After Fleming

blackgrass

I have been reading all of Fleming's Bond books starting from the beginning with CR. I'm currently reading Thunderball.

As I near the end of the series of wondering what to pick up next? Is there some sort of logical progression as to what to read next?

I did pick up a used copy of Fleming's Thrilling Cities and should be fun but I'd like to continue on with some Bond related books.

BTW...this is my first post on the forum. I've been reading through a few of the old threads but have never registered until today. Looking forward to chatting with some of you Bondheads.
Best...
Blackgrass

Loeffelholz

blackgrass wrote:

I have been reading all of Fleming's Bond books starting from the beginning with CR. I'm currently reading Thunderball.

As I near the end of the series of wondering what to pick up next? Is there some sort of logical progression as to what to read next?

I did pick up a used copy of Fleming's Thrilling Cities and should be fun but I'd like to continue on with some Bond related books.

BTW...this is my first post on the forum. I've been reading through a few of the old threads but have never registered until today. Looking forward to chatting with some of you Bondheads.
Best...
Blackgrass

Welcome to AJB, blackgrass! {[]

After you've read all the Flemings (ending with the Octopussy/The Living Daylights collection) I'd read Colonel Sun, by Robert Markham (Kingsley Amis).

After that, my recommendation would be 007: The Authorised Biography of James Bond by Robert Pearson. It's a great read.

7289

Ian Fleming would have liked you to read Eric Ambler, Raymond Chandler and Somerset Maugham.

These were the authors that IF thought were top notch. You could also locate some of Peter (Ian's brother) Fleming's work. He also did some spy novels.

I found the "continuation" novels very flat. Without the genius of Fleming's writing and expierence they have no soul. The best is the Amis effort.

Good reading!

-{

Scribe74

Welcome, Blackgrass! My advice to you, as you immerse yourself in the literary world of Bond, is to approach the continuation novels with extreme caution. COLONEL SUN is the best of the lot . . . the others miss the mark more often than not.

If you do want to read the continuations, however, I suggest you stick with the early John Gardner books. It goes without saying, of course, no one comes close to Fleming!