tIt’s interesting reading the James Bond Books and seeing how James will change appearance in my minds’ eye. For intense whenever he is doing something like fighting, or shooting a gun, I picture the Daniel Craig Bond. When he is being suave and a ladies man I picture Sean Connery. I guess it just plays up how much seeing an actor portray a novel character can affect you. Even if you have never seen one of those movies, I think it would be hard for anyone to not picture at least one of the actors who have played Bond. I just think that’s interesting.
I recall reading somewhere that Ian was a bit of a raciest and a sexist and anyone reading this book wouldn’t doubt either. Chapter Five of the book is titled “Nigger Heaven”, and apparently, nigger heaven is a dark, musty, nightclub. Even the way Ian will have a black character speck is ridiculous. Just try to imagine someone doing their raciest and stereotypically version of how a black person talks and you’ll have a good idea how Ian writes their dialogue. The scene where Bond and Solitaire nearly make love on the train is pretty shitty too. It reminded me of a guy I used to work with that would spend his breaks working on his novel, and when he actually let me read some it, the part where the hero and the girl hook up for the first time, it was pretty clear that he had never fucked a girl in his life. It’s just filled with corny dialogue and it’s so over the top. It comes off as more funny then sexy or erotic.
The villain is much scarier and seemingly unstoppable. He is just so cold and in control. He could be someone who exists in the real world, and that element of realism makes him terrifying to me. More so than a lot of villains I’ve read about.

#67 of 2020

Very entertaining!!

Reading the James Bond source novels provides a different perspective on the famous fictional spy. Live and Let Die is one of the more exotic entries in the series.

The basic plot of Live and Let Die was co-opted for the movie of the same name, but with several of the complexities streamlined for the different medium. In print, the story took Bond from New York City, through Florida and eventually on to Jamaica. He was on the trail of mysterious gold coins being distributed by Mr. Big, a fiercely intelligent and very deadly Harlem kingpin, as part of a complex scheme orchestrated by Bond’s Soviet enemies.

The cast included Bond’s C.I.A. friend Felix Leiter and the sultry Solitaire, a psychic under the control of Mr. Big. The action included a brawl in Mr. Big’s Harlem fortress; a tense train ride southward; a brutal fight in a St. Petersburg marine warehouse; a treacherous swim through shark- and barracuda-infested waters off of Jamaica; and a bruising final showdown on a small Caribbean island. All the proceedings were haunted by the specter of mysterious Voodoo rites.

Fans used to Bond being nearly perfect might be shocked at how often he was taken by surprise in Live and Let Die. Bond needed ingenuity just to get out of the tight spots he landed in with alarming regularity. The spy took some real lumps and many of his allies wound up even worse off than him. Mr. Big was a formidable adversary who basically allowed Bond to survive their first encounter as an antidote to his personal boredom.

Familiar Bond tropes are on display, of course. He was a bruising fighter with good strategic instincts. Good with a gun and a real draw for the ladies. Bond was fearless, liked his martinis shaken (not stirred) and appreciated a good meal. High standards in clothes, cars and guns were important to him.

Keep in mind that Ian Fleming wrote Live and Let Die decades before the term “politically correct” was even a gleam in an activist’s eye. Bond’s attitudes toward women and minorities were suffused with early 20th century upper crust British elitism. The attitudes were period-accurate, but some of Bond’s thoughts might shock a reader not used to that kind of blunt chauvinism and racial condescension. Bond’s complete belief in the superiority of British morality and the necessity of the Empire’s intervention in world affairs was unshakeable and on full display. Even his American allies came in for a less-than-flattering appraisal (though a Brit criticizing any other country’s food is a bridge too far).

Taken on its own terms, though, Live and Let Die is a compulsively readable spy thriller. Bond was a magnetic central character, the far-ranging adventure was compelling throughout and the action sequences delivered the danger and excitement fans of the genre desire. There was real tension and a great dramatic payoff.

