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Trigger Mortis (2015) written by Anthony Horowitz
By: Anders Frejdh
Published:
2014-10-01
2014-10-01
First edition UK hardcover (2015)
First edition US hardcover (2015)
UK paperback (2016)
US paperback (2016)Anthony Horowitz's new novel is a thrilling tour de force, sure to delight fans of the original 007 novels and new readers alike. It also features previously unseen material written by Bond's creator, Ian Fleming.
The story begins in the lethal world of Grand Prix and an attempt by the Russians to sabotage a race at Nürburgring, the most dangerous track in Europe. Bond is in the driving seat but events swiftly take an unexpected turn, pitching him into an entirely different race with implications that could change the world.
Anthony Horowitz recreates the golden age of Bond, packed with speed, danger, strong women and fiendish villains, in this brilliantly authentic adventure.
Year:
2015
ISBN:
0-0623-9510-6
Original price:
18.99 GBP
Author:
Number of pages:
320
Weight:
N/A
Translated to Swedish by:
Not yet translated to Swedish
Dust jacket design by:
Joy Cohn/Niels Jahn Knudsen
First released:
September 8, 2015
Released in Sweden:
Not released in Swedish
Volume:
N/A
Format:
Hardcover
Publisher:
Orion Books (UK) / HarperCollins (US)
Comments:
'Having read all forty continuation novels, I declare Anthony Horowitz’s Bond debut to be the best of them all. Trigger Mortis positions itself within the original continuity of Ian Fleming's series a mere two weeks after the events of Goldfinger (1959). The inclusion of Pussy Galore at the start of the story echoes Fleming’s From Russia With Love (1957) where we find out the fate of Tiffany Case, and gives closure to that particular relationship. It also shows Bond a little less sharp when on home soil, something that may be his undoing before the adventure is finished. These opening events serve as a precursor to the main storyline involving SMERSH’s attempts to raise the prestige of the Soviet Union, whether it’s in the glamourous world of Grand Prix racing or the space race.
Intelligence received indicates that a famous British motor racing champion, Lancy Smith, will be the target of a SMERSH operative during the Grand Prix at Nürburgring, Germany. This section of the novel is inspired by an unpublished Fleming short-story, Murder On Wheels - also the title of Chapter (Double-0) Seven - in which Fleming places real-life motor-racing legend Stirling Moss as the target of SMERSH. James Bond is dispatched by M to stop this inventive assassination and the chapter in which Bond receives his briefing from M and Bill Tanner has Ian Fleming’s own writing seamlessly intertwined with Horowitz’s own. Bond must undergo a crash course in motor racing before taking to the wheel of a Maserati in the Grand Prix. While in Nürburg, Bond spots his Russian racing opponent, Ivan Dimitrov, in the company of Vladimir Gaspanov, a high-ranking member of SMERSH and probable successor to Colonel General Grubozaboyschikov (last seen in From Russia, With Love) and Korean businessman Sin Jai-Seong, Westernised to Jason Sin.
Having dealt with the Grand Prix, Bond meets the mysterious Jeopardy Lane in Sin’s German castle and follows a lead to the United States where he uncovers Jason Sin’s SMERSH-backed plot to discredit the American space race with a wanton attack on New York City. Sin is a totally rounded character. His motivation stems from the real-life massacre of July 1950 at No Gun Ri, South Korea, where refugees, fleeing North Korean forces, were slaughtered by a combined U.S. ground and air attack. Not exactly their finest hour. However, it is Bond’s humanity, even as a trained killer in the service of Her Majesty’s government, which separates the two men. As one would expect, Bond must endure extreme mental torture and display superior physical stamina if he is to beat the odds.
