Classic Bond Forum

I finished reading Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton recently. Sadly it shares lot in common with Ian's TMWTGG, both tomes were finished thou unpolished manuscripts delivered to the publishes after the authors death, both sadly show the lack of the authors finishing touches. I am actually looking forward to Steven Spielberg's interpretation of Michael's story. Since Michael was not able to finish the novel to his own satisfaction himself I believe Steven will make a movie worthy of the story Michael intended.

Michael Crichton died in November 2008.

I read The Stand by Stephen King. I really enjoyed it and was surprised that I'd never read it before as I love Stephen King and it is one of his most famous books.

Hunger Games
Um..... Compelling to read a littel bit dark at times but still a sweet over all theme of human reistance and compassion for the fellow man. But it is told from a neurotic teenagers pov.

I LOVED all 3 of the Hunger Games books. I took the first book with me on my cruise last year, thinking that I would be so busy with all the other stuff on the ship that I wouldn't read it...well I stayed up late every night-I had to find out what happened next-and I bought the other 2 books soon after I got home.

hard book to put down. I read it until morning .

In a way it's very good message especially for kids with poor self images, Katness didn't think she had a compelling personal story or beautiful, or a survivor and she was. It's good idea to put in to kids heads because so many will have a bad self image. especially young girls.

I found it a little disturbing how down on herself and from the second book how harsh she can be on herself but if the kids reading it see that she is wrong maybe when ever they think the same kind of thing maybe they remember the books and think maybe it just that they can not see it but maybe everyone else around them does.

FInished the Hunger Games trilogy, um , wow. A little disturbing Katniss mental stat in the 3rd

Re-read Dune by Frank Hurbert for got to be the umpteenth time. An incredible work of pure genius, a literary masterpiece. Too bad the rest of the books Frank wrote in the Dune Series were more or less pot boilers.

Just starting The Gun Seller by Dr. Hou..sorry, Hugh Laurie. It's supposed to be a spoof of the spy genre.

The Twelve by Justin Cronin. It's the sequel to The Passage .How best to describe it? Take equal parts The Stand and The Walking Dead, add some Dracula and a pinch of 28 Days Later.

Read the whole of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman in one sitting recently. I'd seen the TV mini-series on which it was based back when it was first broadcast, but that was around 20 years ago, so I only had a vague recollection of it. It's the show that almost got Paterson Joseph the role of the Eleventh Doctor, but he lost out to Matt Smith at the last moment.

A Storm Of Swords by George RR Martin-the third book in the Game Of Thrones series.

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

I've recently reread Lord of the Rings saga, and last year I read most of the Sharpe's saga (over 20 books) by Bernard Cornwell. Total books read last year has got to be double the previous number, Digital books make all the difference.

I read Enemy at the Gates by William Craig about the battle of Stalingrad. The bit about the Italian cannibals in the prisoner of war camps was a bit grisly.

carl stromberg wrote:I read Enemy at the Gates by William Craig about the battle of Stalingrad. The bit about the Italian cannibals in the prisiiner of war camps was a bit grisly.

What do you think of the movie version?

Divergent by Veronica Roth..a dystopic, Hunger Games type book.I'm enjoying it,

FormerBondFan wrote:

carl stromberg wrote:I read Enemy at the Gates by William Craig about the battle of Stalingrad. The bit about the Italian cannibals in the prisiiner of war camps was a bit grisly.

What do you think of the movie version?

The film is more for entertainment but it is watchable.

kater23 wrote:Divergent by Veronica Roth..a dystopic, Hunger Games type book.I'm enjoying it,

You should read The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King!).

I've not read a lot of his stuff but I might have to start..I actually own The Stand but I think I'll wait until flu season is over to try reading it.


Currently reading Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan.

Ha ha, I just re-read TSWLM because have just read the first three Young Bond books... I was surprised how both well written they are, and the 'strange' target audience supposedly of teenagers. There's plenty of horrific violence, on par with the original Flemings. They also have a bit of the Fleming Touch, which the 'official older Bond' writers have not been able to pull off for the most part. Silverfin begins with a hats off to CR, "the sweat and smell of a boys' school...." and fromn there we're treated to Bond's aunt who drives a Bentley; he learns how to fight and so on. On TSWLM, it's a kick that the bad guys are reduced to stealing TV sets for extra pay! I suppose their 'Blofeld' is scrimping on the salaries! (And don't forget those plenty of Fleming exclamation points!)