Rating: 
Summary: Something different for a Bond book, but a welcome change.
Review: Benson's third Bond book takes a slightly different twist on the standard Bond adventure. Gone is the old formula and what remains is an author finding a comfortable writing style that reminds one of Fleming, while still being new and enjoyable. Just like all the earlier Bond books, HTTK is a quick read, never really slowing pace too much. The first half of the book is a typically good Bondian adventure, but once the locale changes to Nepal, the book changes to a slower pace. Benson takes you inside Bond in a way that Gardner was never able to do. Bond's general dislike for parts of his job are felt, and his cold ruthlessnes shows why he survives. In my opinion the only flaw to Benson's newest book is the uncomfortable discriptions from many of Bond's companions. Some seem to be little more than a recorded playing of a tourist book. Fleming could always get inside what makes a location tick, while Benson is just not there yet. Yet along side this criticism, I must say that I enjoyed the Doctor's talk about the hazzards of mountain climbing. Although many will criticize Benson as being an amateur, his Bond books are well plotted and believeable. I look forward to the rest of the trilogy and wish Benson luck with his growth as a writer. While HTTK is an experiment in the 'Bond' style, it is much more succesful than anything Gardner tried, or Fleming's The Spy Who Loved Me. CHris
Rating: 
Summary: High Time to Waste
Review: I've been a Bond fan since my teens and have bought everyone as it came out in hardcover since Col. Sun. I loved Zero minus Ten and the Tomorrow Never Dies novelization. Facts of Death was great if you take away Felix's killer wheelchair, but this one? Taking pieces of Fleming's classics does not a Bond novel make. A golf match with the villain (see Goldfinger), a criminal organization with a secret mastermind (see anything with SPECTRE), and a major plot point out of Casino Royale. The spy on a mountain climb was done better by Trevanian and Desmond Cory back in the glory days of Bond. I realize this is the first of a projected trilogy(I understand if Benson wants to save Le Gerant for the climax of the trilogy), but it is no excuse for a lackluster villain whose main characteristic is obnoxious. We know he's the bad guy because he says "Chinaman", considered a racial slur, instead of "Chinese man" as Bond does. He also makes sexist remarks about betting a night with the female member of the expedition. As far as PC goes, Bond fails too--An affair with his secretary? Even Fleming's Bond kept it to playful flirtation with Ponsonby, Goodnight, and Moneypenny. But, of course, we need it to hang plot on. Like I said before, I've bought every Bond as it came out in harcover until now-this I rented from the library and will now wait for the paperback and buy it used. The rest of the trilogy will determine if I ever buy Bond again.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect fusion makes this one of the BEST Bond novels.
Review: HIGH TIME TO KILL is a unique James Bond adventure. It's very experimental in its use of a single setting in the second half of the book, while still deftly adhering to the classic James Bond formula. No "continuation novel" demonstrates a better understanding of what makes a classic Bond story (and HIGH TIME TO KILL surpasses even some of Fleming books in this regard). Most of my feelings come from the second half of the book when Bond is on the mountain. This is unlike anything we've ever seen Bond participate in before - yet all the Bondian ingredients are in firmly in place: Villain, sidekick, Bond girl, contest, breathtaking (literally this time) locales, exotic culture, set-piece showdown and coda. But every one of these "classic" elements (which in the movies have drifted toward clichés) feels 100% fresh because it's all set within the context of a reality-based high concept idea: Mountain climbing. The overlaying believaility of the concept elevates the characters and makes the book truly suspenseful in a FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE sort of way. Even the almost always fumbled "this time it's personal" element works perfectly here. We understand that the villain is driven by his competitive masculine/sexual ego (a subtext of almost all Bond villains), but the possibility of altitude sickness motivates his classic Bond Villain megalomania in a completely believable way. The ice axe throwing competition between Bond and the villain is as gripping as any casino face off. Bond catching a glimpse of Bond Girl Hope Kendell undressing in her small tent is much sexier, IMO, than a Halle Berry bursting from the sea like a Bond Girl Jack in the Box. Bond's sidekick, a Sherpa, is indispensable in a way most of the Bondman sidekicks are not. The "gadgets" this time are all real, but still exotic (cutting-edge climbing equipment, the oxygen tent), and what better test of 007's stamina than a savage mountain climbing expedition? There is a return to the idea of 007 as a master of the extreme sport in this book that is very much a part to the world of Ian Fleming's James Bond. In fact, I think Fleming would have eventually written a book just like HIGH TIME TO KILL. There's more, but suffice to say HIGH TIME TO KILL is the perfect fusion of the high-concept Bond formula and the completely believable and fascinating world of high-altitude mountain climbing. If you're looking to sample a non-Fleming James Bond novel, THIS is the one to get.
