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Bond, James Bond: Exploring the Shaken and Stirred History of Ian Fleming’s 007
Hosts Mike Kalinowski and Brad Gilmore team up in this comprehensive breakdown of the longest running film series in the history of cinema. In Bond, James Bond, they explore the cinematic history of the James Bond collection to celebrate everything it got right and reflect on everything it got wrong. The complete cinematic biographies of James Bond. Since his initial portrayal by Sean Connery, James Bond has become a timeless icon worldwide. Now, comes the first-ever era-by-era breakdown of the much loved international spy--on and off the silver screen. Following the men who portrayed James Bond--Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, and Sean Connery--listeners will discover the characteristics that made him resonate, as well as the less glamorous relics that made him evolve. For fans of the Ian Fleming James Bond novels and movies. Cinephiles and fans can finally unscramble some of the best action movies of all time. Covering everything from cars to court cases, Bond, James Bond looks at the evolution of the 007 movies from all angles. Featuring bonus chapters on Bond women and musical scores, in this book you'll also the origins of 007 in the early James Bond books; off-screen politics, drama, and movements that shifted the series trajectory; and the other James Bond, comic books, and animated series.
- GenresNonfictionFilm
224 pages, Paperback
Published February 15, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 23, 2022
I am a Bond fan. Not the books but the movies. To be frank, I thought the books were a bit too clunky (given that they were written in the 50s and 60s) but I grew up on a healthy diet of James Bond movies. We had a VCR and I have fond memories of watching many of the older movies on the tapes. My first JB movie was Goldfinger followed by Octopussy and then the others. My father was a fan too and he passed on the torch to me. While we watched the Pierce Brosnan movies on tape too, we went to see Daniel Craig on the glorious big screen.
I have watched almost every Bond movie except Spectre and I thought I was a fangirl myself. I was so wrong. The authors surpassed everything I have ever known.
When I requested this book, I had no idea of the things behind the screen. The authors are so thorough in their research, I learned a lot about Ian Fleming, Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, and so many others associated with the movies. I learned about the thought processes that went behind every movie. I also learned about the difficulties that the producers faced and how they overcame them all.
It was, in some ways, an inspiring story. Keeping a character alive for half a decade is not a mean feat. The world has changed so much and James Bond has changed with it. Gone is the sexist and misogynistic spy and now we can see the tough yet vulnerable secret agent.
But the greatest revelation for me in the book was that there are actual video games and comics based on James Bond. WHY DIDN'T I KNOW THIS BEFORE??
The tiny thing that put me off in this book was that there is no flow to the story. The authors talk about the authors and then suddenly switch to the comics. Maybe they wanted to write it all in chronological order but it sounds disjointed when it comes together.
But I loved this book so much that this is a non-issue.
4.5 stars.
I received this audio ARC from Netgalley and the opinions are totally mine.
I have watched almost every Bond movie except Spectre and I thought I was a fangirl myself. I was so wrong. The authors surpassed everything I have ever known.
When I requested this book, I had no idea of the things behind the screen. The authors are so thorough in their research, I learned a lot about Ian Fleming, Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, and so many others associated with the movies. I learned about the thought processes that went behind every movie. I also learned about the difficulties that the producers faced and how they overcame them all.
It was, in some ways, an inspiring story. Keeping a character alive for half a decade is not a mean feat. The world has changed so much and James Bond has changed with it. Gone is the sexist and misogynistic spy and now we can see the tough yet vulnerable secret agent.
But the greatest revelation for me in the book was that there are actual video games and comics based on James Bond. WHY DIDN'T I KNOW THIS BEFORE??
The tiny thing that put me off in this book was that there is no flow to the story. The authors talk about the authors and then suddenly switch to the comics. Maybe they wanted to write it all in chronological order but it sounds disjointed when it comes together.
But I loved this book so much that this is a non-issue.
4.5 stars.
I received this audio ARC from Netgalley and the opinions are totally mine.
