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Comments
1.Style - 10 Not his style has changed, but the story's perspective. And here we learn that Fleming has a fantastic writing style that keeps you interested even in stories that, especially for the first part, I found very uninteresting.
2.Pace - 8 The first half is a bit slow I think, but perhaps a young girl who can identify herself more with Viv would disagree, but in the second part it's all over before you know it.
3.Villains -9 Sluggsy and Horror are as bad as they sound. Their unintersted stance concearning Viv and Bond makes them even scarier then they allready are. For the smalltime fish they are for Bond, they do seem menacing enough.
4.Heroine - 8 Even though she's the main character, and even though she's got an adventourous streak to her, I find her a bit.. I don't know. Plain.
5.Supporting characters - 7 The officers at the end seem nice enough. the caretakers at the beginning are sleazy enough. Even the supporting characters do indeed add to the story quite a bit.
6.Action-8 It's supposed to be not much, but it's evidently enough to make you remember it very well indeed.
7.Intrigue - 7 This time it's 'only' a fraudulent scheme.
8.Romance - 9 well there's a romantic factor throughout the book.
9.Benign Bizarre -7 fairly suptle, but the hairless Sluggsy and the evil Horrowitz are rather bizarre. Especially Sluggsy of course.
10.Bond - 10 he's the hard-edged, slightly failing but in the end winning secret agent we've come to love in every way.
83/100 or 83%
As well as can be, @Perilagu_Khan. ;-) Our government will always control us.
But I'm fine with that. *gently strokes brain slug*
From Russia With Love, 1957 – 92.71%
Dr No, 1958 – 87.87%
Thunderball - 87.37%
Moonraker, 1955 - 85.66 %
Live and Let Die, 1954 – 83.44%
Casino Royale, 1953 – 83.3%
The Spy Who Loved Me, 1962 – 79.37%
Goldfinger, 1959 - 77.33%%
Diamonds Are Forever, 1956 – 72%
Ahead of GF and DAF. Very impressive showing from Spy.
As always -
What do you think of The Spy Who Loved Me?
A brave decision, that yielded rich creative dividends
What do you think of it's cinematic adaptation?
- n/a (although the film Spy is an absolute joy)
Is the community score higher or lower than your own?
Higher, by 6 points.
Reactions are always welcomed!!
1. Style - 10
2. Pace - 9
3. Villains - 10
4. Heroine - 10
5. Supporting Characters - 10 (Bunt, Draco, Campbell, the chap from Ag, and Fish... etc)
6. Action - 10
7. Intrigue - 8
8. Romance -10
9. Benign Bizarre - 8 (I suppose hypnotizing a bunch of girls qualifies)
10. Bond - 10
95%
R65 Scores -
From Russia With Love, 1957 – 96%
On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1963 - 95%
Live and Let Die, 1954 – 89%
Dr No, 1958 - 89%
Goldfinger, 1959 - 87%
Casino Royale, 1953 - 86%
Thunderball, 1961 - 81%
Diamonds Are Forever, 1956 - 80%
Moonraker, 1955 - 78%
The Spy Who Loved Me, 1962 - 73%
1. Style - 10
2. Pace - 10
3. Villains - 10
4. Heroine - 10
5. Supporting Characters - 10
6. Action - 10
7. Intrigue - 10
8. Romance -10
9. Benign Bizarre - 10
10. Bond - 10
100%
My absolute favourite Fleming.
1. Style - 10
2. Pace - 10
3. Villains - 10
4. Heroine - 10
5. Supporting Characters - 9
6. Action - 10
7. Intrigue - 8
8. Romance -10
9. Benign Bizarre - 7
10. Bond - 10
94/100
94%
An absolute classic!
From Russia With Love 95%
On Her Majesty's Secret Service 94%
Thunderball 88%
Dr No 86%
Moonraker 85%
The Spy Who Loved Me 84%
Casino Royale 79%
Live And Let Die 79%
Goldfinger 76%
Diamonds Are Forever 67%
1. Style - 10 This book sure makes you stick to the pages, even though many of the things said are quite uninteresting. M explaining about his orchids for one. but somehow it just fits.
2. Pace - 9 not much to complain aonut either. The book just keeps on going at a decent pace, and at times goes as fast as Bond followed by an avelanche in the Swiss mountains.
3. Villains - 10 Blofeld is scary, calculating, and vain. Quite an interesting character and far more fleshed out then in TB.
4. Heroine - 10 Fleming wrote the absolute fantasy wife. Bond is right to ask her to marry him as soon as he can. lucky, lucky man, even for such a short period.
5. Supporting Characters - 10. Marc-Ange! What a lovable character he is! With his kissing Bond, and his pleading eyes when it's all about his daughter. M's got some more humour in this book, and Mary even jumps in to help out.
6. Action - 10 hell, that one ski-chase would be enough, but we get another one too, down a bobsleigh-run!
7. Intrigue - 9 Well, getting up such an establishment as Blofeld's done, Piz GLoria, and that allergy research centre, just to start biological warfare. Compte de Bleuville indeed!
