“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (1956)

Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by caconym_ on Saturday April 18, 2020 @11:37PM (#22913309)

This is wonderful.

Details matter in fiction. It's a delicate balance to weave it in without obsessing over it to the detriment of other elements, but you need that texture to anchor the consumer's perspective in a place that seems real.

Lots of modern media fail miserably at this, e.g. many of the recent films by J.J. Abrams. I guess it's harder when the product is designed by a committee of people who don't really care in the same kind of way that Mr. Fleming clearly did.

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by ztjio on Sunday April 19, 2020 @05:34AM (#22914642)

If you haven't read the original novels, they are an absolute treat. Very refreshing. There is great detail, but, almost never more than you absolutely need. It is used to set the pace, so, in the slower moments there will be some fluff details. Ultimately it makes for short novels, really novellas by today's standard. And frankly I love them all the more for that. It's easy to finish one in a single sitting.

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by mysterydip on Sunday April 19, 2020 @01:27PM (#22917289)

How do you feel about the ones written post-Fleming? I have a couple compilations from Raymond Benson but have not found time to finish them yet. Was curious how the Bond others wrote compared, as I haven't read the originals yet.

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by logical_proof on Sunday April 19, 2020 @08:07PM (#22919894)

John Gardner is actually pretty good. But by the time it gets to Raymond Benson novel Bond has become to much like movie bond and it just comes across as a caricature.

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by jetrink on Sunday April 19, 2020 @09:14AM (#22915672)

That sounds like exactly the type of escapism that I need right now. Are the novels meant to be read in order? If not, do you have one or two that would be good to start with?

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by dewy on Sunday April 19, 2020 @10:16AM (#22916064)

They are in order, and Bond evolves based on his experiences in previous books. I would start with the first, Casino Royale and go from there. Bond of the novels is a more complex and less hero-worshipable character than his movie equivalent. My personal favourite is On His Majesty's Secret Service - I also loved the short story A Quantum of Solace (which has nothing to do with the movie of the same name).

And while I personally enjoy the novels, I will say that some of them have not stood up to the test of time as well as others, and now read as very dated. Not discouraging you from reading them, just be forewarned!

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by logical_proof on Sunday April 19, 2020 @11:24AM (#22916511)

OHMSS is also my favorite. Out of curiosity which would you say have not aged well? Dr. No has some issues racially as I recall but not that I can think of as outright offensive. I ask because I want to know what I have missed (sometimes the blinders are up and you don’t see what you should).

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by ztjio on Monday April 20, 2020 @01:39PM (#22926254)

The published order of the books is not chronological order, but, I believe unless an author explicitly says so, one should always read their books in published order.

The way to look at them is they are glimpses into Bond's past. A few of them are several stories, in fact.

That being said, the first published is also Bond's first mission so no harm in starting with Casino Royale either way.

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by caconym_ on Sunday April 19, 2020 @05:28PM (#22918942)

I never have, but now I'm putting them on my list. Thanks for the recommendation.

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by nicolas_t on Sunday April 19, 2020 @05:12AM (#22914564)

I don't know if it's only because it's a committee or because the person at the top J.J. Abrams doesn't care at all about it (it's also why he has kept overusing lensflare in a lot of his "movies")

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by Talanes on Sunday April 19, 2020 @05:33AM (#22914640)

Exactly, when you're working at his level the resources and knowledge pool to hire people to obsess over the details. It's either a matter of ego, or he just doesn't value that sort of detail.

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by goatinaboat on Sunday April 19, 2020 @03:13PM (#22918072)

Abrams cares about realism and continuity to the extent that in his universes you can see events happening on one planet from another with the naked eye

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