As a self-proclaimed amateur James Bond scholar, every 8 - 10 years I read the original Ian Fleming James Bond novels in order. This time, I decided to listen to the audio books. In the series I discovered, each novel was read by a top British talent including Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hiddleston, Bill Nighy, Rosamund Pike and Toby Stephens. The effect of the brilliantly lush, poetic prose of Fleming read by these amazing voices provided a heightened sense of the works I did not pick up on in previous reads. The Bond films do have their merits, but they do not truly capitalize on the greatness of the source material. Time for the team behind The Crown to tackle these works one by one and deliver them in series form with the true drama, gravitas and spectacle they deserve.
