Golden Gun

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Lore & Background

The novel centers on Francisco Scaramanga, a Cuban assassin known as 'The Man with the Golden Gun' because his weapon of choice is a gold-plated Colt .45 revolver. This specific firearm fires silver-jacketed, gold-cored dumdum bullets, making it uniquely lethal. Bond, operating under the alias 'Mark Hazard,' infiltrates Scaramanga's operation at a half-built resort in Jamaica. There, he discovers Scaramanga is part of a syndicate involving American gangsters and the KGB, aiming to destabilize Western interests in the Caribbean sugar industry while smuggling drugs and prostitutes. The plot thickens when Bond allies with Felix Leiter, an undercover CIA agent posing as an electrical engineer, who sets up listening devices in Scaramanga's meeting room.

In Their Own Story

The climax unfolds on a sight-seeing train bound for a marina, where Scaramanga plans to kill Bond before American gangsters and KGB agents. After Bond turns the tables and eliminates most conspirators, a wounded Scaramanga flees into the swamps. In a tense pursuit, Scaramanga manages to lull Bond off-guard and shoots him with a hidden golden derringer. Though hit, Bond returns fire, shooting Scaramanga several times and killing him. The narrative reflects Fleming's personal associations; a past train accident in Kitzbühel inspired the use of trains as death devices, while names like Commander Ross (based on Alan Ross) and Nick Nicholson (based on a golf club secretary) were drawn from real acquaintances.

Reader's Guide

Fleming based the Golden Gun concept on Nelson Algren's 1949 novel 'The Man with the Golden Arm' and considered titles like 'Goldenrod.' The manuscript, completed in early March 1964, was heavily dependent on copy editor William Plomer for its final polish, as Fleming had dropped from his usual writing rate to just over an hour of work a day due to declining health. Publisher Jonathan Cape even sought advice from Kingsley Amis, who was paid £35 15 shillings, though his suggestions were not used. The book was serialized in the Daily Express and Playboy in 1965, followed by a daily comic strip adaptation in 1966.

Did You Know?

• The novel was published eight months after Ian Fleming's death on 12 August 1964.
• Kingsley Amis was paid £35 15 shillings to review the manuscript, but his suggestions were not used.
• Fleming wrote most of the book in January and February 1964 at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica.
• The villain's name, Francisco Scaramanga, was based on George Scaramanga, an Etonian contemporary of Fleming who fought with him at school.
• A 1974 film adaptation featured Christopher Lee as Scaramanga; he was Ian Fleming's cousin.