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thecleangoblin's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
iggy63's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up the 1956 paperback edition at an antique store for a few bucks. Being a big fan of the Bond films, I was curious about how faithful the films are to Fleming's work. It's hard to read it now without picturing Sean Connery and Jill St. John. The book is quite different from the film, Much less violence, and Bond is more often doing paperwork or actually sleeping in his hotel room instead of the usual antics in the films. No Blofeld, no Willard Whyte, no gadgets, no Bambi and Thumper, but instead a serious organized international crime syndicate. It's a fun read, though.
lee_foust's review against another edition
2.0
For every nice turn of phrase, exiting sequence, or interesting location there was a sexist, racist, or homophobic remark to pretty much cancel it out. Still, it's all so juvenile you only really want to give Ian a good spanking. It was a little better plotted than the first three Bond novels (I'm reading them in order) so, if you want to read one, of the first four I would recommend this one. It wasn't a very memorable film, sadly--I re-watched the first hour or so the other night and saw that it was kinda ruined by a case of the cutes. At least the novel has none of that nonsense.
birdmanseven's review against another edition
2.0
So as it turns out, I don't really like James Bond novels. I loved Casino Royale, but I've been really underwhelmed by the three books that came after. This one set up an interesting enough premise with Bond on the trail of a diamond smuggling ring, but the storytelling was so plodding and dull. Bummer. It could be that it's too dated, perhaps too British... whatever it is, I think I may jump to the later series written by John Gardner.
Special podcast spotlight on James Bond: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-11-books-all-the-books
Special podcast spotlight on James Bond: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-11-books-all-the-books
hias's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
missxoxolat's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
ricardo_00's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jediric's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A James Bond book that is different to the Film - which is not a bad thing. A little slow in places, it does pick up towards the end. The 'mobsters' are fun to read (if stereotypical), but all in all, this was a good read.
rachelreed107's review against another edition
2.0
I didn’t like the descriptions for some of the characters, especially the racist depiction of some of them. Can’t get over the line how Bond felt bad for white Americans for living around black people.