground-breaking introduction to the entire Bond series, and is not to be underestimated. Though the casino game was the highlight, the atmosphere was classic Bond – it read like a film – and the characters were dressed as formal with powerful and well-concealed passion.

The 2nd James Bond novel in the renowned spy series, Live and Let Die is set in New York’s Harlem and the shark-infested seas of the West Indies. Bond must investigate a voodoo cult organised by soviet SMERSH operative Mr. Big; a man whose soviet training, freakish size, and manipulation skills make him the first “villain”; and a worthy adversary for what can be seen as Bond’s first real mission. To confront SMERSH has been a long-awaited opportunity for him.

Bond has whisked away clairvoyant card-reader Solitaire, an attractive and talented woman who Mr. Big sees as his personal property. Solitaire is a damsel in distress, and her knowledge of Mr. Big’s crime machine puts them both in danger and forces Bond to accept that there is more to Mr Big’s control. The most exciting and compelling scenes were when Bond and Solitaire were on the train, with fearful anticipation for Mr. Big’s assassins to get at them.

The detail behind Mr. Big’s operations makes for intriguing background reading, with fear, superstition, secret communication, and black magic curses. Though he is resolute and is no stranger to pain, there were a few moments where Bond was fooled and frustrated. I liked this, for it kept consistent with prequel Casino Royale, where he had yet to be properly tested. I liked that there were more action scenes against enemies, which were often imaginative and sometimes ended in dark humour.

Criticism is that even though we’re introduced to an impressive villain, Live and Let Die develops through Bond’s inability to predict Mr. Big’s next moves. From there, I was fast-tracked to the opening of Bond’s final solo mission (which was actually his original mission before he decided to scope Mr. Big’s operations). The final solo mission was lengthy, with some parts over-descriptive, and a lot of back-and-forth preparation between Bond and his contacts in Jamaica. The descriptive writing style did well to cover scenes of underwater peril, yet it made the lead up to the conclusion tiresome. I would have liked to see more of a struggle between Bond and Mr. Big, and to perhaps link Solitaire’s talents into the action. In the end, Bond’s preparation and calculation, rather than sharp instincts or observation or heroics, saved the day.

Live and Let Die is a fast-paced intriguing novel that sees Bond challenging enemies directly. The setting and the scale of the voodoo cult was terrifying and adrenalin-filled. The locations were rich with detail, and the reader sees the first of the ingenious Bond villian. Though terminology and items are out-of-date, it’s difficult not to feel nostalgic for Bond’s personal tastes and global adventures.

Toni is a tough captain who can handle herself well and takes jobs for the Merchant Corps, raising enough money to pay to build her dream ship Kory Mae. However, when she is brutally assaulted by a co-pilot, she must take time off and forge friendships which could well determine her future direction in life. From the cover and description, you can deduce that PKM is a strong female protagonist sci-fi space-opera, but what is not as easily apparent are the investigative, spy, and political subgenres.

What I liked: The connection between Toni and shipmate Rob brought Toni’s personality to life early on, and made me see PKM as character-driven. Toni’s powerful memories: of bullying, her inferiority with her tiny size, and her determination to train and fight against anything big and bulky thrown at her did make me respect her. My interest grew more profound from ch.11, where the environment, setting, and characters were described more clearly, and some of the subplots were put into perspective. My interest in PKM was consistent, and this mostly circulated around Toni and her interaction with her crew or enemies. As PKM developed, my fondness for the sub-characters did gradually grow, and through Toni I became both interested in and knowledgeable about their personalities and habits.

Criticism: the importance and relevance of the sub-characters in the plot was at times lost on me, up until the final two chapters. Apart from a horrific incident at the beginning, I did find PKM difficult to get into. The scenes stopped and started with new conversations and settings without an exciting overarching objective that I understood. Throughout PKM, it was not always clear who was speaking when they were; I shouldn’t have been able to notice this. The plot was in a tangle, and it wasn’t easy for me to connect the dots since the action scenes appeared unrelated; perhaps this was intended because it was semi-investigation? As a result I could not immerse myself in the plot.

Overall, I liked when PKM was character-driven, but was not overly fond of the plot. I’m a reader who likes the setting and technology to be explained, rather than taken for granted so PKM could well suit many sci-fi readers who prefer their fiction otherwise. There is enough to like with PKM, with intriguing characters and promising writing.

‘Endless carefree consumption, total comfort, all you can eat, and only at the low, low cost of your human soul and who believed in that anymore.’

In book three of Michael Shean’s dark cyberpunk series, he explores the paths we can take as humanity: to stick with the militaristic war-like foible of the human race or to use the superior technology of the alien Yathi to humanity’s advantage and risk losing a small part of ourselves.

