audio books

anyone have any views on james bond audio books?
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  • Sir MilesSir Miles The Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 26,378Chief of Staff
    Yes.

    Come on Strangways, please don't start topics like this one unless you are going to put your own views forward first. How about you start this topic again from here ?
    YNWA 97
  • StrangwaysStrangways Posts: 2MI6 Agent
    Ok.I have read all the Ian fleming bond books and enjoyed every word (more than once) and have now started to listen to the compleate unabridged audio books when im driving, so far MR, FRWL,and just started Do No. Each book is about 8hr long and I must admit I was supprised just how good they are! anyone else listened to them?
  • Sir MilesSir Miles The Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 26,378Chief of Staff
    I have several of the abridged tapes and have listened to a few of them. The unabridged tapes are not available in the UK - I'm sure that's right or does someone know of a store that stocks them ?
    I used to follow them with the revelant book to see which bits had been cut out. The tapes are quite good. Who reads the stories on your tapes Strangways ? I have tapes by Joanna Lumley, Samantha Bond and Richard E Grant.
    YNWA 97
  • iain1066iain1066 Posts: 18MI6 Agent
    The whole series and Colonel Sun are available from www.blackstoneaudiobooks.com they are available on cassette or CD to buy or rent. I am not sure if they will rent them to a UK address though.

    I have them all (except TSWLM) and Robert Whitfield is an excellent reader.
  • Sir MilesSir Miles The Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 26,378Chief of Staff
    Thanks for the link iain1066. These have different covers to the last lot of US audio books I saw. I'm not really into renting them but I'll probably buy a few ;) Bread and water for another week then kids :))
    YNWA 97
  • somecompanysomecompany Posts: 1MI6 Agent
    Hey, I'm going to buy some of the audio CDs off amazon.co.uk but they only have a few (Narrated by Rufus something) but have them all on tape. I want to get the CDs, so does anyone know if they plan to release the rest?
  • DortmunderDortmunder Posts: 40MI6 Agent
    Did any of you notice that High Time to Kill was the Number 5 bestseller on that website? From the thousands of audiobooks that are probably available on there, it is good to see Bond is popular on audiobooks. I personally don't have any of the audiobooks, nor will I get any. I prefer to read the novels at my own pace, and I take in a lot more when I read it myself, as opposed to having it read to me. A few years back, I listened to an audiobook whilst I read along, and I didn't find it nearly as enjoyable as reading the book itself. To each their own though.
  • iain1066iain1066 Posts: 18MI6 Agent
    The thing to ensure is that the book is unabridged. To me the beauty of a Fleming novel is the detail and the feel of the location and the characters. Unfortunately this is the kind of stuff that gets cut out when a book is abridged.
  • Bill TannerBill Tanner "Spending the money quickly" iPosts: 261MI6 Agent
    edited April 2005
    I was going to start a new topic but as this came up on the search I thought I'd revive and add to it.
    ____________________________________________________________

    Does anyone know just how many of the unabridged Fleming novels were recorded by David Rintoul? Did he do the entire series or just a few? Did anyone else record unabridged versions?

    I've found the following 10 by Rintoul:

    Casino Royale: Complete & Unabridged
    Live and Let Die: Complete & Unabridged
    Moonraker: Complete & Unabridged
    Diamonds are Forever: Complete & Unabridged
    Dr.No: Complete & Unabridged
    Goldfinger: Complete & Unabridged
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service: Complete & Unabridged
    You Only Live Twice: Complete & Unabridged
    The Man with the Golden Gun: Complete & Unabridged
    Octopussy: Complete & Unabridged
    _________________________________________________________

    So has anyone seen (or heard) FRWL, FYEO, Thunderball, or TSWLM by Rintoul?
  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,645MI6 Agent
    Hi Bill,

    Looking at Amazon, it seems like FRWL, FYEO and TB were recorded by Rintoul at one time or another with varying availablity, but indications are not absolute if they were all unabridged. However, it is TSWLM that I'm unsure of at this point. Maybe Rintoul felt he could not sustain his female voice for extended sequences?
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
  • njkinzelnjkinzel Posts: 4MI6 Agent
    superado and Bill,

    At least in the Chivers collection, TSWLM is read by Rula Lenska and not Rintoul. She does a good job.
  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,645MI6 Agent
    Quoting njkinzel:
    superado and Bill,

    At least in the Chivers collection, TSWLM is read by Rula Lenska and not Rintoul. She does a good job.

    Thanks to Rula Lenska's TV spots, I was persuaded many years ago to have my first hot oil treatment!
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
  • Bill TannerBill Tanner "Spending the money quickly" iPosts: 261MI6 Agent
    Sounds painful.
  • waufreak89waufreak89 Posts: 1MI6 Agent
    I have listened to two audio books. The first being Thunderball and the second being The Living Daylights (which is technically a short story.) I enjoyed listening to the both of them.
  • Bill TannerBill Tanner "Spending the money quickly" iPosts: 261MI6 Agent
    edited April 2005
    Continuing the quest for an entire series of unabridged audio books, I think I've narrowed it down to only David Rintoul in the UK and Robert Whitfield who recorded them for the US. The versions read by Rufus Sewell, Rula Lenska, Ian Ogilvy, Samantha Bond, Richard E. Grant and Joanna Lumley all seem to be abridged. Anyone know of any more that are unabridged?

