Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
Read for: 1% Well Read Challenge
This is the first James Bond book by Ian Fleming. It wasn’t made into a movie until just recently. I do enjoy a good James Bond flick, but they are usually fairly cheesy and unrealistic in a good way, don’t get me wrong!). I was expecting the book to reflect that but I was pleasantly surprised. The book was originally published in 1953 and didn’t have any of the ultra-modern, unrealistic technology that James Bond films are known for. In fact, Bond didn’t have any special toys at all. He did drive a nice car and he did wreck it (as he typically does in every Bond movie), but at the end of the book they were having it repaired. Perhaps it appears in the next novel?
The other thing that made the book more realistic than the movies is that Bond actually admitted to being fearful. In the movies, he always ends up in these terrifying situations and yet he always responds with a stoic face and never seems to fear for his life. In this book, he was scared and he even felt that he was going to die and in fact had resigned himself to this fact. Of course, we all know that Bond survives to appear in the next book/movie.
I was also impressed by how true to the novel the movie was. There were some minor details changed and there was a lot more action in the movie (of course there has to be lots of action – it’s a Bond movie!) but the major story line was very similar. (Even down to the horrifying torture James is forced to endure.)
In the end, I was actually really surprised by the quality of the writing in this novel as well. I’d expected a good, action packed story, but I wasn’t expecting too much as far as the writing was concerned, but it was actually pretty decent. (Definitely better than Dan Brown or Stephenie Meyer!) I’m not sure I’ll be reading any more of Fleming’s books but it has nothing to do with the quality of the story or the writing, I’m just not sure I’m all that interested in this genre of books. I would give it an 8.5/10 though. (I’ve included this in the general fiction category because it doesn’t fit anywhere else. Any suggestions for what genre this would be considered?)
Other reviews:
Has anyone else reviewed this book? Please post links in the comments.
Tags: Ian Fleming, James Bond
August 22nd, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Nice review. This is a book that I would never expect to read myself, but it certainly sounds interesting. I surprisingly really liked the movie – it was definitely one of the better Bond movies in my opinion. Maybe someday when I need a break from my typical reading, I might bite into this one.
August 27th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
When Casino Royale, the movie, came out a few years ago I was hooked. I hadn’t been the biggest Bond fan before but Craig made me into one. When I heard that the story followed the book very closely I knew I had to rethink my original ideas about what Ian Fleming’s books would be like. I am so glad I did. I absolutely loved it, and have read the first 5 of the Bond books thus far. While book number two had some racial issues I was uncomfortable with (it fit the time period, but still bothered me), each story has been fantastic and not a one is like the bizarre, gadget-filled films that have been made of them over the years. Some of the films go so far afield of the novels that it is hard to believe Fleming was willing to sign off on any of them. The books are well worth reading, in my opinion.
My review of Casino Royale, the book, is here:
http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/?p=568
February 4th, 2011 at 10:51 pm
[...] the Quake) 17. A Tale of Two Cities (Melanie) 18. The Secret History (Carrie) 19. Atonement 20. Casino Royale (Lahni) 21. The Woman in White (Lahni) 22. Middlesex (Mee) 23. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy [...]