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 enlarge | Author: Ian Fleming
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $7.92
You Save: $6.08 (43%)
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Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 24321
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.5
ISBN: 0142003239
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780142003237
ASIN: 0142003239
Publication Date: May 27, 2003
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| Customer Reviews:
 The Return of James Bond August 26, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
One of the distinctive characteristics of the James Bond movies has always been the opening credit sequence. Over the years, a number of big name artists have done songs for the openings, some of which have been memorable (such as Goldfinger or The Spy Who Loved Me) and others that are completely forgotten (can anyone but a true Bond aficionado remember the opening song in On Her Majesty's Secret Service?). If there is a truly immortal Bond tune, however - one that still gets plenty of playing time even three decades after the movie - it is Paul McCartney's Live and Let Die. The song may be well-remembered, but what of the book that inspired it? It may be one that many wish was best forgotten.
I say this not because it is a bad book; it is actually decent enough, but it has a view of race that is, to put it kindly, rather antiquated. The story sends Bond to New York to assist in stopping the crime boss and SMERSH operative, Mr. Big. Mr. Big is a large black man who - through his appearing as the voodoo figure Baron Samedi - appears to hold sway over most of the blacks on the East Coast and the Caribbean.
Bond teams up with his CIA friend Felix Leiter and the battle with Mr. Big is on, going from New York to Florida to Jamaica. Mr. Big's plot involves the smuggling of old gold coins from a pirate treasure as part of a plot to fund crime and Communism. Since it is a Bond story, there is a beautiful woman too, in this case, the fortune-telling Solitaire who Mr. Big intends to marry whether she likes it or not. Bond has other ideas.
I don't know if I'd go as far as to call this book racist, as Fleming doesn't seem to look upon blacks with contempt or believe they only merit a second-class place in society. He nonetheless resorts to stereotypes and treats the race as almost a monolithic unit. Of course, this is a fifty year old novel written before the Civil Rights movement really kicked into gear, and Fleming is a product of his time and place. What may have been relatively common writing at the time is now dated and may be unpleasant to many readers.
Still, in its context, this is a decent enough novel, rating a low four stars. The Bond of the first novel, Casino Royale, wasn't involved in much actual action, but here the bullets are flying and bombs are exploding. Already in the second novel, Bond is becoming more of the superheroic spy, although he is still human enough. If you are a fan on the Bond novels, then this is worth reading, but for a casual thriller fan, this might be one to skip.
 Super Reader August 4, 2007
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Bond becomes more interested in Mr. Big, head of a voodoo operation in the Carribean, after he learns that he is working for SMERSH. He sees an opportunity to exact a bit of payback for the events of the previous book. It seems that Mr. Big may have found the pirate treasure of Captain Henry Morgan, and is using that for operational purposes.
He also gets to work with Felix Leiter, from the CIA. Mr. Big has a fortune teller that is a true psychic, named Solitaire. A beautiful girl, she works out what the two agents are up to, and they end up captured. Eventually they escape, and as Solitaire is a beautiful girl, Bond takes her too.
Felix Leiter is severely mauled by a shark.
That is not the finale, as Bond and Solitaire are captured again, and dragged behind a boat, designed to slowly bleed to death as coral and other sea things cut them. The bad guys wouldn't be sad if blood attracted sharks to eat 'em, either.
Another Great Book in the Series May 31, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you enjoyed Casino Royale, then you will also like the next book in the series, Live and Let Die. I don't know what it was, but I think it is just a little less enjoyable than the first book. The reason being the way that Ian writes for the black characters, it is some times hard to read and understand what they are saying. Trying to get the accent of what all black people talk like, according to him, makes some of the lines unreadable. Such as, it will say something like 'I dun no bot dis bose' but worse.
Anyway, still a good story overall, but almost completely different from the movie.
Voodoo Bond April 29, 2007
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Live and Let Die is the second book in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. I preferred Casino Royale, but this one is certainly a good Bond story. This time 007 is in the United States trying to deal with the dangerous Mr. Big, the leader of a well-organized mob dealing in drugs and smuggling. Bond is helped in his efforts to learn about Mr. Big's operations by the enigmatic and beautiful Solitaire. As was true in Casino Royale, Bond is also aided by Felix Leiter, the indomitable US CIA agent. The story leads from New York to Florida to Jamaica and has an outstanding ending as Bond once again saves the day under extremely perilous circumstances. The characters in the book are well written, but the book's descriptions of African-Americans are particularly dated since the book was written in 1954.
Read the book and enjoy Bond, but this was not Ian Fleming's best effort. Now on to Diamonds are Forever, the third book in the series.
An Exciting, Entertaining Novel March 9, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Although the story of Live and Let Die was adapted to the silver screen as the seventh Bond movie (the first starring Roger Moore as the secret agent), Live and Let Die is actually the second book in Ian Fleming's series. It takes place some undisclosed amount of time after the events of Casino Royale, the first book in the series. Bond, eager to exact revenge on SMERSH, the Soviet version of the CIA or MI6, which was responsible for torturing him in Casino Royale, jumps on a mission to engage an American gangster turned Soviet agent codenamed Mr Big. Mr Big apparently uncovered a vast horde of pirate treasure and is illegally spreading the money throughout the United States to fund SMERSH activities. Mr Big is ruthless, cunning and brilliant and, perhaps more importantly, has absolute control over many of the black people in the United States (particularly Harlem) and Jamaica, through his manipulation of the Voodoo culture. As such, Mr Big is as cruel and dangerous an enemy as Bond will ever face.
The story of Live and Let Die (which, by the way, is vastly different from that of the movie) is much quicker paced and action-packed than that of Casino Royale, whose climax occurred at a baccarat table. And, while Casino Royale was certainly an enjoyable novel, Live and Let Die is a much more entertaining read.
Fleming is a strong writer who is capable of spinning a great tale. He does not waste a lot of time with description or unnecessary banter. Instead, he includes as much as he thinks is necessary to adequately advance the plot, allowing the reader to flesh out the descriptions in his mind. Fleming does, at times, devote a few pages to description, particularly that of Mr Big. His descriptions are beautifully written, telling the reader everything they need to know concisely, clearly and elegantly. Fleming's dialog, too, is pretty strong though he shies away from dialog much like he shies away from description. Often, he turns dialog into a third-person narrative in order to make it more concise. Although his dialog is snappy and realistic, it can, at times, be confusing. It is not always clear who is saying what which can cause the reader to have to re-read a passage to clarify the situation. However, this only happens once or twice and is not a big issue.
Perhaps the biggest complaint one could have with Live and Let Die is that it has become formulaic. The cruel and wicked villain, the smart and beautiful girl who somehow continues to fall into the clutches of the villain, the impossible situations that Bond manages to sidestep, and the general ineptitude of every agent or officer that is not Bond. But it is important to note that, as one of the earliest novels, this formula is not yet as cliche as it becomes over the next few books.
It is important to briefly note what many call a racist mentality present throughout the novel. Certainly, black people are usually portrayed as superstitious, poorly spoken folk, many of whom are working for a terrible black gangster. The use of the word "negro" and "nigger," which are now considered politically incorrect run rampant throughout this book. But those were the words commonly used when the book was written in the 1950s and had no racist connotations at the time. For Fleming, a British writer, telling a story about black people in America is rather difficult and it is surprising and impressive that he manages to avoid many of the typical stereotypes.
Live and Let Die is an exciting espionage thriller, with an admirable protagonist, a wicked villain, a strong plot, good storytelling and snappy dialog. The novel is vastly different from the later film adaptation and so is worth reading even if you did not like the movie. It is definitely one of the best books and a worthy addition to the Bond saga.
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