November 18, 2022
A really bad and disappointing book. Written by two chaps consequentially, with both their takes on all Bond movies, and ups and downs. It is highly repetitive, and therefore does the unforgivable: they make Bond boring!
It also contains a handful of factual errors on the Ian Fleming’s canon.
It also contains a handful of factual errors on the Ian Fleming’s canon.
April 15, 2022
Pedestrian, somewhat repetitive, rarely insightful. The chapters on tv, games, comics particularly bore me.
March 24, 2022
The first James Bond movie I saw in theaters was 'Octopussy', featuring an already ageing Roger Moore in the role of James Bond. Half-way in, the movie suddenly stopped making sense. All of a sudden, Bond was in a hot-air balloon after a completely different set of scenes that seemed to have no connection to what followed. After the end of the movie, we learned that the projectionist had skipped a reel during the show, so we missed maybe 20 minutes of the movie. It would take years before I was able to watch the movie again, since at the time, there were no movie rentals and the DVD hadn't been invented yet.
I still became a huge James Bond fan over time, and have watched every movie several times. This book was a very enjoyable read, written by the same author who wrote 'Back From the Future: A Celebration of the Greatest Time Travel Story Ever Told'. For this book, he asked his friend and fellow Bond fan Mike Kalinowski to co-write the book with him. The book gives a good overview of the history of the James Bond franchise, focusing not only on the books and the movies, but also on the lesser known stories told in comic books, TV shows and in video games.
The choice to have two writers adds some variety to the book, since the two don't always share the same opinion about the James Bond stories, but it also unfortunately results in a lot of repetitions. The book doesn't have a clear structure, and after reviewing a number of movies jumps to other genres to return to the last few Daniel Craig movies towards the end of the book. Some events are told several times, when one writer recounts more or less the same things the other writer had already mentioned before. Some elements, like the '10 best...' lists in the last part of the book feel out of place and more something for a blog post. And those lists again repeat a lot of what was already said earlier on by the writers.
This book was released much later than originally planned so it could include the postponed release of 'No Time To Die', the last James Bond movie with Daniel Craig playing 007. Unfortunately, that extra time was not used to improve the book by an extra round of proofreading. The part about 'No Time To Die' felt a bit rushed, maybe because it was written shortly after the release of the movie.
Despite those flaws, I still enjoyed reading the book, and I'm getting ready for another round of James Bond binge-watching as a result. 😄
I still became a huge James Bond fan over time, and have watched every movie several times. This book was a very enjoyable read, written by the same author who wrote 'Back From the Future: A Celebration of the Greatest Time Travel Story Ever Told'. For this book, he asked his friend and fellow Bond fan Mike Kalinowski to co-write the book with him. The book gives a good overview of the history of the James Bond franchise, focusing not only on the books and the movies, but also on the lesser known stories told in comic books, TV shows and in video games.
The choice to have two writers adds some variety to the book, since the two don't always share the same opinion about the James Bond stories, but it also unfortunately results in a lot of repetitions. The book doesn't have a clear structure, and after reviewing a number of movies jumps to other genres to return to the last few Daniel Craig movies towards the end of the book. Some events are told several times, when one writer recounts more or less the same things the other writer had already mentioned before. Some elements, like the '10 best...' lists in the last part of the book feel out of place and more something for a blog post. And those lists again repeat a lot of what was already said earlier on by the writers.
This book was released much later than originally planned so it could include the postponed release of 'No Time To Die', the last James Bond movie with Daniel Craig playing 007. Unfortunately, that extra time was not used to improve the book by an extra round of proofreading. The part about 'No Time To Die' felt a bit rushed, maybe because it was written shortly after the release of the movie.
Despite those flaws, I still enjoyed reading the book, and I'm getting ready for another round of James Bond binge-watching as a result. 😄
August 21, 2022
"Double Oh....No." - That's the pull quote.
