@lanodan @harbeau I think the jury is kinda out on whether Bond counts as parody, simply because Fleming was writing the novels back before "spy fiction" in that vein was really a thing. And don't forget, he might have hammed it up, but he WAS a spy too - hard to believe as it might be when you're reading something like the ridiculous alpine escape scenes in On Her Majesty's Secret Service lol.

If Fleming had begun writing after Le Carre I'd consider it cut and dry though, Bond novels almost read like a parody of Smiley novels at times.

But really I think it's worth going and watching an old Bond film or two just for the cultural experience if nothing else. Starting at the beginning is awkward because the first couple are kind of slow, and jumping in with Daniel Craig's bond gives you a very atypical experience. As much as most people would probably pick out something like View to a Kill as a cross-section of the franchise, I'd honestly just watch Goldeneye because fuck it, it's one of the best films ever made. (Plus it gives more context to the N64 game, which is one of the best GAMES ever made.