'Diamonds Are Forever' | Ian Fleming Sends 007 to Las Vegas | Book Review

[@SweenyTodd98]

If there's one thing that Bond is particularly bad at it's being under cover.

[@johnpaulson4750]

Not really. Seraffimo Spang already knew that Peter Franks had been arrested, so his cover was already blown from the start. And it made travelling in his own name easier (he does explain to Tiffany that his real name is James Bond and that Peter Franks is an alias so that he won't have any convictions against his real name). Would MI6 have necessarily been able to issue him a passport in Peter Franks' name at such short notice? And when it comes to Bond winning twenty grand from their casino in Las Vegas, he was frustrated for not having taken initiative and wanted to speed things up. When it comes to Moonraker, Hugo Drax was going to kill both himself and Brand no matter what, so there wasn't much he could do there, although he was still able to get the drop on his henchman. Admittedly, I've only read CR, LALD, MR, DAF, FRWL and YOLT, so I don't know how he fares in his other undercover assignments, but he's much better at undercover work in the books than the films.

[@biswajitkashyap1241]

3:27 To be honest I liked this part of the books. For it's not a pointless detail. It's just the detail of the chracter where even a chracter like Bond is amused by some things and just try to enjoy it. At the end of the day he is still a human and I belive this scene just added a human layer to him. It's just what I think.

[@edwardwilson7858]

Fleming seems to have been an ardent British imperialist who grieved over the decline of the Empire and deeply resented that America took over as the dominant power in the West. It also may have been the case that his sense of British reserve was offended by Americans' being extroverted , which he considered to be vulgarity.

[@MetalJesus157]

I always thought that Silva's abandoned island in Skyfall was a subtle homage to the ghost town in Diamonds Are Forever.

[@moviematt2480526]

I felt the same when just reading it. Live and let die I could get through, even with the problems. Moonraker was so great that I was like, “ ok I can get through diamonds because I like the last one.” It was a rough time to finish the book.

[@SIngli6]

Ah, wonderful to wake up to a new Calvin review!

[@fuscinula]

Love the mud bath encounter and the "Brooklyn stomping" in the novel and yet neither made it in the movie, probably too graphic.

[@malthopsfiction8297]

This review of Diamonds Are Forever reminds me of my first time reading the novel, I did find it a bit of a slog. It was the last of the Flemings that I got round to reading and it didn't live up to the high expectations that most of the other Bond novels had set for me. However, I reread it a few months ago, and absolutely tore through it this time. In fact I finished it in a single day which is almost unheard of for me. I found the pace of the storytelling really good, some interesting scenes, and some good interaction between Bond and Tiffany as well as Felix. I'm looking forward to the From Russia With Love review - it is my favourite Bond novel!

[@fSebastianRe]

Im up to live and let die

[@MatthewHarkin]

Super enjoying your book reviews, man! It's nice seeing them talked about in this kind of format too!

[@calvindyson]

Thanks very much :D

[@Frikinautas]

Well, we disagree in this one, Cal. DAF is one of my fav Bond novels. Like the movie, it's just so bizarre in relation to the rest of the books that I love it. We agree that the ending is just made of awesome.

[@fSebastianRe]

whats your new ranking on the books?

[@aperson22222]

Huh, I liked this one. Except the bit on the ocean liner. The dialogue was good, but the action was tedious and the lottery or whatever they were running was confusing and boring, and that's what stands out more for me. Tiffany was the saving grace for me. She's one of my favorite Bond girls. She's one of the only ones to get proper closure in the next book, even if it happens offstage.

[@fSebastianRe]

whats your new ranking on the books?

[@aperson22222]

@@fSebastianRe A dead heat among CR, FRwL, and OHMSS. Then YOLT, then a wide gap. A quick succession of TB, DAF, GF, FYEO, and DN, with the exact placement among those five likely to change from one day to the next. L&LD, MR, O&TLDL, MwtGG, and TSWLM bringing up the rear.

[@miyashitatv986]

me too. i like this book because "wow, an ghost town" and next "the villain drove a train?" me:🤣

[@philipmccracken697]

The auction scene was tedious. So I skimmed right through it. Saved a good bit of time and lost none of the plot.

