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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
I've seen most of the Bond movies over the years, so I decided to take a look through the books that created such a phenomenon. I don't really care much for the movies, but I will admit that the more recent movie with Daniel Craig I found pretty good so, how's the book?
Things are described in detail, always. You get a vivid picture of what the scene looks, smells and tastes like. It is a story of cavalier hard men engaging in dangerous games with one another. I can see how this story (and more in the series if it continues in the same vein) would be greatly appealing to teenage and young men that are looking for something to emulate. Bond has skills, panache, and knowledge of how to act in both dangerous and classy situations. At middle age, this story doesn't hit the same so whatever.
It has some stuff that would be considered fairly racist these days and how Bond views women and how the female character acts in this seems wildly misogynist, and I don't consider a playboy secret agent bedding women left and right as particularly bad. They are portrayed as vapid objects of entertainment or horrible distractions to the dangerous game that is being played.
I give this a few stars because it really was gritty spy business and I thought the story was well done. I dock stars for treatment of women in ways that I think are kinda shitty, even for the time.
Things are described in detail, always. You get a vivid picture of what the scene looks, smells and tastes like. It is a story of cavalier hard men engaging in dangerous games with one another. I can see how this story (and more in the series if it continues in the same vein) would be greatly appealing to teenage and young men that are looking for something to emulate. Bond has skills, panache, and knowledge of how to act in both dangerous and classy situations. At middle age, this story doesn't hit the same so whatever.
It has some stuff that would be considered fairly racist these days and how Bond views women and how the female character acts in this seems wildly misogynist, and I don't consider a playboy secret agent bedding women left and right as particularly bad. They are portrayed as vapid objects of entertainment or horrible distractions to the dangerous game that is being played.
I give this a few stars because it really was gritty spy business and I thought the story was well done. I dock stars for treatment of women in ways that I think are kinda shitty, even for the time.
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Weirdly not much happens. When compared to the various movies, this is way closer to the stale beer end of spy fiction, even though it happens at a high rolling casino. Bond has guns, but the main tension is a game of baccarat for high stakes. Most of the trouble Bond gets himself into he has no hand in getting himself out of.
This probably only gets attention for being a James Bond story. If it was a different spy and an unknown author it would be thoroughly forgotten, although it is not bad, per se.
This probably only gets attention for being a James Bond story. If it was a different spy and an unknown author it would be thoroughly forgotten, although it is not bad, per se.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Meh, preferred the film for once. Couldn't really get into this one.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced