tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764631039755560338.post5802360183329436889..comments2024-03-08T20:21:22.820+00:00Comments on The Deighton Dossier: Deighton e-book published: a new take on James BondDeighton Dossierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01764108300942425651noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764631039755560338.post-59989159657810948712014-04-28T18:47:16.374+01:002014-04-28T18:47:16.374+01:00Fair point - I think it reflects the fact that it ...Fair point - I think it reflects the fact that it was originally a foreword that Len developed, and doesn't seem to have been managed through his editor at Harper Collins, hence your points.Deighton Dossierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01764108300942425651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764631039755560338.post-49067782768894435132014-04-27T19:56:36.372+01:002014-04-27T19:56:36.372+01:00I finally got around to reading this. I have to sa...I finally got around to reading this. I have to say I was a little disappointed, this being the first new writing from Len in ages. While there are some interesting and amusing incidents it does come across as a bit of a ramble. As this is coming from a writer who is an absolute master of structure and efficiency this is a an unexpected criticism. (I'm just reading Bomber for about the 100th time and here, of course, Len is supreme at telling a complex story and making every word count).<br /><br />My guess is that it could have been much improved by a bit of careful reviewing and editing but perhaps the publishers decided that the combination of Deighton and Bond was enough and no further investment was necessary. To give a couple of examples - following the anecdote about Len's insight into film making on Russia with Love he says that unrequited love is the most powerful dramatic device a writer can use. It comes across as a Non sequitur as written. But I'll bet something else was trimmed that made it lose its context. <br /><br />Len's time in films is surely very interesting but this teases but doesn't satisfy. Beyond that I was astonished to see Len write of the Vickers Vulcan. Oops! It is of course the Avro Vulcan. It's worth a look at but I do hope that any future ebooks will be subjected to the traditional amount of editing and polishing. Terry Kiddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03888160718812027224noreply@blogger.com