Ian Fleming (1) (1908–1964)

People love to assume readers always think the book is better than the movie. In this case, at least in comparison to Daniel Craig's rendition, the movie is far better. James Bond is and always has been a terrible and arrogant person. As time goes on and we mature as a society, maybe we'll outgrow his personality. But, I have found the book useful in many of my courses at university over the past several years so, it will remain in my library. Also, I give it three stars based on that fact and that Fleming has written a tight little spy novel that is engrossing enough to keep a reader turning the pages. Bond, however, is just a disgusting human being. I don't think he merits half a star.… (more)

I found this surprising. The best thing about this book is the female romantic interest. She’s quite different from what we expect from the Bond universe. Her indifference to Bond was refreshing and nothing about her was quite what we imagine of the average Bond ‘girl’. I thought no one could make a game of cards sound interesting, but Fleming conveys the tension of the players. Negatives are few and in part a sign of past times and writing styles. This exemplifies why a writer shouldn’t solely focus on one human movement, such as the shrugging of shoulders (and what other movements could shrug?), and sprinkle it throughout a book. And the focus on what people wear grew tiring. But these points are minor. Overall, this highlighted the contrast between the films vs reading the books. Of course, Bill Nighy expertly reads the audio, as one would expect.… (more)