    Looking at the Blackstone site (thanks for the link Iain1066) it seems like Whitfield has recorded the entire series of Fleming novels except for TSWLM which was recorded by Nadia May. He's also read Colonel Sun, Lycett's excellent Fleming Biography and a few of the books by the continuation authors.

    I particularly like the Rintoul versions, but as I can't track them all down I'll buy a few of the Whitfield's. Can anyone describe his reading style for me? Does he read with an American accent?

    ________________________________________________________

    *Stop press: I've just come across a very interesting link for anyone interested in these books in MP3 format. Not something I feel I can post on an open forum, but if anyone wants to drop me a PM ...
  • njkinzelnjkinzel Posts: 4MI6 Agent
    Bill Tanner, the Chivers version (read by Rula Lenska) of TSWLM should be unabridged--at least I have a copy that is. In regards to finding the Rintoul series you should be able to google search for them. I've tried and from what I found, apart from TMWTGG on amazon.com, they're all over $70. As far as Whitfield is concerned, I've only listened to FRWL. While I wouldn't say he reads with an American accent he exaggerates the Russian/ Turkish diolouge to the point that it sounds completely robotic.
  • Bill TannerBill Tanner "Spending the money quickly" iPosts: 261MI6 Agent
    edited April 2005
    Interesting about the Lenska/TSWLM; I did a quick search on Google and you're right, she did record an unabridged version. For some reason I'd assumed that all of the Chivers versions were abridged. Am I right in thinking that the Whitfield's were originally released by Chivers?

    I've managed to track down a couple of secondhand Rintouls, but the quality of the cassette tapes obviously deteriorates over the years. I don't think I can run to 70USD per book for any more, but Blackstone still lists all of the Whitfield's in new cassette, CD and some in MP3 format.
  • iain1066iain1066 Posts: 18MI6 Agent
    Whitfield reads in an English accent and does a very good job with Fleming.
  • royalmileroyalmile Station CPosts: 115MI6 Agent
    I'm doing a version of CR, chapter by chapter in mp3 form.
    If anyone's interested, PM me with your email address and I'll send them to you (free). :)
  • Moonraker 5Moonraker 5 Ayrshire, ScotlandPosts: 1,821MI6 Agent
    Quoting royalmile:
    I'm doing a version of CR, chapter by chapter in mp3 form.
    If anyone's interested, PM me with your email address and I'll send them to you (free). :)
    And not one mention that you've got an Edinburgh accent either... ;)
    unitedkingdom.png
  • royalmileroyalmile Station CPosts: 115MI6 Agent
    Heh heh. Well, I've travelled a lot, but I think I've managed to hang onto a bit of it! ;)

    I'm Scots on my father's side, but schooled in England as well as Edinburgh, so don't be surprised if there's a wee bit of a dilution! I don't think the influence of my more recent Canadian surroundings is incredibly obvious?

    Anyway, see for yourselves! :)
  • Peter TalbotPeter Talbot Posts: 1MI6 Agent
    Yes Bill,

    I have listened to all that you listed with the exception of ‘Goldfinger’ and I would dearly love to hear it. I have read it of course but David Rintoul even pushes Sean Connery into second place. He is the finest Bond of all.

    I have listened to ‘Thunderball’ read by David Rintoul but I have never seen the others - I too would love to know if he did From Russia With Love.
  • The CatThe Cat Where Blofeld is!Posts: 711MI6 Agent
    I have listened to ‘Thunderball’ read by David Rintoul but I have never seen the others - I too would love to know if he did From Russia With Love.

    Of course he did. I think he did all of them except TSWLM.
  • 00640064 Somewhere out west...Posts: 1,083MI6 Agent
    Oh good, now I can drive friends and family out of there mind while driving. I heard Dr.No awhile back and it was very good. I had no clue they did the rest of the series. Did they put them onto CD, that would be nice.
  • steven65steven65 Posts: 1MI6 Agent
    Hi Strangways,
    I love not only character of James Bond bu also Pierce Brosman and Sean Connery. It is sad to see Bond movies without Pierce Brosman.

    I would like to give a brief description of "Assasin-

    In an elegant palazzo on the Grand Canal, an American ambassador's tryst turns deadly. In the seamy underbelly of London, a pub-crawling killer is on the loose. And in a storybook chapel nestled in the Cotswolds, a marriage made in heaven turns to hell on earth. Isolated incidents? Or links in a chain of events hurtling towards catastrophe? So begins Assassin, the tour de force thriller that heralds the return of every terrorist's worst nightmare, Alex Hawke.

    A shadowy figure known as the Dog is believed to be the ruthless terrorist who is systematically and savagely assassinating American diplomats and their families around the globe. As the deadly toll mounts inexorably, Hawke, along with former NYPD cop and Navy SEAL Stokely Jones, is called upon by the U.S. government to launch a search for the assassin behind the murders.