[@justsomedude5727]

I finished this one recently and it was actually one of my favourites, I like the diamond/smuggling plot, the vegas/western theme, and it gave me something I've been really wanting, Bond on a transatlantic liner!

[@jammontgomery2320]

And Tiffany Case, she's such a banger in this, too bad the film turned her into a sassy bimbo.

[@SolarDragon007]

Diamonds is widely considered to be one of the weakest of the Fleming novels alongside The Spy Who Loved Me and The Man with the Golden Gun. I'd still take the book over the dreadful movie though.

[@andyford3179]

Imo tmwtgg is the best novel

[@warrenrhinerson6373]

@@andyford3179 the opening is a killer for sure

[@Painter19]

W

[@q.h.s5051]

I still don't understand what Is so bad about the film

[@Lillytime1236]

@@q.h.s5051 i love the book and the film.

[@riquelmedesousa5848]

Diamonds Are Forever Forever Forever Forever

[@Apropinquante]

What Calvin finds boring about Ian Fleming's books is what makes them better than the movies. They are much more real and make you feel like you are traveling without the risks of James Bond.

[@codename617]

Remember this book when the Thunderball lawsuits comes up.

[@samuelbarber6177]

I actually quite liked this novel. I think a lot of what doesn’t work about Fleming for Calvin is what works for me. That Fleming’s Bond is quite depressive and interior (as well as a bit of a bastard) is something that appeals for me, though I understand why it doesn’t appeal to many, not to mention the travelogue stuff, which does kind of fascinate me as an enthusiast of American culture of this time period. It is also odd to pit Bond against American gangsters in this way. There is more of a reason for MI6 to be involved than in Live And Let Die at least, but this does just feel like Bond has been inserted into a crime story, at least in Licence To Kill he had a revenge mission. Speaking of, I love it whenever Felix Leiter shows up. He’s not really much of a character, but I just order the friendship between him and Bond.

[@Painter19]

I like the vivid descriptions in this novel and travellouge scenes and set pieces. One of the best from the first phase of the Bond novels. Fleming threw the kitchen sink in the writing of this but weak villains which I think he acknowledged later. Definitely worth a read because....well it was written by Ian Fleming.

[@sebastianfitzptraick7395]

D'you think you appreciate Dalton a bit more after reading book Bond?

[@calvindyson]

I don't know if I appreciate him more neccesarily... He's the closest actor to the book version of Bond for sure but I don't that makes him the most entertaining or best version of the character we've seen on screen. Still, good to have more context on his portrayal!

[@huntinglightning3507]

Hope you get to reading the short story collections of James Bond @@calvindyson, seeing how some of the elements were used in later James Bond films. P.S. Doesn't the fixed horse race remind you of "A View to a Kill" in some aspects of plot elements?

[@donaldbishop5320]

THE BOOK HEAVIES "THE SPANG MOBSTERS" SHOULD HAVE BEEN RETAINED FOR THE MOVIE. THE FILM SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLOSER TO THE IAN FLEMING NOVEL.

[@toms5996]

Handsome as ever❤️🇫🇮 What comes to the novel, don't like it much but the movie is the absolute guilty pleasure of mine.

[@kristanjohnson6084]

This strikes me as a pretty reasonable review. I had similar ironic thoughts when Bond starts getting impatient with the story he's stuck in, and I think I remember laughing and saying something like, "Sorry James; blame Flemming for this one." On a technical level it is astoundingly problematic to draw attention of readers to the shortcomings of the story they are reading. I liked the unconventional structure of the story, and I didn't even realize that Flemming was encouraged to finish the story he thought was finished, with everything after the train chase. That's an interesting bit of trivia I'm interested to learn more about, how did you find that out if you don't mind my asking? The mud bath sequence was the worst for me, I was baffled about why Bond would let Felix talk him into going to that rendezvous. It was Felix's thing to follow up on! I loved the Ghost town and train sequences, too. Flemming constructs this set piece well; and I really loved the imagery he details where Bond positions himself along the tracks like a duelist, with only a couple of bullets left in his gun to make the shot. I also enjoyed much of the post-train chase material. The sequence where Bond rescues Tiffany from Wint and Kidd was a great suspenseful bit of writing. One thing that was a nice surprise was seeing how Bond deals with a kill in a public location; I did not expect that he would make an effort to stage the scene to look like a murder-suicide, to pass a casual inspection until he's off the ship. It's quite different from how the movie Bond kills left, right and center all the time in public without worrying about secrecy. Overall it's an uneven book, with a lot of random stuff thrown in. I kind of had fun with how random some of it is, I laughed and shook my head a lot; so I enjoyed the worst parts in that way.

