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kessler21's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of my favorite Bond novels. #13
Spoiler for Book #12
His target this time, is a killer for hire who kills with a Golden Gun. As Bond is getting older, he does seem to make more mistakes than in the first book and Bond is now a more complex character than earlier in the stories.
I liked this one. Fast paced and you do actually start to worry about Bond where in the first books, you knew he would come away victorious.
Spoiler for Book #12
Spoiler
Bond is back from the dead. He has recovered from his AmnesiaHis target this time, is a killer for hire who kills with a Golden Gun. As Bond is getting older, he does seem to make more mistakes than in the first book and Bond is now a more complex character than earlier in the stories.
I liked this one. Fast paced and you do actually start to worry about Bond where in the first books, you knew he would come away victorious.
popsiwinkle's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
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? No
3.0
sydsnot71's review against another edition
3.0
And so my Bond re-read/read comes to an end.
I think it is hard to be fair to this book, which was (apparently) not completely refined as Fleming died having finished it but not re-drafted it. It works well enough though. I like Scaramanga as a villain, even though he's a bit of an arrogant fool really.
This picks up from 'You Only Live Twice' and Bond is not himself when we first come into contact with him, but M decides that the best way to get him back into shape - or kill him - is to send him against Scaramanga. Scaramanga's more of a Western villain than a cold-war spy villain: the fastest gun in the Caribbean.
It's not Bond going out with a bang but then I'm not sure if Fleming was expecting to die. He was only 56, but had been seriously ill for a while. But things end with Bond re-set and ready to go on his next adventure.
Not bad.
I think it is hard to be fair to this book, which was (apparently) not completely refined as Fleming died having finished it but not re-drafted it. It works well enough though. I like Scaramanga as a villain, even though he's a bit of an arrogant fool really.
This picks up from 'You Only Live Twice' and Bond is not himself when we first come into contact with him, but M decides that the best way to get him back into shape - or kill him - is to send him against Scaramanga. Scaramanga's more of a Western villain than a cold-war spy villain: the fastest gun in the Caribbean.
It's not Bond going out with a bang but then I'm not sure if Fleming was expecting to die. He was only 56, but had been seriously ill for a while. But things end with Bond re-set and ready to go on his next adventure.
Not bad.
harlando's review against another edition
3.0
The golden gun seems like a cool signature for a villain, but its really kind of dumb. If I'm an assassin, I want to keep a low profile.
It's set up on a poor premise. Bond is brainwashed by the Russians, tries to Kill M, and as soon as he is back on his feet he is packed off to Jamaica to kill an assassin. It's a stretch. So is his usefulness as an agent. Wouldn't the Russians have sent his picture to every paper in the world so they could ruin his ability to go undercover ever again? Also, how is his hook-handed CIA buddy not on a few lists of known spies?
Fleming just doesn't like Americans. His villain is Italian, but he becomes entirely Americanized (yet works for Castro) and is a sneering, nasty American gangster throughout. He also randomly shoots things, which is not a great way to make friends or avoid unwanted police attention.
Also, on would think that a really successful assassin probably has his own support staff and doesn't need to solicit freelance personal assistants in the bar rooms of whore houses.
Bond also comes off as a bit naive when he has Scaramanga in his sights and then allows him to say a final prayer, which of course leads to him shooting Bond.
It's set up on a poor premise. Bond is brainwashed by the Russians, tries to Kill M, and as soon as he is back on his feet he is packed off to Jamaica to kill an assassin. It's a stretch. So is his usefulness as an agent. Wouldn't the Russians have sent his picture to every paper in the world so they could ruin his ability to go undercover ever again? Also, how is his hook-handed CIA buddy not on a few lists of known spies?
Fleming just doesn't like Americans. His villain is Italian, but he becomes entirely Americanized (yet works for Castro) and is a sneering, nasty American gangster throughout. He also randomly shoots things, which is not a great way to make friends or avoid unwanted police attention.
Also, on would think that a really successful assassin probably has his own support staff and doesn't need to solicit freelance personal assistants in the bar rooms of whore houses.
Bond also comes off as a bit naive when he has Scaramanga in his sights and then allows him to say a final prayer, which of course leads to him shooting Bond.
topdragon's review against another edition
4.0
Many reviewers mark this as their least favorite Bond novel but I for one still found much to enjoy. It is the final novel in the series (two short novellas follow) and reportedly was written in Ian Fleming’s last year of life and in fact was published posthumously. Indeed, it is one of the shortest of Fleming’s novels and most agree that he simply didn’t have time to flesh out and polish the final manuscript.
The story begins with a rather bizarre segment wherein Bond has been brainwashed to assassinate M. That section is resolved pretty quickly and to be honest seems a likely candidate for a part of the plot that needed some fleshing out. But after that, M wants to redeem Bond in the eyes of the other leadership so assigns him to a relatively straight forward, albeit dangerous mission: to take out the dangerous assassin Scaramanga, who favors the use of a golden .45 caliber pistol for his dirty work. Bond trails his quarry and catches up to him in Jamaica, a locale we’ve visited before in these books and the main plotline takes off. The overall plot is a bit thinner than usual, meaning there aren’t as many side events or subplots as most Bond books but the main plot thread of infiltrating the criminal conglomerate by posing as a bodyguard for Scaramanga himself, is spot on Bond. The path to the climactic scenes are quick but work fine although here is another area that Fleming would have probably fleshed out given the chance.
Two more short stories to go in one final volume of the series. Looking forward to them.
The story begins with a rather bizarre segment wherein Bond has been brainwashed to assassinate M. That section is resolved pretty quickly and to be honest seems a likely candidate for a part of the plot that needed some fleshing out. But after that, M wants to redeem Bond in the eyes of the other leadership so assigns him to a relatively straight forward, albeit dangerous mission: to take out the dangerous assassin Scaramanga, who favors the use of a golden .45 caliber pistol for his dirty work. Bond trails his quarry and catches up to him in Jamaica, a locale we’ve visited before in these books and the main plotline takes off. The overall plot is a bit thinner than usual, meaning there aren’t as many side events or subplots as most Bond books but the main plot thread of infiltrating the criminal conglomerate by posing as a bodyguard for Scaramanga himself, is spot on Bond. The path to the climactic scenes are quick but work fine although here is another area that Fleming would have probably fleshed out given the chance.
Two more short stories to go in one final volume of the series. Looking forward to them.
oz617's review against another edition
4.0
I had Such a good time reading this. Hilarious and surprisingly honest. Deeply queer at several points. Bond leaves an orgy because he’s bored, M tries to reassure himself by whistling after hearing that men who can’t are gay, the villain bites into a raw snake while staring Bond in the eye. It’s just constant left turns. I didn’t stop laughing. Bond has crippling PTSD. He refuses a knighthood because he wants to die a Scottish peasant. Exactly what I want in a Bond novel.
Unfortunately, it is a Bond novel, with all the baggage that comes with. The racism and sexism may be more or less period typical, but it certainly brings the mood down right as you're getting into the story and its characters. If it was an intentional piece of characterisation, I'd probably find it compelling, but as it is, I'm pretty sure it's just an unquestioned part of things.
Unfortunately, it is a Bond novel, with all the baggage that comes with. The racism and sexism may be more or less period typical, but it certainly brings the mood down right as you're getting into the story and its characters. If it was an intentional piece of characterisation, I'd probably find it compelling, but as it is, I'm pretty sure it's just an unquestioned part of things.
howardtaftmd's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
arielthealien's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75