Which Bond novel are you currently reading?

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  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    shamanimal wrote: »
    Check out the 'Fleming in 2020' thread! I re-read LALD earlier this year, the first time for ages and it really struck me how dated it was. Even more so when one of my younger friends said they were having trouble reading it.
    Can I ask which version you are reading? There is a less fruity American version out there.

    By all means. I'm reading a British verson, Penguin Modern Classic published in 2004 (the cover is an underwater image of a shark). It is a veritable cocktail of fruity-ness. The title of chapter 5 is intact, surprisingly.
    Have just started reading Christopher Wood’s TSWLM tonight. Almost 50 pages in already. I had high hopes after hearing some good reviews in the fan community, and I’m very impressed so far. The combination of a Fleming-esquire tone with a cinematic plot is a good one, in my opinion.

    Interesting to read about your experiences of Per Fine Ounce, @Birdleson @Dragonpol and @MajorDSmythe. It’s on my list but I’ll look out for a second edition.

    It'll say on the front cover if it's a second edition.
  • Thanks @MajorDSmythe, that’s really helpful.

    And will do, @Birdleson. It’s pleasingly short, so I’d imagine it won’t take me more than a week.
  • Update on Christopher Wood’s TSWLM: two thirds of the way through now. Really enjoying the way the book gives the background to a lot of the film’s set pieces. Not sure I’ve read a better combination of literary Bond with the EON incarnation. Certainly in the continuation novels. Reckon I’ll be finished by the weekend.
  • Birdleson wrote: »
    I even picked up on that when I was a lad of 15. I had read all of Fleming and CS (that's all there had been, I never really counted Pearson's "Biography" of Bond, though I read it), and was excited when the first Wood adaptation was released. I remember thinking just that; this is Fleming's Bond in a Bond movie. I'd say that goes for his MR adaptation as well, but maybe slightly less successfully, but still definitely worth my time.

    That’s good to hear, @Birdleson. I picked up the MR book at the same time, so I’ll be on to that one soon.

    And I must admit, I do have a real soft spot for Pearson’s biography. Not so much the ‘Bond is real’ business, but as a collection of short stories I think it works surprisingly well.
  • Posts: 623
    My Folio Moonraker arrived today, going to start it later, (even though I must have eight or nine other copies!).
    I've started reading them all in order, but I'm leaving a couple of weeks, and one or two different books, in-between. That way, they don't tend to 'overlap' like they do if you read them one after another.
    One thing I've noticed from the first two, (CR & LALD), is how much of a team Bond and Felix are. I see a lot of people talk about the movies and say "Bondb should be off on his own", but in the first two books at least, he's quite the team player. Well... not quite, but you know what I mean.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,053
    shamanimal wrote: »
    My Folio Moonraker arrived today, going to start it later, (even though I must have eight or nine other copies!).
    I've started reading them all in order, but I'm leaving a couple of weeks, and one or two different books, in-between. That way, they don't tend to 'overlap' like they do if you read them one after another.
    One thing I've noticed from the first two, (CR & LALD), is how much of a team Bond and Felix are. I see a lot of people talk about the movies and say "Bondb should be off on his own", but in the first two books at least, he's quite the team player. Well... not quite, but you know what I mean.

    This is why the movies need to use Felix Leiter in action scenes more, and less of the MI6 regulars.
  • Posts: 623
    Good point.
    I was also surprised how much of LALD was used in License to Kill. Bond's raid on the fish-tank place, and of course Leiter being maimed. The keel-hauling they used in YOLT. So that must mean LALD is the book most used in the most Bond films?

    Live and Let Die
    You Only Live Twice
    Licence to Kill
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited May 2020 Posts: 4,378
    shamanimal wrote: »
    Good point.
    I was also surprised how much of LALD was used in License to Kill. Bond's raid on the fish-tank place, and of course Leiter being maimed. The keel-hauling they used in YOLT. So that must mean LALD is the book most used in the most Bond films?

    Live and Let Die
    You Only Live Twice
    Licence to Kill

    You certainly mean FYEO instead of YOLT.
    Good question. I think it is the most used book with three films.
  • Posts: 623
    That's the second time I've mixed up YOLT and FYEO on here. I think of the film in my head, but when I type out the initials I'm wrong. What goes on in my small brain to make that happen?
  • Posts: 7,653
    shamanimal wrote: »
    That's the second time I've mixed up YOLT and FYEO on here. I think of the film in my head, but when I type out the initials I'm wrong. What goes on in my small brain to make that happen?

    I hope not corona, unless it is the beery variety.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    shamanimal wrote: »
    That's the second time I've mixed up YOLT and FYEO on here. I think of the film in my head, but when I type out the initials I'm wrong. What goes on in my small brain to make that happen?

    Only the title.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,921
    shamanimal wrote: »
    Good point.
    I was also surprised how much of LALD was used in License to Kill. Bond's raid on the fish-tank place, and of course Leiter being maimed. The keel-hauling they used in YOLT. So that must mean LALD is the book most used in the most Bond films?

