Cheex Incarnate 0 Report post Posted December 30, 2003 I sure have. Way better than the movies (especially the post Goldfinger Brosnan outings). If you're not familiar with them, I recomend Casino Royale by Ian Flemming (the first, and my favorite), Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis (good quality villian, way better than gay ass fucking diamond face guy) and Man With the Red Tattoo by Raymond Benson. Casino Royale has a pretty brutal torture scene that would just scare, confuse, and anger any fans of the newer films. -Cheex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Young 0 Report post Posted December 31, 2003 Call me strange, but I've only seen 1 Bond movie. That was GoldenEye, which I loved since I had been such a huge fan of the game. I've been meaning to watch some of the other 007 movies on Spike TV, but these books sound really cool, too. How much are they, around $8 like most paperback books? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cheex Incarnate 0 Report post Posted December 31, 2003 They usually go for about 10-12 and all the Ian Flemming novels just got rereleased with cool new covers. I'm serious, if you like the series, or want to get into it, GO BUY THESE BOOKS! -Cheex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jimbo Report post Posted December 31, 2003 Meh, I read one, it's just not the same. The plot and everything is a little better in the book and usually the whole thing actually makes some sense, but i don't really care about all that when it comes to Bond. I want to see cool gadgest in action, senseless explosions, chase scenes, and women taking their clothes off-- all of which are better in the movies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zorin Industries 0 Report post Posted December 31, 2003 I use my pyschic powers to predict that MrZsasz will post in this thread. Just wait and see Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Masked Man of Mystery 0 Report post Posted January 1, 2004 I read Cold Fall, which I can honestly say I like better than all of the Bond movies I've seen, with the possible exception of Goldfinger. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boner Kawanger 0 Report post Posted January 2, 2004 In the fifth grade, when GoldenEye came out and I first discovered Bond, I was reading The Man With the Golden Gun in class and my teacher took me out in the hall and told me I couldnt read Bond books in her class anymore. Now, five years later, I can barely muster up enough enthusiasm to read a short story. I know it sounds like I'm just being whiny and blaming her for my lack of participation, but I used to love reading. Until that day. When a teacher told me, a student, that I couldn't read a certain book for no reason. There was no naked girl on the cover. My parents approved, it was checked out on my mom's library account. But I've just always seen that as fucked up. I wasn't going around pretending to shoot students or trying to seduce anyone. In fact, I was the smartest person in that class. I'm not saying that. It was proven. I have a ribbon that says it. The moral of the story: Teachers suck. Ribbons rule. And I like The Living Daylights. That's a cool story. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest TheZsaszHorsemen Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Zorin is good. I've read them all: 13 Fleming novels, 16 Gardner novels, and 6 Benson novels. I read the Fleming ones last as I picked them up during the very recent paperback re-release and I'm patiently awaiting the final two novels ("The Man With the Golden Gun" and "Octopussy and The Living Daylights"). The Gardner ones I got out of the library and I hope they get a re-release soon because they're very hard to find for sale. The Benson ones are very recent and I managed to them all as well. On the whole, except for a few misses from Gardner and Benson, they're all excellent. If you want to get into the post-Fleming stuff be warned that Gardner writes a far more politically bent Bond, and Benson's stuff is indistinguishable from the films. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest TheZsaszHorsemen Report post Posted January 3, 2004 For people who want to begin reading them, I guess I should sketch out the continuity for you: First DO NOT READ THEM IN THE ORDER OF THE FILMS. That's the most common mistake. The order of publication is as follows: CR LALD MR DAF FRWL DN GF FYEO TB TSWLM OHMSS YOLT TMWTGG OATLD Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, From Russia With Love, and Goldfinger all deal with Bond's conflicts with various members of SMERSH, the Soviet assassination and counterintelligence organization. They should be read in that order. With each book Bond moves farther and farther up SMERSH's chani of command and the schemes get bigger and bigger. Diamonds are Forever which was published in between Live and Let Die and Moonraker, and Dr. No which was published in between From Russia With Love and Goldfinger are stand alone novels with self-contained stories. Though Dr. No should be read after From Russia With Love because it resolves the cliffhanger in that book. For Your Eyes Only is a collection of short stories (From A View to A Kill, For Your Eyes Only, Risico, A Quantum of Solace, The Hindlebrand Rarity) by Ian Fleming. The next largest plotline after the SMERSH arc is the SPECTRE trilogy: Thunderball, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and You Only Live Twice. These should be read in order, and The Man With the Golden Gun after that because it resolves You Only Live Twice's ending. The Spy Who Loved Me is an experimental novel with a female viewpoint told in first person, and has no bearing on the SPECTRE trilogy. Octopussy and The Living Daylights is a collection of 3 short stories (Octopussy, The Living Daylights, The Property of a Lady). So it breaks down like this: 1. Bond vs. SMERSH - CR - LALD - MR - FRWL - GF 2. SPECTRE Trilogy - TB - OHMSS - YOLT 3. Stand Alone Novels - DAF - DN* - TSWLM - TMWTGG** 4. Short Story Collections - FYEO - OPATLD *- Resolves plot threads of FRWL and ideally should be read after that, even though it doesn't concern SMERSH. **- Resolves plot threads of YOLT and ideally should be read after that, even though it doesn't concern SPECTRE. