Literary 007 Reviewed: Ian Fleming's 'Diamonds Are Forever'

With 2008 marking the centenary of Ian Fleming, the newest CommanderBond.net review series, Literary 007 Reviewed, now continues with the author’s fourth James Bond adventure, 1956’s Diamonds are Forever.

As several CBn Forum members are already aware, every two months a James Bond adventure is chosen for members of the Blades Library Book Club to read. Proceeding in chronological order, the club first read Fleming’s Diamonds are Forever back in July 2004.

What follows are selected reviews from the Book Club Forum members. For further details on the club or to post your own review of Diamonds are Forever, simply click here.

Literary 007 Reviewed:
Diamonds Are Forever

‘Diamonds are Forever’ reviewed by… right idea, wrong pussy

Diamonds are Forever is one of my favorite Fleming novels, though since Goldfinger is right up there as well, I’m definitely in the minority as far as my opinions go. I think that Fleming often did best when he was describing an alien culture, whether it was Russia in the first part of From Russia with Love or America in Diamonds are Forever, Goldfinger and Live and Let Die. He has has the sort of nuanced and keen appreciations for these places that only an outsider can have. As for the novel not being “Bondesque” enough, I think that’s just what makes it so wonderful. Moonraker was, in my opinion, a decided disappointment when I read it. Are we really supposed to take seriously the idea that an experienced and world-weary agent like Bond can’t see Drax is up to no good from a mile away? The payoff for the long, drawn-out set-up is an overblown flop I could have seen coming even if I hadn’t seen the movie.

Diamonds are Forever does really well at putting Bond in an alien environment, and having him come out on top. It’s as though Fleming put Bond into one of the Raymond Chandler thrillers he respected, and the meeting of Philip Marlowe and James Bond is a refeshing one. Fleming’s research into diamond smuggling is clear, and that lends this book a sense of realism that the more silly and overblown books like Moonraker and Dr. No lack.

I don’t think it’s that surprising that Diamonds are Forever was panned when it was released and is still out of favor now. Whenver Fleming put alot of research into a Bond work or tried something innovative, he tended to get panned. The Spy Who Loved Me was quite good, but was savaged by critics and readers. Many of the short stories (other than The Living Daylights) are held in low favor even though I think Fleming wrote better short stories than novels. I’m not surpised that Fleming tried to kill off Bond in frustration with From Russia with Love, or that when he returned to the character he went with the “safe”, “Bondesque” and highly overblown SPECTRE trilogy, which represents the longest continuously weak period in his work, in my opinion.

‘Diamonds are Forever’ reviewed by… GreggAllinson

I just finished Diamonds are Forever and its major problem is that the villains are so poorly realised, so it really doesn’t feel like Bond’s accomplished anything when he takes down the Spangled Mob. The Spang Brothers make cameos, Wint and Kidd are OK but again only appear sporadically, and there’s a bunch of minor villains who pop up at the start and vanish, and the plot just doesn’t hang together at all. It’s not entirely a waste- I love the Studillac, Tiffany Case is a very well-written character, and the part in the ironically-named Spectreville–but coming off of the spectacular Moonraker (featuring the best villain of the first three Fleming novels), it was a huge letdown.

Incidentally, I just started reading From Russia, With Love and the first 65 pages are devoted exclusively to building up the history and motivations of Red Grant, G, Rosa Klebb, etc. That’s how you create memorable, well-realised villains for Bond!

‘Diamonds are Forever’ reviewed by… North Scorpion

I just finished Diamonds are Forever today and I can see some of the arguments for the novel running a little slow. I think there are two items, however, that do stand out compared to the previous outings. First, the location depictions are much more detailed than in previous novels. New York is described in almost as much detail as in Live and Let Die, yet this site is not nearly as important as it is in the latter novel. Second, Fleming’s creation, Tiffany Case is superb. Try reading it whilst constantly reminding yourself that this was a Briton writing in in the mid-50’s and you will be impressed.

These two items aside, the novel does drag in parts but if there is a bright side it is that this novel was bookended by two great books. Not to mention a fantastic movie.

‘Diamonds are Forever’ reviewed by… Donovan

I like all the Bond novels by Fleming. Diamonds Are Forever isn’t quite as good as the other novels by Fleming at that time. Mainly because there really isn’t a central villain. But Tiffany Case makes a very compelling “Bond girl”. I like reading the scenes between her and Bond. Felix is good here as well. It’s kind of too bad none of the Bond scripts ever captured what this character was like. The mud bath scene is good. I also like the descriptions of America (I always do…Fleming was a great writer because of his journalism background.) So, one can’t really be a fan of the films and never have seen Golden Gun. Same goes for the Fleming novels. Gotta read ’em all.

(The hardest Fleming 007 work for me to complete was Quantum of Solace…but I’m glad I did because I thought what that guy did to his ex-wife was pretty incredible)

‘Diamonds are Forever’ reviewed by… daltonlover13

I think Tiffany Case is a great Bond girl, much better than she was in the movie. They showed her sort of, I want it this way and thats that in the first scene with her in her apartment, but at the same time, they showed a frightened side when on the phone with her superiors.

I thought Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd were outstanding. They are my absolute favorite literary villains. I also thought the whole ‘sucking the thumb’ aspect was very interesting. It wasn’t like something I pondered for hours, but it made me think about from the beginning whether or not and how Fleming would incorporate that later.

I also thought that although the movie’s plot was ‘technologically’ more with today’s, (and 1971’s) time period, that the plot made it less interesting. I thought, and still think, that the biggest and most defining difference between the films and the books is the plot. If you look at the movies, almost every plot is a search for some form of world domination.

Then look at the books. Some plots were world domination, some were mass distruction, (Moonraker comes to mind), but some, (Doctor No sending missiles off course, Rosa Klebb getting the Spectre-lektor in the movie-, etc.) had very simple plots.

I thought the plot, final battle, bond girl, henchmen, villains, Bond, (I didn’t think Connery was very good in this particular movie), and pretty much everything else was better in the book than the movie. In my opinion, this book is more underrated than any other 007 book. I will mention I think that the movie is under rated too, however much I may dislike it.

‘Diamonds are Forever’ reviewed by… Double-0 Eleven

After The Man with the Golden Gun, this is my least favorite of Fleming’s novels. Which isn’t to say that I don’t like reading it, or even that I don’t like it. It has the usual superb descriptive writing and the action sequences are often tense. Tiffany Case is the first great female character Fleming wrote. But for me Diamonds Are Forever is a book in search of a center. It lacks focus and a strong through-line, juggling travelogues with a zig-zag plot across the American gangland world that never gels. The absentee villains, Seraffimo and Jack Spang, heads of the “Spangled Mob” and its diamond smuggling operations from South Africa to Las Vegas, don’t help. The sleazy depictions of American commercial/criminal life are unforgettable (to this day, whenever I’m in Vegas, I can hear Fleming’s description of the “gilded mousetrap” in my head), and a few tense sequences such as a fiery train crash and Bond’s confrontation with mob killers in their cabin on the Queen Elizabeth make for top-notch Fleming. But for me it just doesn’t ultimately stack up to Fleming’s other work.

Diamonds Are Forever reads a bit like Fleming dropped Bond into Mike Hammer’s bare-knuckle wise-guy world to see how he measured up. An interesting idea, since in the early 1950s, Mickey Spillane’s novels were the most popular crime novels on the market. And Fleming’s dialogue for the American heavies isn’t that bad–you might expect a British writer to overdo it more, but the dialogue is all quite believable. Bond isn’t initially amused by the idea of going against American gangsters to investigate diamond smuggling since he sees U.S. mobsters as nothing more than a cartoon figures. Everyone who knows something about organized crime cautions him how dangerous these people can be; the incessant warnings start to turn into a bit of an annoyance, since the book never makes the Spangled Mob into a threat on the level of SPECTRE or SMERSH. They can be dangerous, but not like some of Bond’s other adversaries.

The descriptions of places like Las Vegas and Saratoga take up large amounts of text, and for the first time Fleming lets his research and fascination with his subject get away from him. The grimy, unglamorous look at American life is often interesting, but it gets in the way of the flow of the story. The Saratoga sequence in particular feels gratuitous, and Bond does little more than act as an observer.

Tiffany Case is a treat in the book, and Bond’s attraction to her maddening hot/cold return is a joy to read. She has a fully fleshed-out background, but the story leaves her hanging at the conclusion. I wanted to know a bit more about where she stands with Bond (although we do get to find Bond also gets to pal around with Felix Leiter (now a Pinkerton agent and not that bitter about the mauling he got in Live and Let Die) and tough-talking cabby Ernest Cureo. Even if the book is Fleming’s first disappointment, it does show him advancing in character development. Shame about those villains, however.

Keep your eyes on the CBn main page for further reviews of Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 adventures in the upcoming months.

'Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories' Coming To US

As CommanderBond.net first alerted fans last month, a brand new 007 collection is coming from Penguin Books: Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories.

This collection, with a title that wisely acknowledges the film of the same name coming out later in the year, will collect the nine short stories that are collected in Ian Fleming’s For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy & The Living Daylights into one book.

A UK release date for the paperback collection was previously set for 29 April, the same day all of Fleming’s Bond novels are republished in hardback.