[@calvindyson]

Thanks very much for the comment. Very good read! I read the thing about Fleming being prompted to finish the story online, a quote from his biographer, Andrew Lycett. Apparently Fleming took inspiration for all the marriage talk from his own failing marriage at the time. Glad to hear you had fun with the book though!

[@kristanjohnson6084]

@@calvindyson Thanks, I appreciate the behind-the-scenes insight on the writing of the book. I assumed DAF's story structure was unconventional the way Casino Royale seemed unconventional to me; it's intriguing to learn there's a specific reason for it. Hope From Russia With Love works better for you (I'm reading through the Flemming books for the first time too, and this is the point where you will get past me; I have FRWL to look forward to for the first time when I get to it). Happy reading!

[@brenoramosmosso]

This book is proof that the films captured the essence of Ian Fleming. Mixing stories and giving a mix of action suspense with a tourist vision. And with decorative women in the plot. Still, I think Ian Fleming understands more about women than any other James Bond writer or screenwriter.

[@wrestlingbuff87]

Watching past reviews from Calvin to find a new review... Shocking, positively shocking... In a good way, of course!

[@leftcoaster67]

Hate to say it, but if Bond is in the US it tends to not be good.

[@smallmj2886]

The book wasn't great, but the movie was SO much worse. Tiffany was a good character in the book, she was one of the absolute worst movie girls.

[@johnnysparkle]

Write What You Know: Ian Fleming's voyage on the Queen Elizabeth provided background information for the final four chapters.

[@CannonFodder93]

Actors I imagine in for some characters in this novel: Bond - Timothy Dalton Tiffany - Jill St. John Felix - Bernie Casey Sarrafimo - Marc Lawrence Jack - Sid Haig Mr. Wint - Bruce Glover Mr. Kidd - Putter Smith

[@RandalBauer11]

I first read DAF about five years ago and I struggled through it as well. I always thought it was a competency issue but I’m glad it wasn’t just me. I finished Dr. No a few months ago and it was very enjoyable experience reading it - so it’ll be interesting if you think the same.

[@GrandFunker]

I couldn't get through Live and Let Die, but enjoyed Diamonds are Forever. Moonraker on the other hand was fantastic as you know.

[@calvindyson]

Oh yes Moonraker is wonderful. I just finished FRWL recently (for the 2nd time) and it's a close second to it for sure. Great read if you haven't read it already!

[@andrewklang809]

As far as James Bond in America goes, the short story For Your Eyes Only was pretty good. A fun one-sitting read. EDIT: Octopussy was in the OTHER must-read short story collection. Sorry!

[@chancylvania]

I got an ad for diamonds before this video

[@calvindyson]

Chancylvania Messer targeted advertising at its best

[@denisarbour6698]

James Bond was created in the era of the cold war in the fifties. To judge him by today standard is unfair. But I agree it is a very unequal book.

[@DeadlyAssassin-fr6ti]

FINALLY!!..........even if it was disappointing

[@Tony-Down-Under]

A great way to start the morning

[@q.h.s5051]

When it comes to the film I have a very hard time understanding the distaste for it, even when it's explained Here on the other hand I completely understand the issues with the book

[@davidjames579]

The film's starts off as this book's story, with Bond being put on to a small mission, akin to something Customs And Excise should be investigating. But then turns it into a proper Bond mission when it just so happens the villainy behind the diamond smuggling is Blofeld and his plan to threaten the world again. Interesting that book Bond himself has complaints, and so the screenwriter resolved this problem! Fleming's thoughts on American food were never good. He has Bond make the comment that most American food is worthless, due to it being overcooked to the point of burning! Although I can't remember if it's this book or Live And Let Die that he has Bond eat a Hamburger!