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Masked Man of Mystery 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Thanks for that Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boner Kawanger 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 For people who want to begin reading them, I guess I should sketch out the continuity for you: First DO NOT READ THEM IN THE ORDER OF THE FILMS. That's the most common mistake. The order of publication is as follows: CR LALD MR DAF FRWL DN GF FYEO TB TSWLM OHMSS YOLT TMWTGG OATLD Of course, the FIRST one I read was OATLD. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Special K 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2004 Bond books are pretty good pulp entertainment, but nothing special. One of the things that makes the movies great is the sexuality. Bond obviously has nymnerous conquests, but it's always been done in a tasteful, sorta 'nudge nudge' style. The overt vulgarity (Which I certainly don't mind in other settings) sorta ruins the kitschy appeal, though my expectations probably have been propogated by the movies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest TheZsaszHorsemen Report post Posted January 5, 2004 Bond books are pretty good pulp entertainment, but nothing special. One of the things that makes the movies great is the sexuality. Bond obviously has nymnerous conquests, but it's always been done in a tasteful, sorta 'nudge nudge' style. The overt vulgarity (Which I certainly don't mind in other settings) sorta ruins the kitschy appeal, though my expectations probably have been propogated by the movies. That's because Fleming's biggest literary influence was Raymond Chandler. It isn't the pop-spy fantasy of the films, it's hard-boiled and the sex reflects that. Oddly enough, I don't think the Fleming books are THAT sexual, only the recent Benson ones seem that erotic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest TheZsaszHorsemen Report post Posted January 7, 2004 Oh and I never got around to talking about John Gardner. Her wrote some really good work, that wasn't really appreciated in it's day. His novels were: License Renewed For Special Services Icebreaker Role of Honour Nobody Lives Forever "No Deals, Mr. Bond" Scorpius Win Lose or Die Brokenclaw The Man From Barbarossa Death is Forever Never Send Flowers SeaFire Cold Fall His SPECTRE trilogy was FSS, ROH, and NLF. His best novels are probobly IB, ROH, NLF, DIF, NSF, and CF Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sass 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 I'm a huge Bond fan but never read any of the books. My dad did and he said he loved them (I imagine he did not read them in order). Personally I appreciate the list you came up with Zsasz that lists the books in the right order to read them in. Thanks. I'll try to make time sometime soon here to go out and actually read the books. I think my dad might still have some of his old Bond books lying around... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Masked Man of Mystery 0 Report post Posted January 11, 2004 Oh and I never got around to talking about John Gardner. Her wrote some really good work, that wasn't really appreciated in it's day. His novels were: License Renewed For Special Services Icebreaker Role of Honour Nobody Lives Forever "No Deals, Mr. Bond" Scorpius Win Lose or Die Brokenclaw The Man From Barbarossa Death is Forever Never Send Flowers SeaFire Cold Fall His SPECTRE trilogy was FSS, ROH, and NLF. His best novels are probobly IB, ROH, NLF, DIF, NSF, and CF Does Sukie Tempesta show up in another novel besides Cold Fall? That's the only Bond novel i've read, and I can't recalls seeig her in any of the movies I've seen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest TheZsaszHorsemen Report post Posted January 12, 2004 Oh and I never got around to talking about John Gardner. Her wrote some really good work, that wasn't really appreciated in it's day. His novels were: License Renewed For Special Services Icebreaker Role of Honour Nobody Lives Forever "No Deals, Mr. Bond" Scorpius Win Lose or Die Brokenclaw The Man From Barbarossa Death is Forever Never Send Flowers SeaFire Cold Fall His SPECTRE trilogy was FSS, ROH, and NLF. His best novels are probobly IB, ROH, NLF, DIF, NSF, and CF Does Sukie Tempesta show up in another novel besides Cold Fall? That's the only Bond novel i've read, and I can't recalls seeig her in any of the movies I've seen. She was intro'd in Nobody Lives Forever. It's probobly best that you read CF first because the turning is kinda illogical when both novels are read back-to-back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest TheZsaszHorsemen Report post Posted February 17, 2004 I also forgot to mention that Never Send Flowers, SeaFire, and Cold Fall all form the "Flicka" trilogy. Flicka is the only girl post-Tracy that Bond proposed to. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest hunger4unger Report post Posted February 19, 2004 I've read one or two, several years ago. Pretty good reads. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest thebigjig Report post Posted February 19, 2004 I find Fleming kind of hard to get into at times... although Casino Royale is a masterpiece and I've read it several times... and On Her Majesty's Secret Service is also a good read, and the movie follows it very very closely Raymond Benson was okay... although at times I felt his writing was kind of hokey Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
