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MI6 Community Novel Bondathon - Reborn!

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  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 5,811
    Reading Forever and a Day. Loving it so far.
  • vzokvzok
    Posts: 4,025
    So if you guys aren’t reading rare first editions of Fleming, what copies are you reading as you do your novelathon? Folio? Anyone got any nice paperbacks?
  • RevelatorRevelator
    edited June 2019 Posts: 2,896
    I have the Penguin paperbacks published in 2002/3, the ones with the girlie covers by Richie Fahey.
    The first Fleming books I ever bought were the Berkley/Charter paperbacks with the silhouette covers, and they remain among my favorites.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,474
    Revelator wrote: »
    I have the Penguin paperbacks published in 2002/3, the ones with the girlie covers by Richie Fahey.
    The first Fleming books I ever bought were the Berkley/Charter paperbacks with the silhouette covers, and they remain among my favorites.

    These are the versions I own/read, too.
  • DoctorNoDoctorNo USA-Maryland
    Posts: 754
    I have and love the Penguin paperbacks too (I think the American ones are larger which I prefer). I’m now collecting the Folio because I must.

  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,474
    DoctorNo wrote: »
    I have and love the Penguin paperbacks too (I think the American ones are larger which I prefer). I’m now collecting the Folio because I must.

    Indeed they are. All of mine are the same, larger size, sans CR, which I bought way before the others.
  • BeatlesSansEarmuffsBeatlesSansEarmuffs
    Posts: 3,564
    I also prefer the slightly oversized American Penguin editions with the gorgeous Richey Fahey covers. Aside from those, I do have a sentimental preference for the Signet editions from the '60s, as those were the ones I read "back in the day."
  • FoxRoxFoxRox
    Posts: 12,270
    Began YOLT. So far I already love it; it has a great unique tone and immediately intrigues me. Excited to keep going.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    Kindle, haha.
  • vzokvzok
    Posts: 4,025
    Revelator wrote: »
    I have the Penguin paperbacks published in 2002/3, the ones with the girlie covers by Richie Fahey.
    The first Fleming books I ever bought were the Berkley/Charter paperbacks with the silhouette covers, and they remain among my favorites.

    I’ve only just got that set, as I liked the covers. Quantum wasn’t included.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,108
    My favourites are the Raymond Hawkey Pans. I love the cool designs and the fact that they don't have girls on the cover :) plus they're the ones I read growing up.

    I also collect film tie-in covers.

    I only have two of the Folio editions, CR and MR (my two favourites of the novels) but I've mentioned before that it really changed my reading experience to have a chunky hardback in my paws, with crisp, thick paper and clear print.
  • vzokvzok
    Posts: 4,025
    I just bought a set of Raymond Hawkey. Lovely covers. Nice to have the paperbacks but I prefer the feel of the hardbacks too, and my eyes thank me for the larger print.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,474
    How's everybody looking in terms of being ready to read CS? I'm ready whenever you guys are, all caught up finally.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited June 2019 Posts: 40,474
    I thought it was great and rather tense, particularly the finale, and I'll be real upset if we don't someday get the entire chapters of 'No. 3/12 Love Lane' and 'The Easy Grand' played out in a film, what an exciting meeting and showdown, of sorts, it was. YOLT (didn't speak much on this one) was equally solid, loved the entire journey between Bond and Tanaka and the whole magic realism feel of the latter half; the final showdown was truly wild and bombastic.

    Eager to get to CS finally, heard many wonderful things about it all these years.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    Col. Sun? I will start this afternoon. Thanks!
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,474
    4EverBonded wrote: »
    Col. Sun? I will start this afternoon. Thanks!

    Be sure to hold off on plot details here, please, as the rest of us are waiting for @FoxRox to catch up before we all begin.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    I have read it before, just going to read it slowly this time. I won't talk about it until others start.
  • RevelatorRevelator
    Posts: 2,896
    In case anyone here is unfamiliar with it, the website Fleming's Bond is a wonderful resource that provides annotations and illustrations of some of the more obscure or hard-to-visualize things in the books. The author is still getting through the novels (he's up to Doctor No now), but his site has a time machine effect and will be valuable to any future editors seeking to put together an annotated edition of Fleming's works.
  • DoctorNoDoctorNo USA-Maryland
    Posts: 754
    Revelator wrote: »
    In case anyone here is unfamiliar with it, the website Fleming's Bond is a wonderful resource that provides annotations and illustrations of some of the more obscure or hard-to-visualize things in the books. The author is still getting through the novels (he's up to Doctor No now), but his site has a time machine effect and will be valuable to any future editors seeking to put together an annotated edition of Fleming's works.
    Very cool info on this site, TY! Though I find it hard to navigate... I wish there was a better order or way to go book by book, it seems kind of scattered... unless I'm missing it...
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    Thanks for the link, Revelator.
    I found this and thought of Col. Sun ... this is a really great Fleming-ish photo, isn't it? ;)

  • FoxRoxFoxRox
    Posts: 12,270
    Finished YOLT. A truly awesome novel, and instantly one of my favorites. I loved how epic and fantastical it was. I couldn't put down the book at all throughout the second half. I'm really interested to see how TMWTGG will wrap up the Fleming canon, because YOLT definitely felt like it could have worked as an ending.

