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Which Bond novel are you currently reading?

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  • ThunderballThunderball playing Chemin de Fer in a casino, downing Vespers
    edited September 2022 Posts: 814
    I’ll probably finish up For Your Eyes Only tonight. I still have three Pan paperback editions that I own (with those glorious Hawkey covers) that I haven’t read. I’m not sure which to read first. It’s going to be some time until I can get my hands on the Pan editions of Goldfinger and Octopussy (both of which I’ve yet to read), so I put it to everyone here: should I read Live And Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, or The Man With The Golden Gun next?
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited September 2022 Posts: 3,789
    Thunderball wrote: »
    I’ll probably finish up For Your Eyes Only tonight. I still have three Pan paperback editions that I own (with those glorious Hawkey covers) that I haven’t read. I’m not sure which to read first. It’s going to be some time until I can get my hands on the Pan editions of Goldfinger and Octopussy (both of which I’ve yet to read), so I put it to everyone here: should I read Live And Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, or The Man With The Golden Gun next?

    Live and Let Die, for sure, that's the best of the bunch there.
  • ThunderballThunderball playing Chemin de Fer in a casino, downing Vespers
    Posts: 814
    All right, I was going to wait until I got more replies, to see if anyone else would reccomend a different title, but oh well, I guess not. I'll start Live And Let Die tonight at work. Should be interesting.
  • BirdlesonBirdleson
    Posts: 2,161
    It’s a great one, that’s for sure.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,629
    Thunderball wrote: »
    All right, I was going to wait until I got more replies, to see if anyone else would reccomend a different title, but oh well, I guess not. I'll start Live And Let Die tonight at work. Should be interesting.

    I l feel like LALD is where the cinematic Bond was born. More traveling, more action, more uniquely villains, etc. I feel that Ian Fleming wanted this book to show that he had a true film character. With Moonraker, he took the next step and started with a screenplay, but the novel still feels like literary Bond.
  • Bondfan68Bondfan68 Columbus, GA USA
    Posts: 14
    I just started DOUBLE OR NOTHING today. Can't say I am happy with the amount of profanity she uses. Not needed in a Bond book. Never has been and never will be IMHO.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,629
    Bondfan68 wrote: »
    I just started DOUBLE OR NOTHING today. Can't say I am happy with the amount of profanity she uses. Not needed in a Bond book. Never has been and never will be IMHO.

    I remember in Solo’s ending that Bond and Leiter dropping f-bombs and laughing like Beavis and Butt-head at the book’s events. Talk about making a depressing story more depressing.
  • BirdlesonBirdleson
    Posts: 2,161
    I’m not too comfortable with it in the films either. It feels “un-Bond”.
  • Some_Kind_Of_HeroSome_Kind_Of_Hero
    Posts: 6,844
    I wouldn't want to see Bond swearing casually all the time in conversation, and I agree with @Birdleson in that I don't think there's a place for it in Eon's film series, which has been PG/PG-13 throughout (apart from LTK) and traditionally more family-oriented, but Fleming himself allowed Bond the occasional obscenity. He smokes and drinks and gambles and kills in cold blood or in brutal close-quarters brawls. I'm okay with him saying,
    "Balls to you, Tiger!"
    every once in a while in the books. The films though? Yeah, they need to get off this new singular f-bomb habit they're developing.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    edited October 2022 Posts: 3,152
    I even thought that Craig's mildly sweary line in NTTD would've been better as 'blow it all to Hell.' Sounds more substantial, somehow.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,547
    I don't mind it in the films considering it's been exclusively M to say it.
  • Some_Kind_Of_HeroSome_Kind_Of_Hero
    Posts: 6,844
    Venutius wrote: »
    I even thought that Craig's mildly sweary line in NTTD would've been better as 'blow it all to Hell.' Sounds more substantial, somehow.

    I guess maybe we expect Bond to exhibit a particular style of swearing (i.e. there are certain obscenities you would and would not expect to hear from him).
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,297
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    I don't mind it in the films considering it's been exclusively M to say it.

    M has a tough job.
  • Mathis1Mathis1
    Posts: 7,419
    Birdleson wrote: »
    I’m not too comfortable with it in the films either. It feels “un-Bond”.

    I remember a friend of mine taking issue with Daltons line "pi** off!" in LTK, claiming "Bond should never swear!"
    I think I would have issues if it were a regular thing, but odd lines here and there like this dont bother me!
  • FoxRoxFoxRox
    Posts: 12,466
    It’s been many years since I can remember profanity in absolutely anything really bothering me.
  • ThunderballThunderball playing Chemin de Fer in a casino, downing Vespers
    edited October 2022 Posts: 814
    See, to me, words like "hell", "bitch", "ass" and "damn" aren't curse words anymore, so I don't care when characters in the films say them. You can say those words on prime time television and most have no problem with that. The only words that I might have a problem with Bond or anyone else saying are George Carlin's 7 words you can't say on TV. As for "piss off", I'm an American, so I don't find those words on the level as, say, "f*ck off", but I guess it might be different for Brits.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    edited October 2022 Posts: 14,572
    Bloody as well. I think it was said three times in CR, maybe more? I remember back around 2004/05 when Lara Bingle did the 'where the bloody hell are ya' ad which caused a bit of controversy, when really, it was everyday lingo.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 3,152
    As a Brit, I'd say that 'p*** off' is far below the level of 'f*** off', even now. And it's not that I was bothered by Bond's line in NTTD (I grew up in a Northern mining town, I was used to 'industrial language' from an early age!), it's just that I thought 'blow it all to Hell' actually would've worked better.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,547
    I've always admired the cavalier attitude the British have towards c**t. Not that it needs to appear in a Bond film.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,629
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    I've always admired the cavalier attitude the British have towards c**t. Not that it needs to appear in a Bond film.

