Recommendation for next Fleming story

Discussion & Review Forum For James Bond Books Written By James Bond's Creator Ian Lancaster Fleming (May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964)
Post Reply
paulri
New Recruit
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2015 3:45 am

Recommendation for next Fleming story

Post by paulri »

I've just started reading Ian Fleming. I started with Diamonds are Forever, which I thought was very good. My next book was Casino Royale, which I also liked a lot. My most recent one was Goldfinger, which I thought was pretty bad. If Goldfinger were my first, I'd probably have not touched another Fleming novel. Not sure exactly what I disliked about it. I'm thinking that it had a little more of the emphasis on bizarre and hi tech gadgets and weapons (the blade that almost cut his privates; the idea of nuking Ft. Knox).

One thing that has been a pleasant surprise is that in the Fleming novels, Bond appears more human and fallible, instead of the supersonic spy god that he is portrayed in the films.

OK, after all this--are there some novels that folks here would recommend over others? Honestly I had to force myself to finish Goldfinger. I enjoyed the first two so much I'd love to give another one a try. I looked on wikipedia and saw that Goldfinger and Casino were early novels. Did the Bond character simply develop into the Goldfinger-esque characters (implying that I should stick with the early ones)? Or are these novels all subjective, kind of like there's no way to tell which ones I'd like or dislike?
User avatar
Kristatos
OO Moderator
OO Moderator
Posts: 12524
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:26 pm
Location: St. Cyril's

Re: Recommendation for next Fleming story

Post by Kristatos »

Welcome to the forum, paulri. It is true that the fantasy elements are more pronounced in the later novels. Maybe you should try reading them in order of publication. The short stories tend to be more down-to-earth as well.
"He's the one that doesn't smile" - Queen Elizabeth II on Daniel Craig
User avatar
Daltonite Toothpaste
Single O
Posts: 883
Joined: Tue May 22, 2012 2:35 pm
Favorite Bond Movie: The Living Daylights, Licence To Kill, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, From Russia With Love, Tomorrow Never Dies & For Your Eyes Only.
Favorite Movies: American Mary, Deadlier Than The Male, Dracula, Saved, The Big Sleep, The French Connection, Under The Sand

Re: Recommendation for next Fleming story

Post by Daltonite Toothpaste »

I agree with Kristatos, read them in order of publication. I didn't like Goldfinger either, my main gripe is the same as the film, it's too god d**n slow. Moonraker is my favourite, so i'd recommend that one. But yes, try them in order of publication, especially OHMSS > YOLT > TMWTGG.
Image
paulri
New Recruit
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2015 3:45 am

Re: Recommendation for next Fleming story

Post by paulri »

OK that looks like a good enough strategy. I've got a multi-novel edition, and Moonraker is in it, so that will be next. Besides, Netflix has the film that I'll treat myself to, after I'm done with the book.

Yeah agree on Goldfinger being slow. The golf match was agonizingly slow for me.... that was one of the times I almost put it down.

I've been so pleasantly surprised with teh quality of Fleming's writing, that I'm more than willing to give him another chance.

Thanks to you both for your input.
User avatar
Kiwichris
Lieutenant-Commander
Posts: 286
Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2014 9:36 am
Favorite Bond Movie: GoldenEye, Licence to Kill, The Living Daylights, You Only Live Twice, The World is Not Enough, Casino Royale, For Your Eyes Only
Favorite Movies: Star Wars, V for Vendetta, Dredd, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Braveheart, Raimi Spider-Man Films, Man of Steel, Zulu, Indiana Jones, Road to Perdition, Enemy at the Gates
Location: New Zealand

Re: Recommendation for next Fleming story

Post by Kiwichris »

Hi and welcome :cheers:, I totally agree about Goldfinger too, I also struggled through it. It is way too slow and littered with the most outrageous plot holes (even for Fleming). The movie fixed up a lot of them and made it a more enjoyable story to follow.
Daltonite Toothpaste wrote:... try them in order of publication, especially OHMSS > YOLT > TMWTGG.
Those 3 in particular need to be read in order as they have spoilers for the novels that precede them. Also, read Thunderball before those as all four lead into one another as a sort of quadrilogy. Be sure to read Live and Let Die before Dr. No as well as several characters from LALD pop up in Dr. No.

As for the rest, you can get away with reading them out of order (the short stories particularly) but reading them in order will show you how the characters progress and some novels make reference to earlier novels which may slip past if you haven't read an earlier novel. For example you read Casino Royale before Goldfinger. In Goldfinger one of the card players from CR (Junius Du Pont) recognizes Bond and asks him to figure out how Goldfinger is cheating at cards. If you hadn't read CR first you wouldn't have known who Du Pont was.
"Dalton makes an effective Bond - lacking Sean Connery's grace and humor, and Roger Moore's suave self-mockery, but with a lean tension and a toughness that is possibly more contemporary" - Roger Ebert
Image
User avatar
Capt. Sir Dominic Flandry
OO Moderator
OO Moderator
Posts: 2968
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2007 12:06 pm
Favorite Bond Movie: Moonraker
Goldfinger
The Spy Who Loved Me
Favorite Movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Crazy For Christmas, The Empire Strikes Back, League of Gentlemen (1960's British film), Big Trouble in Little China, Police Academy 2, Carry On At Your Convenience, Commando, Halloween III: Season of the Witch,
Location: Terra

Re: Recommendation for next Fleming story

Post by Capt. Sir Dominic Flandry »

OHMSS is a corker.
Image
Post Reply