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Starting The Novels, But Where Do I Start?

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  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited December 2011 Posts: 13,355
    For Your Eyes Only is also a collection of short stories.

    From Bond's perspective. The series goes thus:

    1. Casino Royale (1953 novel)
    2. Live and Let Die (1954 novel)
    3. Moonraker (1955 novel)
    4. Diamonds Are Forever (1956 novel)
    5. From Russia, with Love (1957 novel)
    6. Dr. No (1958 novel)
    7. Goldfinger (1959 novel)
    8. 'Risico' (1960 short story)
    9. 'Quantum of Solace' (1959 short story)
    10. 'The Hildebrand Rarity' (1960 short story)
    11. 'From a View to a Kill' (1960 short story)
    12. 'For Your Eyes Only' (1960 short story)
    13. Thunderball (1961 novel)
    14. 'Octopussy' (1966 short story)
    15. 'The Living Daylights' (1962 short story)
    16. 'The Property of a Lady' (1963 short story)
    17. Chapters 1–5 of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963 novel)
    18. '007 in New York' (1963 short story)
    19. Chapters 10–15 of The Spy Who Loved Me[9] (1962 novel)
    20. Chapters 6–20 of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963 novel)
    21. You Only Live Twice (1964 novel)
    22. The Man With the Golden Gun (1965 novel)
  • BounineBounine
    Posts: 2,599
    Did you get this list from a published book on James Bond or did you compose it yourself?
  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    It came from Wikipedia.
  • BounineBounine
    edited December 2011 Posts: 2,599
    How on earth did he/she work this out? I've read the Fleming books 5 or 6 times and I can't see how they could have come up with this list unless I haven't paid as much attention while reading.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    Bounine wrote:
    How on earth did he/she work this out? I've read the Fleming books 5 or 6 times and I can't see how they could have come up with this list unless I haven't paid as much attention while reading.

    Many forum members lists, on the old forums at least, were identical to one posted above, from Wikipedia. This seems to be the defecto timeline and it makes sense to me - and I've only read the novels once each so far.
  • KennonKennon
    edited December 2011 Posts: 297
    There are indications all over the shop in the short stories, QOS mentions if Bond would ever get married he'd 'marry a stewardess or a Japanese woman, they knew how to care for a man,' or FYEO bringing up that Bond 'had never had to cope with a real loss or a heavy blow of fate'. Both examples indicate the stories take place before OHMSS. If you're inclined to see Vesper as a first tragic turn of fate for Bond you could even argue FYEO takes place before CR.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    ^
    Interesting... :-?
  • BounineBounine
    edited December 2011 Posts: 2,599
    "There are indications all over the shop in the short stories, QOS mentions if Bond would ever get married he'd 'marry a stewardess or a Japanese woman, they knew how to care for a man,' or FYEO bringing up that Bond 'had never had to cope with a real loss or a heavy blow of fate'. Both examples indicate the stories take place before OHMSS. If you're inclined to see Vesper as a first tragic turn of fate for Bond you could even argue FYEO takes place before CR."

    Sure. I remember some of these comments but what about the order of the FYEO stories? I'm reading them in order again so this time I will stick to the Wiki list.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Samuel001 wrote:
    8. 'Risico' (1960 short story)
    9. 'Quantum of Solace' (1959 short story)
    10. 'The Hildebrand Rarity' (1960 short story)
    11. 'From a View to a Kill' (1960 short story)
    12. 'For Your Eyes Only' (1960 short story)

    I'm intrigued as to how you come to this order as every copy of FYEO I've ever read starts with FAVTAK and the others follow in a completely different order with THR last if I recall correctly without looking it up. I dont really remember any clues that relate to the other stories that could enable you to arrange them in this order but I'm prepared to stand corrected if you have the evidence to back it up.
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    Posts: 1,497
    Hank_Scorpio wrote:
    Essentially the Octopussy stories (and for that matter TSWLM part with Bond) take place during Bond search for Blofeld. I see them as sort of "side missions".
    Technically speaking, after reading the first five chapters of OHMSS, one should then read "007 in New York" and TSWLM (Bond's part) and then resume OHMSS to keep things in order :)

    Interesting about TSWLM. I tried reading the first couple chapters but couldn't get into it. However, if I skip to just the Bond parts, will the story still make any sense?

