The World Is Not Enough

Rating:
Summary: Well... it's a novel...of the film
Review: Based on the new James Bond film, Raymond Benson takes up on Bond once again. This time, the story really stays pretty straight with the movie, only providing a bit more than the film. It contains some background information of Elektra/Renard, and what happens in the past, etc., but it isn't too much. Unlike Tomorrow Never Dies:A Novel, TWINE is not adding much to the film. Basically, if you saw the film and you are a little wishy-washy on reading a Bond book or having to read the what you saw on film, you probably don't need to buy this. However, if you're an avid Bond fan or would still want to take up on a Bond book, it's still a good read. If you see the movie first, it becomes easier to imagine the scenes. Raymond Benson has written better Bond novels than this, however, so make your choice more warily.

Rating:
Summary: Proves yet again that novelizations are inherently awful
Review: Being a Bond fan since I was a kid, I naturally can find little fault with Mr. Benson's novelisation of the screenplay. At least he attempts to flesh out the characters more than John Gardner ever did. Ian Fleming always made that extra effort in presenting the villain as a real person with a proper background, and Mr. Benson has retained that tradition. Though he has copied the dialogue faithfully from the screenplay, I can't help wondering how more excellent this book would have been had he created the situations and characters from scratch.

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Summary: Let's all hope the movie is this terrific!
Review: I am on record as trashing High Time to Kill (see reviews for that book) along with vowing to wait for the Benson novels in paperback (if not used papaerback). Well, I bought this paperback new and would have paid for a hard cover of this story's quality. Benson is terrific on this novelization. I'm sure there is a lot of extra info that will clarify parts of the movie when I see it. The rumored "airhead" personality of Christmas Jones does not come through in the book and I was afraid that the return to "sexpot" Bond girls would send the modernized Bond into a tailspin. One especially bright point is the meatier role for M. I think Benson likes writing her and it shows. For fans who haven't followed every plot point posted on the web, I'm sure there will be more than a few surprises. The plot-Bond is assigned to bodyguard Elektra King, the daughter of a recently-assassinated oil magnate. Elektra has already been the target of kidnappers led by the villainous Renard, a terrorist who has no pain center. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a "painless" killer was written into the Tomorrow Never Dies plot, but was scrapped after the novelizatioon had already been written) Great gadgets, great plot, great girls,a surprise development with M, and an atomic bomb stolen from a foremer Soviet Republic make for an exciting and riveting thriller.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: I read the novelization of "Tomorrow Never Dies" before reading this. The thing I noticed with Benson is that in his novelizations he writes in third-person omniscent, allowing the reader to not only visualize everything, but know what the characters are thinking, which can obviously not be done in the movies. I had some of the movie before reading the book. After I read the book, however, I saw the movie and it made a lot more sense.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: I saw the movie before i read the book so I knew everything that would happen but Benson does do an excellent job of explaining things!

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother
Review: If some parts of the movie seemed far-fetched (how about the Cigar Girl escaping in a balloon? Wouldn't you go for a car! ) then in this novel they just seem ridiculous. The boat-chase scene does not translate well at all. However, it does have to be said that Benson succeeds where the film failed: in actually developing the characters so that they appear somewhat more than paper-thin.

Rating:
Summary: A Straight-forward Good Read
Review: Knowing Raymond Benson , I think he did a fine job adapting the excellent movie into a great book. Although, it's a lot like the film's script, Benson uses vivid language to aid in the description of the events. He added a little more about Elektra's kidnapping, and this really is a good move, because, the film didn't reveal the details of the kidnapping. All in all, an excellent book, by an excellent author.

Rating:
Summary: Do not bother
Review: Okay 007 fans, this book was a waste of time. It was so bad, that I couldn't finish it. The boat chase at the start of the book did not translate will, nor did the mountain chase. The characters seemed flat and our beloved Bond was dull. Granted, this is just my opinion, but this is one book that can be skipped. See the movie. Mind you, I love Bond books, but this was one that can be passed on.

Rating:
Summary: This Book Is Not Enough
Review: Raymond Benson's second novel based on a screenplay is disappointing. It lacks the detail and depth of character evident in his "Tomorrow Never Dies." And that is what "The World Is Not Enough" really needed. This latest film distinctively requires a book to make sense the confusing plot mixing the King family with Swiss Bankers, terrorists and British intelligence. This novel does not satisfy those requirements.

Rating:
Summary: #1 book
Review: The world is not enough is the #1 book if you like action , excitment, and adventure its a book based on the 19th bond movie if you like bond you will like this!