Rating: 
Summary: The NERVE!!!
Review: "Never Dream of Dying" is probably one of the better Bond books out there. While nothing can quite match Flemings "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", Never Dream of Dying comes extremely close. Benson does not bombard you with useless knowledge of casino games and gagets that some authors do (ie: Tom Clancy). Instead, what Benson does with this book is keep you turning the pages with his seamless transitions between scenes. The villains are believable and their motive is as well. Benson also brings in a couple of names from the past. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of 007.
Rating: 
Summary: Benson hits his mark
Review: "Never Dream of Dying" is probably one of the better Bond books out there. While nothing can quite match Flemings "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", Never Dream of Dying comes extremely close. Benson does not bombard you with useless knowledge of casino games and gagets that some authors do (ie: Tom Clancy). Instead, what Benson does with this book is keep you turning the pages with his seamless transitions between scenes. The villains are believable and their motive is as well. Benson also brings in a couple of names from the past. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of 007.
Rating:
Summary: Benson keeps getting better!!
Review: "Never Dream of Dying" is the best post Fleming Bond novel to come along in a long, long time. Concentrating on the South of France and Corsica, Benson takes Bond on a deadly hunt for Le Gerant, Head of the Union, who Bond has been pursuing for the last two books. Here, he is joined by old friend and ally Rene Mathis, last seen in Flemings' "From Russia with Love", and Marc-Ange Draco, Bond's Father-in-Law. Benson adds to the characters of both without taking anything away from the past characterizations. Benson draws you into the story bit by bit, while also setting up his next novel, to be set in Japan. There are moments of horror not found in other novels, and a rather graphic sex scene, but these do not subtract from the story. Sex, Sadism, and Snobbery - the ingredients of a good James Bond story are all here. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Benson keeps getting better!!
Review: "Never Dream of Dying" is the best post Fleming Bond novel to come along in a long, long time. Concentrating on the South of France and Corsica, Benson takes Bond on a deadly hunt for Le Gerant, Head of the Union, who Bond has been pursuing for the last two books. Here, he is joined by old friend and ally Rene Mathis, last seen in Flemings' "From Russia with Love", and Marc-Ange Draco, Bond's Father-in-Law. Benson adds to the characters of both without taking anything away from the past characterizations. Benson draws you into the story bit by bit, while also setting up his next novel, to be set in Japan. There are moments of horror not found in other novels, and a rather graphic sex scene, but these do not subtract from the story. Sex, Sadism, and Snobbery - the ingredients of a good James Bond story are all here. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: The most Fleming-esque of the post-Fleming Bonds
Review: 007 again faces The Union with its enigmatic boss Le Gerant, only now we're close enough to know that he's a blind man who doesn't need a cane to move around--he can sense where he is and what's around him. We've learned in earlier books that The Union is a descendent of the old Union Corse from the "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" days. Plus, the Union Corse's old boss--Marc Ange Draco--is still alive. Another thing Marc Ange was--for a few hours he was Bond's father in law by virtue of Bond's all too brief marriage to his daughter Teresa "Tracy" DiVienzo. The post-Fleming Bonds have all suffered from a time warp paradox--Fleming's Bond was a British naval veteran of World War II, which would make him about 75 by "real time". Previous books by both New Bond authors have almost ignored events of the Fleming epoch as a way of dodging that paradox. But one point of amusement in this book is the way Bond has bought the auctioned-off "Goldfinger" car--only to wish it still had all the cool gadgets it did when it was still in Q's charge.
Rating:
Summary: This really is Bond and beyond¿
Review: 007 finally comes face to face with Le Gérant, the blind criminal genius who heads The Union crime syndicate. The meeting does not disappoint. Raymond Benson's writing is stylish and assured. It seems that he has deliberately attempted to push back the boundaries of the conventional Bond novel - the sex scenes are more explicit than any of their predecessors, the torture scenes more graphic. In-jokes sit comfortably alongside brutal violence. Benson's Bond is ruthless and resourceful, which is just the way we like him. Nothing is sacrosanct, and there are plenty of thrills and a few surprises before the end. Highly recommended, but let me give you a word of warning - if you like rats then there is one scene that will probably upset you!
Rating: 
Summary: Is 007's time up?
Review: A Bond book, like the films, is a journey where you know the destination but you want to enjoy the ride. Having read other reviews I am a little surprised to find my views are in conflict with many of them. I love Bond films and have enjoyed most of the books to date, however, this one felt...wrong.
Bond only makes intermittent appearences for the first third of the book and when he does, it does not feel like Bond. I mean, he falls in love at first sight for goodness sake! The way Draco appears from the past and how their relationship evolves was clumsy and not how we want to see a character from the past dealt with.
Okay there is action and a few gadgets but the real test is that if it was not a 007 branded book and was just a thriller it would be rather run of the mill. We fans deserve a little better.