Anthony Horowitz has genuinely come closest to capturing the style of the original books. To its credit, Trigger Mortis, is shorter than the recent efforts of Messrs Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver and William Boyd which immediately gives it the pace and readability of a Fleming original. Horowitz also successfully gets inside Bond’s head (perhaps the only other author to do so was Charlie Higson). The novel feels like a 1950s-written piece, with the descriptions of the foreign villains just on the right side of acceptability for the modern reader. Moneypenny is returned to the correct characterisation, not the pseudo-film character of recent efforts, helped, no doubt, by the return of Loelia Ponsonby. At its heart Trigger Mortis is the epitome of what the originals were all about – a straight pillow fantasy of the bang-bang, kiss-kiss variety that keeps you turning the pages. I hope the recent trend of hiring a different writer for the adult Bond novels is broken and we don’t see the ‘Trigger Mortis’ button pressed on Anthony Horowitz any time soon.'
Intelligence received indicates that a famous British motor racing champion, Lancy Smith, will be the target of a SMERSH operative during the Grand Prix at Nürburgring, Germany. This section of the novel is inspired by an unpublished Fleming short-story, Murder On Wheels - also the title of Chapter (Double-0) Seven - in which Fleming places real-life motor-racing legend Stirling Moss as the target of SMERSH. James Bond is dispatched by M to stop this inventive assassination and the chapter in which Bond receives his briefing from M and Bill Tanner has Ian Fleming’s own writing seamlessly intertwined with Horowitz’s own. Bond must undergo a crash course in motor racing before taking to the wheel of a Maserati in the Grand Prix. While in Nürburg, Bond spots his Russian racing opponent, Ivan Dimitrov, in the company of Vladimir Gaspanov, a high-ranking member of SMERSH and probable successor to Colonel General Grubozaboyschikov (last seen in From Russia, With Love) and Korean businessman Sin Jai-Seong, Westernised to Jason Sin.
Having dealt with the Grand Prix, Bond meets the mysterious Jeopardy Lane in Sin’s German castle and follows a lead to the United States where he uncovers Jason Sin’s SMERSH-backed plot to discredit the American space race with a wanton attack on New York City. Sin is a totally rounded character. His motivation stems from the real-life massacre of July 1950 at No Gun Ri, South Korea, where refugees, fleeing North Korean forces, were slaughtered by a combined U.S. ground and air attack. Not exactly their finest hour. However, it is Bond’s humanity, even as a trained killer in the service of Her Majesty’s government, which separates the two men. As one would expect, Bond must endure extreme mental torture and display superior physical stamina if he is to beat the odds.
Anthony Horowitz has genuinely come closest to capturing the style of the original books. To its credit, Trigger Mortis, is shorter than the recent efforts of Messrs Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver and William Boyd which immediately gives it the pace and readability of a Fleming original. Horowitz also successfully gets inside Bond’s head (perhaps the only other author to do so was Charlie Higson). The novel feels like a 1950s-written piece, with the descriptions of the foreign villains just on the right side of acceptability for the modern reader. Moneypenny is returned to the correct characterisation, not the pseudo-film character of recent efforts, helped, no doubt, by the return of Loelia Ponsonby. At its heart Trigger Mortis is the epitome of what the originals were all about – a straight pillow fantasy of the bang-bang, kiss-kiss variety that keeps you turning the pages. I hope the recent trend of hiring a different writer for the adult Bond novels is broken and we don’t see the ‘Trigger Mortis’ button pressed on Anthony Horowitz any time soon.'
Characters:
- James Bond ... Hero
- Jeopardy Lane ... Bond girl
- Jai Seung Sin, a.k.a Jason Sin ... Villain
- Ivan Dimitrov ... Racing component
- Vladimir Gaspanov ... SMERSH member
- Pussy Galore ... Bond girl
- M ... Bond's boss
- Bill Tanner ... Chief of
- Jeopardy Lane ... Bond girl
- Jai Seung Sin, a.k.a Jason Sin ... Villain
- Ivan Dimitrov ... Racing component
- Vladimir Gaspanov ... SMERSH member
- Pussy Galore ... Bond girl
- M ... Bond's boss
- Bill Tanner ... Chief of
Locations:
London, New York and Germany (Nürburgring)
UK edition:
US edition:
Audiobook:
Kindle:
Review:
Tags:
#anthony_horowitz
#trigger_mortis
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