    Also, decided to bump up CR just above FRWL as a change. I like them about equally but I'm just leaning towards CR more lately for my ranking.

    Novel Ranking:
    1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    2. Dr. No
    3. Moonraker
    4. You Only Live Twice
    5. The Spy Who Loved Me
    6. Live and Let Die
    7. Casino Royale
    8. From Russia with Love
    9. Thunderball
    10. Goldfinger
    11. Diamonds Are Forever

    Short Story Ranking:
    1. For Your Eyes Only
    2. Risico
    3. The Hildebrand Rarity
    4. The Living Daylights
    5. Quantum of Solace
    6. From a View to a Kill
    7. Octopussy
    8. The Property of a Lady
    9. 007 in New York
  • FoxRoxFoxRox
    Posts: 12,270
    Pretty exciting times! Definitely thought YOLT was strong from start to finish, particularly all the stuff with Blofeld (the dialogue and moments with him and Bond were the best), and has some of the best content that has not yet been used in the films. The climax and ending were just insane in the best way.
  • FoxRoxFoxRox
    Posts: 12,270
    Those are some good rankings! Not easy to rank at all, considering how close in quality many are. Even the weakest ones are solid reads. Ironic how GF is your #1 film and last-ranked novel. The film version is one of the only to top one of the novels for me. CR and TB are probably the only other two to do this.
  • FoxRoxFoxRox
    Posts: 12,270
    I agree that the faithful films are some of the best ones. The first 8 you mentioned are all in my Top 10, joined by GE and SF. And FYEO is in my #11 spot right now. Once I’m through with TMWTGG I’ll do a book vs. film recap for fun.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited June 2019 Posts: 5,979
    Birdleson wrote: »
    After some rethinking,

    My Fleming Bond Rankings:

    Novels
    1. MOONRAKER
    2. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
    3. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
    4. CASINO ROYALE
    5. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
    6. DR. NO
    7. LIVE AND LET DIE
    (I love them all, and they all contain fabulous sections and moments, but the ones below just don't hit the level of perfection that the others do)
    8. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
    9. THUNDERBALL
    10. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
    11. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
    12. GOLDFINGER


    Short Stories
    (Nothing close to a misfire in the bunch; all superb)
    1. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
    2. OCTOPUSSY
    3. RISICO
    4. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
    5. THE HILDEBRAND RARITY
    6. QUANTUM OF SOLACE
    7. PROPERTY OF A LADY
    8. 007 IN NEW YORK
    9. FROM A VIEW TO A KILL


    Television Treatments
    (Both are fine, and can still be harvested for ideas, but I had to give it to MOW as that gives us a fully scripted M/Bond briefing; always gold)
    1. MURDER ON WHEELS
    2. RUSSIAN ROULETTE

    @Birdleson, I like your rankings quite a lot. I also think OP is one of the very best of the short stories.

    Mine is:

    Novels:
    1. OHMSS
    2. CR
    3. MR
    4. YOLT
    5. FRWL
    6. DN
    7. LALD
    8. GF
    9. TB
    10. TMWTGG
    11. DAF
    12. TSWLM

    Short stories:
    1. OP
    2. TLD
    3. FYEO
    4. THR
    5. QoS
    6. FAVTAK
    7. R
    8. TPOAL
    9. 0INY
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,474
    I'm not sure I could rank them confidently, I love most of them way too much. I might need another reading or two of them in the coming years before I try my hand at one.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,474
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I'm not sure I could rank them confidently, I love most of them way too much. I might need another reading or two of them in the coming years before I try my hand at one.

    I know what you mean. In fact I'd prefer to look it as one large piece. Though, there are definite Eras; CR-GF, the short stories and TB-TMWTGG, seem to compromise three definite and separate directions and ambitions, both stylistically and storewide. TSWLM actually fits better in the short story category, in tone (though we do take that brief step back into the world of SPECTRE).

    Very well put, it does seem to have its own self-contained trilogies and eras, of sorts. It's all so richly detailed and varied enough, however, that I hope to re-read through them sooner rather than later. I'm already forgetting little details and moments of the stories already and am itching to return to them.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,474
    That's understandable. It was barely a year turnaround from the first two marathons we did here, and I recalled a good 80-90% of the first few novels I had read a year prior.
  • FoxRoxFoxRox
    Posts: 12,270
    I've started TMWTGG and am a few chapters in. So far it's decent. I'll post an update with a ranking whenever I finish.
  • FoxRoxFoxRox
    Posts: 12,270
    Had a lot of free time today, so I already finished TMWTGG. It didn't end up being one of my favorites, but it still had a lot of good content and made for a good read. I do think YOLT would have been a much stronger final note to go out on though. So now I've read all the Fleming Bond stories, and it was quite the great time! Going to post a final ranking and a bunch of thoughts about the novels and films.

