Live and Let Die: Read the second gripping unforgettable James Bond novel

It’s funny when you reread a book, especially one that you read years (decades ago), even more when it was written in the 1950’s, become part of popular culture and see it with modern eyes.In 1954 James Bond was a character in a book by Ian Fleming, there had been no movies, Bond was just a fictional character whose first outing in Casino Royale had warranted a follow up, Live and Let Die. My memories of reading this were that it was a good fun read, that it was quite a lot like the film – a film that would not be made for another 20 years, Sean Connery had not even shaken his Martini, let alone Roger Moore.To me the book seemed that it was fin read and nothing seemed to stick in my head about it – I probably read it about 1980, society, culture has changed a lot since then, even more so since the book being published in 1954 and reading it now was a metaphorical kick to the gut.The Watts Riots, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King – the whole civil rights movement was in it’s earliest of days, and the events that would make history were waiting to happen.So, it is hardly surprising that the terminology used throughout the book is enough to jolt the reader, indeed it might have been out of place in 1980, but by today’s standard it is certainly politically incorrect. The term ‘Negro’ is the most common use of description for any person with black skin, and even the other ‘N’ word slips in once or twice. There is a stereotypical feel to some of the lesser characters – although they may well have been depictions of the times, and Harlem is shown as a stronghold of diverse nationals of different race and origin, mostly no-white, who stand out like a sore thumb when they dare enter this place. All the hoodlums are known by street names, and there are gangs everywhere.Funnily enough, I read this while watching the second series of Marvel’s Luke Cage, and it was quite interesting to see that although there were major changes in the way Harlem is depicted there was a lot that remained familiar as well.The story should be well known to anyone who has seen the movie. Bond is sent to New York to help the CIA investigate the sudden appearance of gold entering the market – gold that comes from many different countries, but all from a similar period. Has someone found Blackbeard’s treasure? The main culprit seems to be one Mr Big, a powerful crime lord based in Harlem, big in every sense of the world. Is he just a crime boss or is he working for the Russians?Using voodoo as a method of control Mr Big dominates the gangs of Harlem, running the gold from Jamaica to Harlem, but can it be proved, and can he be stopped. Not only is he ruthless, powerful, he also has the assistance of the beautiful Solitaire, who may just be able to read the future.Featuring characters returning from Casino Royale, that will become part of Bond lore. It shows the ‘goog’ guys on the back foot, who only just manage to survive by the skin of their teeth and fortuitous timing. It is brutal in places, a rollicking good adventure showing just why Bond would grow to be so much bigger than the written page.Perhaps though, it must also be consider a historical document a snap shot of a time, portrayed in popular fiction, showing how things have changed, from not just the story but in the way the story is told, down to the diction and attitude.In a time when a book like Little House on the Prairie can be withdrawn from the American syllabus because of it’s racist attitudes and author’s prejudices, it should be remembered that these are reflections of the times and should be used to teach rather than to be redacted. Are we months away from popular books being re-edited with offensive terms being removed in favour of more modern politically correct terms, rather than making the reader wince and realise this is the way things once were.If this is the case, Live and Let Die would be a lesser book no longer part of the time from whence it came, but as much a bastardised piece of work as the titular character and we would be a step away from the Firemen coming to burn the freedom of speech at Fahrenheit 451.

Reading again after many years I am very happy to be brought back to the roots of the modern phenomenon but I recommend reading this and all the Bond novels for their own sake and not as film comparisons. The writing in the 1950s and 1960s is very different to the expectations of the film makers and cinema audiences of later years and whilst some films bear a resemblance to the books (some don't), at best they all contain additional embellishments (and some wild ones at that) and some are all but completely different story lines resembling the book in little but title only. It's important to realise the era in which these books were written, three books (including this one) before the first satellite (sputnik 1957) and nine before the the first communication satellite (Telstar 1962) so non of the space age technology of the films existed at the time.

The second instalment of the Bond novels translated into Roger Moore's first screen outing with the spirit of the book altered by a degree of quick witted levity and the accentuating of the voodoo element into a more frightening component. It is therefore fascinating to read the original story and to discover why the film had to move with the times and jettison Fleming's racist stereotypes as well as many the rather lame character Solitaire far more interesting. The passage of the 20 years between the book and the film saw marked social changes which Fleming acknowledged were apparent in this novel which would have made a literal version of the story on screen into uncomfortable watching such was the author's patronising attitude to race. This novel is almost like a spy adventure written by Enid Blyton. For all their faults, the Bond books remain readable and even though the passage of 60 years has tamed them considerably I do enjoy them. The fascinating thing about the books is how they differ from the films with the better cinema offerings being much weaker on the page. This is a good example. The story moves along at a cracking pace and whilst Bond remains in New York with the assistance of Felix Leiter it is impossible not to get dragged along by the story. I love the fact that Leiter is a jazz fanatic and was intrigued by the authenticity of the names rattled off when they visit the legendary Savoy ballroom. Only the obvious name of Chick Webb is missing. For me, this passage in the book served to illustrate that whilst set in the 1950's, Bond and his cohorts belong to an earlier and less sophisticated era. Just like with "Moonraker", the sensation of the book almost feels more like the 1930's than the mid 1950's. The plot is ratcheted up some degrees when the story then transfers to Florida with the conclusion eventually taking place in Jamaica. At this point, Fleming's failings as a writer re-surface. The villains are pantomime figures just as within the films. Unfortunately Fleming lumbers them with incredibly hackneyed dialogue and as the adventure reaches it's climax, you almost feel like you can hear boos and hisses in the background. The back shat with The Robber almost feels like a parody of Batman or something dreamt up by a kid with a crayon. I find Fleming to be a strange writer. Bond's character seems to mutate in the later adventures as he becomes more recognisable as the spy in the films. There is a suspicion that Fleming became increasingly influenced by the scripts of the films in the later books but, I would also suggest, his continued boredom with the character seemed to prompt his writing to become more experimental so that books like "The spy who loved me" or the collection of short stories in "For your eyes only" certainly benefit from their abridged nature. In contrast with this earlier book, I would have to admit they are far superior. For all that is good about this novel, it is badly let down by the final quarter of the novel just as is the case with "Dr. No." and, in my opinion, the newcomer to Fleming's work is probably advised to start with the less celebrated titles where there is a sharpness and crispness in the journalistic style of writing that you won't find in the more flabby books like this one, "Dr No" and the ridiculous but fun "Moonraker." "From Russia with love" remains the novel I would recommend to start with as this is one of the books that is superior to this film. Anyone coming to this novel first will probably be slightly disappointed by the vulnerability of the character on the page and the linear nature of the tale contrasts poorly with more experimental writing like "The spy who loved in." A period piece very much of it's time but not one of Fleming's best as fun as it is to read.