I'm a fan of both authors and a fan of 007, so I wanted to love this. I do think it's obvious that the book is written from a place of love and that certainly helps...but it would be unfair to not acknowledge the truth that this book needed A LOT of editing before it was published. There are countless typos, poorly written sentences, even more than a few instances in which the title of the wrong film is written when discussing a different film. At one point, there is even a paragraph that stops and begins again in a new paragraph. It really appears as though no editing or proof reading was attempted. I realize this book is not written by professional writers but, with a work that even acknowledges that it was itself delayed considerably by extension of delays the franchise experienced through, COVID-19, it felt a little insulting that so little care seemed to be paid to editing and proof reading.
Another huge issue was how repetitive the book was at times. There are points made several times, almost ver batim. At one point, the same sentence is basically repeated three times across two pages.
I also found that having two authors write this book who had very different perspectives on the Bond films just didn't work in execution. It's a good idea and I'm glad the authors bonded in doing this project, but many times the book will be making a point of "this film was great" or "this Bond did this one thing so amazingly", and then an in page commentary from one of the authors would essentially say "Actually, this film is just not that good" or "this Bond actually was not very good at that thing." It just made for a confusing reading experience.
Again, it's clear the authors love Bond and want to share in that love with others, which is admirable, but this book needed a lot more love before being published.
I'm a fan of both authors and a fan of 007, so I wanted to love this. I do think it's obvious that the book is written from a place of love and that certainly helps...but it would be unfair to not acknowledge the truth that this book needed A LOT of editing before it was published. There are countless typos, poorly written sentences, even more than a few instances in which the title of the wrong film is written when discussing a different film. At one point, there is even a paragraph that stops and begins again in a new paragraph. It really appears as though no editing or proof reading was attempted. I realize this book is not written by professional writers but, with a work that even acknowledges that it was itself delayed considerably by extension of delays the franchise experienced through, COVID-19, it felt a little insulting that so little care seemed to be paid to editing and proof reading.
Another huge issue was how repetitive the book was at times. There are points made several times, almost ver batim. At one point, the same sentence is basically repeated three times across two pages.
I also found that having two authors write this book who had very different perspectives on the Bond films just didn't work in execution. It's a good idea and I'm glad the authors bonded in doing this project, but many times the book will be making a point of "this film was great" or "this Bond did this one thing so amazingly", and then an in page commentary from one of the authors would essentially say "Actually, this film is just not that good" or "this Bond actually was not very good at that thing." It just made for a confusing reading experience.
Again, it's clear the authors love Bond and want to share in that love with others, which is admirable, but this book needed a lot more love before being published.
April 20, 2022
Maybe I’m trigger happy but I’m a very easy lay for books about Bond and even I felt this was kinda cheap. I fully expected to know most of the info in this but I hoped for enough new little nuggets to make it worth my while. I learned barley enough to qualify on that score: the games and comics were fresh territory. Fine. What was galling was the complete lack of proofing of this book and it was twofold. One, the authors confuse Live & Let Die and Golden Gun more than once. This is a book purportedly written by experts, get it right. Two, there were just basic typos that were insane. A movie that started shooting in 1999 came out in 1997? Ending was written when editing was clearly intended. 0006? Really? I know I’m being an asshole but isn’t this someone’s job? I make a million typos but come on, boys. There was no insight or take on this other than the occasional bold opinion from the authors (one picks Daylights as his favorite - respect). Again, maybe I’m trigger happy as 2022 books have mostly sucked but this felt very duh and thrown together and again, I’m the world’s easiest mark for this. We’ll see how I do on the next one.
February 15, 2022
Bond, James Bond may be one of the most famous lines uttered in cinematic history. James Bond, aka 007, has spanned sixty years and twenty seven movies. Bond, James Bond attempts to break that history down as well as all the other aspects of the brand like the original novels, comic books, and video games based on England’s famous secret agent.
These guys know James Bond. The depth of their knowledge is impressive and they did the research to help round out the book. This book can serve as an encyclopedia of knowledge for James Bond fans. While there is a ton of knowledge, each chapter is very listenable and very well thought out.
