Written by Raymond Benson
Based Upon Neal Purvis & Robert Wade’s Screenplay
SUMMARY:
In 2002, Berkley Boulevard Books released this 216-page paperback adapting Pierce Brosnan’s fourth and final cinematic appearance as James Bond.
In present-day North Korea, Agent 007’s undercover assignment goes spectacularly awry, despite eliminating a volatile, would-be terrorist: Colonel Moon. Taken prisoner by Moon’s vengeful father and tortured by North Korean forces over fourteen months, Bond’s release is secured in a dubious swap involving Moon’s associate: Zao, a devious henchman possessing diamond-encrusted skin.
Believing he is now irreparably compromised, M doesn’t hesitate in deactivating Bond, who suspects an insider’s betrayal during that fateful mission. Slipping away from MI6 custody, the recuperating Bond probes the nebulous truth behind his ordeal, which takes him to Hong Kong and then Cuba. While in the Caribbean, Bond meets the alluring yet enigmatic ‘Jinx,’ who has her own plan in mind.
Back in London, a reinstated Bond and a fellow agent, Miranda Frost, are assigned to investigate the cryptic diamond magnate, Gustav Graves, at a high-profile reception he is hosting in Iceland. Teaming with Jinx & Miranda, Agent 007 is unaware that there’s a traitor lurking in their midst. Facing off against the psychotic Graves and Zao, Bond discovers that his team’s present objective is ominously linked to his prior captivity in North Korea.
REVIEW:
Given Neal Purvis & Robert Wade’s preposterous script, veteran Bond scribe Raymond Benson’s novelization isn’t half-bad. Glamorizing North Korea’s real-world notoriety, the first two chapters (on screen, it’s the pre-credits teaser) seem promising enough.
The dilemma moving forward, however, is that Benson is stuck replicating the film’s increasingly silly plot twists without his novel devolving into a glorified synopsis. Hence, the lack of any semblance of flesh-and-blood characterization in Die Another Day isn’t surprising. Bond, Jinx, M, Moneypenny, the new Q, and the assortment of guest characters are packaged as nothing more than genre caricatures. Benson’s novel, in that regard, is often like reading literary cardboard.
Still, as long as one rolls with Die Another Day’s can-you-top-this? antics (which somehow work better on paper than on film), Benson delivers a generally smooth read. Even his reliable predecessor, John Gardner, likely couldn’t have done better with this same source material. While Benson’s tie-in adaptation is meant for die-hard fans, one can take solace in not being subjected to Madonna’s hot mess of a title song.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
In addition to a table-of-contents, there’s an ad for the movie.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5½ Stars
