15 ms·
This is wonderful. Details matter in fiction. It's a delicate balance to weave it in without obsessing over it to the detriment of other elements, but you need
by caconym_ 7y ago
This is wonderful.
Details matter in fiction. It's a delicate balance to weave it in without obsessing over it to the detriment of other elements, but you need that texture to anchor the consumer's perspective in a place that seems real.
Lots of modern media fail miserably at this, e.g. many of the recent films by J.J. Abrams. I guess it's harder when the product is designed by a committee of people who don't really care in the same kind of way that Mr. Fleming clearly did.
- nicolas_t 7y agoI don't know if it's only because it's a committee or because the person at the top J.J. Abrams doesn't care at all about it (it's also why he has kept overusing lensflare in a lot of his "movies")
- Talanes 7y agoExactly, when you're working at his level the resources and knowledge pool to hire people to obsess over the details. It's either a matter of ego, or he just doesn't value that sort of detail.
- goatinaboat 7y agoAbrams cares about realism and continuity to the extent that in his universes you can see events happening on one planet from another with the naked eye
- ztjio 7y agoIf you haven't read the original novels, they are an absolute treat. Very refreshing. There is great detail, but, almost never more than you absolutely need. It is used to set the pace, so, in the slower moments there will be some fluff details. Ultimately it makes for short novels, really novellas by today's standard. And frankly I love them all the more for that. It's easy to finish one in a single sitting.
- jetrink 7y agoThat sounds like exactly the type of escapism that I need right now. Are the novels meant to be read in order? If not, do you have one or two that would be good to start with?
- dewy 7y agoThey are in order, and Bond evolves based on his experiences in previous books. I would start with the first, Casino Royale and go from there. Bond of the novels is a more complex and less hero-worshipable character than his movie equivalent. My personal favourite is On His Majesty's Secret Service - I also loved the short story A Quantum of Solace (which has nothing to do with the movie of the same name). And while I personally enjoy the novels, I will say that some of them have not stood up to the test of time as well as others, and now read as very dated. Not discouraging you from reading them, just be forewarned!
- logical_proof 7y agoOHMSS is also my favorite. Out of curiosity which would you say have not aged well? Dr. No has some issues racially as I recall but not that I can think of as outright offensive. I ask because I want to know what I have missed (sometimes the blinders are up and you don’t see what you should).
- ztjio 7y agoThe published order of the books is not chronological order, but, I believe unless an author explicitly says so, one should always read their books in published order. The way to look at them is they are glimpses into Bond's past. A few of them are several stories, in fact. That being said, the first published is also Bond's first mission so no harm in starting with Casino Royale either way.
- mysterydip 7y agoHow do you feel about the ones written post-Fleming? I have a couple compilations from Raymond Benson but have not found time to finish them yet. Was curious how the Bond others wrote compared, as I haven't read the originals yet.