My only complaint, well outside of one of the authors ranking Sean Connery as the worst Bond (we’ll touch on that in a minute ), that sometimes the side chapters break up the flow of the retelling of the history of the movies. I understand why these chapters are placed in between breakdown of each actor’s movies. I just felt like you were getting into a grove with the movie history when they slide off into a side bar about a James Bond, Jr (his nephew, not son… makes no sense to me either) kids TV show.
The thing I liked best about this book was it got you to think about the movies and raised some good talking points for fans to argue over like who is the best Bond or worst Bond. The authors themselves couldn’t come to a consensus as each’s best Bond was the others worst. Seriously Sean Connery as the worst still boggles my mind, but the opinions made me re-examine why the author thought that way which was fun. (After re-examination it is still a ridiculous take, lol) This is a must read for all Bond fans whether you love the gritty Daniel Craig movies or the lighter Roger Moore entries. The authors passion for the subject shines through and makes the book an enjoyable listen. Thank you to @Netgalley @Tantoraudio for a free Arc for an honest review.
These guys know James Bond. The depth of their knowledge is impressive and they did the research to help round out the book. This book can serve as an encyclopedia of knowledge for James Bond fans. While there is a ton of knowledge, each chapter is very listenable and very well thought out.
My only complaint, well outside of one of the authors ranking Sean Connery as the worst Bond (we’ll touch on that in a minute ), that sometimes the side chapters break up the flow of the retelling of the history of the movies. I understand why these chapters are placed in between breakdown of each actor’s movies. I just felt like you were getting into a grove with the movie history when they slide off into a side bar about a James Bond, Jr (his nephew, not son… makes no sense to me either) kids TV show.
The thing I liked best about this book was it got you to think about the movies and raised some good talking points for fans to argue over like who is the best Bond or worst Bond. The authors themselves couldn’t come to a consensus as each’s best Bond was the others worst. Seriously Sean Connery as the worst still boggles my mind, but the opinions made me re-examine why the author thought that way which was fun. (After re-examination it is still a ridiculous take, lol) This is a must read for all Bond fans whether you love the gritty Daniel Craig movies or the lighter Roger Moore entries. The authors passion for the subject shines through and makes the book an enjoyable listen. Thank you to @Netgalley @Tantoraudio for a free Arc for an honest review.
July 18, 2023
I did the audio book version. The material on the movies is solid and reawakened me to movies I hadn't seen in a while while providing perspectives that I appreciated even if I didn't always agree with them. The issue I have with the audio book is that it is read by the same person while the book is from two authors so it becomes difficult to determine whose argument is whose. This is especially troubling when one author speaks about how good one movie is and the other completely disagrees.
From a content standpoint, it holds up well and is up to date through "No Time to Die." It even dedicated time to the video games and comic books, subjects that while I don't appreciate them and much as the movies, I acknowledge their importance to the Bond universe.
One thing that was not included was any references to the Austin Powers movies. Granted, they are not Bond movies but they spoof so heavily from the franchise that a breakdown for those who watched the AP movies prior to Bond would get some jollies.
Overall, for an audio book, this was a good read and I would recommend it for the hardcore Bond fan.
From a content standpoint, it holds up well and is up to date through "No Time to Die." It even dedicated time to the video games and comic books, subjects that while I don't appreciate them and much as the movies, I acknowledge their importance to the Bond universe.
One thing that was not included was any references to the Austin Powers movies. Granted, they are not Bond movies but they spoof so heavily from the franchise that a breakdown for those who watched the AP movies prior to Bond would get some jollies.
Overall, for an audio book, this was a good read and I would recommend it for the hardcore Bond fan.
February 16, 2022
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. If you’re a James Bond fan this audiobook is a great way to learn more about Ian Flemming and the movie franchise, as well as behind the scenes info! As many of the films were produced and premiered before I was born I feel like there was a great deal I didn’t know surrounding the earlier films, unlike the newer ones where I got to witness them get announced and then premier in real time. I learned a lot about the earlier films and an overall look into how James Bond adapts to the times and how he is continuously evolving. I think it was a great listen and observe the two writers talk about the James Bond character and how they grew up with it, as well as their love for it.
