Books
James Bond books in order
Looking for Ian Fleming’s James Bond books in order? Look no further!
Casino Royale first introduced us to Ian Fleming’s iconic British Secret Service agent, 007, in 1953. Twelve novels and a series of short stories followed, inspiring big screen adaptations, prequel books and continuation novels, with the legendary James Bond character and his creator changing the spy thriller genre forever.
If you’re yet to pick up a James Bond book, prepare to step into a world of secrets, spies and undercover operations!
Ian Fleming’s James Bond books in order:
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
1. Casino Royale (1953)
Le Chiffre is a businessman with expensive tastes – and SMERSH’s chief operative in France. As his dissolute lifestyle threatens to ruin him, his only hope of survival is to risk his paymasters’ money at the baccarat table. Across from him sits James Bond, the finest gambler in the British secret service. Bond’s mission: to outplay Le Chiffre and shatter his Soviet cell.
Amidst the opulence of the Royale-les-Eaux casino, the two men face each other in a game with the highest stakes of all.
Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming
2. Live and Let Die (1954)
James Bond’s new assignment will take him to the heart of the occult: to infiltrate this secret world and destroy Mr Big’s global network.
From Harlem’s throbbing jazz joints to the shark-infested waters of Jamaica, enemy eyes watch Bond’s every move. He must tread carefully to avoid a nightmarish fate.
Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming
4. Diamonds are Forever (1956)
James Bond must go deep undercover in his urgent new assignment: to destroy their millionaire masterminds, Jack and Seraffimo Spang.
But the Spangs’ cruel influence is everywhere, from dusty African diamond mines to the frenzied gambling dens of Las Vegas. Can Bond find his men before his cover is blown?
From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming
5. From Russia with Love (1957)
SMERSH, the Russian intelligence unit, is hell-bent on destroying Special Agent James Bond. His death would deal a hammer blow to the heart of The British Secret Service.
The lure? The chance for 007 to bring the Spektor decoding machine from Istanbul to London, and for the British to take the upper hand in a chilling new front of the Cold War.
Dr No by Ian Fleming
6. Dr. No (1958)
Dr Julius No is a man with a mysterious past. Nobody knows what secrets are hidden on his Caribbean island, and all those who have attempted to investigate further have disappeared.
When two British agents go missing in Jamaica, Bond is sent to investigate. Battling the Doctor’s twin obsessions with power and pain, he uncovers the true nature of his opponent’s covert operation – but he must undergo a deadly assault course before he can destroy the Doctor’s plans once and for all.
Goldfinger by Ian Fleming
7. Goldfinger (1959)
A private assignment sets Bond on the trail of an enigmatic criminal mastermind – Auric Goldfinger. But greed and power have created a deadly opponent who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming
8. For Your Eyes Only (1960)
Who killed an elderly couple in their Caribbean home? M knows exactly who did it, but the murderers will most likely escape through a twisted net of global politics. So M calls in a personal favour from a certain licensed killer who understands the kind of rough justice needed. Bond soon discovers he’s not the only one on the hunt, and the lines between revenge and justice become blurred…
Also includes the short stories ‘Quantum of Solace’, ‘From a View to a Kill’, ‘Risico’ and ‘The Hildebrand Rarity’.
Thunderball by Ian Fleming
9. Thunderball (1961)
SPECTRE is a merciless new enemy – a group of the world’s toughest criminals, headed by the brilliant Ernst Stavro Blofeld. When two NATO atom bombs go missing, Bond must unravel SPECTRE’s intricate plans and prevent a global catastrophe.
The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming
10. The Spy Who Loved Me (1962)
Vivienne Michel is a troubled young woman on the run. Fleeing England she comes to a deserted motel in the Adirondack Mountains where she thinks she has finally escaped her past.
Sluggsy and Horror are ruthless mobsters on a mission of their own. Holding a terrified Viv hostage in the motel, they plot death and destruction.
Bond has just one night to take on the gangsters. But with two hardened killers to outwit, and time running out, can he save Vivienne – and himself?
On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming
11. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963)
James Bond has had enough. Enough of Service life, of fruitless manhunts, of taking orders. But Blofeld is back – older, leaner and more dangerous than ever, with a deadly secret at the heart of his luxury ski resort – and so Bond must rediscover his passion for what he does best.
You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming
12. You Only Live Twice (1964)
Bond is shattered by the murder of his wife at the hands of Ernst Stavro Blofeld but M. gives him one last chance. To save his job, James Bond needs to infiltrate and destroy the Castle of Death in exchange for top-secret Japanese intelligence
007 must learn the skills of ninja warriors and face his ultimate enemy in a battle to the death.
The Man With the Golden Gun by Ian Fleming
13. The Man with the Golden Gun (1965)
The Man with the Golden Gun, Paco Scaramanga, is one of the deadliest hit men in the world and the British Secret Service want him eliminated.
A brainwashed James Bond tried, and failed, to kill his boss, M. It’s time for him to prove he can be trusted again.
Bond finds his man in the sweltering heat of Jamaica. His plan is to infiltrate Scaramanga’s gang of criminals to get close to the man himself. But if he fails, Bond will be the next target for the golden gun.
Octopussy and The Living Daylights by Ian Fleming
14. Octopussy & The Living Daylights (1966)
The British Secret Service has many enemies. Whether it’s a sniper in East Berlin, a Russian agent secretly bidding for a Fabergé egg, or a retired major in Jamaica with a treacherous secret, it is down to James Bond to neutralize the threat.
In these stories the dirty world of international espionage tests Bond’s skills to the extreme.
There you have it – Ian Fleming’s James Bond books in order! How many have you read? Let us know in the comments below…
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Just finished reading Goldfinger, I’ve been reading them in order (book order not film order), I’ve enjoyed them all so far, if i had to choose a favourite of the ones I’ve read so far it wouldn’t be easy but i guess it would be Goldfinger, looking forward to reading more.
I read them all in my youth. Loved every one of them and may be I’ll read them all again. Imsure they are still in my library.
Completely agree. Love Fleming’s dissertations on travel, food, cultures, cars, etc. for example the paragraph in Live and Let Die describing Bond’s taste in vehicles, which begins with “Bond liked fast cars and he liked driving them…”
I have read every single one of them starting at age 12 or 13… backstories in the novels provide so much more information that a movie ever could.
‘A young Hoagy Carmichael’ for instance…