92 replies to this topic

[Double-Oh Agent]

We've had a number of polls for various favorite James Bond items in films so I thought I might start some for dealing with the novels.

So with that in mind, what is your favorite Ian Fleming novel?

My favorite is From Russia, With Love. It's taut, suspenseful, and is a great spy story. It's slightly different than his other work but no less effective. It's the cream of the crop for me.

[Loomis]

"You Only Live Twice". Brilliant to a degree that is almost stupefying.

I'd explain why I feel this way, only I've done so already on about a gazillion other threads, so I'll spare y'all this time.

[ACE]

The Novels
1. You Only Live Twice 1964
2. Live And Let Die 1954
3. Casino Royale 1953
4. From Russia With Love 1957
5. Moonraker 1955
6. The Spy Who Loved Me 1962
7. On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1963
8. Diamonds Are Forever 1956
9. Goldfinger 1959
10.) Thunderball 1961
11.) Dr No 1958
12.) The Man With The Golden Gun 1965

The Short Stories
1.) The Hilderbrand Rarity 1960
2.) Quantum Of Solace 1959
3.) The Living Daylights 1962
4.) For Your Eyes Only 1960
5.) Risico 1960
6.) Octopussy 1966
7.) From A View To A Kill 1960
8.) 007 in New York 1964
9.) The Property Of A Lady 1963

[MarcAngeDraco]

My favorite is 'Casino Royale'. But OHMSS is up there very close behind...

[dinovelvet]

I'd say YOLT too. And also a book that probably nobody else will mention - its not necessarily the best, but one of the books that really surprised me was DR.NO. Curiously, it had a much more brisk pace than the movie, which added the Prof.Dent and Ms.Taro subplots that just fill time before Bond can get over to Crab Key. Dr.No is a much more bizarre and insane character in the book, and the endurance course in the pipes is one of the most memorable in all of Fleming's work. And I don't need to mention Dr.No's absolutely classic demise.

[Qwerty]

Casino Royale
Live And Let Die
Moonraker
Diamonds Are Forever
From Russia With Love
Doctor No
Goldfinger
For Your Eyes Only
Thunderball
The Spy Who Loved Me
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
You Only Live Twice
The Man With The Golden Gun
Octopussy & The Living Daylights

Favourite: Doctor No

[tdalton]

My favorite favorite Fleming novel is definitely Casino Royale.

[K1Bond007]

From Russia with Love followed by Casino Royale.

[Double-Oh Agent]

I'd rank Fleming's novels like this:

1. From Russia, With Love
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3. Thunderball
4. Doctor No
5. Live And Let Die
6. Casino Royale
7. Goldfinger
8. Diamonds Are Forever
9. Moonraker
10. You Only Live Twice
11. The Man With The Golden Gun
12. The Spy Who Loved Me
13. For Your Eyes Only
14. Octopussy and The Living Daylights


I'd rank his short stories like this:

1. For Your Eyes Only
2. The Living Daylights
3. Risico
4. From A View To A Kill
5. The Hildebrand Rarity
6. The Property Of A Lady
7. Octopussy
8. Quantum Of Solace
9. 007 In New York


By the way Qwerty, can you make this a poll? Thanks.

[Jim]

Poll added.

[ACE]

"You Only Live Twice". Brilliant to a degree that is almost stupefying.

I heartily concur.

A description I may also be tempted to apply to the film of TMWTGG....

[Harmsway]

"You Only Live Twice". Brilliant to a degree that is almost stupefying.

I wholeheartedly concur.

[Loomis]

"You Only Live Twice". Brilliant to a degree that is almost stupefying.

I heartily concur.

A description I may also be tempted to apply to the film of TMWTGG....

A temptation well worth yielding to.

[Lazenby880]

It was YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE for me as well, for reasons explored in rather greater depth here. Bewildering, bizarre and beautiful; the very best of James Bond.

As for 'worst', objectively I really should have voted for THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN for a number of reasons. However, so enjoyable are the opening scenes (in comparison with the lacklustre whole) that deal with the repercussions of my favourite novel, I have decided to vote for DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER; a novel that I still enjoy but one that does not inspire me as much as Fleming's other works.

My 'favourite' short story would be THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS, if only because it is the one that I most remember (I read them a couple of years ago and have not revisited them since).

Edited by Lazenby880, 02 May 2006 - 03:02 PM.

[Qwerty]

Voted. My favourite short story was “The Hildebrand Rarity”.

[Byron]

Best novel Live and Let Die.

Worst Goldfinger (last 1/3 less believable than that giant squid) or less likely Diamonds are Forever.

Best short story Hildebrand Rarity or Quantum of Solace (so hard to choose).

Worst short story property of a lady or risico (they're not that bad).

[Doctor Shatterhand]

Here is my list of the best to the worse Fleming novels.

From Russia, with Love
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
You Only Live Twice
Thunderball
Doctor No
Casino Royale
Live and Let Die
Moonraker
The Spy Who Love Me
Diamonds Are Forever
The Man with the Golden Gun
Goldfinger

Let me add that all of Fleming's books are entertaining, just some stretch the possibilities. GF is an excellent example, it has some of the most memorable villains but a plot that is literally impossible. The film is better since the plot is to radiate the gold, not steal it.

