The Man with the Golden Gun vs Thunderball: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: James Bond, Intelligence officers, British, Spy Fiction, Adventure, Thriller
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…
Thunderball
“It was one of those days when it seemed to James Bond that all life, as someone put it, was nothing but a heap of six to four against.”
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"When a stranger arrives in the Bahamas, the locals barely turn their heads, seeing another ex-pat with money to burn at the casino tables. But James Bond has more than money on his mind; he's got less than a week to…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Thunderball highest: Thunderball 3.8 · The Man with the Golden Gun 3.6.
- The Man with the Golden Gun is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 6 for Thunderball.
- Thunderball has the widest readership — 19211 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Man with the Golden Gun | Thunderball | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.6 (14971) | 3.8 (19211) |
| Hardcover | 3.4 (51) | 3.7 (65) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (18) | 4.5 (32) |
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Reception
| The Man with the Golden Gun | Thunderball | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 14971 | 19211 |
| Editions | 95 | 94 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 9447 | 10161 |
| Reading it now | 452 | 647 |
| Written reviews | 891 | 1139 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3958 | 7632 |
| Pages | 134 | 344 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Man with the Golden Gun or Thunderball?
Thunderball has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Thunderball 3.8/5, The Man with the Golden Gun 3.6/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Man with the Golden Gun or Thunderball?
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); Thunderball (344 pages, ≈ 6 h 22 m).
Which is harder to read: The Man with the Golden Gun or Thunderball?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Man with the Golden Gun: Light; Thunderball: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
The Man with the Golden Gun: 3 film adaptations; Thunderball: 5 film adaptations.