  • KennonKennon
    Posts: 297
    Bounine wrote:
    "There are indications all over the shop in the short stories, QOS mentions if Bond would ever get married he'd 'marry a stewardess or a Japanese woman, they knew how to care for a man,' or FYEO bringing up that Bond 'had never had to cope with a real loss or a heavy blow of fate'. Both examples indicate the stories take place before OHMSS. If you're inclined to see Vesper as a first tragic turn of fate for Bond you could even argue FYEO takes place before CR."

    Sure. I remember some of these comments but what about the order of the FYEO stories? I'm reading them in order again so this time I will stick to the Wiki list.

    Think there was a book 'Annotated Bond' or so a few years back that gave a detailed timeline of the novels and short stories, concluded on the basis of dates and hints and so on. Clever guesswork and interesting, too. Could be the wiki list is based on that. I can't say I definitely buy everything about such timelines, always felt TLD has a final atmosphere about it while the actual last words of Bond Fleming wrote in TMWTGG to me sound as if the series is perpetuated infinitely.

  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    edited December 2011 Posts: 7,854
    TheWizardOfIce wrote:
    Samuel001 wrote:
    8. 'Risico' (1960 short story)
    9. 'Quantum of Solace' (1959 short story)
    10. 'The Hildebrand Rarity' (1960 short story)
    11. 'From a View to a Kill' (1960 short story)
    12. 'For Your Eyes Only' (1960 short story)

    I'm intrigued as to how you come to this order as every copy of FYEO I've ever read starts with FAVTAK and the others follow in a completely different order with THR last if I recall correctly without looking it up.

    That's continuity order, not publication or anthology order.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    JBFan626 wrote:
    Hank_Scorpio wrote:
    Essentially the Octopussy stories (and for that matter TSWLM part with Bond) take place during Bond search for Blofeld. I see them as sort of "side missions".
    Technically speaking, after reading the first five chapters of OHMSS, one should then read "007 in New York" and TSWLM (Bond's part) and then resume OHMSS to keep things in order :)

    Interesting about TSWLM. I tried reading the first couple chapters but couldn't get into it. However, if I skip to just the Bond parts, will the story still make any sense?

    Not really. The fun of the story is what happens to Vivienne and the conclusion once Bond comes in. It's a rather good book, I never 'couldn't get into it', but horses for courses and all...
  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    I haven't tried to read it yet, if only because of negative expectations.
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    Posts: 1,699
    I'm going to say somehing controversial (?), you should start with Fleming wherever the hell you fancy. Like with any great book/ film etc series, his efforts are so good, any one's a fine starting point for someone looking to get into them.

    Read 'em all in whichever order you want and then, if you haven't read them chronologically but feel you want the chronological experience, read them in that order. It's a good excuse to read them all again (as if you need an excuse)... ;)
  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    That's generally acceptable (I started reading Tom Clancy novels with Clear and Present Danger, then Executive Orders), but there are some exceptions. You shouldn't do YOLT, then OHMSS, then TB (or any other combination that starts with YOLT), because then they don't make sense.
  • BounineBounine
    edited December 2011 Posts: 2,599
    Kennon wrote:
    Bounine wrote:
    "There are indications all over the shop in the short stories, QOS mentions if Bond would ever get married he'd 'marry a stewardess or a Japanese woman, they knew how to care for a man,' or FYEO bringing up that Bond 'had never had to cope with a real loss or a heavy blow of fate'. Both examples indicate the stories take place before OHMSS. If you're inclined to see Vesper as a first tragic turn of fate for Bond you could even argue FYEO takes place before CR."

    Sure. I remember some of these comments but what about the order of the FYEO stories? I'm reading them in order again so this time I will stick to the Wiki list.

    Think there was a book 'Annotated Bond' or so a few years back that gave a detailed timeline of the novels and short stories, concluded on the basis of dates and hints and so on. Clever guesswork and interesting, too. Could be the wiki list is based on that. I can't say I definitely buy everything about such timelines, always felt TLD has a final atmosphere about it while the actual last words of Bond Fleming wrote in TMWTGG to me sound as if the series is perpetuated infinitely.

    Sounds like an interesting book. I've never read any of the non fiction Bond books. I'm only really interested in the fiction - Bond literature and films. Behind the scenes etc. usually doesn't interest me as much. The biography of Fleming by Lycett is a good read.
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