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Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories (Complete Bond Short Stories) | 
| Author: Ian Fleming
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: £8.99
Buy New: £6.29
You Save: £2.70 (30%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 4410
Media: Paperback
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0141189622
EAN: 9780141189628
ASIN: 0141189622
Publication Date: May 29, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
Surprisingly enjoyable December 14, 2008
This is quite an eclectic collection of stories giving Fleming the opportunity to play with themes and voices which might not have fitted into the novels. Despite the story titles, the film links are almost non-existent.
I hadn't read any of the Bond novels since school, so picked this up without any real expectations and have been charmed by the world and the characters he has created. The ability to switch from the sniper on a tree branch, to the colonial dinner party, to the raid on the machine gun-toting smugglers, to the high-society auction, without a false note, is what makes Bond the character stand out and it is also what makes this collection so enjoyable.
The majority of the stories are written in a simple, almost brutal prose, appropriate to their content, which zips them along nicely. Some of the more descriptive passages about snorkelling in coral seas or climbing in the mountains, and the title story which is mostly told through the eyes of an elderly colonial civil servant, show an ability to effectively switch styles and bring out a more reflective and human Bond than the films ever would.
The stories also feel thoroughly authentic - the casual low-level undertones of post-war nationalism, racism and misogyny ground the writing in its era in a way modern writers wouldn't dare. If you're unable to accept the mores-of-its-time aspect you may find this does grate at times. Fleming's natural and understated descriptions of the world of politics and espionage of that time have that authentic whiff of real experience and he doesn't feel the urge to unload patronising explanations of them on you in a way many modern writers - having put all that effort into extensive research at significant cost - seem intent on doing.
Several of the stories feel like they could have been developed further, I wondered if they were scenes edited out of the novels, but others including the title story stand up well on their own.
Overall I would recommend this collection and wouldn't say that you would need to have read the novels or enjoyed the films to get something out of it.
 Gap Filler November 25, 2008
A nice little book of James Bond short stories, nothing very exciting but pleasing enough and it is always refreshing to read about Bond in the post war world and as he was originally conceived by Fleming, not exactly the superman of the films and all the bettter for it. If like me life has become so busy you have to snatch your reading in the gaps available this book works well. Enjoy
classic bond November 24, 2008
Every story in this book is a treat-classic Bond , Classic Flemming-it is worth buying purely for the short story "For your eyes only" .Bond hikes through the American mountains to shoot a cuban hit man-tense , exciting and compelling. I once read that we aren't really supposed to like Bond as a man but can't help be on his side-this story typifies this-highly recommended .
Bond, James Bond July 7, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
People expecting to read this book and get an idea as to what the new film is about will be disappointed when "Quantum of Solace" is released in November. The only thing the two have in common is the title. However the story is a very good one and I'm sure the film will also be superb.
This book is a collection of the short stories following Bond in "For Your Eyes Only" and "Octopussy and The Living Daylights". The Amazon description is wrong and the tales from "For Your Eyes Only" are "View to a Kill", "For Your Eyes Only", "Quantum of Solace", "Risico" and "The Hildebrand Rarity". From "Octopussy and The Living Daylights" comes "Octopussy", "The Living Daylights", "The Property of a Lady", and "007 in New York".
All very much worth a read and personal favorites include "The Living Daylights" and "For Your Eyes Only", however I don't think they quite live up to Bond's adventures in "Goldfinger" or "The Man With The Golden Gun".
Nevertheless well worth the price and more than enough to keep you entertained whilst reading.
 The original complete short stories by Ian Fleming... Modern Classic is a big understatement. July 4, 2008
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
The title is a bit misguided...(I mean the MOVIE)yhis book has NOTHING to do with the new Bond FILM (which script probably is only slightly inspired by a classic old short story if anything at all...in fact not at all!!!).
BUT... this is a great recompilation of ALL the short Bond stories.
Of course it is better read IN CONTEXT... meaning they were written in the sixties... no cell phones etc.
A magnificent recompilation of the original works.
I must admit (having seen the films) I did not bother with the books for a long time... I was wrong... Fleming knew what he was writing about.
I enjoyed the films of course... but they have distorted somewhat the original novels so to premium the bang/crash/wallop of the film industry (which after all is supposed to know what we like!).
The book is Highly Recommended (of course).
ADB
PS: Car nuts will be glad to know that Bond "personal car" is a Bentley Continental transformed by Mulliner in a two seater with plenty of luggage room... "a bit selfish" (Bond admits!)... And if (as I did) you then read ALL the original novels (five stars stuff...) you will learn the ASTON-MARTIN is from "the car pool" and in the beginning of the series Bond owns a "classic" BENTLEY...
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