Which Bond novel are you currently reading?

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  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    apparently. I thought it quite cruel to write something like that in '55.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I think given the area, it was the Best Fleming could have done. Perhaps, mentioning
    that it was lucky, to have caused minimal damage. May have been better ?
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    I think given the area, it was the Best Fleming could have done. Perhaps, mentioning
    that it was lucky, to have caused minimal damage. May have been better ?

    The fact that it happens I have no gripes with, but the way especially M reacts to it I do. Exactly in a line of 'oh well, that's their problem then'. Also, the political implications would be huge. So his reaction is illogical at best. He should've just told Bond it's a terrible situation but the loss of life has been contained. Anyway, I find it a huge weak spot after such a tense bit of writing. Seemed to me Fleming was done with it and just wanted to finish it.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    :)) could be, he fancied getting off for a bit of swimming that morning.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    :)) could be, he fancied getting off for a bit of swimming that morning.
    Which, in itself, is a good idea, except for the jelly fish...

  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    I indeed find Moonraker one of Fleming's lesser books. More on that later perhaps. Started my bi-annual Fleming bondathon again. Just finished CR and now reading LALD. Love it how Leiter escapes his torture in the first round thanks to his love of Jazz. Strange how Fleming has been called a racist while he makes Leiter get along, and be very knowledgreable of, Black American culture...

    Yes, that is very strange. First read LALD as a Norwegian translation years ago, and didn't find the novel that racist back then. Read it again earlier this month, this time in English, and had a similiar experience this time. Not as racist as I feared, and well written. Leiter's «Jazz escape» is one of the highlights of the novel!

    Moonraker doesn't really have that many memorable moments (260 pages in), whereas LALD have several. The card game at Blades is very memorable, though.

    LALD isn't racist at all. It is simply reflective of the times.....in fact Bond is actually forward thinking for his generation.

    MR is a tad 'down to earth' for my tastes. I prefer DN, more exiting and exotic.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    To be honst @CommanderRoss it's not a passage I remember too well, but I'll certainly
    watch out for it, the next time I read it.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    I didn t like MR that much when I first read it, but during my latest read I found so many fascinating tidbits it is now one of my absolute favourites.

    If you care to share your favourite tidbits, please do! :)
    Finished MR last night, and it had a solid ending. Still not sure on how much I really liked it compared to the other novels I've read, but still, a good novel. Will continue with DAF, which, like MR will be a first ever reading experience.

    On a side note: Why haven't Gala Brand been used as a character in the films?

    Well the rocket taking off is exciting as can be, but I hate the way the results of that are handled.
    As if the breaking of the Dutch dikes wouldn't cost thousands of people their lives, as if the very busy shipping in the North Sea wouldn't be affected. Fleming writes it as if it were a ends well all 's well, but it isn't! And he could've known, after the 1953 flooding disaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea_flood_of_1953

    Gala Brand was originally in DAD, until the character name changed in Miranda Frost. They should use it though.
  • Major_BoothroydMajor_Boothroyd Republic of Isthmus
    Posts: 2,722
    Just finishing up John Garnder's Bond debut 'Licence Renewed'. Physical description aside Bond is almost unrecognisable from the original novels. The book feels more inspired by the movie Bond. Gardner writes in his own style rather than trying to capture Fleming's. Some of the scenes are laborious. The stuff with Q'ute is embarassing. The plot itself a little pedestrian. But Gardner does ratchet up the tension in some of the car and foot chase scenes. But the dialogue is the real let down. I'm looking forward to reading each Gardner entry. I've read some Benson and Trigger Mortis but I'm a little light on my knowledge of the continuation novels. I have the first five Gardner's in hardback so enjoying discovering them.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    'Licence Renewed' is Gardners best book, so unfortunately I think you'll be left wanting.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I enjoyed the first six Gardner Bond books, but then the quality drops off quickly.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I didn t like MR that much when I first read it, but during my latest read I found so many fascinating tidbits it is now one of my absolute favourites.

    If you care to share your favourite tidbits, please do! :)
    Finished MR last night, and it had a solid ending. Still not sure on how much I really liked it compared to the other novels I've read, but still, a good novel. Will continue with DAF, which, like MR will be a first ever reading experience.

    On a side note: Why haven't Gala Brand been used as a character in the films?