In one section, they went in-depth about all the video games that were born from the 007 image and that part didn’t interest me much since I do not play video games. However, it did shed light on how these games got some of the next generation to be interested in the movies!
Overall I loved listening to this and it made me love 007 even more.
In one section, they went in-depth about all the video games that were born from the 007 image and that part didn’t interest me much since I do not play video games. However, it did shed light on how these games got some of the next generation to be interested in the movies!
Overall I loved listening to this and it made me love 007 even more.
March 13, 2022
As someone who has only seen the Pierce Brosnan bond movies one time each, I’ve always wanted to see every movie in the bond franchise but never got around to them. When I heard this book was coming out, I was excited for both who the authors were going to be and for the subject matter. I really enjoyed this book. It was great to learn all the backstories Of the movies and of the actors that portrayed bond. This is a book I would recommend to others.
December 20, 2023
I really enjoyed listening to this book, which had a wonderful narrator to make the book sound perfect. I found the book really interesting, as I am a big Bond fan, and I have watched all of the Bond movies over the years. We are given a comprehensive look into the cinematic history of the James Bond collection, from when we had Sean Connery, right up until our present day Bond. We are also given some bonus chapters, which I loved. Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
August 1, 2024
This book needs an editor, there are multiple instances of repeated sentences and sometimes whole paragraphs. The first chapter is a boring personal reminiscence by the authors. The reader doesn’t cares about your childhood. There is no bad bond film and no bad actor. Timothy Dalton was horrible as Bond. He never has any menace, like Connery or Craig. He was too slender, would never win in a bar fight where Connery, Craig or even Lazenby would.
October 20, 2023
If you grew up watching the 007 movies or just starting to discover James Bond, this is the book for you. Brad and Mike do a great job exploring different eras and parts of the franchise in fascinating ways. I learned so much I didn’t know before reading this book. I look forward to their next collaboration or separate projects. You have a license to be thrilled by this book.
February 11, 2022
My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to review this audio book.
Excellent bio of Ian Fleming, the birth of Bond, analysis of the films,cast ,gadgets,tv shows,and all things Bond. A must for any fan. Great narrator.
Excellent bio of Ian Fleming, the birth of Bond, analysis of the films,cast ,gadgets,tv shows,and all things Bond. A must for any fan. Great narrator.
June 30, 2022
*received for free from netgalley for honest review* I don't know much about james bond so this entire book was very interesting and told me tons of stuff i didn't know! I am certainly going to look into finding the books to read now!
August 15, 2023
While pretty good at points, the book just doesn't seem like it goes as deep as it could. The dual authorship is at times interesting as well, but also seems to contribute heavily to the lack of direction, and frequent repetitions which pepper the book.
August 28, 2024
A great and detailed book on Bond full of lots of stuff I had no idea about. Broken down into the eras of each actor with extra chapters on media around the films. Repeats some things from time to time as each chapter works almost like a stand alone essay.
January 13, 2023
I love books about Bond exploring the franchise but this is a shocker. Repetitive, riddled with errors and typos and very dull.
February 2, 2024
Should’ve just watched a 5 hour video essay
June 21, 2025
If you’re a Bond fan in any way shape or form, this is a must read. Gives so much insight into the franchise overall and clearly comes from authors that are loving, loyal fans of the franchise.
May 2, 2022
This was such an enjoyable read! I have to start by admitting that I am not a Bond fan — I have enjoyed the few movies I’ve seen, but it’s not something I seek out and it’s certainly not a franchise I know a lot about.
One of my favorite things, though, is diving into why people love what they love. I’ve followed both Brad and Mike for years now (shout out to the Movie Trivia Schmoedown), and I like them both a lot. As soon as I found out they were co-writing a book about Bond, my curiosity was piqued. I knew this was my chance to explore this franchise that gets so much love and inspires life-long fans.