    It would get it a R rating in the US, that’s for sure.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited October 2022 Posts: 18,271
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    I've always admired the cavalier attitude the British have towards c**t. Not that it needs to appear in a Bond film.

    They've already hinted at that one in Spectre with the exchange about knowing what C stands for. It's still a very offensive word for a lot of people though one certainly hears it uttered a lot in everyday life! Definitely not something I'd like to see Bond or a character in a Bond film or novel say though.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    edited October 2022 Posts: 7,547
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    I've always admired the cavalier attitude the British have towards c**t. Not that it needs to appear in a Bond film.

    They've already hinted at that one in Spectre with the exchange about knowing what C stands for. It's still a very offensive word for a lot of people though one certainly hears it uttered a lot in everyday life! Definitely not something I'd like to see Bond or a character in a Bond film or novel say though.

    Now that you bring it up... I still have *no* idea why Bond refers to Denbigh as C at the beginning of Spectre. The best I can come up with is because he's the head of CNS, and it's a double-blind to imply that M stands for MI6 rather than his name, to protect M's identity from this guy he doesn't trust.

    An overthought explanation, sure, and I think some people just think it was put in there so they could make that joke at the end, but it really is an extraordinarily random thing to put in the beginning of the film just for the joke.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,271
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    I've always admired the cavalier attitude the British have towards c**t. Not that it needs to appear in a Bond film.

    They've already hinted at that one in Spectre with the exchange about knowing what C stands for. It's still a very offensive word for a lot of people though one certainly hears it uttered a lot in everyday life! Definitely not something I'd like to see Bond or a character in a Bond film or novel say though.

    Now that you bring it up... I still have *no* idea why Bond refers to Denbigh as C at the beginning of Spectre. The best I can come up with is because he's the head of CNS, and it's a double-blind to imply that M stands for MI6 rather than his name, to protect M's identity from this guy he doesn't trust.

    An overthought explanation, sure, and I think some people just think it was put in there so they could make that joke at the end, but it really is an extraordinarily random thing to put in the beginning of the film just for the joke.

    It's much simpler than that, I think. It's implied that Bond is actually calling him the c-word because he doesn't like him. He's subtly labelling him for what he is.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    edited October 2022 Posts: 7,547
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    I've always admired the cavalier attitude the British have towards c**t. Not that it needs to appear in a Bond film.

    They've already hinted at that one in Spectre with the exchange about knowing what C stands for. It's still a very offensive word for a lot of people though one certainly hears it uttered a lot in everyday life! Definitely not something I'd like to see Bond or a character in a Bond film or novel say though.

    Now that you bring it up... I still have *no* idea why Bond refers to Denbigh as C at the beginning of Spectre. The best I can come up with is because he's the head of CNS, and it's a double-blind to imply that M stands for MI6 rather than his name, to protect M's identity from this guy he doesn't trust.

    An overthought explanation, sure, and I think some people just think it was put in there so they could make that joke at the end, but it really is an extraordinarily random thing to put in the beginning of the film just for the joke.

    It's much simpler than that, I think. It's implied that Bond is actually calling him the c-word because he doesn't like him. He's subtly labelling him for what he is.

    You’re probably right, but I just find it to be an unsatisfying explanation. Add it to the list of problems with Spectre I suppose.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,271
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    I've always admired the cavalier attitude the British have towards c**t. Not that it needs to appear in a Bond film.

    They've already hinted at that one in Spectre with the exchange about knowing what C stands for. It's still a very offensive word for a lot of people though one certainly hears it uttered a lot in everyday life! Definitely not something I'd like to see Bond or a character in a Bond film or novel say though.

    Now that you bring it up... I still have *no* idea why Bond refers to Denbigh as C at the beginning of Spectre. The best I can come up with is because he's the head of CNS, and it's a double-blind to imply that M stands for MI6 rather than his name, to protect M's identity from this guy he doesn't trust.

    An overthought explanation, sure, and I think some people just think it was put in there so they could make that joke at the end, but it really is an extraordinarily random thing to put in the beginning of the film just for the joke.

    It's much simpler than that, I think. It's implied that Bond is actually calling him the c-word because he doesn't like him. He's subtly labelling him for what he is.

    You’re probably right, but I just find it to be an unsatisfying explanation. Add it to the list of problems with Spectre I suppose.

    Yes, it is quite subtle and maybe more of an underplayed British stiff upper lip thing but that's what I thought it meant from the first time I saw the film in the cinema. I still think that's what it means to this day.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,791
    Two weeks back during international travel in Scandinavia I read Icebreaker, very much enjoying it once again. Amusingly I was in the Helsinki Airport for the opening and near end of the novel. It has its weak moments but its strengths win out. Especially the Silver Beast battling snowplows in the Arctic, the icy torture.

    Also happened to gain understanding for how Tirpitz relates to WWII, as a small memorial was pointed out to us.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Tirpitz

    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tirpitz_War_Memorial.jpg

    1200px-Tirpitz_War_Memorial.jpg

  • Bondfan68Bondfan68 Columbus, GA USA
    Posts: 14
    Currently reading THE FACTS OF DEATH by Raymon Benson for the third time.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,629
    Bondfan68 wrote: »
    Currently reading THE FACTS OF DEATH by Raymon Benson for the third time.

    Please let us know what you think of it!
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,271
    Bondfan68 wrote: »
    Currently reading THE FACTS OF DEATH by Raymon Benson for the third time.

    Look out for the f-word in that one! :)
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 3,152
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    I've always admired the cavalier attitude the British have towards c**t. Not that it needs to appear in a Bond film.

    You should hear Aussies - it's every fourth word! :))
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