[@fSebastianRe]

its live and let die

[@stevenwebb1271]

I’ve just finished reading this book and unless I missed something there was no mention or hint at all that Mr Wint and Mr Kidd are gay, they obviously are in the film but I didn’t get any hint that the characters in the book were at all.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

They were. Felix Leiter confirms they are gay in the book.

[@stevenwebb1271]

@@ricardocantoral7672 He didn’t confirm it, just suspected it.

[@ciarancarthy3621]

I disagree. I actually preferred this one to Moonraker. Admittedly it is certainly not the best Bond book, but to be honest I think it does start out well. It just gets less inspired and more outlandish towards the end. I thought Bond switching the train tracks was a ridiculous and uninspired ending to an otherwise suspensful sequence.

[@Jordie_42]

That part was confusing as hell

[@ericrhodes5174]

It reads better than it lives....

[@liquidgeorge]

Eric Rhodes Very good!

[@Flibble17]

I think this is one of the weakest books, but the Sarotoga Mud Baths incident is one of the best scenes of any of the books, in my opinion.

[@andyford3179]

Could you do a licence to kill film review because I couldn't find it on the channel and it seems to be a hit or miss with many bond fans

[@HamanKarn567]

I thought it was great myself.

[@gabrielmenchaca1715]

Andy Ford not just License To Kill. Live and Let Die and For Your Eyes Only are also gone.

[@ReluctantWarrior]

@@gabrielmenchaca1715 live and Let Die will probably be his next film review, since it comes after the Diamonds Are Forever film.

[@gabrielmenchaca1715]

Reluctant Warrior Ⓥ he already reviewed Live and Let Die.

[@ReluctantWarrior]

@@gabrielmenchaca1715 Yes, as part of his original film reviews

[@007robotchicken]

I definitely prefer the movie version of this one. I think the first half of this book is fairly dull. The best stuff in the first half is James' and Felix's conversations. I really like the Felix Leiter character in the books, and I still don't really feel like the movies have ever done him justice. I think the biggest problem with this book is the lack of a real villain. Bond has nothing to do in the first half of the book until Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd attack the jockey at the mud bath. And then Spang, the main villain of the book, is introduced 2/3 of the way through the book, and Bond kills him one chapter later. Just not a super interesting villain in this book. It's an especially glaring problem coming off the heels of Drax in Moonraker.

[@Goldmember1208]

What I find disappointing about the book is that the gangsters have no plan about those diamonds, just selling it , no goal behind that, I kept hoping for something to come up , it felt like Bond didn't really discover anything more than what M told him at the begining of the book. And he just confirmed everything by killing everyone haha. I liked the ghost city part (it somehow made me think of scaramanga's lair with the saloon) and the train action sequence and I could see Wint and Kidd from the movie in that book, physically at least . And I like the friendship between Bond and Leiter, the horse race part didn't bother me, It was nice to imagine these two trolling the bad guy about the race.

[@Lillytime1236]

I was thinking the same with Scaramnagas fun house, being the film representative for "Spectreville". If you notice, the actor who plays the (very cartoonish) gangster in Diamonds, reprises his role for this sequence in Golden Gun.

[@cyburgin]

Dammit, Calvin, I was about to go to bed. Oh well, worse things to lose sleep over.

[@calvindyson]

Cyburgin 20 minutes or so won’t make much of a difference anyway haha

[@deraltetrekkie6088]

I have the audiobook and I can concur that the major bulk of the book is not that interesting - however, I just *love* Bonds and Tiffanies escape from that ghosttown and in especially the scene, when Bond starts to hear the cannonball. I'm a sucker for scenes, in which you can see the doom-bringing thing from a far coming closer and closer to you. That's why I liked the scene in the first part of the second "Goliath"-two parter in Knight Rider, when you see the truck "Goliath" as a tiny spot in the desert, rapidly approaching. or the scene in "The Empire strikes back", when you see the AT-AT-Walkers as tiny dots in the distance. Or in "Winnetou 3", when the apache-chief is telling the protagonist, that he spotted "viele Punkte am Himmel" (many dots in the sky", and identified them as birds, who were following their enemies.

[@warrenrhinerson6373]

I’m actually reading this one right now and I’m surprised how much I’m enjoying it. But so far my ranking for the Bond novels is Casino Royale, Moonraker, Diamonds are forever and Live and Let Die

[@fSebastianRe]

whats your new ranking on the books?