    Hawke, who "makes James Bond look like a "slovenly, dull-witted clockpuncher" (Kirkus Reviews), is soon following a trail that leads back to London in the go-go nineties, when Arab oil money fueled lavish, and sometimes fiendish, lifestyles. Other murky clues point to the Florida Keys, where a vicious killer hides behind the gates of a fabled museum. And to a remote Indonesian island where a madman tinkers with strains of a deadly virus and slyly bides his time.

    Hawke must call upon resources deep within himself. He must enter a race against time to stop a cataclysmic attack on America's most populous cities and avenge the inexplicable and horrific crime that has left him devastated.

    I hope you love this one.

    I had huge collection of Bond books. These are downloaded from http://www.hear-now-audio-books.com

    Diamonds are Forever,
    The Dolomite Solution,
    From Russia with Love,
    Octopussy and Other Stories,
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service,
    The Spy Who Loved Me,
    Thunderball and
    The Winter Queen.
  • A7ceA7ce Birmingham, EnglandPosts: 653MI6 Agent
    James Bond - 12 Audio-books in a Tin
    £21.99 - save over £100

    From planes to cars, trains to boats or even your very own sofa, this exciting CD collection of James Bond adventures can be taken with you wherever you go! Join the suave superspy as he pits his wits against some of the most evil criminal masterminds ever to grace the pages of a book.

    Read by Rufus Sewell and Samantha Bond, and presented in a stylish tin, this set will make a great gift for the 007 fan in your life.

    Set titles and authors :
    Goldfinger
    Live and Let Die
    You Only Live Twice
    The Man With The Golden Gun
    Doctor No
    Octopussy
    Moonraker
    For Your Eyes Only
    Diamonds Are Forever
    Casino Royale
    The Spy Who Loved Me
    From Russia With Love


    http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10051_94744_?cm_mmc=email-_-Issue%20165%20New%20Products-_-James%20Bond%20Feature-_-James%20Bond%20Audio%20Set
  • Moore ThanMoore Than EnglandPosts: 3,173MI6 Agent
    Thursday 6th September 2012 will mark the launch of Ian Fleming's classic Bond novels read by a stellar cast list. The list is as follows.

    Casino Royale read by Dan Stevens
    Live And Let Die by Rory Kinnear
    Moonraker read by Bill Nighy
    Diamonds Are Forever read by Damian Lewis
    From Russia With Love read by Toby Stephens
    Dr No read by Hugh Quarshie
    Goldfinger read by Hugh Bonneville
    Thunderball read by Jason Isaacs
    The Spy Who Loved Me read by Rosamund Pike
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service read by David Tennant
    You Only Live Twice read by Martin Jarvis
    The Man With The Golden Gun read by Kenneth Branagh

    Each title will be available to pre-order on 1st August, and download or purchase on CD from 6th September 2012.

    The FULL article.
    New Ian Fleming Audio Books
    http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/literary_audio_books_2012_ian_fleming_007_reloaded.php3?t=&s=&id=03193
    Moore Not Less 4371 posts (2002 - 2007) Moore Than (2012 - 2016)
  • Moore ThanMoore Than EnglandPosts: 3,173MI6 Agent
    Samples of the new audio books are now available on You Tube. Here is a sample from The Man With The Golden Gun read by Kenneth Branagh.

    James Bond - The Man With The Golden Gun read by Kenneth Branagh - Audiobook Sample
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cyS6NQ2LBL0
    Moore Not Less 4371 posts (2002 - 2007) Moore Than (2012 - 2016)
  • Agent_MAgent_M lost in the speed forcePosts: 353MI6 Agent
    oo ive got the audio books already but i think i'll be going for these as well
    Purvis,Wade...........GRRRRRRRR!

    www.scottacademymartialarts.co.uk
  • Moore ThanMoore Than EnglandPosts: 3,173MI6 Agent
    Moore Than wrote:
    Thursday 6th September 2012 will mark the launch of Ian Fleming's classic Bond novels read by a stellar cast list. The list is as follows.

    Casino Royale read by Dan Stevens
    Live And Let Die by Rory Kinnear
    Moonraker read by Bill Nighy
    Diamonds Are Forever read by Damian Lewis
    From Russia With Love read by Toby Stephens
    Dr No read by Hugh Quarshie
    Goldfinger read by Hugh Bonneville
    Thunderball read by Jason Isaacs
    The Spy Who Loved Me read by Rosamund Pike
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service read by David Tennant
    You Only Live Twice read by Martin Jarvis
    The Man With The Golden Gun read by Kenneth Branagh

    Each title will be available to pre-order on 1st August, and download or purchase on CD from 6th September 2012.

    The FULL article.
    New Ian Fleming Audio Books
    http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/literary_audio_books_2012_ian_fleming_007_reloaded.php3?t=&s=&id=03193


    Here are the covers of From Russia With Love and The Man With The Golden Gun. The rest can be viewed at the link below.

    http://strangways.blog69.fc2.com/blog-entry-3714.html


    9781471309373_1.jpg


    9781471309571.jpg
    Moore Not Less 4371 posts (2002 - 2007) Moore Than (2012 - 2016)
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