Which Bond novel are you currently reading?

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  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    So Wood's writing is decent, then? I'll have to check out TSWLM by him. It is after all one of my very favorite Bond films. Thanks for the info.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    I thought so. I'll be starting MR tomorrow. Which should be interesting given how abysmal the film was, can Wood improve it?

    I also did not know until looking at Wood's wiki page, that he wrote the Confessions books, which were turned into films of the same name.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    So Wood's writing is decent, then? I'll have to check out TSWLM by him. It is after all one of my very favorite Bond films. Thanks for the info.
    Oh yes it's good. It takes the movie we love & puts a noticeably harder edge to it.
    I'll be starting MR tomorrow. Which should be interesting given how abysmal the film was, can Wood improve it?
    He can ONLY improve on it. How much is the question. I honestly don't think it *can* be as good as his TSWLM given the material he was working with, but we shall see.
  • Posts: 52
    I'm only reading the Bond novels for the first time. Read CR and LALD already. Finished Carte Blanche yesterday. Starting Devil May Care for the first time.

    ________________________________________________________________________________
    1. Casino Royale
    2. Live and Let Die
    3. Carte Blanche
  • edited May 2013 Posts: 52
    So Wood's writing is decent, then? I'll have to check out TSWLM by him. It is after all one of my very favorite Bond films. Thanks for the info.

    His writing is great, from what I saw. After all he worked on the screenplay for TSWLM with Richard Maibam and worked on Moonraker on his own.

    EDIT: Sorry for double posting, I just wanted to keep the posts apart as they have little in common. Won't do it again.
  • Posts: 52
    Just finished reading Devil May Care, easily the worst of the 4 books I have read. It starts of promising, but it just becomes a disappointment. This "writing as Ian Fleming" makes it seems like a parody of itself. Authors who get to write a continuation book to an already established franchise should put their own spin on it, unlike Faulks who pretends to be Fleming. I'm going back to Fleming, and no one else (except for Boyd's SOLO) until I am done reading all the Fleming Novels.

    1. Casino Royale
    2. Live and Let Die
    3. Carte Blanche
    4. Devil May Care
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    I'm only reading the Bond novels for the first time.
    Exciting, eh?
  • Posts: 52
    chrisisall wrote:
    I'm only reading the Bond novels for the first time.
    Exciting, eh?
    It is actually pretty great. I was worried that they may be a bit boring. Luckily I was wrong and I am really enjoying them so far. Hope I enjoy the rest of the Fleming Era!

  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Hope I enjoy the rest of the Fleming Era!

    Confidence is high, I say again, confidence is high.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    Well, that's Moonraker finished. Not surprising given that Wood wrote the screenplay, but I found this closer to the film than TSWLM was.


    01. Moonraker - Ian Fleming (1955)
    02. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Ian Fleming (1963)
    03. From Russia With Love - Ian Fleming (1957)
    04. You Only Live Twice - Ian Fleming (1964)
    05. Casino Royale - Ian Fleming (1953)
    06. The Living Daylights - Ian Fleming (1966)
    07. The Spy Who Loved Me - Christopher Wood (1977)
    08. For Your Eyes Only - Ian Fleming (1960)
    09. Thunderball - Ian Fleming (1961)
    10. Quantum Of Solace - Ian Fleming (1960)
    11. Live And Let Die - Ian Fleming (1954)
    12. From A View To A Kill - Ian Fleming (1960)
    13. Risico - Ian Fleming (1960)
    *****14. Moonraker - Christopher Wood (1979)*****
    15. Colonel Sun - Robert Markham (1968)
    16. The Property Of A Lady - Ian Fleming (1966)
    17. The Hilderbrand Rarity - Ian Fleming (1960)
    18. Dr No - Ian Fleming (1958)
    19. The Spy Who Loved Me - Ian Fleming (1962)
    20. Octopussy - Ian Fleming (1966)
    21. The Man With The Golden Gun - Ian Fleming (1965)
    22. Goldfinger - Ian Fleming (1959)
    23. Diamonds Are Forever - Ian Fleming (1956)
    24. 007 In New York - Ian Fleming (1966)

