BOOK OF THE WEEK It’s Bond, audio Bond
The James Bond franchise has presented itself in many forms over the years, each usually feeding off the other’s success, and 2012’s has been no different.
At the end of October, 50 years after the first Bond spy film, Dr No, was released, the 23rd movie, Skyfall, had its global premiere.
The movie, in which Daniel Craig portrayed Bond for the third time, grossed over US$805m at the box office and became the highest-grossing film in the series (see accompanying review).
It is estimated that over 100m of Ian Fleming’s Bond books, on which the movies are based, have been sold, and that over half the world’s population has seen at least one of those films.
In the seven months after the film Dr No was released in 1962, 1,5m copies of the novel were purchased.
Dr No was the first novel to be adapted for the big screen, though it was Fleming’s sixth book in the series. It was first published in 1958.
Fleming wrote 14 Bond books. The first was Casino Royale (1953) and the last The Living Daylights (1966).
The Bond offering has now been complemented by the release of a set of unabridged audio books of some of the most popular titles, read by wellknown British actors.
The 007 Reloaded collection features, among others, Bill Nighy ( Love Actually), Hugh Bonneville ( Downton Abbey) and Hugh Quarshie ( Star Wars: The Phantom Menace). Also reading titles in the collection are actors who starred in Bond films: Rory Kinnear ( Quantum of Solace), Toby Stephens ( Die Another Day) and Rosamund Pike ( Die Another Day).
Dr No, which is read by Quarshie, is the third of the series and the first I’ve listened to.
The story follows Bond’s inquiry into the disappearance of a fellow MI6 operative in Jamaica, who in turn was investigating Dr No, an operator of a guano mine on the Caribbean island of Crab Key.
The choice of Quarshie to read the book was a good one as he wrapped me in the story.
His voice and style are perfect for the Jamaican setting.
The recording quality of the eight CDs is clear and sharp, but being of the iPod generation, I found it an effort to locate the right CD and change it while driving. The only CD player I have is in my car.
Though the book follows the same general storyline as the film — my only frame of reference at the time — there are some differences.
In the movie Dr No’s island fortress is nuclear powered and he is killed not by the mountain of guano, but by drowning in reactor coolant.
The character of Honeychile Rider is also not described as the bombshell that was Ursula Andress.
But if you like Bond stories you should listen to these recordings. If you have already read the books, it will be a refreshing way to revisit them; if you watched the movies, you will gain a new perspective.
The collection of audiobooks is available at most local bookshops. The entire Bond backlist and the new Bond novel by William Boyd will be reprinted and made available in eBook format over the next few years. 007 RELOADED Audio book set from AudioGO R1 399,95 (box set);
R279,95 per CD
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