    I like the desriptions of life in the secret service, the relationship between Bond and M, Bond s inner thoughts...
  • Posts: 17,756
    That is true! Haven't been too much descriptions like that in the novels I've had the opportunity to read. A nice change also. Will be nice to see how Fleming describe the secret service life in other novels.

    Must say, I do agree with @CommanderRoss regarding the result of the rocket landing in the sea. At the same time, the way M described this, didn't make me think so much about it while reading. Strange..
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Just finishing up John Garnder's Bond debut 'Licence Renewed'. Physical description aside Bond is almost unrecognisable from the original novels. The book feels more inspired by the movie Bond. Gardner writes in his own style rather than trying to capture Fleming's. Some of the scenes are laborious. The stuff with Q'ute is embarassing. The plot itself a little pedestrian. But Gardner does ratchet up the tension in some of the car and foot chase scenes. But the dialogue is the real let down. I'm looking forward to reading each Gardner entry. I've read some Benson and Trigger Mortis but I'm a little light on my knowledge of the continuation novels. I have the first five Gardner's in hardback so enjoying discovering them.

    There are a lot of good Gardners left to go to be honest with you.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    That is true! Haven't been too much descriptions like that in the novels I've had the opportunity to read. A nice change also. Will be nice to see how Fleming describe the secret service life in other novels.

    Must say, I do agree with @CommanderRoss regarding the result of the rocket landing in the sea. At the same time, the way M described this, didn't make me think so much about it while reading. Strange..

    Thanks! up 'till now I've been fairly alone in this critisism. But then again, I'm Dutch... ;-)
  • edited July 2016 Posts: 17,756
    That's explains it then! :P
    No, in all seriousness, it's very strange. It got me wondering why Fleming chose that ending at all. He was a good enough writer to come up with something better, and surely, he would be aware what the consequences of such a incident could do.
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 4,010
    Casino Royale again. Re-reading Fleming is always a pleasure as you forget just how bloody good he was!

    A fast cracking read with probably the best torture scene ever written. Fleming puts you right in that room with Bond and Le Chiffre and it seems so genuine you'd have thought Fleming himself has actually suffered it!

    YOLT novel next!
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    Casino Royale again. Re-reading Fleming is always a pleasure as you forget just how bloody good he was!

    A fast cracking read with probably the best torture scene ever written. Fleming puts you right in that room with Bond and Le Chiffre and it seems so genuine you'd have thought Fleming himself has actually suffered it!

    YOLT novel next!

    That's with all his torture scenes. I still cringe every time I read those. Just finished LALD and by [insert holy creature here] I was shivering at the thought of Solitaire and Bond beeing dragged over the reefs behind the Secatur! His writing is so colourful you start to feel all your senses respond to what's going to happen to them.
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 4,010
    Casino Royale again. Re-reading Fleming is always a pleasure as you forget just how bloody good he was!

    A fast cracking read with probably the best torture scene ever written. Fleming puts you right in that room with Bond and Le Chiffre and it seems so genuine you'd have thought Fleming himself has actually suffered it!

    YOLT novel next!

    That's with all his torture scenes. I still cringe every time I read those. Just finished LALD and by [insert holy creature here] I was shivering at the thought of Solitaire and Bond beeing dragged over the reefs behind the Secatur! His writing is so colourful you start to feel all your senses respond to what's going to happen to them.

    I think his skill as a journalist really comes across in his writing.

    Which is why even the some of the more outlandish scenes from the books seem plausible!
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Agreed, Fleming knew how to tell a story. I still cringe reading about
    The millipede crawling up Bond in Dr No. :)
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    Just finished Moonraker (again) and it keeps nagging: you've heard, well, read me complain about the Dutch sea defense beeing smashed, but it's 200 (!) dead allready just by the shipping. Sure Fleming didn't know much about the radio-activity in that cloud (apparently not so much in the sea, which I doubt, but that's what he writes) which is going north. Not caring about Scandinavia apparently.

    And why doesn't Bond 1: blow himself up, as he intends in the first place (yes, i know, no more Bond), or 2: try to warn the officials when they come to the launch site to fire the weapon. He can hear the minister talking to Drax so I presume the minister would hear him if he'd shouted. And iguess they'd not fire a missile from a launching site where two bedraggled figures just have been found (or even dead if Drax has the chance) before inspecting it completely.