8. Romance -10 Bond loves Tracy in a way he never did and never will do again. If that isn't romantic I don't know what is.
9. Benign Bizarre - 9 From the count's green lenzes and his 'make-over' to the BW plot, the ten lovely girls, it's all odd and strange. Especially with that hypnosis mthod of him.
10. Bond - 10. Bond is just beeing the ultimate Bond: professional in his job, taking risks, but still having his doubts, befriending types he maybe should've kept at a distance at least at the start, trying to be anonymous. And of course falling in love, and losing it all. What an ending Fleming wrote!
Oh, and PK, when Bond first sees Tracy pass by, she's got a shocking pink scarf. Later, on the ice-rink, she's wears something similar. I stick to my conclusion that Fleming had a soft spot for women in pink.
right, scoring.
a whopping 97 points or 97%
my scoring up to now:
OHMSS:97
DN:92
FRWL:88
TB: 87
FRWL:86
CR:83
TSWLM:83
LALD:76
GF: 69
MR:68
DAF:66
1. Style - 10
2. Pace - 10
3. Villains - 10
4. Heroine - 10
5. Supporting Characters - 9
6. Action - 10
7. Intrigue - 10
8. Romance -10
9. Benign Bizarre - 9
10. Bond - 10
98/100
1. Style - 10
2. Pace - 10
3. Villains - 10
4. Heroine - 10
5. Supporting Characters - 9
6. Action - 10
7. Intrigue - 9
8. Romance -10
9. Benign Bizarre - 7
10. Bond - 10
95%
A near perfect book.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1963 – 96.14%
From Russia With Love, 1957 – 92.71%
Dr No, 1958 – 87.87%
Thunderball - 87.37%
Moonraker, 1955 - 85.66 %
Live and Let Die, 1954 – 83.44%
Casino Royale, 1953 – 83.3%
The Spy Who Loved Me, 1962 – 79.37%
Goldfinger, 1959 - 77.33%%
Diamonds Are Forever, 1956 – 72%
A most terrible score from Majesty's. No, wait..
As always -
What do you think of On Her Majesty's Secret Service?
Thrilling, explosive and very tender. A really top effort from Mr Fleming. Probably perfect.
What do you think of it's cinematic adaptation?
Near perfect.
Is the community score higher or lower than your own?
Lower, by one measly point.
Reactions are always welcomed!!
absolutely thrilling. One of those books you read so intensely you forget your surroundings and find yourself laughing out loud in a train, or worse...
What do you think of it's cinematic adaptation?
Increadable. It's got the atmosphere absolutely right.
Is the community score higher or lower than your own?
Lower, for the second time in a row. Am i softening up?
1. Style - 10 (the macabre elements are offset wonderfully by the biting humour)
2. Pace - 9
3. Villains - 9
4. Heroine - 8
5. Supporting Characters - 10 (Tiger, Henderson!)
6. Action - 8
7. Intrigue - 10
8. Romance -8
9. Benign Bizarre - 10
10. Bond - 10
92%
Quite possibly my favorite Fleming.
R65 Scores -
From Russia With Love, 1957 – 96%
On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1963 - 95%
You Only Live Twice, 1964 - 92%
Live and Let Die, 1954 – 89%
Dr No, 1958 - 89%
Goldfinger, 1959 - 87%
Casino Royale, 1953 - 86%
Thunderball, 1961 - 81%
Diamonds Are Forever, 1956 - 80%
Moonraker, 1955 - 78%
The Spy Who Loved Me, 1962 - 73%
Apart from the top two, obviously
1. Style - 8
2. Pace - 9
3. Villains - 9
4. Heroine - 7
5. Supporting Characters - 7
6. Action - 8
7. Intrigue - 9
8. Romance - 8
9. Benign Bizarre - 10
10. Bond - 8
83/100
83%
1. Style - 10
2. Pace - 10
3. Villains - 9
4. Heroine - 9
5. Supporting Characters - 9
6. Action - 8
7. Intrigue - 9
8. Romance - 8
9. Benign Bizarre - 10
10. Bond - 10
92/100
92%
From Russia With Love 95%
On Her Majesty's Secret Service 94%
You Only Live Twice 92%
Thunderball 88%
Dr No 86%
Moonraker 85%
The Spy Who Loved Me 84%
Casino Royale 79%
Live And Let Die 79%
Goldfinger 76%
Diamonds Are Forever 67%
1. Style - 10 If ever Fleming's journalistic talents showed in a novel, it's in this one. His discriptions of Japan are very interesting indeed.
2. Pace - 8
Allthough the discriptions are very interesting, the pace is not that high.
3. Villains - 10 It's Blofeld on the edge of hysteria. He's as scary as ever, with his toad-like Buntbody next to him.
4. Heroine - 7 allthough Kissy is the sweetest girl in the world, and strong of wil and character, she still isn't really, how do you say that? special. You don't get a ffeeling you fall in love with her. Well, I don't.
