Rank the Raymond Benson main allies

Books Other Continuation Authors
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This week’s ranking deals with the Raymond Benson main allies. Again, characters from the novelizations are allowed.

So, how would you rank the Benson main allies? Here’s mine:

  1. Chandra Gurung – HIGH TIME TO KILL – Gurung has a really good rapport with James Bond and is one of his strongest allies in the series. One might call him a younger-type version of Kerim Bey.

  2. T.Y. Woo – ZERO MINUS TEN – A good-natured ally, he also has a good rapport with Bond and capably helps 007 during his mission. He is a fun character who you enjoy having around. Unfortunately, he’s gone all too soon. I really like him.

  3. Latif Reggab – DOUBLESHOT – Benson’s closest “real” version of the Kerim Bey archetype. Reggab is not in the story very long, but his impact is felt, and he serves as a good ally.

  4. Valentin Zukovsky – THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH – Another solid ally, although he probably makes more of an impact in the film(s). And I liked him better as the secondary ally in GoldenEye.

  5. Stefan Trempo aka Tempo – THE FACTS OF DEATH – Trempo doesn’t show up until toward the end of the story, and he doesn’t do a lot, but his presence is crucial for helping Bond succeed in stopping the Decada. Trempo probably gets additional goodwill from me courtesy of his previous (and also brief) appearance in From Russia With Love.

  6. Bertrand Collette – NEVER DREAM OF DYING – A slightly quirky character who frequently cuts himself shaving. He’s friendly to Bond and helps him out on the mission, but other than his demeanor and shaving habits, nothing really notable about him stands out.

  7. Raoul – DIE ANOTHER DAY – Another nice Bond ally who is only seen briefly in a couple of scenes, which I think are highlighted better in the films thanks to Emilio Echevarría’s performance.

  8. Ikuo Yamamaru – THE MAN WITH THE RED TATTOO – Yamamaru helps Bond rescue Mayumi McMahon from Goro Yoshida’s thugs in Sapporo, Japan. He’s another good-natured ally who is only seen all too briefly.

  9. Dave Greenwalt – TOMORROW NEVER DIES – For some reason, I’ve never been overly wild about this character–novel or film. There’s nothing really wrong with him, but there’s also not a lot to him, or for him to do, so he lands here.

So, what are your Benson main ally rankings?

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Once more I‘m sorry I can’t contribute more to this ranking thread. Apart from Chandra I don’t really remember any of the others (and Zukovsky because he features in two Brosnan films; but he’s arguably not a Benson creation). Benson‘s books tried to recreate a ‘modernised‘ Fleming experience that didn’t go into any character depth with the supporting cast.

In all fairness, Fleming wasn’t that much better. His Kerim Bey is a memorable ally brimming over with the qualities Fleming adored in his peers. But Marc-Ange, Colombo and Henderson are effectively variations on the template (and Tanaka up to a point). Some of the allies are distinctive through their misogynistic treatment of women (Bey, Quarrel, Marc-Ange) or their consumption of alcohol (Quarrel, Henderson) but the depth of character outside the tale remains doubtful.

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