    Live and Let Die
    You Only Live Twice
    Licence to Kill

    Moonraker was also used three times:

    MR
    GE
    DAD
  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    Posts: 1,081
    Just finished OHMSS for the first time! Beautiful. It makes me appreciate my favourite Bond film even more. I think it may have overtaken MR as my favourite Fleming entry.
  • Nice one @Octopussy, one of my favourites too.

    I just finished Christopher Wood’s TSWLM this afternoon. Very impressed. Better than the film, in my opinion. Grittier, more realistic action, and better characterisation of Anya in particular. Actually believed she was an elite agent in this. Would recommend.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    Got around to knocking out the last 7 chapters of Live And Let Die earler. It hasn't aged well, that said.... I wouldn't want to see it (or any book) censored.
  • Posts: 623
    Got around to knocking out the last 7 chapters of Live And Let Die earler. It hasn't aged well, that said.... I wouldn't want to see it (or any book) censored.

    You sure picked the wrong week to read that book!

    Moonraker should wash that bad taste out. I keep meaning to start my Moonraker. I'm re-reading them all but with a few weeks (and books) break between them.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,378
    Nice one @Octopussy, one of my favourites too.

    I just finished Christopher Wood’s TSWLM this afternoon. Very impressed. Better than the film, in my opinion. Grittier, more realistic action, and better characterisation of Anya in particular. Actually believed she was an elite agent in this. Would recommend.

    I'm really interested now to read Wood's TSWLM.
  • I'm really interested now to read Wood's TSWLM.

    Cool, let us know what you think of it when you do, @goldenswissroyale
  • Agent_47Agent_47 Canada
    Posts: 330
    Just finished the short story From A View To A Kill and found it to be a pleasant experience. I was in the mood to read some Bond but didn't really have it in me to spend a week or so working through one of the novels.

    Any recommendations for the next short story I should check out?
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited June 2020 Posts: 13,882
    shamanimal wrote: »
    Got around to knocking out the last 7 chapters of Live And Let Die earler. It hasn't aged well, that said.... I wouldn't want to see it (or any book) censored.

    You sure picked the wrong week to read that book!

    Moonraker should wash that bad taste out. I keep meaning to start my Moonraker. I'm re-reading them all but with a few weeks (and books) break between them.

    Awkward... It was purely coincidental.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
    Agent_47 wrote: »
    Any recommendations for the next short story I should check out?

    You picked one of the best there. My other favourite is The Living Daylights; you get to see a lot of Bond just pottering about.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    Finished Moonraker today. The literary Drax is such a garish figure, you just cannot wait for his inevitable downfall. In the past, this has been my favourite Bond book, Fleming or otherwise. So far, it remains my favourite.

    Up next: Diamonds Are Forever.
  • Posts: 17,241
    Started reading Thunderball earlier today. I'm currently reading two (non-Bond) novels too, so I'm likely to spend some time getting through this one.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited June 2020 Posts: 13,882
    Finished Diamonds Are Forever earlier. I've got to admit... I find this to be one of Fleming's weaker entires in the series. It just doesn't grab me in the way that Moonraker does.

    Next up: From Russia With Love.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited July 2020 Posts: 13,882
    Finished off From Russia With Love today. Not really my favourite Boind book, but possibly the best plotted Bond story. It's like a steam locomotive, you can't just jump on and go, you have to stoke the boiler first. The early charpter of FRWL, are Fleming stoking the boiler, before introducing Bond and then... we're away.

    It always make me laugh to myself when Fleming tells us that Bond mistrusts men that use the windsor knot, it is the the sign of a cad. Erm... pot meet kettle.

    Up next: Dr No
  • Posts: 2,887
    Book Bond is not really a cad though. He's not deceitful except when his job calls for it and though he can be cold with women he never acts as caddish as movie Bond. It's very difficult to imagine Fleming's Bond in the closet scene from the film of TMWTGG.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    Revelator wrote: »
    Book Bond is not really a cad though. He's not deceitful except when his job calls for it and though he can be cold with women he never acts as caddish as movie Bond. It's very difficult to imagine Fleming's Bond in the closet scene from the film of TMWTGG.

    That's a good point actually. Still though, it's a funny thing to say for someone with Bond (Fleming's attitude towards women). Then again, maybe I am looking at this through modern eyes.
  • Posts: 2,887
    That's a good point actually. Still though, it's a funny thing to say for someone with Bond (Fleming's attitude towards women). Then again, maybe I am looking at this through modern eyes.

    I understand what you mean and it's hard to not look at this through modern eyes. What I would say is that the most offensive parts of the novels are in Bond's head and not in Bond's actual treatment of women, which is usually gentlemanly and often even kind.

  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    Finished Goldfinger. Along with DAF, this is one of my least favourite Bond books. I find it to be slow and plodding. Also, Fleming mis-dating the events of CR to '51 bothers me so much.

    Up next: Trigger Mortis
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Finished Goldfinger. Along with DAF, this is one of my least favourite Bond books. I find it to be slow and plodding. Also, Fleming mis-dating the events of CR to '51 bothers me so much.

    Why is this wrong again?
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