From Russia with Love vs The Man with the Golden Gun: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: James Bond, Assassins, Intelligence officers, British, Spy Fiction, Adventure
From Russia with Love
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James Bond is marked for death by the Soviet counterintelligence agency SMERSH in Ian Fleming’s masterful spy thriller, and the novel that President John F. Kennedy named one of his favourite books of all time. SMERSH…
The Man with the Golden Gun
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Bond may have a license to kill, but “Pistols” Scaramanga has a talent for it. He’s a KGB-trained assassin who’s left a trail of dead British Secret Service agents in his wake. His weapon of choice? A gold-plated Colt…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate From Russia with Love highest: From Russia with Love 3.9 · The Man with the Golden Gun 3.6.
- The Man with the Golden Gun has the widest readership — 14971 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| From Russia with Love | The Man with the Golden Gun | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (2011) | 3.6 (14971) |
| Hardcover | 3.7 (117) | 3.4 (51) |
| Google Books | — | 4.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (41) | 4.0 (18) |
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Reception
| From Russia with Love | The Man with the Golden Gun | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2011 | 14971 |
| Editions | 150 | 95 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 16256 | 9447 |
| Reading it now | 8 | 452 |
| Written reviews | 2011 | 891 |
| Wikipedia attention | 4710 | 3958 |
| Pages | 187 | 134 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: From Russia with Love or The Man with the Golden Gun?
From Russia with Love has the higher combined reader rating across sources (From Russia with Love 3.9/5, The Man with the Golden Gun 3.6/5).
Which is shorter to read: From Russia with Love or The Man with the Golden Gun?
The Man with the Golden Gun is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Man with the Golden Gun (134 pages, ≈ 2 h 29 m); From Russia with Love (187 pages, ≈ 3 h 28 m).
Which is harder to read: From Russia with Love or The Man with the Golden Gun?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — From Russia with Love: Moderate; The Man with the Golden Gun: Light.
Have both books been made into films?
From Russia with Love: 5 film adaptations; The Man with the Golden Gun: 3 film adaptations.