[@warrenrhinerson6373]

@@fSebastianRe I just finished From Russia with love. So far: Casino Royale, Moonraker, From Russia With Love, Diamonds are Forever, Live and Let die Side not: 1 2 and 3 spots are all extremely close

[@fSebastianRe]

@@warrenrhinerson6373 ok

[@bawoman]

Tiffany Case is my favorite Bond girl from the books which is ironic considering she's one of my least favorite from the movies.

[@Tobio88]

I really enjoyed her in the book too (unlike her movie counterpart). I have this thing of casting characters when I read a book, and I always imagined her being played by Charlize Theron 😂

[@DarthRushy]

These reviews are getting me really pumped to read the books. By the way, one thing you didn't mention is why Bond was on this USA mission this time. Did the gang steal diamonds from the British or something? Just kinda curious. I'm just picturing Daniel Craig fiddling around with an oxygen mask like a kitten with a ball of yarn right now.

[@fSebastianRe]

whats your new ranking on the books?

[@sonnykingcomposer]

Can you do a skyfall part 2 reupload? It is not on your channel and I'd love to see it!

[@ericseal4453]

Not a bad book really. Somewhat different plot, from the movie. Just a thought, in The Ian Fleming books, Felix Lieter was from Texas. I wonder if Jimmy Dean (Who played Willard Whyte) in movie version of "Diamond's Are Forever", could have played Felix Leiter. Jimmy Dean is also from Texas, and sounds to me like he has a similar personality to Felix Leiter.

[@grantdavis5945]

I'm excited to see that you are reviewing the Fleming novels. Even though diamonds are forever is not my favorite book, I'm a big fan of a literary Bond. I'm looking forward to your review of From Russia with Love witch is a favorite of mine, and is considered by many to be Fleming's best

[@fSebastianRe]

whats your new ranking on the books?

[@EthanKnight97]

I'll choose the book over the movie any day, at least it doesn't feature a elephant gambling.

[@calvindyson]

But the oxygen mask, man... THE OXYGEN MASK!

[@EthanKnight97]

@@calvindyson But Blofeld in drag, man... BLOFELD IN DRAG! 🤪🤪😄 Okay, I agree it's not the best Fleming book, but I guess I like a bit more than you do

[@johnpaulson4750]

I really like this book, I have to say. Particularly the horse rigging scene and Bond's preliminary meeting with Tiffany at the London hotel, during which there is a nice call-back to Vesper in Casino Royale when Bond skips La Vie en Rose on the record player. Bond going by his own name, I think, makes much more sense, as it might have been difficult for MI6 to issue a passport in Peter Franks' name for him at such short notice, and he does explain to Tiffany that his real name is James Bond because Peter Franks is an alias used to fool the authorities, so that his real name won't have a criminal record associated with it. Also, they already call him a limey, so trying to change his personality wouldn't have worked. I do agree that there was a bit too much character hopping. Probably the villains who receive the most attention are the henchmen, Wint and Kidd. You talk about certain interesting elements of Bond's character being revealed, in which you mention his views on marriage, and I think Bond talking about how he'd only have children once he retires from the 00 Section because it would be unfair on them (being away for periods of time on any of his three yearly assignments and because of the low life expectancy for 00 agents) otherwise is also very telling. My favourite part of the novel is when Bond, having thought little of the Spangled Mob, seeing them as inferior and less respectable compared to previous enemies like SMERSH, quickly changes his mind when he sees Wint and Kidd torturing the jockey. Also, Wint and Kidd were the two American businessmen on Bond's flight to New York. You've got to look at Bond busting up the drug smuggling ring in the context that it poses as a sizeable threat to Britain's economic welfare.

[@Smilliereacts]

Yea I have to agree, I found myself sort of bored when listening to the Audible version, the last half was better then the first half, I did enjoy seeing some recognisable names in the supporting cast, and yes Tiffany Case is the biggest stand out this time. I hope From Russia with Love is better.

