Last Bond Novel You Read

Cor, blimey mates [best Goon Show type voice], I re-read Moonraker today. Out of nowhere (I say this, for I must have 30-40 books that I've accrued over the past 3 years yet to read).

One of my favourites and I'm never entirely sure why. Perhaps here you see the routine Bond has when not out saving the world, the mundane paperwork, the bored wives of other men and then a seemingly innocent night out to Blades to see if some rich bloke's cheating at cards and Bob's your uncle, Moonraker.
In seriousness, it's Bond's pursuit of Drax late on that I find exciting. The image of Bond's be-goggled face covered in "the blood of flies and moths" as he guns the Bentley through London then Kentish roads. The murder/attempted murder of the RAF chap in his Alfa that gears Bond into "open war" against Drax.
Even the somewhat typical 1950s BBC commentary of the Moonraker launch has something to it. Moreso, the round-up with the fact 200-odd people have died. No small splash in a pond there. (The equivalent in the film might've been if one of Drax's globes hit Earth and thousands killed).

I hadn't twigged until this read that there's but three Double O's (007, 008 and 0011) plus Bond did a mission pre-war which makes me wonder. Presumably Bond was recruited right out of Cambridge and the war sort of got in the way.

But whereas I like OHMSS for action/character and Casino Royale for Bond, Moonraker I seemingly like for the minutiae, also, there's something about Bond riding to M's rescue at Blades.

I remember enjoying MR even more than its predecessors and was my favourite until FRWL. Might be number 3 in my ranking (if there was one). I also enjoyed reading about Bond's routine life, and wish more of that made the films.

I think the closest you'd get to 'normalcy' for Bond's non-work hours are the glimpses of his flat in Dr No and LALD, even then he has a woman there.

I forgot to note about Drax. Love how vividly grotesque he seems to appear physically and his overblown character, especially at the end when he reveals his Nazi background. Fleming really did go to town on making his villains horrible.

Drax's background is one of Fleming's best, in my opinion.

I'd also add Bond at the beginning of SF, when he's with the Greek girl and at the bar before he heads back to London.

Only thing I never understood was the logic of having Drax and his merry band of Natzees attempt to take revenge on one of Germany's war-time enemies by coddling up to another.

It is befuddling, but then the Nazis and Soviets made a pact for convenience in 1939 so maybe Drax was going to stiff the Soviets in the end.

Yes, I suppose that makes sense.

Went through Octopussy & The Living Daylights then You Only Live Twice. The former I tend to prefer Octopussy mostly, the back story to Smythe, Bond coming out to lay down the law and Smythe's demise. But in Property of a Lady this time round, was tickled by the line where Bond goes into the comms department and is near the traitor -how his skin 'minutely crawled' at being this close to 'treachery'.

YOLT I remain muddled by opinion wise but it's gone up a bit in my mind, at least the start and final part (once Bond gets into the Castle of Death) have enough going. The mentions of Tracy linking it to OHMSS (I guess how DAF, the film, all but carried on without any such dwelling is somewhat jarring to how the books went about it) and so forth -the Castle is classic Fleming. Though there's something about the image of Blofeld wearing a medieval suit of armour for a start that doesn't quite form in the mind's eye and then walking arm in arm with Bunt whilst wearing it. The book seals the deal with Bond's descent into amnesia, his blood lust ("Die, Blofeld, die!").
Comment was made on the old boards and the new ones, that my DAF Lazenby story made use, much use of having "Kill Blofeld" thunder through Bond's mind the closer he gets to killing him, well I guess I'd channelled the book.

Indeed, seeing Bond's descent into what could be the end of his career early in the book is something that would've been nice to see on film -especially the scene with M where his responses prompt M to slam a fist into the table and snap 'who the hell do you think you're talking to!?'

Just feels that with OHMSS Bond had reached his nadir and YOLT/TMWTGG didn't quite add much -not enough as the canon had until then anyway.

Yeah ... the pre-credits of DAF with Bond obsessively, vengefully searching for Blofeld is as much of a nod to the events of OHMSS as it makes.

Fewer words sadder in the English language than "what might have been."

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I read Trigger Mortis at the weekend. I must say that of the post-Gardner outcrop, this I found more favourable than recent efforts. It's not perfect, perhaps keeping Pussy back for even a little time was not ideal but I enjoyed it and let's be honest, no one will ever capture Fleming well but Horowitz made a good fist.

Yes, it certainly was a better effort than either Deaver's or Boyd's. Pretty pleased that Horowitz has been retained to write the next one.

Recently started Gardner's Scorpius. Enjoyable so far.