Now, an order link has appeared on amazon.com for US fans where the Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories is due to released on 26 August.

The For Your Eyes Only collection features From a View to a Kill, Quantum of Solace, Risico and The Hildebrand Rarity in addition to the title story.

Octopussy & The Living Daylights features The Property of a Lady and 007 in New York in addition to the two short stories in the title.

Pre-order online:

• Order Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories from Amazon.co.uk
• Order Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories from Amazon.com

Keep watching CBn for the most complete literary James Bond coverage on the web. To keep track of all the upcoming 007 releases, events, television shows, and more–just keep your eyes on the CBn Calendar, located on the right panel of our main page.

'Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories'

When Quantum of Solace was first announced as the title of the 22nd James Bond film, many fans wondered what sort of book tie-in would feature this time around as the short story of the same name is already included in Ian Fleming’s For Your Eyes Only collection.

It appears that Penguin has now taken the first step in answering that question.

Due for release on 29 May 2008, the same day all 14 of Fleming’s Bond novels are reissued in hardback in the UK, is Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories.

To be published by under the Penguin Modern Classics label, this trade-size paperback will retail for £8.99 (click here for cover artwork).

While the amazon listing does not go into specific detail regarding the contents inside the book, it’s a fairly safe bet to assume this will be the For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy & The Living Daylights collections in one book. The previous two collections run at 192 and 128 pages respectively, while this new collection is listed at 320 pages.

The For Your Eyes Only collection features From a View to a Kill, Quantum of Solace, Risico and The Hildebrand Rarity in addition to the title story.

Octopussy & The Living Daylights features The Property of a Lady and 007 in New York in addition to the two short stories in the title.

Pre-order online:

• Order Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories from Amazon.co.uk

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the most complete literary James Bond coverage on the web. To keep track of all the upcoming 007 releases, events, television shows, and more–just keep your eyes on the CBn Calendar, located on the right panel of our main page.

Literary 007 Reviewed: Ian Fleming's 'Moonraker' (Part II)

This is Part II of the Moonraker reviews. Click here for Part I.

With 2008 marking the centenary of Ian Fleming, the newest CommanderBond.net review series, Literary 007 Reviewed, now continues with the author’s third James Bond adventure, 1955’s Moonraker.

As several CBn Forum members are already aware, every two months a James Bond adventure is chosen for members of the Blades Library Book Club to read. Proceeding in chronological order, the club first read Fleming’s Moonraker back in May 2004.

What follows are selected reviews from the Book Club Forum members. For further details on the club or to post your own review of Moonraker, simply click here.

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… 1q2w3e4r

Definitely a good read. I think it’s a little under appriciated actually. We get a good feel for Bond and M’s relationship and is the only time apart from a visit to Quarterdeck in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service that we see the two interact outside SIS.

The gambling scene is great, as is the entire Blades sequence.

Gala Brand, while I never really got Bond’s huge attraction to her because she’s not one of Fleming’s best written women (I think T. Case is) the end is great, because Bond’s human, capable of failure and mistakes while remaining himself and full of self confidence.

It’s also probably the best example of Bond’s home life. And the book reads like what a good adaption of it should have been. Bond knows Drax is up to something, but not what. He snoops around, collects circumstancial evidence at best but follows his hunch. EON tried this for about five minutes of Die Another Day and the Cuba sequences were what most viewers say was the most “Bond part” of the movie.

I like this one better than Live and Let Die which drops off in parts where Fleming plugs his friends book on voodoo. For me it’s just behind Casino Royale, From Russia with Love, Diamonds Are Forever (which I love don’t know why it gets a bad wrap) and Majesty’s.

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… Johnboy007

Another excellent novel. I had this misfortune of starting this book, then having to stop for a few months then have to read it very fast. The gambling scene is probably Fleming at his best.

4/5.

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… rafterman

I’ll give this one four stars. An excellent third novel in the series. This one lacks a lot of the Fleming sweep, which at this point was still building, but it sacrifices all that in exchange for a great face off between Bond and the baddie. That’s all there is to this one, much like Casino Royale, Moonraker is all about the relationship between our hero and the villain. It sets them up in another high stakes world, this time Bridge and lets their personalities clash. For the first third of the book we’re practically without a major plot, just a simple case of Bond doing M a favor. It all adds to the character of Bond and illuminates his world.

The book only takes place over a week, but plenty happens and it all culminates with two things that would never find their way into a film adaptation these days–Bond loses the girl and doesn’t face the villain. Rather Drax is killed by his own plan being sabotaged by Bond. It’s poetic justice.
All in all it’s a great noveland a sure sign that the series had legs.

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… Trident

Moonraker was the first Bond-book I read back in 1977 after seeing The Spy Who Loved Me in the cinema. I was a kid then and didn’t know what to expect from the novels. You can imagine I was thorougly surprised. And badly hooked for the rest of my life.

Moonraker simply breaths the smells and tastes and feelings of the story. While reading I could smell the cigarette-smoke at the Blades Club, the industrial-metallic mix in the rocket-shaft, the clean air of the may-afternoon at the cliffs. I tasted with Bond various alcoholics and cigarettes. Not to mention the exquisite food and wine. I felt the wind rushing by in Bonds face as he tailed Drax’ Mercedes and the leather-upholstery Gala was thrown on Drax’ backseat.

I smelled burnt rubber and spilled gasoline after Bond’s crash and the overwhelming chemical stench back at the rocket-site. I fliched with Bond as he was punched by Drax (while feeling the wires around his wrists and feet) and I hissed while Bond cut the wires with the blowtorch (after burnig his face considerably with the desk-lighter). I felt the abrasive concrete surface of the ventilation-shaft and I heard the horrible noise of the steamhose. And all these impressions culminated in the take-off of the Moonraker. I was stunned and from that day on had to read every Fleming-novel I could possibly lay my hands on. Thank you, Mr. Fleming. I owe you some of the most interesting moments in my reading-life!

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… Robert Watts

I read this a while back last year. It was my third Fleming, after Casino Royale and Live and Let Die and I was hooked from the minute I picked it up. I finished Part One in a couple of hours, and continued on a bit before going to bed. In the morning I suitably resumed reading from the point where we learn of Gala’s morning. I finished the novel that day. The build up in the first two parts is excellent–once you reach part three and everything begins to to unravel itself so quickly you can’t put down that final part, just like the previous two.

By far one of Fleming’s best crafted stories, along with Thunderball, From Russia With Love, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and the seriously underated Diamonds Are Forever.

Keep your eyes on the CBn main page for further reviews of Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 adventures in the upcoming months.

Literary 007 Reviewed: Ian Fleming's 'Moonraker' (Part I)

With 2008 marking the centenary of Ian Fleming, the newest CommanderBond.net review series, Literary 007 Reviewed, now continues with the author’s third James Bond adventure, 1955’s Moonraker.

As several CBn Forum members are already aware, every two months a James Bond adventure is chosen for members of the Blades Library Book Club to read. Proceeding in chronological order, the club first read Fleming’s Moonraker back in May 2004.

What follows are selected reviews from the Book Club Forum members. For further details on the club or to post your own review of Moonraker, simply click here.

This is Part I of the Moonraker reviews. Part II to follow on the CBn main page shortly.

Literary 007 Reviewed:
Moonraker

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… clinkeroo

What strikes me with Moonraker is that Fleming must have decided at this point to abandon his “Bond as an everyman” approach and actually began to delve into Bond’s character more, giving us details of his England, his job, his flat, his life, that had been denied to us previously. Early on in the series, Fleming spoke and wrote about wanting Bond to be an undetermined character, so that the reader could easily place himself into the protagonist’s role. But as the public’s hunger for Bond grew, he began to flesh out the character more, making him more human, and less of the hard case blunt instrument that Fleming originally envisioned.

Leaving the book in England gives it more of a gritty feel to me, and fleshes out the series and the character more by showing us the details of his day-to-day life. Maybe it makes Bond more human to know that he sometimes lives a life that isn’t all too different from our own, and that he too doesn’t always get the girl in the end, he doesn’t always get exotic locales, and stay in the finest hotels. The pain he experiences in this novel comes across as more intense, not just because of Fleming’s excellent prose and descriptions, but because we now see Bond as a defined, real human being (something the films have lost entirely) and when the horrible things start to happen, we feel for him.

This is the novel that ties Bond to England the most, and defines him as an Englishman. We see him interacting within the social structure of the country, and we also how deeply his patriotic feelings are part of his make-up. For the time, the plot was one of the most fantastical of the series, and Fleming took quite a bit of criticism for it (even in the Authorized Biography of 007 Pearson writes off the entire adventure as a fabrication), but I think that Fleming pulls it off so well because his characters are so realistic; they bleed, they blister, they have their petty little quirks and misgivings.

The only thing that bothers me about this book is the number of times in the first third of the novel that someone thinks, or says, “But why would a man such as Drax cheat at cards?” I know it is a significant plot device to keep driving the point home, but Lord, it becomes like the beating of Poe’s Tell-tale Heart. It would make a great drinking game as well; while reading Moonraker take a drink every time someone wonders why Drax was cheating.

Great, great stuff. This is my fourth reading, and it loses nothing. It’s strange, how as one ages, more facets of Fleming’s writing are opened up to the reader.

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… Triton

I enjoyed reading Moonraker very much and will give a four out of five stars.