    Next up: Licence Renewed

  • Posts: 7,653
    Found a fairly decent UK hardcover version of Bensons' Doubleshot for almost free, so decided to pick it up. Have started reading and somehow do not remember a lot of it since I read it last. It is an easy traintraveling reading book.
  • Posts: 52
    Ordered Moonraker a couple of days ago. Can't wait to read it!
    WestonMcKay Will Return in
    Moonraker
  • DB5DB5
    Posts: 408
    Five chapters into Gardner's "Seafire."
  • edited May 2013 Posts: 2
    I'm re-reading the 60's "continuity" (Fleming, Amis, Faulks) in chronological order up to the release of Boyd's "Solo." It's been a few years since I've last read them, and upon finishing "Casino Royale" last week, I must say that I forget just how much I absolutely love reading these books. I devoured CR in one sitting. I'm about a third of the way into LALD, and looking forward to cracking open "Moonraker" again (it's my second favorite book from the series).

    I think after I read "Solo" in the fall, I'll continue reading through the Wood, Gardner, and Benson books. I own them all, but I've only ever read the first two Gardner novels before getting caught up with other reading endeavors.
  • hullcityfanhullcityfan Banned
    Posts: 496
    Young Bond - Blood Fever despite only being on chapter 3 its very good.
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    I'm hitting up Moonraker next after finishing Thunderball.

  • saunderssaunders Living in a world of avarice and deceit
    Posts: 987
    SaintMark wrote:
    Found a fairly decent UK hardcover version of Bensons' Doubleshot for almost free, so decided to pick it up. Have started reading and somehow do not remember a lot of it since I read it last. It is an easy traintraveling reading book.

    Rather than make some cheap remark about your copy of Doubleshot being overpriced I'll just be positive and say that I think it has one of the best covers of all the continuation novels, and actually to be fair as far as Benson books go it's one of the more readable ones.

  • edited May 2013 Posts: 388
    Have just finished Goldfinger as part of my Fleming marathon. Not quite as good as Dr No, but Auric Goldfinger is the best villain Fleming has depicted so far. Hell, he's Fleming's best character so far. It's also the most introspective novel up to this point, down to a combination of its length and slower pace. Most of the first two-thirds of the book take place inside Bond's head as he muses on life.

    The writing is very good and Bond is a fuller and rounder character than at any point previously. He's also noticeably more relaxed and humorous. After the trick briefcase in FRWL we get some more gadgets (still rare in the novels): the tricked-out Aston Martin DBIII and knives hidden in the heels of Bond's shoes.

    Fleming is clearly falling deeper into his alcoholism at this point. The references to bourbon and booze are increasingly frequent.

    Interesting reference to Vesper when Bond imagines that he's died and gone to heaven.

    The big downsides are:
    Tilly Masterson, a ludicrous parody of a lesbian. Fleming's whole attitude to homosexuality is pretty much what you would expect from a middle-aged man writing in the 1950s, for that matter.
    The plot absolutely falls to pieces once Bond and Tilly are captured in Geneva - the idea that Goldfinger would choose to employ them (when Tilly has already confessed that she was plotting to kill him) is ridiculous and even Fleming feels the need to lampshade it.
    Likewise, Operation Grandslam is a massive stretch.
    Pussy decides to switch sides and renounce a lifetime of homosexuality because... well, I'm not really sure. She fancies Bond I suppose. She's easily the weakest Bond girl so far.
    Bond is asked, as a favour, to discover how a multi-millionaire is cheating at cards. He succeeds and humiliates the cheat (and wins a large sum of money into the bargain.) The following day he is, co-incidentally, summoned by M to investigate the very same man. It was a stretch of credibility in MR, here it's beyond suspension of disbelief.
  • edited May 2013 Posts: 4,622
    Fleming has Bond in major smart-ass mode in GF. Bond takes many digs at old Auric, during their golf match.
    My favourite being this one. As Bond and Auric stroll down the wide open expanse of the fairway, Bond enquires innocently of his playing partner, " How's the agoraphobia, Goldfinger?" :))
    No response from Auric.
    Bond shoots lots of other good zingers at Oddjob too. I think GF is one of Fleming's most outlandish and funniest tales, and jam-packed with the requisite violence and sex.
    Fleming delights in insulting both GF and Oddjob. GF is such a miserable SOB, whenever he turns up at the club to play golf, the pro has to go out with him, as the other members find excuses to avoid him. That is funny, as the etiquette at a golf club, is that one happily agrees to be paired up, with whoever the pro might match one up with. It's a gentleman's game.
    I don't know that Bond "cures" Pussy of her attractions, but he does bring her over to the other side at least. It's pretty clear Pussy is destined for Sing Sing. This relationship won't be continuing post de-briefing.
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    Reading Goldfinger myself now again.

