31 replies to this topic

[00Twelve]

Fleming obviously had a certain knack for titles, and has been flattered for such by the array of titles given to the novels written by other authors to continue the Bond series. My question to my fellow CBn'ers is:

Which title do you think sounds the most like a title of which Fleming would have conceived?

Feel free, dear moderators, to create a poll if so desired. I'm just looking for opinions on this one.

To start off, I think that "For Special Services" sounds the most "Flemingesque" by far, especially considering the original context of the phrase.

Others?

[sharpshooter]

Icebreaker isn't a bad title. Fleming might have done something like that.

[Sbott]

I've always preferred the title's from Gardners era.
My favourite and arguably most Flemingesque being Nobody Lives Forever.

I would like to know if anybody can define the rules of a Flemingesque title.

[zencat]

For Special Services (probably the best post-Fleming title)
Icebreaker
Nobody Lives Forever
Brokenclaw
SilverFin
By Royal Command

[sharpshooter]

By Royal Command is definitely right up there. It's better than most of the adult Bond continuation titles.

[Joey Bond]

I'm actually gonna go for High Time to Kill (not because its my favorite non-Fleming book)

Before you cruxify me, consider how Fleming likes to twist around some old sayings (Live and let live, You only live once). HTTK sounds a lot like one of these kinds of titles.

[[dark]]

For Special Services (probably the best post-Fleming title)
Icebreaker
Nobody Lives Forever
Brokenclaw
SilverFin
By Royal Command

I'd agree with pretty much all of these, with the exception of "SilverFin".

I also love the title "Never Dream of Dying", which sounds like a bit of a mish-mash, but sounds very Fleming-esque, in my opinion.

[MkB]

I'd go for:

• Devil May Care (brilliant title! - and I insist on title... )
• For Special Services (even though maybe Fleming wouldn't have added that title after On Her Majesty's Secret Service?)
• Zero Minus Ten (enigmatic enough to be Flemingesque, IMO)

[marktmurphy]

Devil May Care is the best for me.
Brokenclaw has that Fleming feel, too.

Thing is, a Fleming title is whateevr he said it was- there's often nothing in common between any of them. Imagine how disappointed we'd all be if the filmmakers -and not Fleming- came up with the title 'From Russia With Love'for Bond 23. Doesn't sound like any of the other Bond titles and it's rather twee, isn't it?

[Mister E]

I've always preferred the title's from Gardners era.

Me too. I actually liked the titles of his books more then the actual content. FOR SPECIAL SERVICES and ROLE OF HONOR are among my favorites.

[Sbott]

I actually liked the titles of his books more then the actual content.

How true!

[Double-Oh Agent]

I think that Brokenclaw and The Facts Of Death are the two most Flemingesque titles.

And FYI, No Deals, Mr. Bond is the least Flemingesque title. It is easily the worst in the series. Blackfriar would have been a much better title for it and would have sounded much more Fleming-like.

[quantumofsolace]

The problem with the likes of For Special Services or Nobody Lives Forever is that they sound just too Flemingesque. He wouldn't have written these titles. There needs to be some originality from the author that writes the book to create a good Bond title(Gardner had little control over this) and so Bloodfever wins. It sounds Fleming without being a cliche.

[_JW_]

I don't believe it's been mentioned in this thread yet, but my vote goes to Never Send Flowers. At the very least it's good enough to be a chapter title in a Fleming novel.

[Double-Oh Agent]

I don't believe it's been mentioned in this thread yet, but my vote goes to Never Send Flowers. At the very least it's good enough to be a chapter title in a Fleming novel.

I wouldn't put Never Send Flowers as a Flemingesque book title, myself, but I will agree with you that it does sound like something he would use for a chapter title.

[K1Bond007]

I'd go for:

• Devil May Care (brilliant title! - and I insist on title... )
• For Special Services (even though maybe Fleming wouldn't have added that title after On Her Majesty's Secret Service?)
• Zero Minus Ten (enigmatic enough to be Flemingesque, IMO)

This is the exact list I'd choose. Zero Minus Ten is a great title IMO. Zero Minus, Zero, and Zero Plus were all chapter titles in Moonraker. I always thought that's where the title derived from anyway, though there is probably no proof of that. By Royal Command could be Fleming. Maybe.