There may come a day when the attitudes on display in a book like Live and Let Die put it out of reach of many readers. If it’s understandable why some modern audiences would not want to deal with the less enlightened aspects of Live and Let Die, it’s still a valid exemplar of its cultural moment. A cool, stylish artifact of its period that’s worth delving into for fans of the movie franchise.

A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com

One of the most spectacularly written thrillers ever.

Live and Let die follows Bond and his newfound fixation with the Russian organization SMERSH. This time his mission takes him to the USA, where he is soon entangled in a mesh of 17th century gold, horrific murders and a black gangster-ship.

I genuinely find it odd that Ian Flemming's works have been accused of being racist. Or even misogynistic. He writes with the knowledge of the times, in the true soul of the times. He writes from a point in history that's very different from the present. Any perceived prejudices in his writing would stem from his use of certain phrases and terms that would be termed by some- not all- as derogatory.

The main “nigger” in this book is one of the most intelligent persons Bond has ever met, admitted by himself! That's not racist to me. Words are one thing, intent another. You can address a black man by his real name and still treat him like shit. Blacks call each other that name all the time. The history we share is bleak, true. A lot of bad blood. But change has to start from somewhere. Mere words don't bring about change. Actions do.

It's all well done to me, however. That's what makes the Bond character truly unique. Even with its prejudiced origins, the word “nigger” as used by the author in this book, I have found non-discriminatory. Bringing out the words solely for what they represent, out of the context in which it is used, is wrong, in my opinion. Other words such as “Limey” are used as well, and I have a feeling this isn't the last I'll see of such terms being used in the series.

Accusations of the writing being misogynistic are poorly founded, in my opinion. I think that people who see it this way have simply chosen to. Bond treats his girls well. Patriarchal, some might say. I say it's a unique character. One taking life as it comes, braving danger and enjoying two of most enjoyable things in life, the things that make a Bond kind of life worth it, even for a short while: good food, and women.

Bond obviously doesn't joke with his food. He's a womaniser, to be certain. A womaniser in his line of work will naturally see women in the light of the company they offer. Catching feelings totally goes against the character that Bond is. If people have issues with how the author writes his protagonist, then maybe they should write their own, simple.

Somehow, I don't see the Bond character the same when you remove the perceived flaws the author has in his writing. It's one of the reasons why the movie series have been such a huge success. The true character of Bond has never changed, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig. He's a ruthless, mostly emotionless assassin who loves beautiful women apologetically and seduces them as they come: a typical 21st century “patriarch”.

In the movies, we all saw what happened when Bond allowed his emotions to get in the way of his mission. He becomes someone else. Not quite Bond as we know it.

So y'all can argue about sexism, feminism, objectifying women, misogyny, etc. I'm pretty sure many girls today would jump at a chance to be a Bond girl even for a day. He does treat his women well. Even Bond haters cannot deny that. I'd never mix the attribute of “womanising” with “misogyny”. I mean, Bond is anything BUT misogynistic. A true gentleman, a gallant knight to the ladies. Even if his flaw is that he likes all of them.

A solid five-star book!

For the first time since I was a teenager I am working my way through the Bond books (this one is of course number 2.) It certainly is more of a whole novel than Casino Royale, which felt like an introduction.

Modern commentators have often mentioned the very 1950s attitudes towards race, and there are more than a few points where you can get PC. But then - for better or worse - it is a product of its time. The scenes in Harlem are not actually drawn that well, and he does better in Jamaica, probably because he knew it better.

His prose style is very blunt, although there is a few elegant phrases. And I have to say, the adventure scenes are particularly thrilling.

Just one question, doesn't Bond eat a lot?

Quite the tantalizing tale! I can never truly tire of Bond's exploits, they're just so - what's the word for it? - ah yes: perfect. He gets sent on a mission, foils everyone, gets caught, evades death, sleeps with the heroine of the week. It's light-hearted and it's fun; it's not some philosophical tale of human life. If anything, the Bond novels are a work of Fantasy. In all, I rate these books as highly as I do because of how refreshing and fun they are. 5/5

Another fun Bond adventure, though definitely not as memorable as Casino Royale. This one had an even more "old school" feel, probably due to the language used to refer to both African Americans and women. While I wouldn't say I'm exactly comfortable with some of these more antiquated attitudes, I love the classic spy-thriller feel and will definitely keep reading Fleming's novels.