I believe that an ICBM silo and a story about the creation of an ICBM in Great Britain was exotic, exciting, futuristic, and interesting back in 1955. Remember that this novel was written two years before Soviet rocket scientist Sergei Korolev launched the R-7, the world’s first ICBM, with the world’s first man-made sattelite aboard, Sputnik. An event that started the space-race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

In 2004, people frequently lose sight of what a technological accomplishment it was to create the world’s first artificial sattelite and launch it successfully, put the first person into orbit, and then land the first human beings on the face of the moon.

The novel also plays into the fears that people had at the time of atomic bombs and death from nuclear war was a very real possibility.

I also think that the idea of having a Briton financing the world’s first ICBM appealed to Fleming’s sense of national pride.

The British aviation industry at the time was also one of the most technologically advanced and had a commanding lead in commercial aviation by producing the world’s first jet passenger aircraft, the de Havilland Comet. So where else would Fleming had set is novel other than London and Kent?

The idea of employing German rocket scientists, most of them ex-Nazis, to build the next generation of military rockets and spacecraft was also contemporary. Remember this was the time that Dr. Werner von Braun was in the United States evangilising man’s conquest of space and making films with Walt Disney on the subject.

Also the idea of an ex-Nazi masquerading as a captain of industry who intends to inflict revenge on one of the allied powers for the defeat of the Third Reich was also a new one at thetime. The idea would be used so many times since the publication Moonraker in books, television, and films that it has become a tired cliche. I don’t know if Fleming came up with it, but after all the ex-Nazis we have seen in television shows like The Saint and movies like The Odessa File and Boys From Brazil, I am sick to death of the idea.

Since I have never travelled to England or Europe, the locations of London and Kent are exotic to me.

The novel itself is more of a mystery for James Bond to solve than an action/adventure thriller. I like the element of chance that brings M and James Bond into the story. If Basildon, the Chairman of Blades, hadn’t approached M about exposing Drax as a cheat at bridge the conspiracy to destroy London would never have been revealed.

I did find the bridge game between Bond, M, Drax, and Meyer to be very exciting and interesting.

We also have the explosion of the chalk cliff intended by Drax and Krebs to kill Bond and Gala Brand.

The car chase between Bond’s Bentley and Drax’s Mercedes Type 300 S was exciting.

Kreb’s threat of torture with “The Persauder”, blow torch, does cause suspense and tension.

We certainly can feel Bond’s flesh blister and burn when Drax and Krebs use hot steam to flush out the hiding Bond and Gala Brand.

The idea of perishing from the fiery blast of a rocket was also probably new at the time.

In the climax of the novel we have an atomic blast of the Moonraker that kills the fleeing Drax and Krebs on a Soviet submarine in addition to collateral damage, such as the destruction of the HMS Merganzer and the South Goodwin Lightship. Again, the idea was probably new in 1955.

I also like the fact that in the end James Bond doesn’t get the girl with Gala Brand announcing that she intends to marry Detective-Inspector Vivian.

My only complaint of the novel really, and this is a big one, is that it was much too convenient for Graf Hugo von Drache to masquarade as British officer Hugo Drax. I felt that was very sloppy story telling on Fleming’s part that there just happened to be a Hugo Drax in the listing of officers assigned to the barracks that the Nazi commando team destroyed. What an incredible co-incidence. I found it too incredible to be believable.

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… Loomis

Not my favourite of the Flemings. I want to read about Bond in exotic locations, not in places like London and Kent (Bond may be a Brit, but he sure as heck doesn’t belong in Britain – he belongs on Caribbean beaches, in New York, in the south of France, in the Far East….). And 007 doesn’t even get his end away!

Fleming must have been in a particularly sadistic mood while writing Moonraker, as though determined to deny his readers the very thrills that made them seek out his novels in the first place.

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… Willie Garvin

Five stars.

Moonraker is one of Fleming’s very best novels almost equal to From Russia With Love and the three books comprising his masterful “Blofeld Trilogy” (Thunderball, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and You Only Live Twice). Everything works here and the story itself is fascinating. In a sense, this is our first introduction to the more fully realized James Bond of the later books. The human 007. And in that sense alone, it’s really quite remarkable.

Casino Royale is an interesting albeit tentative experiment on Fleming’s part, and Live and Let Die is a fine thriller introducing us to more of Bond’s world. We met Felix Leiter in this and this is the film Licence to Kill drew it’s inspiration from. But Moonraker, is I think, the superior novel.

In Moonraker, James Bond has more dimensions than Fleming has shown us before and thus there’s a greater depth to his world. For example,we learn how old (the ageless) James Bond is. We get a more detailed description of the Double-O division. We see Bond’s office and his first secretary, Loelia Ponsonby. Also the shooting range and we even learn more about the guns 007 favors and why he likes them. Moreover, we see Bond’s grey Bentley, his flat and are introduced to his cleaning lady, “the old Scottish treasure” May. And we even enter the ultraexclusive Blades Club. So much… and so much more than the previous entries in the nascent series.

Additionally, Moonraker presents the reader with the first fully realized grotesque villain of the series. The first true larger than life ogre who’ll serve as the template for so many of 007’s future adversaries. Sir Hugo Drax is a very bad man–we first know this because he cheats at cards. But also because he is ugly and bad tempered and rude. Not a gentleman but a monster. And Drax is also foreign born–almost always a sign of evil in Fleming’s world (although he’s fairly forgiving of Americans and the occasional Australian). Sir Hugo Drax is a dragon indeed, and the clearest instance of such for Bond’s St. George to confront and destroy.

The card game is a true highlight and the scene preceeding it, with M asking Bond to do him a favor and expose Drax as the cheater he is, is one of the best sequences in the entire series. It shows us that even the implacable Admiral Messervy is human and it also lays the groundwork for the gruff Father/Son relationship M and Bond have in the remaining novels.

Drax’s suspicious Moonraker missile program is not without interest as well. An attempt at giving the U.K. something resembling an early space program and if only within the context of the story it’s quite impressive. Fleming’s fondness for Bond’s two-way radio in the Bentley is one of his few attempts at giving the literary Bond state-of-art gadgetry. It’s simplicity is charming.

And then there’s Galetea “Gala” Brand–the first and only woman among the many feminine protagonists in the many novels to turn James Bond down. She’s well drawn and is one of Fleming’s more fully realized females. Another good addition and certainly an offbeat one.

One of the greatest strengths of this novel–beyond it’s colorful characters– is its sense of time. The clock is ticking and there’s a real urgency that won’t be evident again until the appearance of Thunderball. And the locations–all of them in Britain–mark another change of pace for Fleming. As always his descriptions are what make the book work. Fleming’s skill with the English language turns even the most fantastical moments–among them Hugo Drax’s climactic revelation– seem almost normal and credible.

Overall, Moonraker is easily one of Ian Fleming’s better books. He was clearly enjoying himself with this one and his enthusiasm shows. Yes, the Die Another Day movie was inspired by this book and so was the Moonraker motion picture, but this novel is vastly superior to them both.

Excellent.

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… SPECTRE ASSASSIN

Great, enjoyable read Moonraker was. I enjoyed the fast-pace storytelling by Fleming. Maybe the plot was reasonably on the side of less credibility, but I enjoyed nonetheless. Great characters were a plus in this entry. Gala Brand was a smart, independent Bond girl. She didn’t fancy Bond’s charms, but near the end she gained his trust in order to stop the evil Hugo Drax. Brand’s surprising personal twist at the end of the book was realistic and more credible in a Bond novel. Not everybody can be wooed by James Bond, Agent 007.

A fun read!

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… Bond111

I gave it 4/5 stars. Not perfect, but very close. I thought it had somewhat of a slow start (although I love seeing Bond’s life in London), but it picked up in the middle, and had a great end. Definitely in my top five.

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… manfromjapan

Just finished the book. It really did pick up its pace and improve. In the end, I think it is a good book, but not as good as the previous two. It lacks scope, the Fleming sweep and a sense of location. The beginning of the book is dull, despite learning more about Bond (too much?) and an exciting if not so new card duel. I liked Bond’s relationship with Gala (it had humour similar to Roger Moore’s needling of Anya in The Spy Who Loved Me), and the fact he didn’t get his ****s in. Drax is an interesting villain too. By the way, I know everybody already recognised this, but I was amused by Fleming’s reference to Lonsdale when describing Drax. It was Michael Lonsdale who played him in the 1979 film!

I also thought the deliberate miscalculation of the rocket perhaps inspired the deliberate miscalculation of the GPS signals in Tomorrow Never Dies.

And there is the villain attacking London as personal revenge – GoldenEye.

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… Lazenby880

I love the opening of Moonraker for [the card duel]. Good to see some of Bond’s humdrum life, not always globe-trotting and tracking down implausible villains via remarkable coincidence. Grounding the story more and revealing more aspects of Bond’s life allows the reader to identify with him to a greater extent, as well as providing a deeper (and fascinating) characterisation. In that sense I concur with clinkeroo, the pain that Bond experiences in the novel is all the more real to the reader given that one feels that he is a more recognisable human being. And in my opinion the Fleming sweep is most definitely evident in Moonraker, there may be little exoticism in comparison with, say, Dr. No but his prose is just as mesmeric.

