You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
James Bond saves the world from nuclear blackmail. As good as From Russia With Love and Moonraker, not quite as good as the gold standard, Casino Royale. Might have been that good, were it not for a goofy prologue at a health spa and Fleming's inability to write believable female characters. Worth a read though.
All the Bond books are fun, but this is one of the best ones. Great bad guys, great girl, and (mini-spoiler) Felix Leiter is back with his terrific American blend of wit, excitability, and infinite sarcasm. Fleming is once again in the islands and at the gaming tables where he's so comfortable, and the story is fast, clever, and full of hairpin turns. Pulp fiction at its finest.
As Bond novels go this is a pretty good one in terms of plotting. Yes, the racism, sexism, and fear mongering all go with the territory, sadly, and I officially disapprove--yet I'm still reading these damned novels, one by one. I suppose I need to ask myself why. I guess it's the films, which entranced me for their cleverness and Bond's grace when I was a kid. Despite all of the testosterone-fueled gook herein, Bond is still a thousand times less brutish than any American hero I can think of. (Leaving aside that other brand of American macho, the hysterical whiny, terrified cur that snaps at your heals when your back is turned--you know, the Trump, Bill O'Reilly, Charles Manson type.)
Funny here for literary aficionados is the post-coital scene (Why does Bond always get laid between chapters?) in which the diction suddenly becomes self-consciously Hemingwayesque. Seriously, you can't miss it and it can't be accidental. Not sure what Fleming was up to there--unless he'd just recently read Across the River and into the Trees and felt the need to blurt out a quick homage.
I'm off to read some sane and intelligent female authors for a while after this--so, you see, some good can come of evil.
Funny here for literary aficionados is the post-coital scene (Why does Bond always get laid between chapters?) in which the diction suddenly becomes self-consciously Hemingwayesque. Seriously, you can't miss it and it can't be accidental. Not sure what Fleming was up to there--unless he'd just recently read Across the River and into the Trees and felt the need to blurt out a quick homage.
I'm off to read some sane and intelligent female authors for a while after this--so, you see, some good can come of evil.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Was fun to dive into the world of 007 through the pages of Ian Fleming vs. the movies I love.
Really easy read. Truly understandable how these characters have had their longevity.
Really easy read. Truly understandable how these characters have had their longevity.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Very good and thrilling book, shame about the misogyny.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Misogyny
This book is certainly "of it's time". Sexist, misogynistic, with colonialism, and racism - it's hard to miss and harder to ignore. It's honestly hard to rate, review, and judge a book like this in modern times because of how problematic it is. There's a scene early on where Bond kisses a woman because he doesn't think a beautiful woman and a man such as himself can be in a room together and not have anything happen. When she slaps him because he's forced himself on her, he's pretty smug and insinuates that she must have liked it because it's a natural thing to happen. It's scenes like this in books (and their movie adaptations) that really highlight why and how #metoo is a thing. I know I've watched a bunch of Bond films growing up, and while I can't really remember much from most of them, I can remember scenes. Most of what I remember involves women being treated as objects and trophies. Even in the ones where the woman is supposed to be an equal, in the end, she's still a notch in Bond's belt. You can dismiss it as just "male fantasy" or you can call it "locker room talk", but a rose by any other name.
It's quite a shame too, because I am actually incredibly surprised in how much I enjoyed this book. There's a lot of subtle humor and comedic elements that just hasn't translated well in the movies that really cracked me up in the book. The entire sequence where M forces Bond to go to the wellness center to segments of the wellness center itself made me laugh. James Bond is less slick and more fallible in the book than in the movies and it ended up making him more human and interesting to follow as a character. Everyone has a Bond and I think that Daniel Craig is a fantastic Bond, but even in his Bond movies Bond ends up being secondary to the plot that he's involved in. It's surprising how much this book was as much a spy thriller as it was a character book; not just with Bond, but also Felix Leiter, Domino, Largo, Blofeld, even random characters like the submarine captain.
The audiobook is fantastic and the narrator once again, "Hello to Jason Isaacs" did all the voices in non-grating accents that really brought out a lot in the characters. Well worth a listen.
There's honestly a lot to enjoy in this book. And quite honestly, if I didn't find parts straight up offensive I'd have given it 5 stars. It's a rollicking good time but only if you ignore certain things. But as it is, it's 2.5/5 rounds to 3/5.
It's quite a shame too, because I am actually incredibly surprised in how much I enjoyed this book. There's a lot of subtle humor and comedic elements that just hasn't translated well in the movies that really cracked me up in the book. The entire sequence where M forces Bond to go to the wellness center to segments of the wellness center itself made me laugh. James Bond is less slick and more fallible in the book than in the movies and it ended up making him more human and interesting to follow as a character. Everyone has a Bond and I think that Daniel Craig is a fantastic Bond, but even in his Bond movies Bond ends up being secondary to the plot that he's involved in. It's surprising how much this book was as much a spy thriller as it was a character book; not just with Bond, but also Felix Leiter, Domino, Largo, Blofeld, even random characters like the submarine captain.
The audiobook is fantastic and the narrator once again, "Hello to Jason Isaacs" did all the voices in non-grating accents that really brought out a lot in the characters. Well worth a listen.
There's honestly a lot to enjoy in this book. And quite honestly, if I didn't find parts straight up offensive I'd have given it 5 stars. It's a rollicking good time but only if you ignore certain things. But as it is, it's 2.5/5 rounds to 3/5.
Pro: SPECTRE is finally introduced
Con: you can't blame "the times" for all the sexism
These books are short and quick, but I think I've reached my limit. I'll stop the series here, unless my completionist fibre comes raging on.
Con: you can't blame "the times" for all the sexism
These books are short and quick, but I think I've reached my limit. I'll stop the series here, unless my completionist fibre comes raging on.