[@WhiteJarrah]

Regarding the book vs film part of the review, there's an aspect I'm surprised you didn't comment on. Reading the chapter with the rigged horse race, I got flashbacks to the subplot in _A View To a Kill_ with Max Zorin cheating at horse races. The main difference of course is that Shady Tree has substituted a deceased horse with one with a matching coat and much better odds of winning (even going so far as to graft the deceased horse's identification marking onto the substituted horse), while Zorin uses a surgically administered steroid to boost the horse's adrenaline during the race. Fleming's version seems rather foreshadowing. Those of us familiar with Australian horse racing well remember the _Fine Cotton_ substitute scandal of the 1980s.

[@barneymetcalfe8896]

I'm curious. What would you give each book out of ten so far?

[@calvindyson]

Good question actually... CR - 8/10, LALD 5/10, MR - 10/10, DAF - 3/10.

[@upintheairstudio]

Yo Calvin are you planning on reviewing any of the continuation novels once your done with the Fleming books? Personally I recommend Solo by William Boyd.

[@calvindyson]

For sure! I plan on working through all the Bond novels in order of publication. I've been reading so much Bond for the past few months I can't imagine my commute without him now!

[@upintheairstudio]

@@calvindyson You and him must have had some interesting conversations then.

[@Edo_Marinus]

One thing I do find very good about this book is the opening scene, with the scorpion.

[@markeastwood74]

There's an odd similarity between the betting scene on the boat and the 1952 Roald Dahl short story A Dip in the Pool (later adapted for Tales of the Unexpected). I wonder if there's a connection?

[@jetshot2218]

Well now I know why I can hardly remember anything about this one... I couldn't even have said what the villains were called.

[@guyrondel3573]

Once again Calvin, I tend to agree with you about this book review! For me, the movie is far superior to the book! Of course I REALLY LOVE Jill St. John as Tiffany Case, then who wouldn't! The Spang bros. compared to Blofeld and his outrageous plot of the diamond laser, just aren’t there! But the thing I enjoyed most about the film which for me didn’t come over in the book is the fabulous murderous double character of Wint and Kidd who are inverted in the film! Their dry sense of humour and presence thanks to two great actors, Bruce Glover and Putter Smith, who incidentally is a great jazz drummer, really brought out the best and worst - in a certain way - in these two characters! In the book, it just doesn’t do it for me! But in the movie, they are beautifully written and immensely well played! And right the very end when Bond grabs Wint’s arm pulling it up against his balls and Wint oohs with pleasure as Bond puts the bomb in his hand and whirls him into the ocean! For me, they are the top characters in the movie! Pity they don’t come up to scratch in the book!

[@chrisnorman9980]

The Bond book covers make them look like pulp fiction.

[@djtforever1414]

It is tricky for me to watch these book reviews. I read all the Fleming novels when I was a teenager - which was a while ago. I sometimes think I will reread them - so I am trying to avoid spoilers for books I have already read.

[@crakatoot5480]

This is def one of the strangest Bond Books. Bond going against the American Mob could b real interesting to. Shame we didn’t get a more serious one.

[@mercenaryknight5419]

It is more serious than the film.

[@fSebastianRe]

whats your new ranking on the books?

[@aperson22222]

I'm thinking of other Bond visits to the US remaining to you: The final third of _Goldfinger,_ the final third of _The Spy Who Loved Me,_ and "007 in New York." And a little bit at the beginning of _Goldfinger_ that's independent of what comes later. Yeah, they range from meh to bad. _Diamonds_ is the best of them (including _Live and Let Die)._

[@BenCol]

aperson22222 I’ll always remember ‘007 in New York’ as being the only time I’ve ever read fiction and found a recipe for scrambled eggs in the footnotes. Rather tasty too, if not nothing wholly remarkable. But aside from the novelty, it’s easily the weakest of the Bond short stories. It’s not really much of a story, anyway, because there really isn’t much of a plot. At least it’s short I guess.

[@aperson22222]

PixelBro64 It would be interesting to make the eggs and wash them down with a Vesper: really coming full circle on your journey through the Bond canon. I think the piece is harmless enough if you don’t save _Octopussy and the Living Daylights_ for last (which you’re clearly not meant to do anyway, because Maria Freudenstein is dead in _The Man with the Golden Gun_ but not in “Property of a Lady”). _Golden Gun_ is no masterpiece, but at least it’s a proper story. “There’s no reptile house in the Central Park Zoo!” is a dreadful note to say farewell on. I expected this, and read _Octopussy_ before _Golden Gun._ I’d have been sorely disappointed if I hadn’t.

