تأليف : Raymond Benson

The rest of the characters are really well fleshed out and put their film counterparts to shame big time. We learn of the sinister rise to power of Elliot Carver which makes for one of the most chilling chapters I have ever read in a Bond novel. Plus Carver seems to be less of the film's super villian and more like a real, albeit evil, person. But the two other characters that are fleshed out are the two Bond girls. Wai Lin is given a whole chapter dedicated to her mission that led her to the party in Hamburg. She comes across less as a female version of Bond more as a real person. The background we are given on Paris helps out with her character as well. Even though she appears in even less here then in the final film she is a much better character here. The story also reads a lot better. Benson was obviously working from an earlier version of the script and from what is in the novel it is a shame that the filmmakers didn't stick to this one. Because let me tell you it's a much different story here. Not that the sequence of events is much different. But the nature of Carver's plan is much different and in fact considering the world today, the plan as seen in the book is chilling to say the least.

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