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Colonel Sun
- James Bond, Book 15
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Series: James Bond: The Collection, Book 15
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure
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What listeners say about Colonel Sun
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ross
- 19-04-16
Good Story Appalling editing
What would have made Colonel Sun better?
Throughout the reading there are areas of repeated lines where they have done different takes. It really jars and disrupts the flow of the story.
What did you like best about this story?
Interesting and unique storyline
Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Simon Vance?
Im not a fan of Simon Vance, his accents are questionable at best - for example one of the characters seems to fluctuate between Russian, Greek and American!? Martin Jarvis is the best Bond Narrator in my opinion.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Colonel Sun?
All the repeated sections!
5 people found this helpful
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- Cathy H.
- 15-06-16
Not Bond standard!
Having read the outstanding Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz, Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver and Solo by William Boyd - all superb Bonds, this was a poor relation in terms of plot, Bond "slickness" and narration. The narrator seemed to struggle with the range of accents as well as the female characters and made Bond sound akin to a Leslie Phillips type character. As they used to say on Mastermind, I started it so had to finish it.....but wished I hadn't bothered.
1 person found this helpful
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- funguyry
- 18-01-22
It's decent. But I prefer other Bond authors
The Pacing is what I struggled with at times it feels like Alan Partridge has written a Bond novel. But I did like the last act.
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- David J James
- 05-01-22
You only write Lucky Jim twice...
"You're a very lucky chap, James" says one of the protagonists, and indeed more luck than judgement seems to determine the outcome of this adventure of one slim Englishman...
I would describe it as From Russia with Love meets Captain Corelli's Mandolin meets Lucky Jim - the latter only because the Kingsley Amis Style does leak through even though this is a fine tribute band effort to Fleming. it contains the same kind of details on matters of local colour - descriptions not unfamiliar from Corelli's Mandolin.
I do recommend and it's a pity that a film was never made of this - although apparently scenes from other films have taken material from it.
The decision to make China the bad guy was new - Fleming never managed to get quite so sympathetic to the Russians and Amis seems to have been quite prescient in his choice of rogue state. Fleming had rogue Chinese, but Dr No was really just a rogue individual, the actual state didn't seem to figure in the original fourteen books, an oversight compensated for a bit in this one.
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- G. Holmes
- 13-11-21
Bond is back......
James returns, charming and as active as ever. The story line keeps one listening to a great story and the final outcome is enjoyed...
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- Amazon Customer
- 13-05-21
Literally repetitive
There have been several instances where multiple paragraphs are repeated. I thought the app was broken but no it’s the actual audio recording
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- Simon Kincaid
- 07-09-20
Sort out the editing
A few times the audio repeats itself so you hear the same sentence twice.
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- SoMrHarris
- 19-05-19
Fun in the Colonel Sun
Colonel Sun is an interesting book. Narration by the amazing Simon Vance was top notch, but the book itself fell a little flat at times. M is kidnapped, and it's up to Bond to save the day. But how he does that is basically all luck and very little "Bond" action. That said, a few parts of this book inspired a scene in the film Spectre, so one shouldn't complain.
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- Northern Monkey
- 24-06-18
thought it was a weak story line
I know the book was written years ago but it never seemed to get going I wasn't expecting it to be as dull
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- Bloggs
- 11-05-17
Spoiled by bad editing.
Great story, Supurb naration but on several occasions there were repeated sections. should have been edited out.
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- Rebecca
- 25-02-17
Poor Production
Multiple times there are mistakes where a section is repeated. Apparently no one quality checked the final product.
The story and performance itself is fine.
7 people found this helpful
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- Mike G.
- 03-07-16
Production problems
What did you love best about Colonel Sun?
You can't go wrong with Kingsley Amis and Simon Vance's reading was flawless. However, entire passages were repeated as if (mind you I say "as if") it were a record skipping a groove. Jarring. At least four instances that I noticed. Otherwise an excellent story. I know that I will listen to this again.
4 people found this helpful
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- Matthew
- 21-11-15
An excellent James Bond continuation novel
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend this audiobook to anyone who's already read all the Ian Fleming James Bond novels and is looking for more. Amis really manages to capture Fleming's style and pace and attention to detail without copying him, and the result is one of the best post-Fleming continuation novels about the character. He clearly loves Fleming and Bond (one need only read his James Bond Dossier or The Book of Bond to realize that), but also can't quite help indulging in just a bit of parody. But the parody is very subtle (so subtle that in sending up Fleming's xenophobia, Amis actually comes off as even more xenophobic), and in keeping with the sense of humor Fleming had about his own material anyway.
Basically, there is Fleming, and then there are the continuations. None of the continuations are as good as the real thing, but for what they are, there are some excellent ones to be found. Colonel Sun has always been one of my favorites, and revisiting it after many years as an audiobook I find it still holds up as such.
What did you like best about this story?
The pace is great. Amis's Bond story moves very quickly. Bond feels like the same character Fleming wrote about, and the Bond Girl, Villain, and Ally are all great characters true to some of Fleming's best as well.
What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?
Vance is a totally competent narrator, and I like the sense of continuity of having the same person who reads the Fleming novels take on the continuation novels.
Any additional comments?
The audiobook is unfortunately a bit poorly edited. On several occasions the same exact passage is repeated twice. It's annoying, but definitely not detrimental to the listening experience.
3 people found this helpful
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- Tiffany
- 06-09-21
Same...
As mentioned by most of the other reviews, there are several sections that repeat. It's annoying but not unbearable. Otherwise, ★★★★★
1 person found this helpful
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- Andrew
- 27-04-22
A strong addition to Bond lore
the performance was one of the best, the story was spot on, the narration blended well with the original Ian Fleming style. very impressed - enjoyed this book
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- Bryce Wilson
- 26-08-20
more amis read by vance plz.
Dear Audible we desperately need more kingsley amis read by simon vance plz and thank you.
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- Jeff Lacy
- 24-04-20
Intricately exciting and well dramatized
Simon Vance dramatizes Colonel Sun in good fashion. It is only the character Ariedne that his performance is noticeably weak. Additionally, the recording has a few snafus where I counted three passages were repeated. As I read the book simultaneously with the Audible recording, it did not interrupt my reading. But this is an intricately exciting story with some entertaining characters accompanying and opposing Bond. The novel started fast and the pace never let up. It is a worthy volume to the Bond thriller series.
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- Robert Durie
- 09-04-19
Love bond
Not as good as Ian Fleming but still great story line and in true fashion to bond
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- Supreme Overlord of the Earth (aka Jon)
- 07-12-18
Junk Title
Anyone who gives this title more than 3 stars didn't listen to it. There are several points where sentences repeat, BUT CHAPTERS 15 THROUGH 20 ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS 5 THROUGH 10. Then at 21 the story takes up again. Would have annoyed it if so much wasn't missing. Will be requesting a refund.
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- Paul S. Kale
- 25-06-16
Both story and narration were great
Of all of the reviews of all the non-Ian Flemming books, this one was rated the highest.
I concur.
This one closely resembled James bonds creators vision.