I’m glad I trusted my instincts on that! Bond, James Bond is a solid read, even for a non-fan like me.
The book starts with some information on Ian Fleming, what inspired the novel, and what led to the rise in popularity for the character. From there, the book generally follows the chronology of the books and then the movies, with some side discussions about other media based on the character of James Bond.
At times, I was a bit thrown by the organization of the book. The sections that explore things like the comics, tv series, and video games based on James Bond are sprinkled throughout the book rather than included all at once in the beginning or end. I imagine that one reason for having these sections throughout is so that the book can end with No Time to Die. From a storytelling perspective, this is super impactful, and having a couple of chapters at the end dedicated to the offshoots of the Bond universe just wouldn’t be as compelling. It also doesn't really make sense to discuss those things before getting into the movies. Still, I was sometimes pulled out of the flow of going through the chronology of the films when suddenly we were moving backward and forward in time to discuss those offshoots. But this is a small criticism because it’s not as if the way the book is organized limited my understanding — it just pulled me out.
That aside, I got everything I was looking for here: background information on Ian Fleming and the origin of James Bond (would have loved more of this, actually), general info on each era and what made them different or special (aside from simply being different actors), and insight into what it is that people love so much about Bond. All presented in a way that's relatable and easy to understand. And even though Brad and Mike don't narrate the audiobook, I was still able to distinguish their voices so clearly, which is quite impressive. It's great!
Thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
One of my favorite things, though, is diving into why people love what they love. I’ve followed both Brad and Mike for years now (shout out to the Movie Trivia Schmoedown), and I like them both a lot. As soon as I found out they were co-writing a book about Bond, my curiosity was piqued. I knew this was my chance to explore this franchise that gets so much love and inspires life-long fans.
I’m glad I trusted my instincts on that! Bond, James Bond is a solid read, even for a non-fan like me.
The book starts with some information on Ian Fleming, what inspired the novel, and what led to the rise in popularity for the character. From there, the book generally follows the chronology of the books and then the movies, with some side discussions about other media based on the character of James Bond.
At times, I was a bit thrown by the organization of the book. The sections that explore things like the comics, tv series, and video games based on James Bond are sprinkled throughout the book rather than included all at once in the beginning or end. I imagine that one reason for having these sections throughout is so that the book can end with No Time to Die. From a storytelling perspective, this is super impactful, and having a couple of chapters at the end dedicated to the offshoots of the Bond universe just wouldn’t be as compelling. It also doesn't really make sense to discuss those things before getting into the movies. Still, I was sometimes pulled out of the flow of going through the chronology of the films when suddenly we were moving backward and forward in time to discuss those offshoots. But this is a small criticism because it’s not as if the way the book is organized limited my understanding — it just pulled me out.
That aside, I got everything I was looking for here: background information on Ian Fleming and the origin of James Bond (would have loved more of this, actually), general info on each era and what made them different or special (aside from simply being different actors), and insight into what it is that people love so much about Bond. All presented in a way that's relatable and easy to understand. And even though Brad and Mike don't narrate the audiobook, I was still able to distinguish their voices so clearly, which is quite impressive. It's great!
Thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 7, 2023
It's a pretty good and thorough view into the world of Bond, recommended for the actual fans at least. Some things that bothered me; some typos and obviously incorrect words used ("layer" in place of "lair" for instance) and the structure of the book seems bit incoherent: it kinda covers all of the movies in chronological order but for some reason chapters about Bond games or comics have been thrown in the middle.
September 13, 2022
A great read for die-hard James Bond fans. This book takes us through the history of the the original Fleming novels, the making of all the movies, and even the story behind some hidden gems like 007 comic books and a cartoon series. Really interesting read and the inspiration for me wanting to watch all 25 movies all over again!
July 22, 2023
This book offers some reasonably interesting accounts of the various versions of James Bond, but that's about it.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews