This week’s ranking deals with the rest of the continuation authors’ allies. Those authors eligible to be included are: Kingsley Amis, Christopher Wood, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffrey Deaver, William Boyd, and Anthony Horowitz. Other authors available to be used–if you wish–are Samantha Weinberg, Kim Sherwood, Vaseem Khan, and only characters from Raymond Benson’s Felix Leiter novel, The Hook And The Eye.
So how do you rank them? My list goes as follows:
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Darius Alizadeh – DEVIL MAY CARE – (Sebastian Faulks) – Alizadeh is the closest thing we’ve gotten to From Russia, With Love’s Darko Kerim in the continuation novels. He is a great character and is a lot of fun to hang out with in the story. An all-time great ally.
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Niko Litsas – COLONEL SUN – (Kingsley Amis) – Another really good ally. He and James Bond instantly have a men-of-the-world connection, and he has a strong presence throughout the novel. One of the series’ best allies.
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Nick Cornwell – ON HIS MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE – (Charlie Higson) – I don’t know why I like this character so much. He’s not in the story a lot, but he has an immediate rapport with Bond that I like–enough so that I rank him here.
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Kwalene Nkosi – CARTE BLANCHE – (Jeffrey Deaver) – Nkosi has a likable personality and a bit of a sense of humor. He backs and trusts Bond quicker than his boss Bheka Jordaan, which further increases his likability.
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Carter – JAMES BOND, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME – (Christopher Wood) – Carter doesn’t stand out as much for me in the novelization as he does in the movie where he’s one of my favorite allies of the film series. He gets lost a little bit here, but I’ll slot him in at #5 on my list.
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THE HOOK AND THE EYE – (Raymond Benson) – Due to the novel’s recent release, I’ll elaborate more on this character in the hidden details so as to avoid any potential spoilers.
Summary
Steve Sandlin – A good guy, who was, if not a friend, then more than a passing acquaintance from Leiter’s past. He comes in handy when Leiter needs him and serves as a nice ally.
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Phillip Ross – THE MONEYPENNY DIARIES: GUARDIAN ANGEL – (Samantha Weinberg) – Before his death, which is alluded to in The Man With The Golden Gun, Ross gets a moment to shine when he helps out Jane Moneypenny trying to help Bond get out a serious predicament during his search for Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Ross doesn’t help Bond on his main mission later in the novel, but he does enough here that I consider him the main ally in the story (that, and there really wasn’t anyone else that stood out later. Plus I like him, so there.
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James Molony – THE MONEYPENNY DIARIES: SECRET SERVANT – (Samantha Weinberg) – Bond’s “mission” in this story is two-fold, both of which are connected: 1) as a brainwashed agent out to assassinate the head of MI6 for the Soviet Union and 2) getting deprogrammed and recovering from his Iron Curtain ordeal. Doing the deprogramming (mostly off-page is the good doctor Molony, who it’s always great to see return. He’s not in the novel much, but under these circumstances, it’s understandable.
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Sunday – SOLO – (William Boyd) – A friendly young man who helps Bond get around the country of Zanzarim. Doesn’t do much else, which gets him this spot.
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Charles Henry Duggan – TRIGGER MORTIS – (Anthony Horowitz) – This guy’s a real character, but he’s only briefly in the novel. He gives Bond some helpful intel and then he’s never heard from again. As a result, I can’t put him any higher.
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Margarita – WITH A MIND TO KILL – (Anthony Horowitz) – This ally seems to come out of left field, but I love it. She really only has one scene, but she makes the most of it. I kind of wish she had been in more, but under the circumstances, it makes sense. Margarita also makes history in that she is the first woman who is Bond’s main ally in any of the novels.
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Reade Griffith – FOREVER AND A DAY – (Anthony Horowitz) – Not one of Bond’ best allies. In fact, he’s not much of an ally at all. However, no one else really qualifies, so I’ve got him down as Bond’s main ally. If you disagree, I can understand. There’s things to like about him and things not to like. Consequently, he’s more toward the bottom of this list.
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Franco – JAMES BOND AND MOONRAKER – (Christopher Wood) – In the film, Scott is Bond’s main ally while Franco is probably (by default) Bond’s #2–at least when not counting the MI6 regulars. However, in the novelization, Scott only speaks on the phone with Gogol and is never mentioned as taking part in the space flight nor fight, so he cannot be the main ally. And so that honor falls to Franco who does have slightly more to do here than in the film. But he doesn’t really do anything to stand out other than get killed by Drax’s Coffin Assassin.
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Congo Station Chief – THE MONEYPENNY DIARIES: FINAL FLING – (Samantha Weinberg) – He just gets a brief mention during Bond’s mission and nothing else, so he lands at the bottom of this list.
So what are your rankings for the rest of the continuation authors’ allies?