Rating:
Summary: It's lost a little bit of the original Bond films and books
Review: This has lost the original Bond ways. For one thing, the book starts as a foul mouth convention and soon turns into bloody combat rather than real action scenes. Alot of it is more like adventure and has an odd plot: The Union is a criminal orginization that takes on jobs to rich. When England made the special airplane hull called Skin 17, the Union set out to get it. The microdot was put in a pacemaker to be sent to the buyers of the microdot but when the carrier's plane crashes in the Himalayas, Bond and a group of climbers head out to recover it. The climbers, though, are infested with undercover Union killers who plan to meet with another expedition so they can do the microdot business. Bond finds out and foils it but in the midst, gets hurt alot. This is even wierder than On Her Majesty's Secret Service!
Rating:
Summary: A Great New Twist to the Classic Bond Formula!
Review: although I realized that mr. benson's first bond novel was not an extremely well-written effort, I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit; mainly because you could practically feel his excitement at being chosen to pick up where mr. gardner left off. some of the paragraphs were choppy and he used far too many exclamation points (!!!), but it was an enjoyable, escapist read and basically that is what bond should provide. TFOD showed a more comfortable author and I was impressed with the progress mr. benson had made as a writer. the car chase, which criticized by many as being too similar to the movies, was extremely enjoyable and was probably the most exciting chase scene I have read. it is no mean feat to make a literary chase scene enjoyable, in my opinion...most film directors can't pull that one off. I really enjoyed TFOD. and now comes the third "new adventure" of 007 and I feel it is quite apparent that mr. benson has been successful in further honing his skills and earning the responsibility of 'bond scribe.' this book is a hell of a read!! the action scenes are great, the bits dealing with bond's personal life are fun, and the narration as bond climbs the world's third highest mountain is EXTREMELY effective. the reader really gets a sense of how much it would suck to be in bond's shoes this time around. great work there. granted, to date, the Union is a rather faceless and anonymous criminal organization, but I expect that situation will change in the future. this was a wonderful effort that actually did contain many legitimate fleming-style touches to it. it has become commonplace to say that about mr. benson's work, mainly I guess because he often points out that he is trying to include these touches; however, this is the first time that I have found it to be true. They are in there without seeming forced or a parody, and that is an impressive feat. the conclusion of the novel is fantastic, like someone said here, very much in the style of Casino Royale. anyway, great book, and since benson gets better each time, I am already looking forward to book number four.
Rating:
Summary: One of Benson's Best
Review: Often called Benson's best Bond book. I agreed until after reading The Man With The Red Tattoo. This is the first part of the Union Trilogy. Bond must track down a secret microdot containing military secrets and the trail will soon lead him, and a team of climbers, up one of the world's largest mountain peaks. An interesting change of pace, with the first half Bond does standard Bond stuff while the second half takes place entirely on a mountain. The Union is an interesting bunch of villains who will return in the next two books.
Rating:
Summary: I love this book
Review: Having owned and virtually memorized all 19 official (and 1 unofficial) James Bond movies, I was curious about how the Bond of the novels would compare to the Bond of the movies. Flemming created James Bond to be every man's envy and every girl's dream, and as a result Bond has to be a three-dimensional character, yet lack a certain definition so that anyone could imagine themselves in his place. Fortunately, Benson pulls off both aspects very well. While it's clear Benson based his version of Bond and his story off the newer Brosnan stylings, High Time to Kill delves deeper into Bond's world than either Tomorrow Never Dies or The World is Not Enough. Here not only do we "see" Bond playing golf, but we also meet Bond's friends and rivals. There's also a scene where Bond and a henchman get into a fight in a bathroom. It's been ages since Bond scuffled hand-to-hand instead of blowing his opponents away with a machine gun, and it added a degree of realism. Bond is no longer invulnerable. The plot of the story revolves around spies stealing a top secret formula. While it's not as grand as world domination, it's not the small-fry assignment we've see in Live and Let Die and The Man With the Golden Gun (the movies). Towards the end of the novel a twist is added that has Bond and a team of climbers scaling a peak in the Himalayas to reach a crash site. All the while pacing is excellent, balancing plot and character development with action and girls. This book is highly recommended to all Bond fans, especially those who've seen the movies but have yet to enter the world of the Bond novels. It's close enough to the modern Bond movies that you could imagine Pierce Brosnan (or maybe even yourself!) as Bond, but it's definitely not one of those cheap "further adventures" that cash in on hit movies.