In fact, I very much appreciate the change in pace with Moonraker, testament to Fleming’s flexibility. The novel may not be gritty in any meaningful sense, however I like the fact that here we are given a far more down-to-earth adventure that is just as enthralling (moreso, in some respects) than some of his other rather more ‘wider of scope’ novels. And the bittertsweet ending is something to beat.

‘Moonraker’ reviewed by… blackjack60

Fleming wrote Moonraker after interest had been expressed in turning Live And Let Die into a movie. But according to what Fleming told the movie-men, Moonraker would make an even better film, since it had been inspired by an idea Fleming devised for a movie. How ironic that the film of Moonraker has less to do with the original novel than any of the Bond films! If only the filmmakers had decided to adapt the book in 1967, instead of ruining You Only Live Twice.

As for the novel, it’s in the second tier of Bond books: not one of the best, but pretty good. As Fleming himself admitted, the story is broken-backed: the novel divides into the bridge game (well-written, but not very exciting if you don’t know anything about bridge) and the rocket story. As Andrew Lycett noted, Moonraker is also a tribute to Fleming’s favorite parts of England. Unfortunately, these locations don’t have the exotic features of the more foreign locations of the other books. Dover and Kent are undoubtedly very pretty, but they’re not gripping. In a way, that’s the point: Drax wishes to destroy an England that’s homey and comforting to Bond.

Drax himself is one of Fleming’s more atypical villains. He is a vulgarian, unlike the sophisticated figures of Le Chiffre, Mr. Big, Dr. No, or Blofeld. And Drax speaks English informally, like a native speaker. In these respects, the villain closest to him is Scaramanga, but Drax is an infinitely more interesting figure. With his inferiority complex, boorishness, and bullying, he may be the most psychologically developed of the Bond villains, as well as the one with the most childish motive: the get back at all the nasty boys who picked on him for sucking his thumb.

The prospect of a film adaptation may explain why Fleming decided to flesh out Bond’s home world and habits (I’m hoping that Loelia Ponsonby will be introduced into the post-Casino Royale movies). And some aspects of the book, such as the auto chase, are inherently cinematic. Others, such as the bridge game, aren’t. Neither is Fleming’s frankly unsatisfactory method of having a radio announcer tell us about the Moonraker’s destruction. The climax gives Bond little to do beside adjust some gyros and get under a shower and wait. It’s not enough to hear about Drax getting his comeuppance–I want to see the bastard explode, or at least have the grin wiped off his face when he sees Bond save the day. Fleming, after being left to cool his heels by the film studios, eventually sat down and wrote an actual script for Moonraker. I’d sell my grandmother to read it and see how he might have changed the book for the screen.

The most vivid parts of the book take place before the rocket’s launch–when Drax reveals his true identity, beats up Bond, and when Bond and Gala escape . The beatings, painful escape up the air vents, and the ordeal with the steam-hose are described with a sensual immediacy and sado-masochistic vibe that resurface again in Doctor No, with Fleming fetishistically noting every painful sensations his hero/stand-in feels as he undergoes one physical obstacle after another, his endurance and tolerance of pain put to the test.

Some other cinematic aspects of the book neglected by the cinema: the idea of a neo-nazi villain, which you’d think the Bond films would have used by now, and the beautifully done scene of Gala’s rejection. 50 years later it’s still shocking to see Bond not only not get the girl, but not even score. I don’t think there’s a single person who’s read the book and not been surprised by the ending. If only the movies had the courage for such a realistic, downbeat touch!

As a character Gala starts off well–she’s resentful toward the flashy double-00 agent and doesn’t think he’s all that–but like all of Fleming’s heroines, once she opens up she becomes vastly less interesting. And by modern standards, Bond’s behavior (sneaking up on her from underwater to plant a kiss) would be sexual harrassment. But Gala of course, cannot get angry at the dashing, undeniably handsome Bond, toward whom even the most frigid of lesbians ultimately must surrender, and if it weren’t for that explosion, I’m not sure if Gala wouldn’t have either. But her final decision to stick with her fiance makes her a memorable addition to the Bond girls pantheon. As a I reread the books in adulthood, I can finally understand John Pearson’s critical complaint about the Bond girls being rather insubstantial creatures. He’s right, though in the course of my re-readings I hope Tiffany Case, who I remember as spunky, neurotic and rounded girl, might prove an exception to the rule.

Keep your eyes on the CBn main page for further reviews of Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 adventures in the upcoming months.

Literary 007 Reviewed: Ian Fleming's 'Live And Let Die'

With 2008 marking the centenary of Ian Fleming, the newest CommanderBond.net review series, Literary 007 Reviewed, now continues with the author’s second James Bond adventure, 1954’s Live and Let Die.

As several CBn Forum members are already aware, every two months a James Bond adventure is chosen for members of the Blades Library Book Club to read. Proceeding in chronological order, the club first read Fleming’s Live and Let Die back in May 2003.

What follows are selected reviews from the Book Club Forum members. For further details on the club or to post your own review of Live and Let Die, simply click here.

Literary 007 Reviewed:
Live and Let Die

‘Live and Let Die’ reviewed by… Captain Grimes

This book, to me, feels like the beginning of Bond. Casino Royale is an interesting and entertaining little novel, but it is written on a relatively small scale with relatively conventional characters. Nothing, besides the final chapter and Bond’s final line, leaps off the page and lodges itself in your brain.

Not so with Live and Let Die. Here we find the Bond formula in full swing (or, perhaps, full sweep). Most noticeably, Mr. Big is an engaging and colorful villain, easily superior to both Le Chiffre of the previous book and Drax of the next. The grey, football-shaped head, the precise diction: these are the little details that together create a truly memorable character.

Then there is the globetrotting. Far from being restricted to France as he was in Casino Royale, or to England as he will be in Moonraker, Bond is constantly on the move here, passing swiftly from Harlem to St. Petersburg to Mr. Big’s hideout in Jamaica. James Bond, in the popular imagination, is a jet-setter, an international playboy, and the roots of that conception can be found in Live and Let Die.

Voodoo and black American culture provide context for the story, with both interesting and off-putting results. Interesting in that Fleming masterfully injects a tinge of exoticism into a book that he knew would be read primarily by white Europeans. Off-putting in that the book puts forward exceedingly simplistic accounts of voodoo and black culture, particularly the laughable claim that blacks in the 1950s were “just beginning” to throw up geniuses in various fields.

But one doesn’t read for Fleming for subtle cultural and racial analysis; one reads him for entertainment, and in that respect Live and Let Die certainly delivers.

Some things, of course, work better than others. Solitaire is alluring, but she is desperate to throw herself into Bond’s arms from page one, and so, when she finally does at the end of the book, there isn’t a great deal of satisfaction for the reader, and certainly not as much as when Bond and Vesper came together in Casino Royale.

Felix Leiter, however, is much more interesting here, much more alive. One really gets the sense that, despite their cultural differences, Bond and Felix are two very similar men who recognize in each other a kindred spirit. Fleming creates a very believable friendship, and there is much poignancy in Bond’s reaction to the Robber’s attack on Felix.

The rest of the cast–Strangways, Quarrel, Mr. Big’s goons–acquit themselves ably, and the book ends in a truly suspenseful finale. Of the early books, Live and Let Die is one of the very best.

Four stars.

‘Live and Let Die’ reviewed by… marmaduke

If pushed to state my very favourite Fleming (and thus Bond novel) it would have to be Live and Let Die. Why? Great atmosphere created (it gives you a great feel of what life in the USA during the mid 50’s was like in the places described). While reading Live and Let Die I was there in my mind’s eye, experiencing through Fleming’s words all of the excitement and glamour.

‘Live and Let Die’ reviewed by… Double-0-Seven

This was the first Ian Fleming book I read.

I managed to get a bargain on one of the old Pan editions (I believe it’s the 1964 edition although I can’t remember off the top of my head) and began reading it as soon as I got home. I was very excited to finally read one of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels. Before this I had only read John Gardner’s GoldenEye novelization, as well as Raymond Benson’s novelizations of Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, and Die Another Day.

As soon as I started reading, I was hooked. I was busy with school at the time, so it took me a few days to get through it all, but I enjoyed every page of it. I loved how Ian Fleming described everything in lots of detail, and how I could easily picture everything in my head. Every scene was just as exciting as the last, and it was my favorite Bond book up until I read Live and Let Die a few weeks ago.

I’ll say it gets four out of five stars.

‘Live and Let Die’ reviewed by… 1q2w3e4r

Great book, one of my favs to be honest. Definantly a solid 4 out of 5. The characters are well filled out, though Mr Big proves to be the cut of for Drax in Moonraker really isn’t a bad point in my opinion.

The friendship development with Leiter is a highlight and the relationship with Solitare is interesting and well done. The scenes in Harlem early in the book are interesting. The highlights for me have got to be the duel with the Robber in the warehouse and Bond’s attempt to access The Big Man’s island and the fight with the barracuda.

It would make a great book to film transfer even now. Pity they chopped it up for a handful of movies.

‘Live and Let Die’ reviewed by… Johnboy007

Without a doubt, my favorite, way too many great parts of this book to deny it’s grandness.