    Fleming's treatment of OddJob/Koreans is pretty mean, but the book has some great humor and sections. I love the Miami sequence when Bond gets one up on Goldfinger over the earpiece.
  • hullcityfanhullcityfan Banned
    Posts: 496
    Casino Royale quite good dont know whats going on though!
  • hullcityfanhullcityfan Banned
    Posts: 496
    Well, that's Moonraker finished. Not surprising given that Wood wrote the screenplay, but I found this closer to the film than TSWLM was.


    01. Moonraker - Ian Fleming (1955)
    02. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Ian Fleming (1963)
    03. From Russia With Love - Ian Fleming (1957)
    04. You Only Live Twice - Ian Fleming (1964)
    05. Casino Royale - Ian Fleming (1953)
    06. The Living Daylights - Ian Fleming (1966)
    07. The Spy Who Loved Me - Christopher Wood (1977)
    08. For Your Eyes Only - Ian Fleming (1960)
    09. Thunderball - Ian Fleming (1961)
    10. Quantum Of Solace - Ian Fleming (1960)
    11. Live And Let Die - Ian Fleming (1954)
    12. From A View To A Kill - Ian Fleming (1960)
    13. Risico - Ian Fleming (1960)
    *****14. Moonraker - Christopher Wood (1979)*****
    15. Colonel Sun - Robert Markham (1968)
    16. The Property Of A Lady - Ian Fleming (1966)
    17. The Hilderbrand Rarity - Ian Fleming (1960)
    18. Dr No - Ian Fleming (1958)
    19. The Spy Who Loved Me - Ian Fleming (1962)
    20. Octopussy - Ian Fleming (1966)
    21. The Man With The Golden Gun - Ian Fleming (1965)
    22. Goldfinger - Ian Fleming (1959)
    23. Diamonds Are Forever - Ian Fleming (1956)
    24. 007 In New York - Ian Fleming (1966)

    Next up: Licence Renewed

    How did 007 In New York,The property of a lady and the living daylights come out if he was dead by then?
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    They came out posthumously.
  • Posts: 68
    Just decided to read them all for the first time in chronological order. I'm in the middle of CR and enjoying it very much !
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,728
    Well, I'm currently working my way through Colonel Sun by Robert Markham as I have at least two articles to write on it, on the increased levels of violence and political content in the first Bond continuation novels.
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    I'm having hard time tracking down Colonel Sun at libraries without buying it. Suppose I should really.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,728
    007InVT wrote:
    I'm having hard time tracking down Colonel Sun at libraries without buying it. Suppose I should really.

    Yes, go out and buy it second hand. It's worth every penny.
  • hullcityfanhullcityfan Banned
    Posts: 496
    Dragonpol wrote:
    007InVT wrote:
    I'm having hard time tracking down Colonel Sun at libraries without buying it. Suppose I should really.

    Yes, go out and buy it second hand. It's worth every penny.

    Didnt it influence Die Another Day or something or had something to do with it?
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    Dragonpol wrote:
    007InVT wrote:
    I'm having hard time tracking down Colonel Sun at libraries without buying it. Suppose I should really.

    Yes, go out and buy it second hand. It's worth every penny.

    Wilco!

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,728
    Dragonpol wrote:
    007InVT wrote:
    I'm having hard time tracking down Colonel Sun at libraries without buying it. Suppose I should really.

    Yes, go out and buy it second hand. It's worth every penny.

    Didnt it influence Die Another Day or something or had something to do with it?

    Yes, well it influenced the kidnapping of M in The World is not Enough and the character of Colonel Tan-Sun Moon as the villain, named after Colonel Sun Laing-tan from Colonel Sun. These are the main connections between the novel and the film series.
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