    Not a very good ending to what is an exciting novel. On to Diamonds now.
  • Major_BoothroydMajor_Boothroyd Republic of Isthmus
    Posts: 2,722
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Just finishing up John Garnder's Bond debut 'Licence Renewed'. Physical description aside Bond is almost unrecognisable from the original novels. The book feels more inspired by the movie Bond. Gardner writes in his own style rather than trying to capture Fleming's. Some of the scenes are laborious. The stuff with Q'ute is embarassing. The plot itself a little pedestrian. But Gardner does ratchet up the tension in some of the car and foot chase scenes. But the dialogue is the real let down. I'm looking forward to reading each Gardner entry. I've read some Benson and Trigger Mortis but I'm a little light on my knowledge of the continuation novels. I have the first five Gardner's in hardback so enjoying discovering them.

    There are a lot of good Gardners left to go to be honest with you.

    That's good to hear. I found the book improved toward the end. I was ok with Gardner taking influence from the movies rather than fleming. But the main villain was so easily fooled by bond, and he was rattling off screeds of exposition in every chapter. Perhaps my biggest issue is the author rarely left anything for the reader to discover. A lot of telegraphing. Having said that - Gardner had a couple of good scenes - the escape by car from the castle and on foot through the French village. But I'm hoping the storylines are a little more surprising as they go on.

  • KronsteenKronsteen Stockholm
    edited September 2016 Posts: 783
    60 pages into Strike Lightning. I like what I've read so far!
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    this past summer I read Fleming all over again, but, for the first time, in order (surprisingly I found I despised TB as bloated, tedious, and without the Fleming artistry (perhaps because it was born from a screenplay that he then tried to squeeze back into a novel)), and; DAF, which i couldn't stomach before, but was, in context of chronology, that much more enjoyable.

    After I was done with Fleming, I gave myself some time off and tackled the Gardner books. I admire his effort, but, I fell off during the climax of SCORPIOUS. I gave up. The character had the name, Bond. James Bond. But didn't feel like Bond.

    So I jumped right back into CR. Blew my mind, as always. And now I'm reading OHMSS (which I usually read at Christmas). But, Fleming, being Fleming, I always catch something new: Like Bond detests shoes with laces, and; his dislike for pyjamas is well known, but, in CR he wears something of a compromise, a robe that's short of the sleeve (under the elbow), and wraps with a tie.

    I think this time out, I will read 007 adventures where love plays a role that interferes with our agent: I've done CR; I'm into OHMSS, and; I'll finish with Kissy and YOLT.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    You're forgetting the nice follow-up DAF. In FRWL we find that Tiffany Case has been living with Bond for six months, first in his appartment, then some time in a hotel before leaving with an American to the States. 'Mixed marriages never work' according to Fleming. But it makes it possible for M to give this assignment to Bond. A labour of love indeed!
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 4,010
    YOLT

    Only about the third time I've read this.

    Great opening with a depressed Bond and the 'impossible mission' to cure him. Wonderful scene between Bond and M. The first time Bond has ever seen M bring his fist down on his desk in anger!

    The lengthy scenes between Bond and Tanaka are wonderfully written with lots of detail regarding the Japanese way of life, a lot of which Bond finds amusing. Love the dialogue when Bond discovers there are no swear words in the Japanese language!

    Coming up to the great moment where Bond discovers who Dr Shatterhand really is!
  • stagstag In the thick of it!
    Posts: 1,053
    It pains me greatly to say but I cannot find time to sit down & read a Bond book (well any book for that matter). I am only a Fan of IF work though - that said I still have an unread copy of Trigger Mortis sitting on the shelf which I purchased when it was first published.

    The last book I read was L&LD & that was well over 18 months ago.
  • Posts: 1,314
    Recently re read Moonraker which I thoroughly enjoyed. The bridge scene I read twice I enjoyed it so much.

    Just finished gold finger. The last 1/3 lets it down as goldfingers plot is so unrealistic that it loses any realism
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 4,010
    stag wrote: »
    It pains me greatly to say but I cannot find time to sit down & read a Bond book (well any book for that matter). I am only a Fan of IF work though - that said I still have an unread copy of Trigger Mortis sitting on the shelf which I purchased when it was first published.

    The last book I read was L&LD & that was well over 18 months ago.

    You need to have one in the toilet! You can read on the job so to speak!
  • Posts: 5,994
    I took advantage of my last trip to and from Britanny to catch up on my Bond reading : Trigger Mortis and Blood Fever. Loved them both.
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