‘Live and Let Die’ reviewed by… bond_girl_double07

I just reread Live and Let Die and it’s honestly one of my favorite books of all time, Bond novel or no. Several of the scenes in this book are incredibly exciting (the end sequence, Bond’s night swim, the escape from Mr. Big’s club, and of course Bond’s discovery of the wounded Felix!) and Fleming does a remarkable job if intermixing his beautiful descriptions of New York and the Caribbean with scenes of incredible action. Everything about this novel is so beautifully spaced, and the pacing and narration are absolutely perfect.

‘Live and Let Die’ reviewed by… Bond111

This is one of Fleming’s best without a doubt. It’s nice to see Bond in America, more specifically Harlem during it’s growth period. The action scenes are as exciting as they come. A very well written and fast read.

‘Live and Let Die’ reviewed by… Double-Oh Agent

Ian Fleming picked up where he left off following his debut novel Casino Royale and the result is Live and Let Die. Though not quite as good as the first book, Live and Let Die, nevertheless, is an entertaining and fun read. The novel is full of action as Bond goes up against a large criminal organization led by the mysterious and dangerous Buonaparte Ignace Gallia aka Mr. Big.

On this adventure Fleming sends Bond to New York and he immediately becomes the target of Gallia’s virtual all-Black organization. When Bond comes face to face with Mr. Big, Fleming once again displays a knack for creating eccentric, unique, and disturbing individuals. From Mr. Big’s grotesque appearance featuring a gray-colored, football-shaped head and the voodoo symbolism all around him to Tee-Hee Johnson’s perpetual laughter, it is clear that Bond is in trouble. That point is further driven home in a well-written scene which sees Bond receiving his second dose of torture in as many books. (Hope the man has good insurance.)

While Bond is injured, at least he has a couple of good allies on his side. Simone Latrelle aka Solitaire is a somewhat naive and frightened girl who can also see the future, who nevertheless decides to jump to Bond’s side. It is her escaping Gallia that drives the plot to the Florida coast and on to Jamaica. The other significant ally is the amiable Felix Leiter who is always a joy to behold and never more so than in this book. He and 007 really “bond” in this novel and so it is even more of a shock when the reader learns of the tragedy that befalls Leiter. Driving that point home is the sick message left by Gallia’s man in Florida, The Robber: “He disagreed with something that ate him.” Bond’s confrontation with The Robber in the marine warehouse is tightly written and one can’t help but approve of Bond’s method of revenge. The Robber has only two scenes in the entire book but both carry a lot of weight making them distinctly memorable and him one of Fleming’s better henchmen.

In Jamaica we meet two more of Bond’s allies–John Strangways and Quarrel. Neither play a huge role in the outcome of the story but they are a likable duo who also give Bond valuable information as he prepares to confront Mr. Big.

Bond’s undersea journey to the Caribbean island is very suspenseful and one can’t help but feel uneasy with 007 literally swimming with sharks and barracuda. Fleming really knew his underwater stuff and that is in evidence here. The aforementioned uneasy feeling is topped only by the climax of the story where Bond and Solitaire are about to be keelhauled over a coral reef toward the awaiting oceanic predators on the other side and Bond coldly decides to drown his fellow prisoner before their intended fate is met. The setup is full of suspence in what turns out to be a race against time between the ticking of a timer and the speed of a yacht. Once again the villain’s demise is appropriate and just, although Fleming’s painting of that picture via the descriptions of the sights and sounds of Gallia’s final seconds are a bit unsettling.

The big problem with the book is Fleming’s attempt at imitating Black people’s speech. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work and gets more in the way of storytelling that it does in just telling the story and it makes the people speaking seem less intelligent. Nevertheless, there are many more good points to recommend the novel. The plot is good and the action brisk and fast. The returning characters grow from the first novel, particularly Bond and Leiter and their budding friendship, and one is anxious to see the next chapter in the 007 saga. And for a writer, that is a mission well accomplished.

Rating: 006 out of 007

‘Live and Let Die’ reviewed by… Single-0-Seven

Terrific novel. Highly readable. I remember picking it up years ago when I was in high school, and still just getting into the Fleming craze that has now consumed in head to toe. Anyway, I couldn’t put the book down when I read it. Some of Fleming’s best descriptive travel sequences permeate the text, and the characters are some of the greatest in the canon. The Leiter and Bond friendship really blossoms in this book, and we understand how Bond is easily driven forward in his quest against Mr. Big after what is done to Leiter. An exciting, fast-paced book which has seen a bit of justice done to it over the course of three separate films.

‘Live and Let Die’ reviewed by… MHazard

I like the novel, but three things in particular have always stuck out for me:

1. A lot of the racial dialogue/attitudes make me cringe;
2. The scene where Bond has his little finger broken. Fleming making a point lost in most of the movies that being Bond is not always fun.
3. “He disagreed with something that ate him”

I recently re-read the novel and was also struck by the imagery of the voodoo drums being pounded and then the bodies of the first men Strangways sent returned eaten by sharks.

I was always disappointed in the movie version, but I can’t imagine how they could possibly make a faithful version now without being picketed. But still a fantastic read.

‘Live and Let Die’ reviewed by… 00Twelve

Live and Let Die is my personal favorite of Fleming’s because the pacing, suspense, relationships, locales, and overall plot are so well balanced. I often lament the lack of courage on EON’s part to make THIS movie. I understand, drugs and “pimp”-looking characters were all the rage in ’73, but oh, the missed opportunities.

Live and Let Die is also where Bond & Felix’ relationship really fuses into the friendship they would carry on through the canon. Seeing the torture they went through together, and Bond’s utter horror at Felix’ encounter at Ourobouros, really invites the idea that Bond really does have a good friend that he doesn’t want to lose. It makes him more human. It’s also what makes me a big Felix fan.

5/5 stars. Do not miss.

Keep your eyes on the CBn main page for further reviews of Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 adventures in the upcoming months.

Literary 007 Reviewed: Ian Fleming's 'Casino Royale' (Part II)

This is Part II of a new review series. Click here for Part I.

With 2008 celebrating the centenary of Ian Fleming, it seemed as good a time as any to launch the newest CommanderBond.net review series: Literary 007 Reviewed.

As several CBn Forum members are already aware, every two months a James Bond adventure is chosen for members of the Blades Library Book Club to read. Proceeding in chronological order, the club began with Fleming’s Casino Royale back in March 2003 and we are now progressing through the John Gardner Bond adventures.

It therefore seems logical to start this new series at the beginning with Casino Royale. What follows are selected reviews from the Book Club Forum members. For further details on the club or to post your own review of Casino Royale, simply click here.

Literary 007 Reviewed: Casino Royale

‘Casino Royale’ reviewed by… sharpshooter

In Sydney for a holiday some seven years back ago, I visited a bookstore. Havent had read the Fleming books, I searched and found the Coronet series editions, I purchased Casino Royale – mostly on the great cover artwork. I recall why Casino Royale is my favourite James Bond novel. Even if novel surpassed it, Casino Royale – Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel typed in 1953, ignited it all.

In the rather slender read, we have Agent 007 as a fallible human being who learns from his experiences, notably the infamous carpet beating. Bond is a believable human being the reader relates to, who happens to be a secret agent. Bond does not always win his battles at first. To quote Bond #4 Timothy Dalton, who is regarded as Fleming’s Bond, “You can’t relate to a superhero, to a superman, but you can identify with a real man who in times of crisis draws forth some extraordinary quality from within himself and triumphs but only after a struggle. Real courage is knowing what faces you and knowing how to face it.”

The basis for Bond’s character is all made here. It is a dark and complex book. After all he endures, he is ready to get up and go for it again. His mood when it comes to women, which he claims are for recreation, his taste for heavy living comprising of alcohol and heavy smoking, the cars, the cards, and the internal thoughts of his distaste for killing, yet it is his job. The novel is a step back into a bygone era, yet it remains the timeless definitve take on agent.

The book is a espionage thriller. Bond is the underdog. He encounters Le Chiffre, essentially his maker – the ultimate villain. He has Bond tortured, yet Bond does not kill him. He makes Bond consider resignation, early on in his career. Bond in deep thought considers who is good and evil, concluding Le Chiffre served a devine purpose in his motivation to hunt down people like him. Bond must get serious in this spy game.

The cold hearted blunt government’s motives for this are re-enforced when he is betrayed by Vesper Lynd. The following events that follow the card game can be labelled boring and uneventful by some. It is essential to create Bond’s sense of suspicion and distrust of people.

Fleming’s descriptive, journalistic style serves him well. He enjoyed the finer things in life, therefore he creates quality and craftsmanship so Bond is equipped with the best in the field. It creates a gloss on the story. It also creates the feeling of a travelling loner, with enough spare time to know what he wants. This continued for the duration of his books, but had to begin somewhere. The first appearance of such a style considered snobbery by some.

The novel is the blueprint of the series and the man himself.

‘Casino Royale’ reviewed by… MHazard

One of my favorites of the series from the beginning “the smell of a casino…is nauseating” to the end “yes, I said was, the bitch is dead”. Also essential reading to fully understand On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and how the character has grown in the interim. Personally, I don’t think Fleming writes a Bond novel as good until he hits From Russia With Love.

‘Casino Royale’ reviewed by… Nicolas Suszczyk

There’s about 40 Bond novels written by Ian Fleming and other autors, but you can’t beat the first James Bond novel.

