The three hostages vs Thunderball: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Intelligence service, Great Britain, Spy Fiction, Adventure, Fiction

Cover of The three hostages

The three hostages John Buchan · 1924 ★★★★☆ 3.8 292 pages · ≈ 5 h 24 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of Thunderball

Thunderball Ian Fleming · 1961 ★★★★☆ 3.8 344 pages · ≈ 6 h 22 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.8 vs 3.8 — either is a safe pick by score.
Thunderball is the easier read (Moderate), The three hostages more demanding (Challenging).

Side by side