Holds together pretty well. And Domino is a strong woman character. ( )

This is the novel that Ian Fleming wrote with Kevin McCrory and you can see some very different influences with regards to the plotting and the nature of the threat that faces 007. He’s first foray into alternative medicine in a rather quack like clinic in Sussex varies between tense and at times amusing. This might be the first time that literary James Bond actually uses humour. The Bahamas sections and in particular the development of Emile Largo and Domino never feels quite as fleshed out as normal. Stavro Blofeld is more of the ultimate villain. This is of course the start of the so-called Blofeld trilogy. Highly recommended. ( )

Noticing these Bond books stopped getting good after Goldfinger. This one started out good, but Then I lost a little interested afterwords. I mean some parts were interesting, but for the most peat this was a little boring. The Spy Who Loved Me (the one I'm on now) isn't any better either.

The main reason I liked this one though is threw out the book we begin to realize that Bond is a human. He's not a superhuman like the films make him look. He has his flaws as every good character should have in a book. This books starts with M. telling Bond that he needs a rest because his health isn't so great. Bond smokes and drinks too much. He sends him to a place to help him with that.

It's kind of funny that the movies included his drinking, but not his smoking. Plus you never hear in the film that his drinking is a flaw like in the books. Fleming doesn't address the issue as much as he should (probably because this was written in the 60s), but if Bond was written today he wouldn't have the flaws because of the movies. ( )

4/9/22

85/100 ( )