This man is a violent racist

Characters I loved: Mr. Big and his crew...
Characters I didn't like: Bond, James Bond.

There are sides of Bond shown in the books that I am not accustomed to, having only ever been exposed to the movies. At times me was scared stupid, befuddled, and doubtful in his abilities....thats not the Bond I know. The story was good, real solid ending.

There are probably only two or three writers whose work I regularly re-read, Somerset-Maugham is certainly one, Ian Fleming is another. I think his crisp prose is grossly underrated, as his ability to create an atmospheric setting (the darker 1950's it should be noted, rather than the glossier 1960's of the films) and populate it with well drawn, instantly visible and memorable characters. His dialogue sparkles and his sexual chemistry between characters, of its time and with elements of the schoolboy fantasy, can be genuinely hot and stirring. Grrr.

This second Bond book has a great first half (about the first eleven chapters), much of which is set in Harlem. It races along and the introduction of the looming Mr Big bodes well; as does the typically gripping Fleming torture scene which had my eyes narrowing with pain as I read the word 'crack!' The scenes aboard the train (on the way to Florida) are atmospheric and feature the expected stunning, Fleming fantasy-like female character (Solitaire) - whose interactions with Bond are of course sensually charged. Fleming's very good with these scenes, and having read is biography, I suspect is being quite open with his own idealistic fantasies!

By comparison, I don't think the action in Florida and Jamaica quite matches the opening. Still, it's a good middling book in the series, better than The Spy Who Loved Me and The Man With The Golden Gun, but not as good as Casino Royale or Goldfinger.

Not my favorite 007 thriller but still "readworthy"