Goldfinger

By Ian Fleming

There is something very strange about these old Bond novels. It isn't the fact that they are old, or strangely written, but rather because their style is so close but yet so very different from the films. Connery established himself so well as Bond that every one else, has to endure comparison and this also seems to apply to Bond in the novels, even though he is the true original. When ever Bond in the novels deviates in any way from Connery's depiction of Bond, it creates a sense of temporal distortion in my minds eye. I see this older Bond, a product of the Second World War and sometimes he seems to be an imposter. This is a tad annoying as I've never really cared all that much about Connery (who always seems to me like he was just acting), and I really like original Bond who is much more human with all his doubts, insecurities and foibles. I also like the fact that Bond is grounded in the Second World War. Somehow this makes him more believable than the Bonds of the later film creations.

Like 'Dr. No', this novel is about a weird megalomaniac, whom Bond defeats by a combination of stubborness and a stroke of luck.If you've seen the film, then you'll not be much surprised by the novel. There is some deviation but on the whole this is probably because the film was set a decade or so further back in time.
3/5