Upon reading Raymond Benson's new short story "Midsummer Night's Doom," which can only be found in the January 1999 collector's edition of Playboy Magazine, something struck me odd at first. Bond, while dismissing of the rock 'n rollers and elite at the party he sees when at Playboy Mansion West, Hugh Hefner's Los Angeles home, is taken in with one of the centerfolds. (The actual Miss July 1998, Lisa Dergan.)

My first thought was that Bond would dismiss her as a tart instead of being so responsive to her. Benson is perfectly evocative of Fleming in his previous full length novels so this seemed to be a misstep, falling into the "fast lane" lifestyle too easily.

But my first thought was inaccurate. The character of Sunni Pei in "Zero Minus Ten" is even lower on the "respectability scale" when Bond meets her, but with a novel Benson was able to coax us through Bond's thoughts, thus making the liaison believable.

Therein lies the problem with the short story format for James Bond. The reader must accept things as they occur without the customary detail usually provided, particularly with Benson. Realizing that I could then read and enjoy "Midsummer Night's Doom" as it is intended.

The story has a definite goal. M knows there is a leak in the Ministry of Defense that has been smuggling information transferred to microfilm to the United States, and who the courier is. Bond is sent to Hefner's mansion to discover the contact collecting the microfilm and retrieving it.

The party taking place there is a celebrity-fest. Mel Tormé, Larry Gelbart, Jim Brown and Tony Curtis, who hilariously introduces two women to Robert Culp as 'Monday' and 'Tuesday,' adding, "The rest of the week couldn't make it."

While I did buy this issue for the article, you will find photos of two of the Playmates mentioned in the story elsewhere in it, providing helpful visual information. (That's a polite way saying, "The picture of Donna Michelle....WOW!!!!!)

I can not say much more regarding the plot since too much would be given away. Suffice to say, pay attention to everything Bond does as he explores the Mansion. The story is not so much action as motion.

Fleming, with the high regard I hold for him, had his short stories come out as a mixed bag. "The Living Daylights" was fantastic as it was. The others mostly suffered from either not truly being a "Bond" story ("The Hildebrand Rarity," "Octopussy") or having plotlines and characters that would have been better served being the basis for a full length feature ("Risico," "For Your Eyes Only").

Benson's "Blast From The Past" did leave fans with question marks about the new author of James Bond. Both "Zero Minus Ten" and "The Facts Of Death" have dispelled any qualms about his ability to lift Fleming's Bond into the present day. With "Midsummer Night's Doom" he shows he can now handle writing Bond in this alternate format with a "Nelson Touch."

I can not help but assume that somehow Fleming himself orchestrated this story being placed in an issue commemorating the 100 Most Beautiful Women of the Century. Ursula Andress is on the list, I am sure only to goad EON's fans into reading the real James Bond.

That leaves one further observation. Raymond Benson's most notable trait has been amazing attention to color detail that propels the narrative without disrupting the pacing. By every account, Benson furiously strives to help the reader picture both places and people carefully.

By that token, Hugh Hefner must be an engaging and sociable man. The story has him provide Bond with a most useful gadget. And only "Hef" could organize a party requiring the attendants to wear pajamas and nightshirts without involving an A.T.F. raid or sting operation. How Moneypenny knew this ahead of time is a question Bond forgot to ask.

This novella reaffirms for me that Raymond Benson is the best possible choice to keep alive the real James Bond, the terse, provocateur agent. Here's a Christmas wish for Benson to have a long and productive body of work. James Bond is not just a United Artists' product every other year and "also" featured in books. He is alive and well on the printed page and yes, they still make films about him too. Benson is to thank for this. You should buy Playboy Magazine.

For the articles.

Copyright © 1998 by Michael Reed

(Ahem! Ms. Michelle? Donna Michelle? This is Michael Reed. Look, unlike that hack Benson I would have made you the lead female. What do you say we confer? Oh, you were a Playmate in 1964. Hmmmm. You don't have a daughter, do you? Ms. Michelle? ... Ms. Michelle? ... Oops!)