[HildebrandRarity]

The Man With The Red Tattoo seems the most blatant Flemingizing of a non-Fleming Bond book.

I also think Death Is Forever and High Time To Kill are rather Flemingesque.

Per Fine Ounce seems like a hell of a title Eon *could* use one day. It has that Bondian mystery to it. A lot better than Hell Is Here.

By Royal Command seems like it's directly channeling OHMSS.

[spynovelfan]

Colonel Sun (despite it being an obvious copy of Dr No).
Per Fine Ounce, if we can count that.
Licence Renewed.
Devil May Care.

I think most of the rest don't sound like Fleming titles precisely because they're trying so hard to.

[K1Bond007]

Colonel Sun (despite it being an obvious copy of Dr No).
Per Fine Ounce, if we can count that.
Licence Renewed.
Devil May Care.

I think most of the rest don't sound like Fleming titles precisely because they're trying so hard to.

That's my problem with so many of them is that they try way too hard. Per Fine Ounce is a fantastic title too.

[Eurospy]

Although I haven't read the book (yet) I LOVE the title "Devil May Care" (already liked this one before Faulks used it).

The one that seems mostly likely to be used by Fleming (IMHO) without sounding like it's trying to hard is "By Royal Command" (haven't read a single Young Bond either, but I'd like to read them all in a row, and witness the character's evolution).

What about that title that Fleming was supposed to use had he more time among the mortals - My Enemy's Enemy? (or so the rumour goes)

[K1Bond007]

I honestly never really liked My Enemy's Enemy. Besides.. it was an Amis title prior to Fleming's death.

[Eurospy]

I honestly never really liked My Enemy's Enemy. Besides.. it was an Amis title prior to Fleming's death.

I also don't like "My Enemy's Enemy", but if Fleming had came up with it, well... that's Flemingesque, right?

Didn't know that it was an Amis book.

Then is it a false rumour - the whole "My Enemy's Enemy" would be another Bond book by Fleming?

[Single-O-Seven]

It was never listed as a potential title. In one of his notebooks, Fleming had scribbled down the Bulgarian proverb, "My enemy's enemy is my friend." It's just as likely he would have used this phrase in one of his books as a piece of dialogue, but never considered it for a title. I believe it was Pearson's biography that mentioned this scrap of info from Fleming's notes.

[Eurospy]

It was never listed as a potential title. In one of his notebooks, Fleming had scribbled down the Bulgarian proverb, "My enemy's enemy is my friend." It's just as likely he would have used this phrase in one of his books as a piece of dialogue, but never considered it for a title. I believe it was Pearson's biography that mentioned this scrap of info from Fleming's notes.

Ah, now I get it. It's just that I read an article a couple of years ago in some Bond site (not sure if it was this one) that Fleming had some notes about a new novel with the (working title?)"My enemy's enemy", where it was further stated that... my memory's a bit sketchy, but I think it mentioned something about Bond chasing an assassin disguised as a clown (which somewhat brought the OP movie to mind), and something about him having to shoot an agent who's cover was blown. Something like that, perhaps.

Don't want to start any kind of false rumours, though, I might just be getting some facts wrong.

[HildebrandRarity]

Per Fine Ounce seems like a hell of a title Eon *could* use one day. It has that Bondian mystery to it. A lot better than Hell Is Here.

As per Per Fine Ounce above, I suppose a rejected manuscript by a colleague of the recently-deceased Fleming doesn't really count in terms of the thread title per se.

However, it's a non-Fleming title of sorts and if Bond were to go to South Africa to investigate bizzare happenings in the gold mining sector, I think it'd make a fine title.

Excuse all the puns above.

[Greene Planet]

I think Fleming would have used "my enemy's enemy" as a chapter title in a 15th 007 book.

[Vauxhall]

I think DEVIL MAY CARE is a fantastic title, and would be very open to it being used for a future movie.

[Greene Planet]

I honestly don't think that fans of Bond films would go see it, mainly because of the title. Parents might get the wrong idea. I believe it would exactly it would a box-office hit. Sorry.

[Qwerty]

A few of my picks:

• Colonel Sun
• Licence Renewed
• Never Send Flowers
• Zero Minus Ten
• Devil May Care

[Greene Planet]

Here's my list:

1/ For Special Services
2/ Zero Minus Ten
3/ Colonel Sun
4/ Nobody Lives Forever
5/ By Royal Command