Thomas Walken’s worse fears are realised when he wakes up as one of the Yathi. He doesn’t know his true purpose or what the Mother of Systems has planned for him. Walken must evolve, from a policeman to a spy operative, listening to external intelligence to make considered choices in the greater scheme of things. His new body has the potential to put him on an even keel with his alien enemies, if only he knew how to unlock his capabilities. ‘The magnetic fields around his hands, his arms, the elements that would flash-heat the trapped air into white-hot plasma. His alloy-laced bones, his diamond heart. The poreless white skin beneath his sensory absorptive coating, Nemea invulnerability rendered from flesh impregnated with nanomachines.’

The author keeps the best parts of character Bobbi’s point of view from Redeye (book two) and combines it with Walken’s ego: ‘I’m hoping to kick ass and save the day no matter what you do to me’. Bobbi is much stronger and confident in Gathering Ashes, bringing together a group of hackers and using reclaimed Yathi as assassins. Though I was more excited with Walken’s ‘no shits given’ exchanges with enemies, it was Bobbi’s personality and character that felt more real. The way she thought, acted, and interacted bore uncanny resemblance to somebody who might have lived in the real world.

Criticism: I couldn’t easily fault Gathering Ashes. The quotations marks were presented inconsistently. Author should maybe cut out some similes, which stuck out in the text next to the already excellent pace and tone of the writing. Ch.12 was exceptionally long. When did Tom see Scalli, did I miss that part? There is a gap in my memory there. Regarding the ‘mysterious horseshit’ perpetrated by god-like AI Cagliostro, I wanted more answers than conjecture to explain who he is and whether he really can be trusted. It’s clear more will be answered in the next book, but some things could have been wrapped up better.

The author has adapted his writing, adding brief backstories, more considered settings, and even crossed into the spy genre with infiltration missions, all of which were well balanced, at the correct length and written with superb quality. The story contained some of the most exciting action I’ve read in science fiction with the right level of urgency, a firm grip of technology, and an understanding of cause and effect. I liked the fact that Gathering Ashes was not a rushed third book, and the author took his time to reacquaint the reader with the setting and characters. The flow was perfect. What else can I say except that Gathering Ashes is a well-crafted sequel that I hugely enjoyed? Each book continues to get better.

‘It’ll be far better for him that I find him before,’ she paused for effect, ‘certain other practitioners of my profession.’

First impressions were mixed. For the first two chapters I wasn’t grounded in the world. I didn’t know what was happening, feeling displacement, and chapter introductions only confused me more. Things got better and better, not long after. Basically, what we’re dealing with here is not any Thieves’ Guild urban fantasy. This is sexy spy stuff in space with gadgets, physical training programs, intelligence departments, assassinations, and secret packages. Imagine James Bond mixed with Ender’s Game. The action was non-stop, and every chapter was essential. Before reading Residual Belligerence I wouldn’t have imagined such a novel was possible to write.

My one criticism is that I wanted to see Hil, main character and top agent, to be in good condition so we could see what he was capable of when he was on top form. How would it have been different? I realise part of the point of the story was that he was left in the dark about what was happening and he was injured, which could explain why he was helpless throughout; it certainly added to my stress reading because I was concerned for his welfare, being so invested in the story. The roof comes down on him a few times, in style, and only other characters’ expertise keeps him in the loop. Maybe CG Hatton will cover this in one of her sequels, which are serious options on my to-read list.

Introduction

Wilful Defiance (WD) takes the Thieves Guild (TG) series in a more alien invasion direction, departing from the action spy genre, yet following on nicely from book three. There are aliens, the Bhenykhn, whose telepathic abilities are the origin of a virus that only the elite spy organisations are aware of, and the aliens aren’t going to go away, with galactic conquest top of their agenda.

Main character NG has a lot on his plate, as usual, fending off his vindictive alter ego Sebastian, balancing the emotional needs of the women in his life, unleashing his powers on aliens, and somehow managing the assemblage of the TG. The most exciting part of NG’s character is undoubtedly his place as a pawn in his superior’s machinations and of his struggle to come to terms with Sebastian. Does he lock up the latter to preserve human life to avoid inflicting pain on those he cares about or does he let him have free rein to slaughter at will?

There is also the troublesome Elliott whose loyalty to the TG is of concern, has been of concern since the start, and still is a lingering concern that NG doesn’t want to bother with tackling and trusts the answers will come soon enough. And as you could expect from books in this genre, there are a few other shady things happening in the background, organised by shady characters.

It was interesting to see how author CG Hatton tackled WD, which was on a grander scale than previous books in the series. It was about the characters and their responses to major challenges more than it was about events or battles of galactic import. Those looking for the former will be rewarded.

Criticism
Most of the characters have receded into the background by WD, and retracing who’s who wasn’t easy. NG kept interest in the story, though I felt some scenes were a bit stop and start as he kept blacking out, pushing himself too hard. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how NG would escape from being captured, or even just his fisticuffs with other characters.

Overall
We now have a better idea of the grand scheme of manipulations and of the previous events that led to the invasion. The series is still coming together, one book at a time, making us realise why what’s happening is happening. WD was a joy to read, and I never became bored. It’ll be of interest to see where author CG Hatton takes the characters next.