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Summary: Benson's Bond Series Overview
Review: As a long time 007 fan, I have just re-read all of Raymond Benson's Bond novels in the proper order and have some reflections on his entire series through "Never Dream of Dying." First of all, Benson is not Ian Fleming and readers should get past that expectation before beginning. He's not John Gardner, either (thank goodness!). That said, I believe Benson has come the closest to Ian Fleming of all the post-Fleming writers in that he has truly captured the essence of Bond's character and the universe in which 007 operates. It is a fantasy spy world, not based in reality, just as Fleming's was, but like Bond's creator, Benson keeps the main character very human. Benson's Bond makes mistakes, shows fear, feels pain, and is melancholy much of the time. At the same time, Benson has brought in many elements of the Bond film series (I have read an interview with him that states that he and the Ian Fleming Estate agreed that this would be the approach to take). Therefore, Benson's Bond is a mixture of the cinematic and literary Bonds, and for me, this works splendidly. I have seen some fans object to this or that but it seems to me that these fans are not getting past personal expectations. Bond is many things to many people. Benson, a long time Bond scholar and author of the excellent "James Bond Bedside Companion" knows his stuff. He has nailed the Bond character. Some have complained about his writing style. Benson is no Fleming, as stated earlier, but his style is succinct and easy to read. His books flow quickly and are highly entertaining. "ZERO MINUS TEN": Benson's first book has one of his best plots, but it suffers slightly from being a "first novel." His writing is at its weakest here, but that said, ZMT is a wonderful Bond story. It is very Fleming-esque with its Hong Kong location, characters like Guy Thackeray and T. Y. Woo and Li Xu Nan, and its descriptions of food, mahjong, and Triads. When reading ZMT, one is immediately aware that this is a harder-edged and darker Bond than perhaps what we are used to. For a first effort, it is very, very good. "THE FACTS OF DEATH": Benson's second book is more film-like, it feels like an EON Productions movie story. The plot is more "fantastic" in that it deals with a secret criminal organization called the Decada that is run by a crazy mastermind. The writing is improved, though, and in many ways this is a more entertaining book than ZMT. What is especially interesting is Benson's development of the "M" character and her relationship with Bond. "HIGH TIME TO KILL": My personal favorite of the bunch. This is a classic Bond novel in every sense of the word. The first half is fairly predictable cinematic-Bond stuff, except for a very Fleming-esque opening and 2nd chapter golf match. The second half, however, shows Benson hitting his stride and finding his own voice with a truly original departure from what is expected. As Bond and companions climb one of the highest peaks in the Himalayas, the action becomes more like an "Into Thin Air"-type story. It's authentic spy-stuff amidst an environment that is cruel and harsh. This is a thrilling, un-put-downable book. "DOUBLESHOT": Another departure from the norm, as Benson appears to be experimenting with the structure of a Bond novel with this one. The first chapter is the ending of the book told from the different perspectives of several characters. The rest of the story begins in the past and catches up to the ending, and by then we are hooked. In this story, Bond is not well, he is injured, he is not working at full capacity, and this is what is interesting. "Doubleshot" is the middle book of a loose trilogy (beginning with "High Time to Kill") and it is darker and more introspective than the others. Some fans apparently didn't get it, but in many ways, this is Benson's most courageous book. "NEVER DREAM OF DYING": Another great one, right up there with "High Time to Kill," in terms of glueing a reader to the page. It's an excellent plot, tying up the trilogy that Benson began in HTTK. In this book, one can see the blending of the cinematic and literary Bonds more than in any other entry-- a lot of the action is very movie-like, while the storyline and characterizations are more like the Fleming novels. The moods and settings are the best that Benson has done, and the love interest is perhaps his strongest. The real stroke of brilliance in the book is what the author has done with the character of Bond's father in law. A very engaging book. My five-star review is based on Benson's series as a whole. Each book may not be a 5-star book on its own, but I don't think any of them are less than 4. Benson has put his mark on the Bond literary series. Fans who don't like him tend to focus on one or two aspects of what he does-- his writing style, his dependence on the cinematic elements, whatever... I feel that they're not seeing the forest for the trees. In my humble opinion, Raymond Benson has brought new life to the series and I hope he continues the books a long, long time.
Rating:
Summary: Bond At New Hights!
Review: At first I thought copying Ian Flemmings ways was close to impossible until Benson came. I'm only 14 but i have to say that "High Time To Kill" was a noval of many words. I like surprises and this book has many surprises. Everyone turns into someone else (Exept Bond). I think the Charactor of Roland Maquis reminded me of Trevelion in Goldeneye. Once a "freind" then an enemy. Also this is the first time that Bond faces a mission of not only man v. man but also man v. nature. I love it when the auther continues something from other book. In this case Benson brings back the union from his other book "Never Dreamed Of Dieing" and I hope to see them in his next noval. Althogh the ending was a disapointing shock this book is one of Benson Bond's Best!
Rating:
Summary: You can feel the real "Fleming-Bond"!
Review: This book has mostly postive things, but some negative too. The negative things are; that it's no really dangerous guy that threatens Bond. The book is also to long(290 sides). It's sometimes to many descriptions about the places. You can although feel the "real" Bond, that Fleming wrote about, how he feels about smoking, liquid and women. Benson is also a very good author and it makes the book better, he makes it interessting and tensive. This book can I highly recommend!
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