Rating:
Summary: Never again
Review: After enjoying James Bond novels for the guilty pleasures they are, I finally have to put them to rest with Benson's latest 'novel'. I may pick up a Bond book one day, but it will not be a Benson.Ian Fleming's novels are finally back in print in the USA, and I would encourage everyone reviewing here to pick them up and read them all. Fleming was very good at what he did. Bond was a perfect character to go to the movies, and he has endured as a character well past the Cold War. Bond was resurrected for the page in the early 80s by spy novelist John Gardner, who churned out no less than 13 Bond novels in about 15 years. Some were good, some were awful. It became clear that Gardner was not very interested in the legacy or the character of Bond. His books seemed to be about a guy named Bond who was a secret agent. Raymond Benson, super James Bond fan and indeed president of a fan club, was given the mantle to write these books. Not a novelist, Benson did good research and came up with good stories to work Bond and UK interests in. Unfortunately, he is a bad writer. A non-writer. His books alternate between long descriptions of everything Benson learned on his fact-finding missions to the locales featured in the novel, and then he cuts over to action, bad dialogue, more description, and even went so far as to include some nauseating and embarrassing sex scenes. He cannot write a novel where all of these elements blend into a solid story with sharp plotting and clear characters. Benson is obsessed with Fleming's Bond. However, he is not obsessed with attempting to write prose that even approaches John Gardner, let alone Fleming. The results are incredibly disappointing and downright silly at times. I don't know how well these have been selling, but it seems like the literary franchise of Bond has been destroyed. While each new Bond films takes in more than the last, Bond books just keep getting more upsetting. I couldn't even finish this book. After resurrecting characters Fleming created and killed, Benson's plotting is very shoddy, skipping out on Bond for whole sections. The lack of anything approaching engaging prose made me put this, and Benson, down for good. I gave him a chance. I endured most of 'the Union' trilogy, which is a sad attempt to resurrect SPECTRE. It doesn't have to be this bad. Glidrose needs a pro writer who can up the stock of Bond books. Not recommended. Go and hunt down Fleming, who must be spinning several times in his grave. Goodbye, Mr. Benson.
Rating:
Summary: Never again
Review: After enjoying James Bond novels for the guilty pleasures they are, I finally have to put them to rest with Benson's latest `novel'. I may pick up a Bond book one day, but it will not be a Benson. Ian Fleming's novels are finally back in print in the USA, and I would encourage everyone reviewing here to pick them up and read them all. Fleming was very good at what he did. Bond was a perfect character to go to the movies, and he has endured as a character well past the Cold War. Bond was resurrected for the page in the early 80s by spy novelist John Gardner, who churned out no less than 13 Bond novels in about 15 years. Some were good, some were awful. It became clear that Gardner was not very interested in the legacy or the character of Bond. His books seemed to be about a guy named Bond who was a secret agent. Raymond Benson, super James Bond fan and indeed president of a fan club, was given the mantle to write these books. Not a novelist, Benson did good research and came up with good stories to work Bond and UK interests in. Unfortunately, he is a bad writer. A non-writer. His books alternate between long descriptions of everything Benson learned on his fact-finding missions to the locales featured in the novel, and then he cuts over to action, bad dialogue, more description, and even went so far as to include some nauseating and embarrassing sex scenes. He cannot write a novel where all of these elements blend into a solid story with sharp plotting and clear characters. Benson is obsessed with Fleming's Bond. However, he is not obsessed with attempting to write prose that even approaches John Gardner, let alone Fleming. The results are incredibly disappointing and downright silly at times. I don't know how well these have been selling, but it seems like the literary franchise of Bond has been destroyed. While each new Bond films takes in more than the last, Bond books just keep getting more upsetting. I couldn't even finish this book. After resurrecting characters Fleming created and killed, Benson's plotting is very shoddy, skipping out on Bond for whole sections. The lack of anything approaching engaging prose made me put this, and Benson, down for good. I gave him a chance. I endured most of `the Union' trilogy, which is a sad attempt to resurrect SPECTRE. It doesn't have to be this bad. Glidrose needs a pro writer who can up the stock of Bond books. Not recommended. Go and hunt down Fleming, who must be spinning several times in his grave. Goodbye, Mr. Benson.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Bond from Benson
Review: After experimenting in his last two books, HIGH TIME TO KILL (with plot) and DOUBLESHOT (with character), Benson returns to the basics and writes what may be his BEST Bond novel to date. This novel is CLASSIC Bond, right down to the return of the Aston Martin DB5, a glamorous heroine, Mediterranean locals, and a sadistic mega-villain with an intriguing physical handicap (he's blind). It's certainly the most cinematic of all Benson's books. Benson's writing is straightforward and strong, his locations are EXPERTLY researched, and his characterization of Bond is spot-on. Some 007 purists balk at Benson's books (as they did John Gardner's...and any movie that doesn't star Sean Connery), but for me Benson is getting better each time out. ... I also like how Benson sprinkles hints of what's to come in the next book (007 goes to Japan?). Can't wait!
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