Casino Royale introduces us to the world of James Bond, an MI6 agent recently promoted to the 00 status, with the codename 007. His mission is far different from the film adventures and posterior novels: there, he doesn’t needs to use his famed 00 code, which gives him a licence to kill. Bond’s mission is to run Le Chiffre down. Le Chiffre is a SMERSH (acronym for Smiert Shpionom, “Death to Spies”) treasury, who has been gambling to baccarat with the organization’s funds. M’s mission for Bond is quite simple, and everything depends of luck: He has to bet against Le Chiffre in a baccarat game at the Casino Royale in Royale-Les-Eaux. But Le Chiffre is previously informed of Bond’s activities, and attempts to kill him every time.

007 survives the numerous attacks of Le Chiffre, and is assisted by Deuxième Bureau agent Rene Mathis, CIA agent Felix Leiter, and agent Vesper Lynd. James Bond defeats Le Chiffre and dines with Vesper, but both are captured. Bond survives an horrendous torture before two SMERSH hitmen kill Le Chiffre for his betrayal. Thay don’t kill Bond, but they carve a cyrilic letter in his hand with a knife to identify him as an enemy agent, causing Bond to fall unconscious. Bond recovers in an hospital and decides to spend the rest of his life with Vesper, who hides a deep secret: one day, she commits suicide with an overdose of pills and leaves a note revealing that SMERSH captured her lover and force her to work for them.

Of the novels I’ve read of Bond, Casino Royale is the quintessential book, as we learn some tips of Bond’s past. Particulary good is one of the chapters called “The Nature of Evil”, in wich Bond tells Mathis when he first killed a man to obtain his 00 code. Vesper is a superbly written character, although the film version is even better. We know that for Bond there will be many girls, but Vesper is his first real love, even more important, I think, that Tracy Di Vicenzo in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. We can really see how emotionally touched is 007 when he discovers her dead body. “The bitch is dead”, he comments after realizing her betrayal, altough the spy will visit her grave in future novels, showing us that he really can love and has a very big heart.

The villian Le Chiffre is not very menacing or frightening, but his torture methods are really cruel. It’s so deep in him the intensity of this first mission that he will ask himself if it really worth saving the world, only to be animatd by Mathis, a great character who will also return in another novel: From Russia, With Love.

What Bond did I saw while I read it? I really imagined Pierce Brosnan because he’s my favourite Bond, altough when I re-read some parragraphs of the novel recently I truly imagined Daniel Craig as Bond and Eva Green as Vesper, and that shows how good was the effect of the 2006 film version.

On the last thing, the novel lacks of all the exotic locations of futures adventures, but it has a truly grat description of the atmosphere of a french casino in the opening sentence: “The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning…”

Casino Royale is an outstanding Bond novel, and you will not be dissapointed. Absolutely amazing.

Rating: 10/10

‘Casino Royale’ reviewed by… Double-0-Seven

Note: This review was written before the release of the 2006 James Bond film starring Daniel Craig.

Yesterday while at my local Chapters book store I decided to have a look for some Bond books. Of Ian Fleming’s novels they only had Casino Royale and From Russia With Love in stock. I was originally going to wait and buy the movie tie-in edition of Casino Royale and read it while counting down the final few weeks until the films release, but it was only eleven dollars so I decided I might as well pick it up. I would have also picked up From Russia With Love, except it was twenty dollars and I thought that was a little expensive for a paperback, but I’ll probably pick it up next time I’m there.

Anyway, I started reading Casino Royale as soon as I got home, and I couldn’t put it down. I read the first half of the book before deciding to take a break from reading, and then finished the other half tonight. Usually I never finish books this fast, as I usually only read a few chapters of a book a day, but this book was just too good to stop after only a few chapters.

I found the whole book enjoyable, and each page kept making me want to read more and more. The whole card scene was fantastic. The torture scene was very brutal and well written, and I had heard about how much Vesper meant to Bond, but never realized how much she really meant to him until actually reading it for myself.

Overall, I think this is definately my new favorite Bond book. I’m also a lot more excited for the film now than I already was, and can’t wait to see how close the second half of the film is to the book.

I’ll definately be reading it again before the movie comes out.

‘Casino Royale’ reviewed by… Double-O Eleven

Note: This review was written before the release of the 2006 James Bond film starring Daniel Craig.

This most recent re-reading was, of course, in preparation for the upcoming movie, but I think I’ve re-read this book right before every Bond film came out as a way of grounding myself in a time period before James Bond was a household name and before Fleming had even established him as a continuing character. Casino Royale was not the first Bond novel I read. I started off with Goldfinger, Doctor No, Live and Let Die, and The Man with the Golden Gun before I located a copy of Fleming’s premiere novel in a bookstore. The year was 1986, and Fleming’s books were thankfully then in print in the U.S., right before the start of a mysterious dark age. Although I was already a Bond fan based on reading those four books (I even liked The Man with the Golden Gun at that time, which I now consider Fleming’s least), my experience with Bond’s first literary outing sold me forever on Ian Fleming as one of the greatest popular writers in the English language.

Of all the Fleming Bond novels, Casino Royale is the one I’ve re-read the most often. This isn’t because it’s my personal favorite. That honor belongs to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. It’s because 1) it’s short and easy to leap into and polish off in two days or less, and 2) it is Genesis and a reminder of where it all started, and what it was like “in the beginning” when there were no expectations and no points for comparison.

And what a strange beginning it is! There isn’t any novel in the Fleming canon like it. Only You Only Live Twice seems close in moody and style. Compare, say, the style of the very next book, Live and Let Die: fast-paced adventure and action moving quickly from location to location. Now look at the static and somber nature of Casino Royale. Although short and brisk, it is a heavy book where the atmosphere speaks much more than the story. From the famous first paragraph until the famous end line, the prose of Casino Royale is one of heavy sensation: taste, smell, sight. You can almost choke on it.

But this is also a stark novel. Fleming embellishes his writing with sophisticated and intoxicating prose, but the book nonetheless feels as if it is stripped bare. Emotions are subdued, almost nullified. Business is carried out with lethal seriousness. The meals are sumptuous, the decor glistens, but the game played here is not for shilly-shallying about or plot padding. The story cuts right to the bond and exposes the nerves. The characterization is minimalist in design, especially that of Bond. This is primarily where Fleming’s first novel stands so far away from the others, where Bond turns into a more vivid and fascinating character. The supporting cast is also stonier than in later novels, with the exception of Felix Leiter, who add a nice touch of levity to an otherwise stone-faced serious story.

And who is this man, James Bond, Agent 007, licensed to kill? Looking at Casino Royale isolated from everything else that followed it, and trying to imagine reading the book in 1953, I find that a tricky question to answer. He’s cold and brutally efficient. He has inner feelings, warming up eventually to Vesper, but believes that survival depends on shutting them out… turning back into a ruthless machine. He is Her Majesty’s hired killer. And his sexism is a touch shocking, although it leads to the most memorable closing line of the books as Bond once again becomes the cold, professional device in the service of the government. There are some intriguing back story details revealed about Bond, such as the two assignments which got him is Double-O designation. I especially found the killing of the Japanese cipher clerk in the RCA building fascinating; Fleming could have crafted a short story all on its own about this incident. In fact, the short story “The Living Daylights” seems to have aspects of it. Bond comes most to life not in his scenes with Vesper, but in his talk with Rene Mathis in the hospital. Here is where I can most clearly see the characterizations to come in Fleming’s later work as Bond ruminates on his job… only to have Mathis sum up Bond’s philosophy for him: the punishment of the wicked. Fleming had the unusual ability as an espionage writer to include both the moral confusions of the spy’s world with the good vs. evil excitement of the heroic thriller.

Considering the importance placed on the villains in the subsequent books and films, the featured villain of Casino Royale is a non-entity. Le Chiffre is, like his name, nothing more than a number, a cipher. He exists as a silent opponent across the green felt of a baccarat table, a pair of stubby pink hands that deal cards, and a mind that deals death if anything gets in its way. Even with the now-obligatory speech scene, the only scene Le Chiffre gets to dominate, the character appears essentially secondary to the story, a villain plot device along with the shadowy assassins of SMERSH. The real adversary of the story is luck itself, as personified in the baccarat game, one of Fleming’s signature sequences. Although he would pen more Bond vs. Villain confrontations using a game (bridge, golf, canasta), this is the quintessential one and the best handled. I am amazed every time I read it of Fleming’s deft handling of the building of tension as the stakes raise higher and higher, and the way he can encapsulate so much power into the speaking of simple words like “banco” and “suivi.” Even to somewhere unaware of the baccarat rule (good thing Bond gives a brief primer to Vesper beforehand), it’s easy to follow what is going on and what is at stake.

The torture scene is another Fleming trope that he would never quite duplicate with the same savagery–perhaps something for which we should be thankful! The masochism of this scene is nearly unbearable, and Fleming achieves it without using explict words for what is happening. Quite a feat.

Structurally, Casino Royale is a bizarre book. The finale takes places two-thirds of the way in. The villain is dead, his scheme stopped. What is there left to do? the reader might wonder. I certainly asked that when I first read it. And this lengthy coda with Bond and Vesper’s romance and it tragic close does seem to go on a bit longer than it should. But the shock of the finale and Bond’s sudden cruelty to Vesper’s memory (does he believe it, or is he protecting himself?) tends to erase gripes about the sudden shift in pacing. It does leave the book on an unforgettable note. It isn’t “the spy story to end all spy stories” as Fleming thought (hell, it was just the beginning!), but it is one of the most moody and strange one ever written. Wherever one might stand on its quality regarding the other books in the series, this is a novel that leaves a startling impression.