First published in 1954, this is the second print outing for Ian Fleming's James Bond. Following the superb Casino Royale, it cemented the character of the international man of mystery and set him on the road to legendhood.Bond is dispatched to America to look into the activities of Mr Big, notorious gangster and possible KGB agent. He and his old friend Felix Leiter are soon plunged into a dangerous adventure as they uncover a scheme to use salvaged pirate treasure to finance KGB operations in America. The consequences for Leiter are brutal, as with all of Flemng's Bond books there is a level of visceral violence and torture that makes the skin crawl.There is an added dimension to this book, as well as fighting the usual Russian agents, Bond must also deal with the spiritual world. Big is a voodoo priest, and uses the cult to run his underground empire effectively. Bond has to counter Mr Big's magic as well as his bombs and bullets.As usual Fleming writes with verve, passion, and an eye for the grotesque. His overblown detailed descriptions still read well and thrill. There is a feeling of tension running throughout the book, a feeling of constant danger, exploding every now and then in big action set pieces. It's a real thriller.It's not a book without it's problems. Mr. Big's organisation is composed of people drawn from ethnic minorities in America, and to the modern reader Flemings attitudes and descriptions can seem a little, er, old fashioned. It's not exactly politically correct (though for the day in which it was written these were the prevailing attitudes, so perhaps Fleming can be excused) and can be uncomfortable for the more sensitive modern reader. 4 stars for the book.Rory Kinnear's unabridged audio reading is excellent. He manages the range of accents and voices with ease, providing many distinct voices and never slipping into insensitive stereotyping as would be so easy to do. He has a great pace, and a feel for the rythm of the book. 5 stars for the reading.The book is on 6 discs, and clocks in at around 7 hours runtime. The discs are in a spindle case. There is a short, disposable, interview with Kinnear at the end of the sixth disc. All in all it's a great product, 5 stars.

As with Bond's debut, Casino Royale, Live and Let Die can only be reviewed through the prism of the time it was written. Judging it based on contemporary views and mores is pointless and unfair. It is as much a piece of period fiction as any work by Dickens, Elliot or Austen is. Yes, to contemporary ears the references to Negros, etc and the descriptions of 60's African American and black Carribean culture do sound at best incredibly old fashioned and at worst derogatory (although I do not believe they were intended to be), but all were considered perfectly acceptable at the time the book was written. Dismissing the entire book because it includes such old fashioned language and imagery when none of it is intended to be derogatory (and in terms of the descriptions of Harlem and Jamaica at that time may well be accurate) would be unfair and would mean ignoring the positives the book has to offer.And there are many of the latter. As with Casino Royale, Live and Let Die is another first class thriller. Again Fleming's spare journalistic style gives the book a hard-boiled stripped down feel that perfectly complements a plot that is fast paced and never lets up. There is also more action than in Casino Royale, with Bond repeatedly involved in scrapes and lucky escapes as he takes on SMERSH agent 'Mr Big'. Add in some wonderful supporting characters such as the enigmatic Solitaire and returning CIA Agent Felix Leiter, the usual smattering of factual information that Fleming peppers his books with and a dollop of sex and you have a top class Bond novel.It also manages to go a long way to eradicating memories of the Bond movie of the same name, with its veneer of 'Blaxspoitation' cool and obsession with voodoo imagery. Although voodoo does play a part in the novel this is a far superior effort compared to the movie. There are no hook handed henchmen or comedy American sheriffs on display here, and Solitaire is far from Jane Seymour's permanent damsel in distress.In fact three of the best scenes in the book appear not in the film version but in the later movies 'For Your Eyes Only' and 'License to Kill'. Why the film makers chose to omit them first time around who knows, but they missed a trick by doing so.So ignore the outdated imagery that especially impacts the first third of the book, accept that you're reading a period novel not a contemporary thriller and push all thoughts of Roger Moore in flares hunting down Heroin smugglers in Seventies New York out of your mind. That done you can settle back and enjoy a fantastic thriller on its own terms.