Good to have an author do another novel, much like the actors getting to do another -so you can at least see if they evolve for good or bad. That being said, just as well Deaver never did. I barely remember Carte Blanche.

Scorpius has been slated by some outside this here forum but it's not bad. Licence Renewed is always a favourite then Icebreaker and For Special Services. Once I was tickled by Bond driving a Saab. Now when I see a 900 I wonder. Do like how he worked LTK into the Bond literary world (seeing Felix on the couch and thinking 'not this again' kind of thing)

I have yet to read his adaptations of LTK and Goldeneye, but I have them here in the house and I will do.

The sometime differences between the novelisations and what made it onscreen can be fascinating (I have mentioned elsewhere on this forum about the 'Bond tortured with electrodes on his testicles' stuff in the TSWLM adaptation. One can only presume that was based on a pretty early draft).

Haven't read the Wood TSWLM for years. More than Moore's eyebrows would've raised if that had been kept in the film.

Read Hilly's post before I read BI's, so I assumed Wood's (heh) Spy adaptation featured a hardcore sex scene.

Picturing that torture scene - light sheen of sweat on Sir Rog's brow, both eyebrows raised, 'Must say, I really only like hot nuts at Christmas' etc.

Managed to nail in a single sitting, such are buses nowadays, The Spy Who Loved Me

I don't quite mind this, it's not his best but then he was likely trying something new and why not? The arrival of Bond is always a good moment to savour -the appearance conjures Gregory Peck to mind. Indeed, this would've made a good episode of a James Bond TV series (as mooted at one point). Even as a somewhat random PTS it might've worked -fitting in with the image of Bond that Dalton remarked upon -the guy who rides into town, sorts out the trouble and goes on his way.

I intended to read this when writing that Moore-inspired story and needless to say, reading it this time round I realised just how much I aped for my little bit of fluff.

Can't quite imagine the depiction of Viv sitting well with certain types today (woman enjoying being semi-raped remark) but as I say, that moment when Bond turns up and sets about his business is a good moment.

Hilly KCMG wrote:

Even as a somewhat random PTS it might've worked -fitting in with the image of Bond that Dalton remarked upon -the guy who rides into town, sorts out the trouble and goes on his way.

Interesting idea. Maybe it could work as a PTS, but the set up seems a little Bond-lite. I wish parts of it could be adapted, such as a Bond girl being a hotelier (including her backstory), and using Sluggsy and Horror (though that could be Jaws).

Never thought of Peck when reading Bond. I have this hybrid of Connery, Lazenby and Brosnan when reading, and depending on the scene, an image of one particular Bond may have a stronger presence.

Peck bubbled to mind, I've not long ago watched On the Beach and I think sometimes of his turn in Guns of Navarone (his character in the book is a New Zealander, no question in the film he's deffo not a Kiwi). Otherwise my mental Bond seems vague veering between Lazenby and Dalton.

OHMSS.

Remains in my book a fine entry. Bond's reasoning for marrying Tracy is a little chuckle provoking, being good in bed and out but seeing how he falls for her seems to work. Always like in the book how he realises that once Campbell is captured, he has a finite amount of hours before he's rumbled and how he sets about seeing out the hours to escape. The film seems to feed off the book well enough right down to the reference about tears being shared between "friends, or lovers". Sure, it wouldn't entirely be done well in film but the proposal scene in the airport seems ideal, the low key wedding (got to like Bond's thoughts about planning for the proper wedding, must be a Scottish church!). The end, always packs a punch.

I'd have loved for more Campbell scenes if it meant lifting the unused material from the book. Puts Bond in such a position.

It would've added something. Always like the use of Head of Station Z. Good ol' 410.

Something I didn't mention that I always like about the book, is the re-use of Casino Royale/Royale-les-Eaux. Seems to bookend the series well -the first time with Vesper and all that happened, the second with Tracy and what happens (indeed, Bond musing on this late in the book about the whole Bedlam business, that it stemmed from a chance meeting at the baccarat table in Royale).

I guess Royale was best avoided after Tracy.

Indeed.

Or perhaps Bond should visit there once he's no longer with the service. Meeting a girl and he wouldn't (indirectly) place her in any danger that comes with his work.

Hilly KCMG wrote:

I guess Royale was best avoided after Tracy.

He comes to Royale every ear to visit the grave of Vesper. Chances are good that he won't after he has lost Tracy. What do you think?
That's why he's a mess in the following. He has two graves to visit by now...
I love this subtle reminder of Vesper at the very beginning of the novel; yet considering that he has visited her grave every year, it is not so subtle after all. We are reminded of the death of the first woman Bond had wanted to marry before we meet the second.