Keep your eyes on the CBn main page for further reviews of Ian Fleming’s James Bond adventures in the upcoming months.

Literary 007 Reviewed: Ian Fleming's 'Casino Royale' (Part I)

With 2008 celebrating the centenary of Ian Fleming, it seemed as good a time as any to launch the newest CommanderBond.net review series: Literary 007 Reviewed.

As several CBn Forum members are already aware, every two months a James Bond adventure is chosen for members of the Blades Library Book Club to read. Proceeding in chronological order, the club began with Fleming’s Casino Royale back in March 2003 and we are now progressing through the John Gardner Bond adventures.

It therefore seems logical to start this new series at the beginning with Casino Royale. What follows are selected reviews from the Book Club Forum members. For further details on the club or to post your own review of Casino Royale, simply click here.

Literary 007 Reviewed: Casino Royale

‘Casino Royale’ reviewed by… Zographos

“I’ve got the corpses of a Japanese cipher expert in New York and a Norwegian double agent in Stockholm to thank for being a Double O. Probably quite decent people. They just got caught up in the gale of the world…”

It would not be very long before James Bond himself got caught up in the gale of the world, both figuratively and literally. His first adventure details his mission to destroy a Russian paymaster named Le Chiffre, who has embezzled Soviet funds into whorehouses. All the elements of the Bond mystique are laid out: the martinis, the girls, the guns, the cars, the villains, and most important of all, 007 himself. From the first scene in the casino, he is portrayed as a cold, methodical secret agent who lives for the present. Casino Royale is entirely realistic, a rare feat in the world of 007, and is based on a real World War II operation.

The mission begins with Bond’s arrival to the seaside gambling town of Royale-les-Eaux, France, where he intends to bankrupt Le Chiffre at the casino, in the hopes that Le Chiffre will be permanently “retired” by his Russian employers. Prior to this duel, Bond makes contact with his three allies: René Mathis, the cheerful Deuxième Bureau agent, Felix Leiter, a CIA man sent to cover the NATO angle, and Vesper Lynd, the beautiful Section S agent, sent by Head of S to ensure that the operation runs smoothly. Though Vesper is the driving force in the last third of the book, she is fairly bland and fails to fulfill to her role. As Bond later realizes, she “gave little of her real personality away”. To aggravate matters, she spends a large portion of the time in tears. Nevertheless, Bond’s struggle with Vesper provides some of the most striking, dramatic writing the series has ever seen.

After several days of preparation, in which Bond’s cover is mysteriously blown and he is nearly killed in a clever assassination attempt, he is ready to take on Le Chiffre at the casino tables. It is apparent as Bond describes the game of baccarat to Vesper and the reader that Fleming knows precisely what he is talking about. This infinite care for detail becomes a cornerstone of the series, later to be repeated with the Moonraker bridge game and the Goldfinger golf match. The duel begins and Bond and Le Chiffre play silently, menacing each other with body gestures. However, some people refuse to play by the rules, and Le Chiffre has devised a trick or two to give him an edge in the game.

Not surprisingly, Bond emerges the victor, and he and Vesper go out for drinks. But the celebrations are interrupted when Vesper is kidnapped by Le Chiffre and his men. Bond’s high-speed pursuit leads to a car crash and him being taken to Le Chiffre’s villa for interrogation. In one of the most haunting torture scenes to ever grace a thriller novel, Bond is brutalized with a cane carpet beater. Every little detail of the torture is faithfully described, more than making up for that fact that Le Chiffre is not a particularly interesting or menacing villain to begin with. Bond’s agony ends with a superb twist and Le Chiffre and his men are eliminated.

Though the villain is dead, only two-thirds of the book have passed. Bond is in the hospital recovering from his injuries. He tells Mathis that he is considering resigning. In an unusual scene of self-doubt, he suggests that the world needs villains like Le Chiffre in order to know what “evil” really is. Mathis, ever the optimist, laughs off Bond’s sophistries and tells him that he will soon change his mind. After several weeks of recovery, Bond regains his health and travels with Vesper to a French seaside inn for a vacation, where he considers marrying her. It is here that the final disaster occurs and Mathis’s prediction comes true.

It can be simply put that Casino Royale IS James Bond. Never is his character so focused and gripping. Never is Fleming’s prose so astonishing. Though let down by supporting characters, this is the perfect book to discover what James Bond is truly about.

‘Casino Royale’ reviewed by… Dr. Noah

It’s a great book, very readable, though lacking the “larger than life” feel of the other Fleming books.

It also has a very odd structure. It’s basiclly in three parts, part one is both the build up to, and the baccarat game itself, part two is the kidnapping of Vesper and Bond’s torture, while part three is Bond’s love affair. The structure more or less works (I’d have liked Bond to express his disaffection with his job at the begining of the book, making it a full sub-plot rather than being tacked on towards the end.)

I’m actually suprised at how much of the book is in the movie, i.e., most of the plot points, characters and car chases make it over to the movie.

‘Casino Royale’ reviewed by… Tehuti 004

The Original

Well, this is the first Ian Fleming book, and obviously the first book ever in which there was James Bond.

Now, most of the Bond movies and novels all follow the combination of, girls, gadgets, cars, villains with an obscene plot. But funnily, this novel doesnt have half of these. There are no gadgets, only the sidearm, there is one female without the whole story who does anything, there is a car chase, which is quite long, and there is the villain, Le Chiffre, with a plot to get aload of money.

Well, just from reading the title of the books, you can tell that is revolves around gambling. Which it does. There is an excellently described showdown with Bond and Le Chiffre in the Casino, and it does, I admit, keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Now, James Bond = Aston Martin? Well, in this case, no. But James still drives a very British car, a Bentley, now I won’t bore anyone or attempt to spoil the book. So I wont say anymore.

The “Bond girl” is Vesper. She is described very well when she enters the book. She has a mystic about her, which is revealed at the end. She is very much a big part in the book from the very beggining.

All in hand, this was the book to set the standard by, and well, it certainly set the standard. A great read, and obviously a classic.

‘Casino Royale’ reviewed by… Gri007

This is an excellent book to start what is a literature phenomenon.

I have just finished reading Casino Royale the second time round and just forgot at how quick the story takes place and evolves. To me it is a story that makes one keep turning the pages.

You get to know a little bit about Bond’s past with the Secret Service. It is a very realistic book and the torture seqeunce is fantastic.

Well done Mr. Fleming for introducing us all to the best spy in the world.

‘Casino Royale’ reviewed by… superracer0022

What a great start for a book series that began a phenomenon.

Not what I expected from watching the Barry Nelson TV-Movie version (THANK GOD). I’m not saying that the movie was bad it is just there were some things I didn’t like about it.

After reading the book I was very relieved that it was not very similar to that version (and as I expected it is not similar to the David Niven version either). Bond is shown much more normal in the book, from him getting tortured to him actually loosing at baccarat. Fleming did an amazing job with all of the distict characters, and one thing that I found interesting was that by just reading this book I was able to play a game of baccarat, for it does such a good job of explaining the game to the reader.

There were several things in the book that reminded me of different movies (the traps in his room to detect intruders -> Dr. No, the torture, however not really similar, reminded me of Die Another Day in showing a more human side of 007). Bond is also shown much more darker in how he is not very proud of being a Double-0 for it means he has killed somebody in cold blood. The end of the book was an extreme suprise to me.

I was very pleased with this book, and there were times when I would stay up past 12 reading it. It shows a completely different side of the James Bond world, and gives an idea of how he was originally envisioned.

The book is a definite classic, and exceeds all exspectations of a Bond Movie Fan.

‘Casino Royale’ reviewd by The Richmond Spy

I actually read it for the first time today. My goal was to read several chapters a day and get it done in a a few days, but I was hooked and had to finish it!

What can I say? It was great. I loved the vivid descriptions of the scenery and situations (especially when Bond had the gun to his back). I could see the setting at the end of the book in my head very clearly. The ending was very surprising, yet painful.

(I pictured Daniel Craig, Jeffrey Wright, and Eva Green in my head while reading!)

‘Casino Royale’ reviewed by… Double-Oh Agent

“The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning.” With these words, Ian Fleming began his career as a novelist and was on his way to creating arguably the greatest fictional character of the 20th century.

While British secret agent James Bond 007 is more famous for appearing in films on the silver screen, he nevertheless got his start and honed his character on the printed page. That start occurred with Fleming’s breakthrough debut novel, Casino Royale.

In the first chapter Fleming sets the groundwork for what will be a battleground of green felt, playing cards, and casino chips. It is here that the reader gets the first inkling that this book will be different than any he has read before. That is punctuated by the final paragraph of the chapter.

“His last action was to slip his right hand under the pillow until it rested under the butt of the .38 Colt Police Positive with the sawn barrel. Then he slept, and with the warmth and humor of his eyes extinguished, his features relapsed into a taciturn mask, ironical, brutal, and cold.” And that is describing the hero of the piece.