    Novel Ranking:
    1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    2. Dr. No
    3. Moonraker
    4. You Only Live Twice
    5. The Spy Who Loved Me
    6. Live and Let Die
    7. Casino Royale
    8. From Russia with Love
    9. Thunderball
    10. Goldfinger
    11. The Man with the Golden Gun
    12. Diamonds Are Forever

    Short Story Ranking:
    1. For Your Eyes Only
    2. Risico
    3. The Hildebrand Rarity
    4. The Living Daylights
    5. Quantum of Solace
    6. From a View to a Kill
    7. Octopussy
    8. The Property of a Lady
    9. 007 in New York

    Casino Royale
    A very solid introduction for the Bond novels, setting up Bond's character perfectly. Good plot and good side characters. I thought the film was even better though, fleshing out Vesper's character wonderfully and adding a lot of excellent content in the first half before the adaptation of the novel. Almost all changes in the film were positive ones IMO, and it makes a good story even better. Both very strong, but I do hold a preference for the movie. Film > Novel.

    Live and Let Die
    I was pretty surprised by just how much I loved this book (even a little more than CR!). The villains and adventure factor were just superb. I really enjoy the film version, but there's no doubt the novel was just collectively superior. Novel > Film.

    Moonraker
    The MR novel was pretty much perfect from start to finish. Great villain, great Bond girl, many great moments (especially the bits with M and Bond), etc. It was the whole package. Meanwhile, the film is almost nothing like the novel, and is one of the weakest entries in the series. No contest here. Novel > Film.

    Diamonds Are Forever
    DAF is one of the weaker entries for me both novel and film-wise, but I still vastly preferred the novel. Even though I rank it last among Fleming's novels, it's still a good read with plenty of good stuff, particularly Wint and Kidd and the Felix Leiter content. I've struggled with the film for a long time now which has few redeeming qualities for me. Novel > Film.

    From Russia with Love
    An excellent novel and an excellent film. Of all the adaptations, the FRWL film may be the closest to the original source, with the only noticeable differences being the ending, that SMERSH is substituted for SPECTRE, and that there is a bit more time focused on the enemies in the book. The story, characters, and plot are top-notch in each. I'm giving the edge to the novel though for being a slightly richer experience, despite a great film adaptation. Novel > Film.

    Dr. No
    Another excellent pair. The book was truly stunning, and provided one of my fondest reading experiences ever. Dr. No is one of my favorite villains in both the novels and films, and Honey is one of my favorite girls in each as well (probably my #1 in the novels at least). Quarrel is great. The story is great. The fantasy elements in the novel (the Kracken!) are awesome. The movie was a very good adaptation, but once again the novel wins out. It was too good to top. Novel > Film.

    Goldfinger
    Despite being ranked pretty low on my list, the GF novel was still a very solid experience - particularly the first half. The villains and story were very good. However, I did find the film was better-paced and had a much more satisfying second half - particularly the ending parts (with a first half on par with the novel's). I'm giving the nod to the iconic film here - a better-balanced experience IMO. Film > Novel.

    Thunderball
    TB's novel was a decent opener for the Blofeld trilogy, but did have some pacing issues for me. Leiter and Bond together is always great, and Domino is one of my favorite Bond girls in both the novel and film. Though TB used to be more of a middle Bond film for me, it's one of my absolute favorites now and is pretty much nonstop entertainment for me. I'm going with the film here - mainly for the addition of Fiona Volpe and better action. Film > Novel.

    The Spy Who Loved Me
    Though the book and movie are nothing alike, both are great experiences. The novel took me by surprise by just how much I loved it, and I probably rate it higher than most other Bond fans. Writing from Vivienne's POV truly made it unique, and the combination of her backstory with Bond's experience with her against the thugs made for an amazing story. The film is supremely entertaining in its own right, with cool villains and gadgets and action, but I have to go with the novel here. Both strong options. Novel > Film.

    On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Probably the strongest combination of book and film of any one Bond title. The novel is my #1 ranked, and the film is my #2 ranked. The film adaptation is pretty faithful to its tremendous source material. The story is probably my favorite Bond story, Tracy is of course one of the best characters, Blofeld sees his best usage, and Bond's characterization has never been more interesting. It's kind of like FRWL in the case of two great choices - both similar - but just a slightly richer experience in the book. Very close. Novel > Film.

    You Only Live Twice
    I loved this novel. Found it to be an awesome conclusion to the Blofeld trilogy and really would have worked perfectly as a conclusion for the novel series. Tanaka is great, and Blofeld is at his devilish best. The fantasy parts, like DN, really appealed to me. The movie is a fun time, but can't compete with the epic drama and intensity of the book. Novel > Film.

    The Man with the Golden Gun
    A decent final entry from Fleming, but not one of his best. As always Leiter's character is welcome, and the story is cool. Bond and Scaramanga have some good, intense interaction. There aren't a ton of positives or negatives I can really add beyond that. I actually preferred the way the film crafted Scramanga's character (in large part thanks to Lee's performance), but overall the novel was definitely more consistent and better-made. Novel > Film.

    Not going to add details or preferences for the short stories with the films; they're too different in content and length for the most part to fairly compare. But yes, this was an awesome ride, and I'm very happy to have engaged in the world of Fleming's novels.

    I'm ready for Colonel Sun whenever everyone else is!
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