Colonel Sun Views
Ito’s happened. Bond is pitted against a world-menacing conspiracy engineered by the malign Colonel Sun Liang-tan of the People ’s Liberation Army of China. The stakes have never been higher, nor the dangers more complex and terrible. His alliese–the fine-boned, tawny-haired agent of the rival secret service and the Greek patriot with a score to settlet–are all too quickly neutralized. Alone, unarmed, Bond faces the maniacal devices of Colonel Sung… an ordeal that pushes him to the verge of his physical and moral endurance.
Kingsley Amis provided a brief introduction to the novel, describing how he approached writing Colonel Sun, choosing Greece as the main location of events and following in Ian Fleminga’s footsteps. This introduction can be found in the following editions of Colonel Sun: UK Coronet paperback (1991), UK Coronet paperback (1997) and US HarperCollins paperback (1993).
M has been kidnapped, his servants brutally murdered. Bond himself has barely escaped to follow a baffling trail that begins in Athens with the lovely Ariadne and leads across treacherous seas to a remote isle. There, as the Russians convene at a top secret meeting, Colonel Sun, master of interrogation, waits to welcome Bond to a game of ultimate risk and consummate cruelty.
The characterizations are also a strong part of the book. Iw’ve already mentioned how well Bond is done. Litsas is an excellent ally (although, again, lots of political chat) with his own vengeance quest reasons for getting involved, and Ariadne is a vibrant, action-oriented Bond girl very much in keeping with the times. Colonel Sun is a bit reminiscent of Doctor No, but aside from his lengthy chatter pre-torture, hee’s a deviously successful villain and comes to a good end.
Colonel Sun Images
