jkb reviewed Moonraker by Ian Fleming
Review of 'Moonraker : a James Bond novel' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Well, this book and the movie only seem to have two, maybe, three things similar. Drax, Bond, and the Moonraker. And that is it. Moonraker is a nuclear missle. Other than that this was a fun book. It starts off slow but has gambling, drinking, drug taking, chaste women, Bond not getting it. So it was a delightful book.
The last thing, "Bond not getting it", I mention this because lately there have been a bunch of critiques of the different Bond movies and the actors playing them. Daniel Craig is absolutely replacing Sean Connery as my favorite Bond. Why? Because the literal Bond makes mistakes, huge ones at times, and Daniel Craigs' Bond has been criticized for the same thing. But that shouldn't be a criticism to Daniel Craig not doing his job, in fact that is exactly how Ian Fleming appears to have written Bond.
He doesn't always …
Well, this book and the movie only seem to have two, maybe, three things similar. Drax, Bond, and the Moonraker. And that is it. Moonraker is a nuclear missle. Other than that this was a fun book. It starts off slow but has gambling, drinking, drug taking, chaste women, Bond not getting it. So it was a delightful book.
The last thing, "Bond not getting it", I mention this because lately there have been a bunch of critiques of the different Bond movies and the actors playing them. Daniel Craig is absolutely replacing Sean Connery as my favorite Bond. Why? Because the literal Bond makes mistakes, huge ones at times, and Daniel Craigs' Bond has been criticized for the same thing. But that shouldn't be a criticism to Daniel Craig not doing his job, in fact that is exactly how Ian Fleming appears to have written Bond.
He doesn't always get the girl. It seems that he wears his heart on his sleeve, unlike a lot of the movie Bonds who just use women as a means to an end. Flemings' Bond sees a pretty girl and can totally appreciate her for her beauty and as we find in Moonraker, is able to listen and learn from the woman. This is very important.
Skyfall it has been mentioned that Bond made so many mistakes and he couldn't even protect M very well. Well, in reading the first three books that would be accurate. He hasn't helped any one in any of the books (well, maybe one but I'm not telling which one). He has stopped the villains that is for sure but he made mistakes and errors the entire way until he finally confronts the villain. So, if you think that Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and Timothy Dalton were good Bonds they were after a fashion. We're they playing Bond as he was written in the books. Brosnan may have been the closest. He was flawed, wore his heart out a bit on his sleeve. But my pick as who is Bond - Daniel Craig - just because he makes mistakes. Becomes too emotional, and finally confronts and stops the villain. Technically, he stopped the last villain just not in time to save anyone.
And Moonraker, this is a slow book and it is not until half way through does any action begins. Kind of why the 4 stars. I did enjoy the gambling but it just took almost half the book for one evening of gambling and that was kind of much.
In December, I will return to reading the next Bond book in the line up: Diamonds are Forever. I can hear Shirley Bassey now.