[@upintheairstudio]

And Solo.

[@andrewklang809]

@@BenCol I really liked "007 in New York". It's only, like five pages long, but it's full of detail all the same. It's just about Bond landing in New York and what he was planning on doing from there. Very interesting from a historical point-of-view, to get an idea how a mid-century jetsetter would go about his day. And, even if you read it slowly (which I recommend, because without the details, there's literally nothing to it), it's only gonna take you 10-15 minutes. Take a step back in time. Back in early Bond's headspace. When you're not fighting off an Englishman's Korean assassin or tangling with an octopus at the far end of a murder-dungeon in Jamaica, what's life all about? "007 in New York" is an fun little amuse-bouche to put you in James' head during those down moments. You still have to be a 1950s sophisticate, after all. That's part of the package.

[@andrewklang809]

@@aperson22222 As a big fan of eggs and of Vespers both, I feel embarrassed that I've never tried them together. Probably because, unlike Our Man James, I don't consider cocktails an integral part of breakfast. But if I ever want to grow REAL hair on my various manly surfaces, maybe I should. Vodka + Gin cocktails for breakfast, gentlemen all. Huzzah! Sorry, marm.

[@therealmovieman]

Such a key down after Moonraker book and film

[@niels25chr1]

The novel is good but slow in pace. It really layed the ground for an adaptation that could have been better than the book (Much like Casino Royale), but the scriptwriters messed that up completely. Surely they needed to do some changes, but the film is way too light, the villains are not sinister enough, and the ending with the sattelite and the fight on the oil rig has little excitement and the effects are quite bad - even for its time. Less is more as they say. I hope that the Spang Brothers will appear as villains some day in a film. I loved their hideout. The horse race thing must have been the inspiration for A View To A Kill 1985. Well the old western like train I guess inspired the train chases on the old train in Octopussy. Bond derailing a train with a vehicle ended up in GoldenEye, so we have seen something a little like it.

[@VortexBunche]

Some of Fleming's novels did not age well and in some cases weren't all that great to begin with, and this entry exemplifies that. Then again, not everything can be as good as Moonraker or From Russia With Love.

[@SolarDragon007]

Dr. No is a pretty great book as well.

[@BandCalledTheSleep]

This video is my most rewatched Calvin Dyson video and I don’t know why 😆

[@skylongskylong1982]

If you ever are suffering from a really bad hangover , a few breaths of pure oxygen really, really helps. Maybe Bond was suffering from a really bad hangover ! I am now tea total , it’s so hard to lug around 50 LB Oxygen bottle after a night on the tiles.

[@carlitostcb]

I really like the book. Love Fleming's travalogue. The mud bath scene is good as are the bits in 'Spectreville'

[@fSebastianRe]

whats your new ranking on the books?

[@kevinkuenn5733]

I think the only Fleming novel left which largely takes place in the US is Goldfinger, unless I'm forgetting one. So chin up Calvin!

[@ericrhodes5174]

Goldfinger was dreadful! It made DAF look like high literature.

[@mercenaryknight5419]

The book is my favorite Bond novel sequel because it is showing James at his most human here.

[@RobertK1993]

Yes listing audiobook it's starts off morning.

[@Lillytime1236]

This one is the most comic of the series, and is why the movie is goofy, because the book is... but I really love it for being so breezy in its tone. This is one I keep so I can pick it up and read a few pages if I'm waiting for a bus or something. Most of the time, Bond feels no real threat and his objective is simply getting Tiffany Case. But its a HOOT! There should be a Spectreville sequence somewhere in the films, as silly as it is, maybe as a cold open. Christoph Waltz' Blofeld could be weirdly obsessed with cowboys and trains, once we realize that no one died in the last Bond movie, No Time To Die was an acid dream and Daniel Craig returns... or adapt the sequence with no connection to previous film arch, just go real weird with it. DAF is a palette cleanser.

[@unclepatrick2]

Neither the book or the movie are very good in this case. You like Tiffany more then I do . I do agree that the train chase is the best part of the book and part of me wishes that they did a version of it in place of the Moon Buggy scene we got in the movie .

[@davidbanan.]

