It was just at the beginning of last year, in January of 2018, that I wrote a post telling of my love of the James Bond character and my attempt to reread the series of books written by Ian Fleming. Unfortunately, my local library apparently considered these books no longer relevant for they had only four of the fourteen books that comprised the entire series.
I did, however, send a blatant hint to my wifey Lynndee that our anniversary and/or my birthday were both right around the corner so some Bond books would be the perfect go-to gift for either occasion. She chose to ignore the idea at that time, but, lo and behold, come Christmas, I had quite a surprise awaiting me…the entire James Bond collection, all wrapped up and hiding under the tree!
I first got wrapped up in the world of James Bond as a preteen on seeing the movie Thunderball, only to later learn that that was the fourth movie in the series, preceded by Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger. It was then that I also learned that the movies were based on books, written by Ian Fleming, who had just recently died after having written a book a year beginning in 1953. Of the fourteen books in the series, two were published posthumously.
As a young kid, is it any wonder one could fall in love with the idea of such a smooth operating undercover secret agent. It’s only now, as an adult reading the books, that I realize that James Bond wasn’t the ideal model for the type of man one should aspire to be. Sure, the movies were fantastic, And in reading the books back in the day, I hadn’t developed the necessary tools to determine the proper moral course or ideology to follow as an adult. But now, having made it to book nine in the series, I’ve discovered that the handsome lover boy womanizer portrayed by Sean Connery was in many ways a misogynist. His portrayal in the books do not come off as cute as Sean’s, or Roger Moore’s, displays of affection.
I do wonder if Tom Clancy was in any way influenced by Ian Fleming’s portrayal of a secret agent when he wrote his series of novels featuring the CIA operative Jack Ryan.
Just like the Bond series, Clancy’s novels need to be read in a chronological order for characters and events carry over from one novel to the next. Interestingly, too, in the movies made about Clancy’s books, several different actors portrayed Jack Ryan just as several have played James Bond. Be what it may, you have to realize that the books and the movies are basically just entertainment, though in many ways these spy novels, beginning with Fleming’s Bond in the 50s running up into the 80s with Clancy’s Ryan, told the story of our Cold War times. And these are issues that even now continue to haunt us.
Be what it may, I’ve got book number nine to finish and five more to go to complete my James Bond marathon. Then, I’ll want to binge watch the movies and finish my journey into the world of make-believe espionage.
Love your collection! What a wonderful Christmas gift. I love how your wife gifted them when you least expected it.
I’m always looking for good reads and this def caught my eye reading this! Can’t wait to start reading!
My husband and I both enjoy reading these two authors. Thank goodness we both love to read.
These sound like some good books. I really enjoy reading. I’ve always liked 007.
Sounds like quite the interesting collection! Perfect for anyone who enjoys a good thriller or spy noval.
It sounds like you are most definitely in the world of James Bond right now! I have to admit while I’ve watched some of the films I’ve never read any of the books perhaps I should change that.
I had no idea there were James Bond books until reading this post. My dad would really enjoy this collection. It seems exciting!
I actually had no idea that James Bond was a book before it was a movie. I have seen several of the movies but never read the books.
I really wish I could make more time to read. I miss it terribly.
What a great set. I think my husband would love these too. Such a fun group of books.
What an awesome (and thoughtful) gift!
What a nice gift! Enjoy reading the series and then watching all the movies.
Now this sounds like a good series to get caught up in! I love book series because I love following the same characters! LOL!
I have never read any of the James Bond series. Must be very exciting with lots of actions and such.
wow! I didn’t know that the movies were based on book. I would like to read them for sure, I am sure they are better than the movies!
This is an impressive collection! I used to work at a bookstore and Tom Clancy was always a hit.
This is such a wonderful collection. It makes me wonder about the things we have lying around in our home.
I have never read any of these before. Sounds like an awesome collection though. I’ll have to check them out and see if I like them.
Big fan of the James Bond movies but have never read the books. Going back and reading them sounds like a novel idea. I think I’m going to follow your lead on this and look at getting my hands on the books too.