In Review

08 January 2009 13:18 BST

Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks

Published by Penguin 007, out now, hardback, 295pp, £18.99.

In a nutshell...

A homage bordering on parody

What's it all about?

It's the 60s and drugs are entering London in huge quantities for the first time. Bond is called in by M to seek out the source, and the trail leads to Doctor Julius Gorner, a clever and dangerous man whose ambitions know no bounds.

While tracking down Gorner, Bond encounters the glamorous Scarlett Papava, whose sister is being held captive by the evil doctor. Together they must do battle with the power-crazed Gorner to save the world.

Who's it by?

Written in the style of Bond's creator Ian Fleming, Devil May Care is from the pen of successful novelist Sebastian Faulks.

Born in Berkshire in April 1953 Faulks became a full-time writer in 1991 following a career as a journalist working for the Daily and Sunday Telegraph throughout the 70s and 80s, and literary editor of the Independent from 1986 to 1991.

As an example...

"The grey Cadillac crept quietly forward through the semi-tropical night, with Hamid, on Bond's instruction, keeping to a sedate pace. The windows were open to the mingled sound of the waves on the seashore to their left and the cicadas in the palm trees on the right. The perfume of the orange groves was powerful in the stillness of the air.

'Damn it. I've just had a thought,' said Bond. 'There'll be dogs.'

'Dogs?' said Hamid.

'Yes. At night there are bound to be guard dogs.'"

Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster

The story's 60s setting would need to be ditched, of course, although in light of the recent reboot of 007 on the silver screen, Devil May Care may very well suit the new grittier Bond as personified by Daniel Craig.

What the others say

"That a literary novelist of Faulks' calibre should take on Fleming's mantle is a fitting tribute to one of Britain's greatest thriller writers." – Brian Macintyre, Times

"The biggest literary thrill of 2008." – Observer

So is it any good?

There's no doubting Faulks' ability to write like Bond's creator Ian Fleming, right down to the economic passages, razor-sharp pacing and sketchily-drawn characters, all of which eagerly serve the plot.

However, there's a giddy sense of hero-worship in overkill mode, and the book trembles on the precipice of parody. This has the effect of making you snigger at the terse exchanges of dialogue, the exotic locales and the somewhat uneasy shoehorning in of Cold War incidents.

Devil May Care is part-homage, part-reboot, and similar to the cinematic 007's revival with Daniel Craig assuming the licence to kill mantle, it has a penchant to be irritating, often very dull and highly unnecessary.

4/10

Lee Davis