/lit/ - Literature

>>6479756
Yes. James Bond is my favorite lit series ever. Fleming rules, all the other following authors range in quality but my two favorite other than Ian are John Gardner who did the series in the 80's and early 90's. The other favorite of mine is Charlie Higson who wrote the first 4 Young Bond novels.

Also. Conan series. Elric series. Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Mickey Spillane. Thats all I can think of now. Not a morning person.

I like novelizations. They tend to be pretty short, fun reads and fill out some details you may have missd or not n the movie at all.

John Gardner who was writing the Bond novels in the 80-90's wrote Licence To Kill and Goledeneye novelizations that were amazing. He managed to use the literary Bond in the stories without clashing with the cinematic Bond. Things like Felix getting raten by sharks in the book LALD show up in the movie LTK because they usually just randoml take scenes from Ian's boks. Gardner managed to rference his first encounter with sharks in the book and his looseing his leg ad made the one in the movie his second encounter loosing him his other leg and right arm.

Another case is in Goldeneye where they introduced the female M. Gardner had a female M in he previous bok as well as the retirement of Sir Miles in the novel timeline. He seemed to always work the literary character Bond into the movie novels, Fleming description, attitude and the Bentley and all the book stuff.

Another vote for Malazan. I really liked that you were just plunged into the story with no explanation. By the time you are half way through the book you realize it was all on purpose! Battling armies trying to seize a well developed city without destroying its infrastrucure,, ninja-like spies going around killing people, a character playing two roles so separate that it is hard to place it till he leaves at the end.

It all converges at a garden party where all he different stories come together. Some resolve themslves (like a bombing planned outside the garden wall, an assasination a theft) and many are not.

The second book sold me though. That chain of dogs made me emotional. A wagon train of war refugees fleeing through inhospitable lands including deserts and beseiged on all sides constantly. Tha desperation, that fear, tha starvation, infighting, stray dogs and former pets joining alongside the warriors. It gave me some trail of tears feels.

>>6159379
"Ha, you are a faggot" you say running into the forest maniacally giggling euphoric laughs.

I agree with REH. Also Moorecock and Mickey Spillane. Honorable mentions to Ian Flemig and Robert Ludlum.

John LeCarre for me. Tense dialogue that is really gorgeouse with lots of "holy shit" moments. Entre novels of just dialoge, no action scenes and still highly entertaining.

>>6054316
There you go. Just reread the whole I posted. Should have edited it but posting from my tab. I hate these onscreen keyboards.

Also, I should mention that there are a couple interesting Moneypenny things. In the movies she was black for the first time she was portrayed as black. In the Moneypenny Diaries se during Ian's run she herself talks about her background. A brit but born and raised in South Africa and only going to England when she joined he military, still could be white though. Wasnt
till Deaver that it was stated specifically that she was black.

Continued..
William Boyd - Solo. Set in the original timeline after DMC. Slow, plodding, dull, the plot moved along with Bojd as the viewer. Weakest of the bunch.
Charlie Higson - Young Bond series. Set in the original timeline. Bond is a kid and teen in school getting into adventures. His famil, background, the incident with the maid and many things Ian glossed over or implid are written out in full. As good as Ian's stories and compliment them in style the best.
Kate Westbrook - The Moneypeny Diaries. Written as diaries set during Ian's timeline. We get a lot of stuff we never see in the office and lots of M. There is also a date with Bond and mentions of the other women in his life. 3 books, decent reads.

There is a new Young Bond book following Higson that recently came out that I have not read yet. Also in the 70's there were a couple nogelizations written by Christopher Wood as novelizations of the movies because at that point they were so different from the ooks. Yes, a novel based on a book based
on a novel. I read his Moonraker out of curiosity and is wasnt bad, but does not fit into any of the literary timelines. Even the novelizatons written by Gardner and Benson during their runs managed to use th literary Bond and fit the movies story into the timeline. Like LTK and GE.

Big literary Bond fan here.

Ian Fleming - the best, eparce journalistic stle. Story keeps moving. Efecyive at getting atmosphere. Very good travelogues.
Robert Markham (Kingsley Amis) - first post Ian novel js by Amis writing as Markham, a psudonim IFP came up with to keep the series going. Lasted only one novel though. Some say its the best in the series. First actual visit to M's home "Quarterdeck" which Ian refered to a couple times.
John Gardner - wrote he series in he 80-90's. My personal favorite run of any author. He wrote more books than even Ian. He wrote in a more real world thriller style. The books were much longr and the plots a lot more twisty. Gardner also had his own Bod timeline where all the events of yhe previous stories happened but placed late enouh that Bond being active i the 80's maes him middle aged. More spycraft, Bond training scenes so we have moe reason to belive how good he is, promotion to Captain, double O section being disbanded, Sir Miles Meservy retiring, Barbara Mawdsley taking over as M.
Raymond Benson - 90's. Worst of the bunch. Wrote like the movies, not the literary character. Ignored Gardner developments except for keeping the female M.
Sebastian Faulks - Devil May Care is a decent book set in he original timeline taking place in universe after Markham's Colonel Sun. Pretty good one off.
Jeffrey Deaver - was to be the start of a new Bondd seies called Project X by IFP. They were trying to do an updated ongoing series again. Timeline shift to Bond beingborn in the late 70's, active in the military in the 90's and becoming a spy after. The CR story is implyed but as this is a new mission it is not dwelled on. All the characters from the original series show up but with updated backgrounds. Moneypenny was black here before Skyfall.

