Ian Fleming Kept Fantasy Grounded in Reality

Now that Apple and Amazon are fighting for distribution rights to the James Bond franchise, it’s clear that Ian Fleming’s legacy is as rock solid today as it ever was. The author was adored by his fans for creating compelling fiction that had us lost in a world of spies and international intrigue, all while allowing us to believe that the fantastical plots were entirely possible. Just how did he do it? From an essay entitled “How to Write a Thriller,” which appeared in the May 1963 issue of Books and Bookmen, Fleming let us know in his own words:

“My plots are fantastic, while being often based upon truth. They go wildly beyond the probable but not, I think, beyond the possible. . . . Even so, they would stick in the gullet of the reader and make him throw the book angrily aside—for a reader particularly hates feeling he is being hoaxed—but for two further technical devices, if you like to call them that. First of all, the aforesaid speed of the narrative, which hustles the reader quickly beyond each danger point of mockery and, secondly, the constant use of familiar household names and objects which reassure him that he and the writer have still got their feet on the ground. This is where the real names of things come in useful. A Ronson lighter, a 4.5 litre Bentley with an Amherst-Villiers supercharger (please note the solid exactitude), the Ritz Hotel in London, the 21 Club in New York, the exact names of flora and fauna, even James Bond’s Sea Island cotton shirts with short sleeves. All these details are points de repère to comfort and reassure the reader on his journey into fantastic adventure.”

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Interesting Facts About The Da Vinci Code

It’s one of the best selling novels of all time, thanks in part to a feature film adaptation starring Tom Hanks. Here are three interesting facts about The Da Vinci Code that you may not have known.

It spawned an entire industry of books trying to debunk it. Although Dan Brown claims it’s based on factual history, The Da Vinci Code remains widely considered as a work of fiction, which makes the fact that there have been several books written to debunk it absolutely fascinating. Both religious scholars and historians have put out text after text taking issue with Dan Brown’s telling of the Sangreal.

It was so popular that it even boosted sales for Dan Brown’s other books. The success of 2003’s The Da Vinci Code was nothing short of monumental. So monumental, in fact, that in 2004 all four of Dan Brown’s novels made it to The New York Times bestseller list. In the same week. To date, The Da Vinci Code has sold an estimated 80 million copies and ranks among the 10 top selling novels of all time.

It actually spawned a video game. Difficult as it may be to believe, The Da Vinci Code managed to inspire a video game in 2006 that was released for the PS2, XBox, and PC. The game consisted mostly of puzzles and exploring a 3D environment, with the occasional bit of combat.

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