A review by jcpdiesel21
The Man With the Golden Gun by Ian Fleming

2.0

For a series that spawned such a long-lasting and hugely profitable film franchise, it sure is going out with a whimper. Notably published posthumously, only the first draft of this book was completed by Fleming before his death, but what is present is so lackluster that I doubt additional details provided in a second draft would have elevated the material much. Bond being held and brainwashed by the Russians to assassinate M after the events of [b:You Only Live Twice|25066319|You Only Live Twice (James Bond, #12)|Ian Fleming|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1425441071s/25066319.jpg|23841292] should have gotten things off to an exciting start, yet this plot disappointingly fizzles out with Bond immediately sent on another mission to prove his worth. Scaramanga is a forgettable villain whose only distinguishing characteristics are his fancy weapon of choice and a third nipple, and Bond defeats him mostly by luck. The best thing here is the welcome appearance of Felix Leiter, who appears briefly to help take down the villains.