So as mentioned in my last post, for the past 2+ months, I have been reading through the Bond books (from Goldfinger, on) and I am currently on Chapter 4 of, "You Only Live Twice."
Goldfinger: Ian Fleming (1959)
The book was fun and harkened back to a lot of what made the film great (plus, the fan-made game using the Goldeneye engine more-directly takes from the book at the beginning, then the film at the end), with changing the mid and end portions from the film, for the worse, IMO. Still, a solid novel, but IMO, the film is better.
8/10
For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming (1960)
This was an interesting one! As I've mentioned a couple of times on here, the film is my least-favourite of all the Bond films and is easily one of the bottom 5; it is a poorly-written, poorly-scored film and the Bond girl is arguably the least attractive out of all of them (with exception to Grace Jones, IMO
). The book though, has a TON of things that are in the film and even though there are 5 short-stories (the book isn't one, cohesive plot), 3/5 of them made their appearance somehow, someway, in the film (and the coral-dragging scene was actually lifted from the book version of Live and Let Die). You have a Havelock story (titled, "For Your Eyes Only)," you have a Kristatos and Columbo story (that differs from the film, somewhat, called, "Risico)," a story about Milton Krest (which is completely different from the film version in License to Kill; believe the just lifted the name, called, "The Hildebrand Rarity)" and two completely original stories that have not been shown on film, a story about a top-secret organisation that moves top-secret documents by motorcycle (called, "A View to a Kill)" and a story about a man and a woman, who married and the woman ruined herself, ate shit, then got some redemption, in a way (called, "Quantum of Solace).
Again, a great collection of short stories and it showed a different side of Fleming, when writing on Bond. I will say that the story titles that share their name with a film, they have 0 to do with them lol.
9/10
Thunderball: Ian Fleming (1961)
Funny how Kevin McClory tried to take credit for the story and everything, yet the film is VERY close to the book, which was mainly Fleming's doing (the additions in the film of Volpe, the shark pool, the Junkanoo, are not present in the book). The fact that McClory had, "Never Say Never, Again," made and tried to redo ANOTHER Thunderball treatment, tells me that there was a multitude of sour grapes there, but ultimately, exactly what was Fleming's and what was McClory's, we'll never know,
Anyways, the book I found to be much better than the film, with the heavy involvement of Leiter and the massive Italian connection between the villains and the Bond Girl, not to mention the plot isn't as ridiculous in the end, as the film. The beginning has Bond at a R&R clinic in England, where he has treatments and is fed a diet of an orange and cup of hot water for breakfast, snacks (as many as you wish) consisting of tea with nothing in it but brown sugar lol and for lunch and dinner, vegetable soup and nothing but.
I did this (without the rest, of course, as I still needed to wake up early and go to work) for the past 7 days and I'm down 11 pounds and feel lighter
(not just weight; lighter on my mind, in my step/touch, etc.). I do feel really cleaned-out as well, so I may do this, "cleanse," once every quarter of the year, going forward.
Great book! lol
9/10
The Spy Who Loved Me: Ian Fleming (1962)
A sidestory of sorts, told from the POV of a Quebecois woman who went to boarding school in England. She gets into some trouble while travelling from Montreal to Florida and Bond chances upon her. Another great plot and great story told by Fleming, that is quite-different from the usual Bond tone and flavour; this book, above all the other Bonds, shows his creativity and versatility in writing. Literally NOTHING from the book, is in the film, nothing... but that's a good thing, as the original story of the film version of TSWLM is one of the 5 best Bond films and Moore's best.
9/10
On Her Majesty's Secret Service: Ian Fleming (1963)
THE CLOSEST TO ANY OF THE FILM ADAPTATIONS! YES!
What a fantastic novel, the film is almost 1:1 to the book and the majority of changes are due to the change in political /economic climate, from the time of writing the book to when the film was made (the Lancia model in the book was hard to come by and couldn't get the rights, so they used a Mercury Cougar, the book was written before the Berlin Wall was constructed {and the end of the book takes place there}, while the film has it in some unknown place {somewhere in Western Europe,} etc.). The only non-differences between the two, are the second skiing scene (with Tracy) and Bond does not get captured, nor does Tracy (both do at different times, in the film). Rigg and Lazenby played their characters so well in the film, it is almost a mirror of the book. Of all the ones I've read so far, I believe this is the longest and most-detailed, but it was a wonderful ride from beginning to end.
Haven't read the last 3 books yet, but this is (probably) the best Bond book in the series; as stated by a ton of production crew that worked on the first 10-15 films or so said as well, OHMSS is considered by them to be the best film in the series and I put it 3rd, after Goldeneye (2nd) and Casino Royale (1st), which were made after said crew weren't involved with the Bond films anymore. Fleming pulled out his best for this.
10/10
I will post a quick snippet/review of the last 3 books, when I finish them and I figure to have them done by mid-January at the latest, at this rate.
