Yes, they are. They are stylish and pacy and all the rest. They are also very much of their time and, as well, are a completely different beast to the movies: they are spy stories primarily - not action adventures (though both of those are still there), and are much more low key overall.
this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2023
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Also, they're pretty low commitment books. Pick one up and give it a try. They're short and after reading one you'll know whether you want to keep going.
Fair enough
If you had to pick a specific Bond actor that was closest to the character from the novels, who would it be?
That's a really difficult one. The book Bond is a snob in a way that doesn't really translate to the later culture in which so many of the films are set. Plus, I stopped watching the movies after Quantum of Solace - and had only been slightly interested from around Licence to Kill onwards, until Casino Royale.
If I had to say then perhaps a mix of Craig in Casino and Connery in the very early ones. Book Bond was a bit rough around the edges and definitely not dropping 'witty' one-liners all the time.
Good to know, thanks for the info
Early Roger Moore, before he got silly.
George Lazenby was the Bond who got married, and she was subsequently murdered. Moore carries that sense of loss similarly to what happens in the books.
Oh I do love Moore, so that's excellent
Woody Allen
The Bond books are a BLAST.
I'm waiting on the Folio Society to finish their illustrated harcover set (one more book to go!)
https://www.foliosociety.com/usa/authors/ian-fleming-s-james-bond
Yes, casual racism and sexism, but not necessarily in a way you might expect.
For example, in the first book, Casino Royale, there's the typical setup... here's your mission in an exotic location, here's your gear, here's your beautiful assistant...
"Bond was not amused. 'What the hell do they want to send me a woman for?' he said bitterly. 'Do they think this is a bloody picnic?'"
Full text free on Project Gutenberg Canada:
https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/flemingi-casinoroyale/flemingi-casinoroyale-00-h.html
Bond being a womanizer is no surprise really. I obviously don't support that kind of behavior, but characters are often more interesting when they are flawed. Even if the flaws were unintentional on the part of the author. (Thanks for the resources btw)
The womanizer part is to be expected, it's the whole "What am I supposed to do with a beautiful woman in a luxury casino?" aspect that I found funny.
I haven’t read the books myself, but I’ve heard there’s a lot of casual racism and sexism. Then again, we’re talking about books published in the 50s and 60s, so that’s not surprising.
I’m not saying this to discourage you, it’s only to provide a heads up.
Product of their time I suppose. I'm a big fan of HP Lovecraft so I'm no stranger to some questionable content lmao.
They're a lot of fun. Just don't go in expecting balls to the wall action and goofy one-liners like the movies; as someone else said they're more spy/detective stories than action adventures. That said, there's still plenty of action and they do move along at a pretty good clip.
One thing that stood out to me when I went through a period of reading a whole bunch of them is how much they focus on Bond's likes, dislikes and interests. It's not just shaken or stirred vodka martinis and Walther PPKs, the books often go into a fair amount of detail about what Bond takes for breakfast, what kind of products or activities he likes and so on.
While it had nothing in common with the movie, I thoroughly enjoyed Quantum of Solace from a short story compilation I picked up titled For Your Eyes Only. It has no action and is primarily dialogue. Short and poignant.
A lot of misogyny, racism, sexism but fun quick read. Not an action adventure but an quick paced spy novel.
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