I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of Live and Let Die. I particularly really enjoy the relationship between Bond and the CIA's Leiter. They've got this classic "old chap" bromance-type relationship that I really love and I can only hope we get more of Leiter as the series continues. But the book did end on kind of an anti-climactic note; I couldn't really be bothered with the whole Jamaica part of the book, including the supposed climax of the novel. So I guess I'd give this one more of a 2.5 stars.

Another surprisingly good read, especially given its age (first published in 1954).

Book James Bond just makes so much more sense than movie James Bond. I've somehow seen this movie multiple times, despite it being one of my least favourites. However, apart from the very basic premise and the character names, the book and the movie have zero similarities.

Again, Fleming's descriptive passages are impressive. I assume he actually went to Harlem, Florida and the Caribbean in real life.

These are freebies on Audible for another couple of weeks. This one is read by Rory Kinnear who is a fabulous narrator.

4 out of 5

Bond in America, a country which his creator doesn't seem to have liked very much. And Jamaica, an island Fleming adored. Pirate treasure. Voodoo. Sharks and barracuda.

Solitaire is an empty shell of a character and a total damsel in distress who by the end of the book can only speak soap opera as she pretties herself for Bond. I enjoyed their train trip from New York to Florida and I still had hope for her as a character then. Hated the heavily phoneticized dialogue in which every black character, with the exception of Mr. Big, speaks. A white man in 2024 would be unwise to refer to "clumsy black apes" or write about "the fear of Voodoo and the supernatural, still deeply, primevally ingrained in the negro subconscious." But this was 1954.

It is difficult not to compare this one with Dr. No, Fleming's later Jamaica novel. Solitaire pales in comparison with Honeychile Ryder, which makes Dr. No the superior of the two. A few gorgeous underwater scenes in this one though. First time I've come across the term "dildo cactus." As with the town of Dildo, Canada, I found it pretty entertaining.

3.3/5

Quality of writing: 3
Plot development: 4
Pace: 3
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of reading: 3

"You start to die the moment you are born. The whole of life is cutting through the pack with death. So take it easy. Light a cigarette and be grateful you are still alive as you suck the smoke deep into your lungs."

I find it interesting to view a certain time period, in this case 1954, through the eyes of a talented popular writer like Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Rex Stout or Ian Fleming. An added bonus is that such books often greatly upset readers who judge them by their current and everchanging woke standards, rather than those of the time period in question.

At first, I was puzzled at why the CIA, FBI and MI6 had gotten deeply involved in a case that merely involved the sale of some old gold coins for $25 apiece. I had forgotten FDR’s 1934 ban and confiscation of Americans owning gold, which wasn’t reversed until 1974.

The book basically breaks down into three main settings. In the first, Bond goes slumming in Harlem. You can almost hear woke readers' heads exploding in the background. This transitions to Florida via a dangerous train ride. On arrival, Fleming repeatedly describes his revulsion at the many retirees living in St. Petersburg. This was a situation he wouldn’t have to face himself, since his second heart attack killed him at age 56. The book finishes in Fleming’s cherished Jamaica, where he built the house he named Goldeneye, and which is lovingly described in detail.

It is a fun romp, but fairly lightweight, an airport novel for a shorter flight. 3.5 stars, but I don’t think it contains anything that justifies rounding this rating up. It does reveal some Bond trivia, such as the fact that he normally smokes three packs of unfiltered Chesterfields a day and takes Benzedrine to help him out in his final battle with the bad guys.

I'm sure this was all very exciting when it was originally published but I still think it's boring now. It's hard to fight through the racism and misogyny too. I'm sure at some point I'll fight through the third book but only because I feel like I'm dissecting a legend and not because I truly enjoy it.