5. Supporting Characters - 10 Henderson, Tiger, even M when he sends Bond on this mission. Mary, trying to get Bond to care again.
6. Action - 8 There's not that much action, but what there is is increadably intense, with Blofeld's demise beeing the highlight.
7. Intrigue - 10 This is espionage on the highest level, with a botanist cover, but also trying to obtain MAGIC 44, and of course the Orange Route.
8. Romance - 9 I may not fall in love with Kissy, Bond does. and their relationship is quite endearing.
9. Benign Bizarre - 10 Castle of death, eating live lobsters, poisounous fish, preparing Kobe beaf, crickey, the list goes on, and on, and....on.
10. Bond - 10 Bond breaks down, crawls back up, to be almost utterly destroyed. Was he ever more human? He's got the courage of ten samurai, but the body of just one.
92/100
92%
which places it, in my personal ranking, on a shared second place:
OHMSS:97
YOLT: 92
DN:92
FRWL:88
TB: 87
FRWL:86
CR:83
TSWLM:83
LALD:76
GF: 69
MR:68
DAF:66
1. Style - 10
2. Pace - 9
3. Villains - 10
4. Heroine - 10
5. Supporting Characters - 10
6. Action - 8
7. Intrigue - 9
8. Romance - 10
9. Benign Bizarre - 10
10. Bond - 10
96/100
The fact they didn't is what lends the novel no small measure of tragedy.
1. Style - 8
2. Pace - 7 (Look, it is for the most part a study of Japan without any story. ;-))
3. Villains - 9
4. Heroine - 8
5. Supporting Characters - 9
6. Action - 9 (The third act rocks!)
7. Intrigue - 9
8. Romance - 8
9. Benign Bizarre - 10 (I love the climax)
10. Bond - 10
87/100
87%
But it is damn good entertainment still!
Btw (off topic slighlty):
Why didn't Fleming like Japanese food? It should have been a perfect fit for a proposed gourmet like him. Bond sneaking away to have Eggs Benedict at an oriental hotel... What the fuck is that? :-??
On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1963 – 96.14%
From Russia With Love, 1957 – 92.71%
You Only Live Twice, 1964 – 90.71%
Dr No, 1958 – 87.87%
Thunderball - 87.37%
Moonraker, 1955 - 85.66 %
Live and Let Die, 1954 – 83.44%
Casino Royale, 1953 – 83.3%
The Spy Who Loved Me, 1962 – 79.37%
Goldfinger, 1959 - 77.33%%
Diamonds Are Forever, 1956 – 72%
A top three Bond novel. Interestingly, those are my top three...
As always -
What do you think of You Only Live Twice?
Macabre, melancholic, fascinating and bloody hilarious.
What do you think of it's cinematic adaptation?
Considering the amount they changed between the novel and the film....
Is the community score higher or lower than your own?
Lower, by two points. Still, I'm pleased with YOLT being a top three.
Reactions are always welcomed!!
Join me soon for our final full length novel!!!
1. Style: 8 - Its a very interesting study of Japan although at times it seems a lot of it should really be in Thrilling Cities. But there are some nice, gloomy meditations on death that mirror Fleming's own increasing awareness of his own mortality.
2. Pace: 5 - Its a bit slow in the middle and while the travelogue stuff about Japan is quite interesting and entertaining it does get a little repetitive and the plot proper only really starts when Tiger tells Bond about Shatterhand.
3. Villains: 9 - The only novel for me where Blofeld actually lives up to his billing as Bond's nemesis, although Bunt is not as good here as she is in OHMSS and apart from them theres no one else.
4. Heroine: 7 - Shows great strength of character to swim back to the castle and rescue Bond and is a solid addition to the Bond girl ranks whilst not being anywhere near my personal favourite.
5. Supporting Characters: 9 - Dikko is tremendous fun and Tiger is a classic Fleming ally in the vein of Kerim. M also has some good stuff here along with Sir James Molony.
6. Action: 5 - Not a great deal really. Apart from the finale in the castle Bond just spends most of his time tagging along form place to place with Tiger.
7. Intrigue: 6 - The plot is a fairly straightforward revenge tale padded out with the Magic 44 stuff and the Shatterhand is Blofeld twist comes rather early on. The cliffhanger with Bond heading to Vladivostok is a fine coup though.
8. Romance: 5- The early poignancy about Tracy is something we havent really seen Bond go through before but I dont really get a great sense that a Bond in full control of his faculties would end up settling down with Kissy.
9. Benign Bizarre: 10 - Off the scale but then thats probably because Japan is mental than any concerted effort by Fleming to ramp up this aspect. Garden of death, fugu poison, sucking your testicles into your pelvis so you can get kicked in the bollocks, massaging a cow with gin - fantastic stuff.
10. Bond: 10 - Fleming really puts him through it here. Broken at the start, slowly built up to be the Bond we know again until he's left broken again at the end.
74/100