From there, Fleming goes back in time to Bond getting his assignment. Many of the recurring characters are there: the wonderful Moneypenny, the stern boss “M”, the loyal aide Bill Tanner. They all add a nice office background for Bond, the man with a license to kill. Later we meet up with two more people who would go on to be great friends of Bond–Rene Mathis, a Frenchman, and Felix Leiter, an American, and after reading their banter back and forth it’s easy to see the bond (no pun intended) forming in their respective relationships.

The rest of the cast of characters are an eclectic bunch indeed. They include the lovely but troubled Vesper Lynd, the disgusting Le Chiffre, the drug-addicted Basil, the slimy Corsican, and the mysterious Adolph Gettler. All the characters are well written–particularly the main players: Bond, Vesper, Le Chiffre, Leiter, and Mathis.

As for Bond, he is tough, moody, opinionated, and chauvanistic. He takes his job seriously and has little time for women. At first glance, he doesn’t sound like the type of hero one would root for. But as the book goes on and the reader learns more about him, one can see that there is more to Bond than meets the eye. You begin to like him and care about him and want him to succeed. (Of course it doesn’t hurt that the people he’s going up against are much worse than he is).

The plot is simple and straight-forward and without the far-reaching world-endangering scenarios of some of the later novels and the films. Le Chiffre’s head is on the proverbial chopping block as his employer, SMERSH, has discovered that he has embezzled funds to supplement his ownership of several French brothels. Now, with time running out, he has one last chance to recoup the lost money and save himself and he plans on doing that at the gaming tables of Casino Royale. That brings in Bond who is sent by Her Majesty’s government to ensure that Le Chiffre does not succeed in his quest and thereby remains out of SMERSH’s good graces.

The major part of the book deals with the two men’s one-on-one battle at the baccarat table. The scenes are well written and paced. Tension fills the air with every page. Nowhere is that more prevalent than when Bond bancos Le Chiffre and immediately feels the hard barrel of a weapon in the small of his back courtesy of The Corsican. How 007 gets out of his predicatment when all around him are oblivious to his situation is funny and well done.

Bond eventually manages to come out on top but his luck proves to be fleeting as Vesper is kidnapped and then Bond is captured by a desperate Le Chiffre. That leads to perhaps the best portion of the book whereupon Bond is tortured at the hands of the villain with an ordinary house-cleaning instrument. After reading the sequence one will never be able to look at a carpet beater the same way again.

At the end of the torture scene, just as Bond is on his last bits of strength, Fleming rescues 007 in an ingenious and ironic way. It’s one that the reader never sees coming and yet he doesn’t feel cheated.

The final third of the novel deals with Bond’s recuperation and love affair with Vesper. It is touching and curious at the same time as Vesper seems to be two different people during this section. It isn’t until the final pages that we finally learn the whole truth and everything falls into place–Bond’s world crashing down with it. It is at the end of this book that we get the complete Bond, the Bond that will continue on throughout the rest of the series. That point is emphasized with the final line in the book which is just as inspired and perfect as the opening line, but one that I won’t quote here.

In Casino Royale, Fleming set out to write the spy story to end all spy stories. That may not have happened as he went on to write 13 more novels, but he nevertheless wrote a great one–one that prove to be a solid introduction to the world’s most famous secret agent.

‘Casino Royale’ reviewed by… rafterman

I don’t normally like to reread my novels. I much prefer to rewatch films. I’ve rewatched the Bond films countless times. I know them, but I’ve only read my Flemings once. Having just read Casino Royale for the second time, I’m amazed by how good it really is. Better than I remembered. It’s the first and easily one of the best in the series. Not all of the elements are here yet, though. Casino Royale is a small story. About a secret agent, a big guy and a card game. There’s little of the sweep, no globe hopping, no gadgets for the film fans and just one girl, but what is here is the atmosphere. The character of James Bond is presented to us in minimal, but necessary details. That is the wonder of Fleming, he creates a world, one with the element of the bizarre, one highly detailed. Here we have Bond give instructions on the perfect drink, check his room for intruders by examining hairs stretched across door frames. Here is a Bond who curses the inclusion of a woman in his mission. A man who claims it’s not hard to attain a double oh, as long as you are willing to kill for it. Fleming sets us down into the world of smoke and cards, fast cars, cruel men and women.

It’s all about the detail. Everything is described in just right amount of words and it feels as if this just flowed out of Ian’s typewriter without a bit of reworking.

It’s a cruel world and James Bond is a cruel man, bored by the soft life, driven by the need for action. A man who puts his all into everything he does. With this first novel Fleming brought the character to life and it’s just a shame the novel has not been truly brought to the screen. Casino Royale is epitome of James Bond.

Keep your eyes on the CBn main page for further reviews of Ian Fleming’s James Bond adventures in the upcoming months.

First Edition Of Ian Fleming's 'Casino Royale' Sells For 20,000 Pounds

A first edition, first impression of the James Bond novel that started it all, Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, sold for £20,000 (about $40,000) as part of the massive literary 007 sale at Bloomsbury Auctions earlier this month.

As earlier reported on CommanderBond.net, this copy of Casino Royale along with nearly 40 other Bond novels (mostly Fleming, but there were a few John Gardner and Raymond Benson books included as well) went up for sale on 6 December in London.

007 Magazine OnLine updated fans with the results from the sale on some of the notable Bond lots:

42. Fleming (Ian) Casino Royale, first edition, first impression , full-page inscription from the author on front free endpaper, original boards, slightly cocked, first state dust-jacket without Times review, slightly chipped at head of spine, otherwise an unusually good example, 8vo, 1953.

£18000 – £22000 (SOLD FOR £20,000)

The inscription reads “To / the power behind / the publishers’ throne! / from / the author / May 1953”, presumably referring to somebody related to the publishers Jonathan Cape.

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43. Fleming (Ian) Live and Let Die, first edition, full-page inscription from the author on front free endpaper, original boards, first state dust-jacket, slightly rubbed at joints, rubbed at corners with minor fraying to spine ends, 2 small closed tears, otherwise a very good example, 8vo, 1954.

£8000 – £12000 (SOLD FOR £9500)

Inscription reads “To / Donald Crowther / Who helped with the coin!” / from / the author / 1954″. Donald Crowther seemingly worked at Spink at this time, before becoming Head of Coins at Sotheby’s, and must have advised Fleming on the 17th century gold coins being sold by “Mr Big” in the plot of Live and Let Die.

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44. Fleming (Ian) Moonraker, first edition , issue with ‘shoot’, near full-page signed presentation inscription from the author on front free endpaper , 1955, original boards, dust-jacket, slightly rubbed at corners, spine slightly dulled, otherwise a very good example, 8vo, 1955.

£5000 – £7000 (SOLD FOR £8500)

The inscription reads: “To E.B. Strauss / This ‘Tagebuch eines / halbwüchsigen Spiones’! / Ian Fleming / 1955.” [Journal of an adolescent Spy].

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50. Fleming (Ian) Thunderball, first edition , near full-page inscription from the author on front free endpaper, original boards, dust-jacket, slightly rubbed at tips of corners, but overall an unusually fine copy , 8vo, 1961.

£3500 – £4500 (SOLD FOR £7000)

The inscription reads “To / Jack. / By appointment, / M.O. to the SIS! / Ian” – possibly to Jack Whittingham, who worked on a treatment of Thunderball with Fleming for a film version; the idea was scrapped and the treatment converted into the novel instead. ‘SIS’ is the Secret Intelligence Service, aka MI6.

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52. Fleming (Ian) On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, first edition, number 125 of 250 copies signed by the author , colour portrait of Fleming by Amherst Villiers, bookplate of Colonel H.C.C.Newnham on front pastedown, original vellum-backed buckram, t.e.g., in original plastic jacket, a fine copy, 8vo, 1963.

£3000 – £4000 (SOLD FOR £3000)

For the complete list of James Bond novels that went up for sale, visit http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/auction/634.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest on James Bond-related events happening around the world.

Win Penguin 007 Fleming Boxset

CBn is giving forum members the chance to win the recently released Ian Fleming boxset, featuring all 14 paperback novels with Rich Fahey’s amazing cover art.

The boxset has a RRP of around £100, but one lucky member will win one for absolutely nothing, and just in time for Christmas!

This competition is open to all members of CBn. You must be a registered member of the CBn Forums and answer the following questions correctly to be eligible to win. Not yet a member of CBn? Register here now–it’s free and only takes a minute!

To enter, answer the following questions and send a Communiqué/Private Message on the CBn Forums to ‘CBn Competition’ (Subject: CBn Fleming Boxset) by Midnight GMT on Thursday, 13 December 2007 (simply click on the link in this paragraph).

1. Who created the cover art featured in this boxset?
2. What was Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel?
3. What is your CBn forum screen name?
4. What country do you live in?

All those who answer correctly will be put into a drawing and the winner will be sent a Communiqué/Private Message via the CBn Forums to the Screen Name they provided to inform them of their winning. The winner must respond to this PM by midnight GMT on the 15 December 2007 with the requested information (name, mailing address, etc) or another drawing will be held. The winner will be announced once shipping information has been received. The item will be shipped from the UK. In the event that a prize has been stolen or mishandled during shipment, CBn will not be able to replace the specific item–this has yet to be a problem.