A Little Break

Hello , I’ve been taking a little break from the website . My head has been out of it but I’ll be returning to it soon . Feeling a little guilty for not putting something up in the past two or three weeks though so I’ve decided to put up a small list of some of my favorite mad scientist stories for whomever is interested .

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
Dr. Phibes by William Goldstein
Dr. No by Ian Fleming
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen
The Fly by George Langelaan
Revival by Stephen King
Dread by Clive Barker ( May not qualify but it’s close enough )

All respect must be paid to Mary Shelley and H.G. Wells for making the genre relevant . It’s a genre that has helped create some of the best horror and science fiction stories of all time and it should be treated with respect . Anyways , I hope y’all will check these stories out and tell me what you think .

The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming

” The Spy Who Loved Me ” is a spy thriller written by Ian Fleming and published in the early 1960’s .

Vivienne Michel accepts a job at ” The Dreamy Pines Motor Court” after several romances gone bad . When vacation season ends , Viv is put in charge of looking over the motel at night , so the owner can take inventory and close it up for the winter . Two mobsters , who work for the owner , arrive to burn down the place for insurance money . Before they do that however , they treat Viv very cruel , and attempt to rape her but they are interrupted by James Bond coming in to get a room . The rest of the novel follows Vivienne as she watches Bond take on the two gangsters in a battle of wits, violence , and the fallout that follows .

” The Spy Who Loved Me” is a unique James Bond novel for several reasons . The first reason is that the novel takes place completely from Vivienne’s point of view . Another reason is that the book largely takes place in one location . One more reason is that Bond himself doesn’t come until the last third of the novel . It’s relatively short compared to the other novels and it’s probably the most sexually explicit as well . I find it to be a fun experimental Bond novel and if you’re a fan of the character , read it .

Octopussy and The Living Daylights by Ian Fleming

” Octopussy and The Living Daylights ” is a short story collection written by Ian Fleming and starring James Bond , originally published in the 1960’s . Seeing as all of these stories are only a few pages long , I’m going to summarize them all in one or two sentences , to avoid spoiling them too much .

” Octopussy ” : A revenge story involving Nazi gold , ice climbing , and a hungry octopus .

” The Property of a Lady ” : Using a double agent to find another double agent at an art auction .

” The Living Daylights”: James Bond has to take out a Russian sniper while saving another agent.

“007 in New York” : Bond is sent to warn a former British agent that their boyfriend is with the KGB .

Ian Fleming is one hell of a thriller writer and it shows in all these stories . ” Octopussy” is my personal favorite of these tales even though it involves James Bond the least , it’s a suspenseful revenge story with a twist ending. ” The Property of a Lady ” is a more laid back James Bond story , it trades bullets for a competitive auction. It’s a nice change of pace but if you’re looking for violence … this is not the story for you . ” The Living Daylights ” is the most action packed of the four , an intense story that deals with the dirtier parts of the spy business. “007 in New York” is a sad story that deals with love and deception in New York , I’d like to see it expanded upon which is the mark of a good short story … it’s a shame Ian Fleming isn’t around to do it . Overall , if you’re a James Bond film , I’d recommend reading all of them . If you’re just a casual fan of thrillers in general , I’d say at least read ” Octopussy ” and ” The Living Daylights ” stories .

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

Casino Royale is a spy novel by Ian Fleming originally published in the 1950’s . It’s the first James Bond novel .

James Bond is sent by M ( the head of the British Secret Service ) to play and win a baccarat game at the Royale-les-Eaux Casino in France with the goal of bankrupting Le Chiffre . Le Chiffre being a paymaster for SMERSH. Vesper Lynd is assigned to help Bond and Bond has a companion in the C.I.A. ( Felix Leiter) whom is also playing . Now Bond initially loses the game but luckily Felix lends Bond some money . From here Bond gets the win despite some attempts on his life but the story does not end there . The rest of the story involves kidnapping , torture , death , blackmail , double crossing , and suicide .

Something I’d like to point out is that this is a lot more realistic James Bond than the one used in a lot of the movies . He can lose , he doesn’t wisecrack after every kill , and he is overall a more cruel character . This novel is set at a good , fast pace with strong tension throughout . It’s one hell of an introduction for the character . If you like spy thrillers , or if you’re just interested in checking out the origins of one of cinema’s greatest franchises , I’d give this one a look at .