It’s Bond but not for purists
Forever and a Day By Anthony Horowitz Penguin Random House, $37
I was one of many who grew up on the original Bond movies.
We’re talking Sean Connery, not your latecomers like Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan et al — back in the days of Goldfinger and Dr No and From Russia With Love.
We never learned too much about Mr Bond’s actual life because he was just there to charm Mss Moneypenny and every passing female, and deal to bad guys. It was the way author Ian Fleming liked it.
Horowitz has written his second Bond book, going back before 007. There was a previous 007 but he’s dead, full of bullets in a river, so Bond gets a promotion and that dinner jacket.
This is pre Casino Royale. There’s a sexy girl of course, a villain, a fat drug dealer called Scipio, a mysterious chemical plant for running about and action scenes, and a cruise ship.
Horowitz wrote the Alex Ryder teen spy series and Midsomer Murders so he’s no Johnny-comelately. He was given access to some of Fleming’s papers so this comes well recommended. But in the era of #metoo, there’s less groping and Bond could possibly be a psychopath. It’s just not the same.
— Linda Thompson That’s a tough question. I’d rather travel through New Zealand than any other country. But if I had to choose, it would be Central Otago. One of my favourite journeys is a search for the country’s highest church in the ruins of a gold-mining town.
How did you select the stories for
They’re all stories that I know well; that I’ve been involved in, either by doing the journeys myself, or following the steps of someone exciting.
This is your 10th book and many of your previous works have been about NZ, too. Why do you enjoy travelling NZ so much?
New Zealand is unique. It runs from plains to mountains, rivers to deserts, rain forests to tussock-land, volcanos to fiords, lakes to endless seascapes. Every city, every town has its own character. You can drive through it, or walk, or cycle. It’s so accessible, and so free.
Are any of the stories in personal to you?
Yes, several. I was a commercial fisherman once, and almost missed my wedding because I was locked in a sinking boat. (Decades later, I’m still married; a long relationship is the most
Did any particular character in your book appeal to you more than others?
I’ve always been fascinated by George Wilder, and his uncanny ability both to escape from jail and live off the land for months at a time. Some of the ways he did it are revealed in this book for the first time. He was always a folk hero, but I was amazed by how many people genuinely liked him, even policemen.
You always travelled alone when writing this book. What advantages are there to travelling solo?
The question is, who would want to come with me? Adventures are uncomfortable things, far better viewed from a safe distance. The reality is, you often wonder just what you’re doing, why you’re here in the first place and sometimes — such as when I was dangling above a flooded river with no hope of rescue, or so I thought — you think there must be better ways of passing the time.
You’ve built your own house in the back blocks, been a commercial fisherman and deer farmer but have also lived in several major NZ cities. What drives you in your work and life?
I’ve done all of those things but first and foremost I’m a writer. I can report it’s often a precarious living, it’s very hard work, and sometimes it’s no fun at all, but there’s nothing I would rather do.