This week’s ranking deals with the Benson main Bond girls. Again, characters from the novelizations are eligible.
So how do you rank the Benson main Bond girls? My rankings are:
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Hope Kendall aka Kiwi – HIGH TIME TO KILL – She’s sexy and fun and serves as the third part of a sort of lover’s triangle with James Bond and Roland Marquis as she starts the novel out with Marquis before ending up with 007.
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Heidi Taunt & Hedy Taunt – DOUBLESHOT – Here, we get two for the price of one–TWINS!
Heidi is the fun one while Hedy is the more reserved and smarter one. Of the two, who are identical twins, I prefer Heidi, but they are both good. Bond’s initial meeting with the two of them separately is entertaining. They serve as one example of the doubles theme that occurs throughout the story. -
Wai Lin – TOMORROW NEVER DIES – Wai is perhaps the most “007’s equal” of all the Bond girls in either the films or novels and is well done in both mediums where it is not all up in your face about it. She is an interesting character and very likable.
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Sunni Pei – ZERO MINUS TEN – A stripper with a heart of gold. That might be a bit trite or stereotypical, but Sunni is an independent sort that can handle herself, and she is a fun character. My only problem with her is that I didn’t buy her being able to handle herself in a fight with the largest Chang brother. Other than that, she’s great.
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Niki Mirakos – THE FACTS OF DEATH – A solid, if unspectacular Bond girl. Niki is entertaining and serves as a good Bond girl, but she doesn’t really do anything that stands out from the crowd. As a result, I place her in the middle of the pack.
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Tylyn Mignonne – NEVER DREAM OF DYING – There really isn’t anything wrong with Tylyn. She’s nice and sexy and has a good rapport with 007. For the Benson run, she is Bond’s strongest love interest–i.e. his Vesper Lynd/Tracy di Vicenzo from Ian Fleming or John Gardner’s Flicka von Grüsse. But maybe it’s because of that that I have a hard time placing her higher. I like her, I just don’t love her.
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Giacinta Johnson aka Jinx – DIE ANOTHER DAY – Another female version of Bond’s equal but not done as well as Wai Lin. Still, I place her above the others below.
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Christmas Jones – THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH – I think Christmas fares better in the novelization than she does in the film–at least I like her better here. Unfortunately, she still doesn’t have a lot to do, but I do like her, which can’t be said for the next one on the list.
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Mayumi McMahon – THE MAN WITH THE RED TATTOO – Mayumi is a strong candidate for my least favorite Bond girl. She is very self-centered, stubborn, and complains a lot. Oh, how I wish Reiko Tamura would have been the main Bond girl in this story. She was awesome, and might have topped this list had that happened, but alas, we got Mayumi.
She is one of a very few Bond girls that I do not like.
So what are your Benson main Bond girl rankings?