How did they get from las vegas to new york, after fighting out side of las vegas

[@chrismorrison2805]

You are very bright. I just don't agree with you. I just read it and I really loved it. Tiffany Case should have been portrayed more like this in the movie...as a survivor rather than a victim. Please don't take this wrong as I am really going the distance here as to not sound like a KZbin nasty. I am glad you appreciated Tiffany Case's strength however and I also agree that I too would have loved to have seen a whole another book about Bond and Tiffany. I read this after reading Thunderball which I loved, but it lacked a warmth that DAF contained. I know that this might anger a lot of Bond fans but when I read these books, it is George Lazenby that I picture in my head. Well done...but I guess my age allows me to enjoy some of those seedy Vegas scenes. You are absolutely correct on the weakness of the villain here. Good job Calvin. I certainly respect your ideas which are intelligent. All the best.

[@michaellosasso4020]

Another wonderful video, really enjoying these book reviews. I look forward to your review of From Russia With Love, maybe re-reading it will shift your opinion of the film a bit. Also surprised to hear that was your first Bond novel, what led you to start with that one?

[@fSebastianRe]

whats your new ranking on the books?

[@davidshillaker7578]

I just finished this one. It was okay, better than Thunderball, but not better than Goldfinger

[@herculepoirot1916]

Hey, the books are sometimes a drag. I really felt better listening to them as audiobooks. It also works very well since it's a very action based narrative. Maybe you should consider it.

[@curiouscase0075]

I really enjoy DAF... FRWL is probably the very best, however, so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts there...

[@jamesgrassia844]

Without giving you the plots, the only novels I liked we're From Russia With Love, Dr. No, and Thunderball.

[@fredrikcarlstedt393]

The both Spang brothers really should have been just one Spang .

[@samharrison5058]

Hi Calvin can your next video please be a re ranking of the bond films?

[@calvindyson]

I am indeed aiming to have such a video up by the end of the year :D

[@samharrison5058]

Calvin - Bond Reviewer thanks I'll look forward to it.

[@blacksky379]

I've read Live and Let die, From Russia with Love and Diamonds are forever so far. Diamonds is the weakest of those, and From Russia the best one so far. I'm keen to read the whole Ian Fleming's series

[@keithtam19]

Hi calvin , some of your review such as for your eyes only and live and let die are gone , what happened to them ? Anyway love your videos and keep up the good work

[@jacoolckers6465]

What do you think of Bond's morbid fear of flying?

[@Niala8419]

Ting a Ling Bell 😂

[@nihits]

Bond goes to villains base of western ghost town in the end of the man with the golden gun .. and another character in pre credit sequence..

[@davidjames579]

Good observation!

[@AjFatal]

I rather enjoy Diamonds Are Forever. Nuances and all!

[@oskarklang8616]

It’s not in my top 5.The main villains are boring but I like Wint and Kidd.I hated the movie.

[@fqvermis8205]

I liked this novel for the most part, but i agree that the Spang Brothers were lame villans. Btw Calvin, look out in the Blofeld Trilogy is a sort of "Meta Cameo Joke thing" about Fleming himself and his books. Hope you will notice it.

[@calvindyson]

Ahhh interesting! I don't know much about the books from this point on (other than a few specific plot points about You Only Live Twice) so will keep an eye out!

[@bladerunner951]

This is probably my least favorite of the Bond books I have read along with Goldfinger (I'm still missing The Spy Who Loved Me and The Man With the Golden Gun). It does pick up near the end but it has no solid main villain and the plot for the most part is very drawn and meandering at times. By the way, the last chapter reminds me of the end of Die Hard 3. In both cases our heroes have to finish off the main villain after the story has peaked and, what a coincidence, they both shoot down a helicopter and that's the end.

[@paulotelli661]

So, which Bond actor do you imagine as you read?

[@paulmonahawk4921]

dIDNT A VERSION OF THE GHOST TOWN APPEAR FLEETINGLY IN MWTGG?

[@tompor561]

Hope you do Man With the Golden Gun soon

[@calvindyson]

Book or movie?

[@tompor561]

@@calvindyson Both :D

[@KevinHarvey-YT]

Diamonds takes forever

[@2001mark]

007 in America is often a slog, book & film alike.