Short Stories from best to worse:

The Hildebrandt Rarity
Risico
For Your Eyes Only
The Living Daylights
From a View to a Kill
Octopussy
Quantum of Solace
The Property of a Lady
OO7 in New York

Once again the short stories are entertaining with THR being the best with its gruesome death and the way Fleming leaves the reader hanging. OO7 in New York is only 5 pages long and is only interesting because most fans did not know it existed until the book Thrilling Cities became more available thru used book stores. Yet the most facinating short story is QOS. Bond is merely a spectator in a story about a failed marriage.

But don't take my word for it. Go read them.

[ACE]

Let me add that all of Fleming's books are entertaining

Once again the short stories are entertaining

But don't take my word for it. Go read them.

Totally agree, Dr S.

Especially with your last statement.

Anyone here who hasn't read Fleming, do yourself a favour and start with Casino Royale and devour them in order.

It will change your perception on Bond.

It will change your world...

[Tiin007]

That's so true. When I had only seen the films, I thought I understood Bond. But, as ACE said, the Fleming novels really change your perception on Bond.

[freemo]

Dr. No.

First one I read and still my favorite. Top-notch thriller. The bit with the centipede, Dr. No telling his life story over diner, the obstacle course. Love it all. It's so outlandish you can't not love it.

[spynovelfan]

My favourite Fleming novels are

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
MOONRAKER
LIVE AND LET DIE
CASINO ROYALE
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE

In that order - today, anyway. Of the short stories, my favourites are

OCTOPUSSY
THE HILDEBRAND RARITY
A QUANTUM OF SOLACE
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS

I find it hard to put them in any order at all. I think these four stories contain some of Fleming's very best writing. In the novels he took the thriller to new places. But in these stories he was free to experiment more, and I think he went beyond the thriller into that perilous territory academics like to call Literature.

[Bon-san]

My favourite Fleming novels are

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
MOONRAKER
LIVE AND LET DIE
CASINO ROYALE
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE

In that order - today, anyway. Of the short stories, my favourites are

OCTOPUSSY
THE HILDEBRAND RARITY
A QUANTUM OF SOLACE
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS

I find it hard to put them in any order at all. I think these four stories contain some of Fleming's very best writing. In the novels he took the thriller to new places. But in these stories he was free to experiment more, and I think he went beyond the thriller into that perilous territory academics like to call Literature.

Good lord, man, you've read my mind. Although I might juggle the order of the novels a bit, FRWL is indeed my fave, with the other five on your list in spots 2-6. And your listing of the short stories is in perfect order.

Well done.

[spynovelfan]

I also put FRWL top and switch the others around according to mood. For me, FRWL is the pinnacle of thriller-writing. Everything comes together. The plot is near-flawless, the pacing perfect, the characterisation surprisingly in-depth, the prose is the most consistently assured. I find it his most satisfying, exciting and coherent book. While parts of others better it, as a whole FRWL seems to me the best of his novels. But I think his best short stories are even better.

[Arch Stanton]

Novels:

The Man With The Golden Gun ****
Diamonds Are Forever ****
Casino Royale ****
From Russia With Love ***1/2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service ***1/2
The Spy Who Loved Me ***1/2
Goldfinger ***1/2
Moonraker ***
Thunderball ***
Live And Let Die **1/2
Doctor No *1/2
You Only Live Twice *

Short Stories:

Quantum Of Solace ****
The Living Daylights ****
Octopussy ****
Risico ****
The Hildebrand Rarity ***1/2
The Property Of A Lady ***
For Your Eyes Only ***
From A View To A Kill **
007 In New York 1/2

[MarcAngeDraco]

Anyone here who hasn't read Fleming, do yourself a favour and start with Casino Royale and devour them in order.

It will change your perception on Bond.

It will change your world...

Well said ACE!!

[Robert Watts]

Well I've been reading them in order (chronological order given in 'James Bond- The Man and His World') And I finished OHMSS about an hour ago. I can honestly say that I don't really like any of them more then the others- though I didn't enjoy Dr. No as much, so I will be voting that as my least favourite (perhaps I dislike it because it is rather formulaic)

[dinovelvet]

Novels:

The Man With The Golden Gun ****

Hmm...what is it you like about this book?

[Arch Stanton]

Novels:

The Man With The Golden Gun ****

Hmm...what is it you like about this book?

Pretty much everything. Was the funnest one to read IMO. Diamonds Are Forever is second on my list for the same reasons. Those two were just very enjoyable.

[Qwerty]

In the novels he took the thriller to new places. But in these stories he was free to experiment more, and I think he went beyond the thriller into that perilous territory academics like to call Literature.

So right. Starting a Fleming short story is just as enjoyable and exciting as one of his novels.

[sir_hilary_bray]

"From Russia, With Love," is my favorite. Looking back on it during my first read, I didn't think that it would be, since it seems like a while before Bond enters the story. But the beginning description of SMERSH operations and the realism and accuracy of it all is very exciting. I would argue that it could even be considered historical, if Fleming got it right, which I'm sure he did.
But I enjoyed all of the novels. Except that I have never found a copy of "The Spy Who Loved Me," so I have never read it, nor really wish to. I had heard that it was Fleming's least favorite, and taken first person from the woman's point of view. What does everyone else think of it? Should I try to hunt down a copy?