I am not too great with my dino terms but I did like the book. Jurrasic Park hits the ear better that Triassic Park or Critacious Park.

How is Weber as an author? See his tons of books at the bookstore and always wonder about them.

Used to wonder about the WH4K books, took the plunge and love them.

The Fantomas series by Allain
The Ripley series by Highsmith

Those are pretty close to what you are looking for.

Its a fun, pulp syle novel. The good guys are really good, the bad guys are dastardly. It is a bit long and repetatie but I do not mind her writing.

One of the better sci-fi novels IMO. Though some seem to read it not manage to get it, even though alternate universe, engines that run on air, super strong and light alloys that do not exist, force fields, holograms, sonic disruper beams being tested ...I could go on.

Not a bad series. A bit repetative and preachy at times. I wished we got more Richard in battle. A lot of the books where waiting around for him to do something cool.

The series actually ends pretty well. A lot of fantasy series endings are usually weak.

I think it happens because Ed was a great man but was content to be where he as so his inaction destroyed him. She talked a bit about those who move throguh life on inertia and not taking charge, you can get pushed in any direction the wind blows.

Just my take.

>>5705591
"What are 'things never said in an Ayn Rand thread' Alex.

But seriously, BOTNS is great

The James Bond books are allgood to great reads.
Ian Fleming - original series. At time very beautiful writing but most of the time it is very sparce and journalistic. Speaks to Ian's background.
Robert Markham (Kingsley Amis) - Colonel Sun. Very nice read, most literary. Follows directly from Ian's storyline.
John Gardner - wrote the series in the 80-90's. New Bond universe. Starts Bond in his 50's in the 80's where original Bond would have been like in his mid to late 70's by then. Best pure thrillers of all the authors.
Raymond Benson - wrote the series in the 90's. Bond is back in his 30's. No ref to ww1, just his service in some conflict before becomeing a spy in the past few years. Worst of the series.
Kate Westbrook - Moneypeny Diares. Written like a diary from Kate Moneypeny's view, set during Ian's original series. Pretty good.
Charlie Higson - Young Bond. Set in Bond's teens in the 20's. As good as Ian's stuff.
Sebastian Faulks - Carte Blanch. Set directly after Colonel Sun, maintains Ian's original timeline. Just an ok book, I expected more.
Jeffrey Deaver - Devil may care. Starts a new Bond timeline. Bond has just befome spy after searving in Iraq. Good thriller, better than it had any right to be.
william Boyd - Solo. Set after Carte Blanch. Good writing, shit plot. Bond is pretty useles in this one. The weakest of them all.

Love the Conan stories. REH was amazing, the authors after were hit and miss but most were decent sword and sorcery wth some cool battles.

Got a two volume hardcover set of Robert Jordan's Conan novels recently out of curiosity. He pretty much had two plots and mixed and matched side characters and locations ...but it still was entertaining.

Mickey Spillane writes some of the brst hard boild fiction, he can save the whole resolution to the mystery for he last para, hell, evwm the last sentence. Had to learn to read the lasp.page with an index card covering the parts I have not reached.

Books that are very engaging for me tend to be spy novels, thrillers or sci fi for me. I get totally sucked into Fleming, Clancy, Ludlum, etc.

You should read it op. Opinions matter less than your own assesment. I for one liked it. She writes in a very pulpy style where the good is really good, beautiful and virtuous and the evil is ugly and currupt. Its like reading Conan, the story has enough thrust to keep going and you always know without doubt where everyone throws in their lots.

>>5597101
Clancy and Ludlum are good but I never really got the comparision with JLC. John seemed more character driven while the othersore plot driven. The Apocolyps Watch by Ludlum is a good read, he has some quaility work in his biblio.

He is one of my favorites without a doubt. His Karla trilogy was great, The Russia House was great too. Of his later work I think The Constant Gardner, The Tailor Of Panama and Absolute Friends are tops.

I love how he uses deft dialoge instead of action scenes, great tession too.

Terry is great. One of the best if not aimply the best series out there on weight of entertainment value alone. His characters are great characatures and do a good job of subverting fantasy tropes. I love the books, Rincewind and Nightswatch ones are my favorites.